With the premiere of Black Adam This coming October, many DCEU fans will be exposed to this character for the first time. Thus, this is the right time to learn a little more about the history of this characterso that more people have prior knowledge before seeing Dwayne Johnson’s performance on the big screen.
Who is Black Adam?
To start, Black Adam started out as a villain in the Captain Marvel comics published by Fawcett Comics.. Otto Binder and CC Beck were responsible for creating this character, who in 1945 debuted as another enemy of the Marvel family.
Once DC obtained the rights to Fawcett Comics, and changed the name of Captain Marvel to Shazam in 1973, Black Adam was once again established as one of the main villains of this hero, but now with a more recent role, and an antagonistic role. Nevertheless, It was not until the 21st century that the conception of this character changed to what we know today.
Thanks to Jerry Ordway, Geoff Johns, and David S. Goyer, Black Adam became a corrupt anti-hero, one who, while still in conflict with Shazam., has a completely different approach than what we saw throughout the 20th century. Black Adam has been noted for his participation in comics such as Justice Society of America (JSA), Villains United, Infinite Crisis, and 52, which have raised the character’s prominence in the DC Universe.
powers
Depending on the writer and the era, Black Adam’s powers vary quite a bit. Originally, and to differentiate it from Shazam, this antihero used the powers of six Egyptian Gods. However, it all came down to increased speed, strength, and some special abilities.
Recently, Black Adam has chosen to make use of the powers bestowed upon him by six Greek Gods, similar to Shazam. At the end of the day, it depends a lot on the continuity and the writer, the type of mythology that is usedalthough the abilities are very similar.
Black Adam outside of the comics
Along with his extensive history in comics, Black Adam has also participated in different projects on television, movies and games. Despite not appearing in full, the episode of “Isis” in Smallville has the first reference to this character in live action outside of its traditional medium.
Since the 1980s, Black Adam has been a part of various animated series, with his most recent appearances taking place in Young Justice, Justice League Action Y Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Although the DC Animated Movie Universe was the great equivalent of the MCU, but in animated form, this character did not appear in a single tape.
Regarding video games, Black Adam has not only had a good presence in LEGO titles and in DC Onlinebut he is also one of the fighters that we find available in injustice and its sequel.
Movie
As you already know, next October the film of Black Adam. This tape will not only introduce this antihero to the current DCEU, but will also present us with live action versions of the members of the Justice Society of America. You can check out the first trailer for this film here.
Via: DC