Black Adam

History

Circa 1200 BC, Shazam became a high priest to the pharaoh Ramses II of Egypt. As the wizard grew older, he sought a champion worthy to inherit his powers. The young prince Teth-Adam of Kahndaq (Ramses' son) impressed the wizard with his fairness and decency. But before Shazam could bestow his powers, his daughter Blaze made a deal with the god Set. When Teth-Adam spoke the name "Shazam," instead of gaining the wizard's powers, he was blessed with the power of seven Egyptian gods: Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aton and Mehen. Thus, though Adam speaks the name "Shazam," he does not draw power not fom the wizard. Teth-Adam served Egypt for many years, but this duty drew him away from his wife and children in Kahndaq. While he was away, the mad priest, Ahk-ton ravaged Kahndaq and killed Adam's family. The priest was powered by the "Orb of Ra". Adam could not apprehend Ahk-ton, so he entombed his family and returned to the court of Ramses. There he served as Egypt's champion alongside another great wizard, Nabu. Mighty-Adam was a success as a hero for Egypt, but his service kept him away from his wife, Shiruta, and his sons Gon and Hurut.

Adam's homeland was destroyed and his family killed by the evil priest Ahk-ton using the Orb of Ra. A disparaged Adam continued to serve in Rameses' court, and allied himself with Prince Khufu (later Hawkman). At this time, he met three travelers from the future: Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific, and Captain Marvel. Adam felt relieved that his legacy would continue through Marvel, and thought highly of his future counterpart. With the help of these visitors and the wizard Nabu, Adam was able to capture Ahk-ton, whom he killed as retribution for murdering Adam's family.

Adam returned to Khandaq and forcefully overthrew the government present there, and appointed himself ruler. The wizard Shazam was made aware of all of these events and, thinking Adam had been corrupted by Blaze, unleashed a powerful spell. He trapped Adam's soul and powers within a powerful scarab rendering Adam's de-powered body, now several hundred years old, into a withered corpse. Shazam then buried both the body and the scarab in the tomb of Rameses II, where he had planned for it to remain for all eternity. In death, the former hero was referred to as "Khem-Adam" ("Black Adam"). Disillusioned by what he perceived as Adam's betrayal, Shazam went several millennia before appointing a second champion to fight evil in his name.

Years later Rameses II's tomb was excavated by the Batsons under the orders of the Sivana Federation. A colleague of the Batsons, Adam's descendant Theo, murdered the Batsons after finding the scarab. Suspecting something was odd, his sister, Sarah, had Mary Batson adopted by the Bromfields to keep her away from Theo.

When Theo saw Billy Batson as Captain Marvel, he realized the power and said "Shazam" and "Black Adam." The two battled, with Shazam temporarily removing Adam's ability to speak. This was undone by the evil Blaze, and Adam later spent time in deep space.

Black Adam joined the JSA after claiming he had rid himself of Theo Adam's evil influence. Captain Marvel joined the JSA as well, wanting to keep an eye on him.

Johnny Sorrow removed a malignant brain tumor in Adam's head, and Black Adam joined the Injustice Society. He soon betrayed them so the JSA could defeat them.

Black Adam left the JSA after Kobra was allowed to live. He formed his own team, executed Kobra, and once again overthrew Khandaq's government. The JSA intervened. After a battle, Black Adam was allowed to retain control of Khandaq as long as he stayed within its borders. He and the Feitherans began to rebuild the war-torn country.

Black Adam joined the Society of Villains to protect Khandaq, or so he claimed. During the Spectre's attack on magical beings, Atom-Smasher was killed, but Adam was able to revive him with magical lightning.

Adam was part of the group that set a trap for Uncle Sam and the rest of the Freedom Fighters. However, Adam himself was betrayed by the other villains as Alex Luthor sought 'a Marvel' to use as part of his plot.

Adam was given Adrianna Tomaz as a gift from Intergang. She was meant to be used as a slave to his pleasure, in return for allowing Intergang to use Khandaq as a base for their criminal activities. However, Black Adam executed her captors. Her wisdom helped him to focus on using his powers for the benefit of the people of Kahndaq. He granted her the power of the Goddess, Isis, and the two were married. When Adrianna's younger brother, Amon, was found a prisoner of Intergang, Adam granted him a portion of his own power and he became the hero, Osiris.

Adam finally felt as if he had a true family. Isis had a tremendous influence on him, and she managed to dampen Adam's otherwise violent temper. As an act of good will, Black Adam and his family went to the United States and participated in several events including a holiday parade and a charity dinner at the Sivana estate.

Not long after, Adam's brother-in-law, Osiris, befriended a shy talking crocodile which he named Sobek. He brought Sobek back to Kahndaq with him and he became a part of the colloquially named Black Marvel Family. Sobek's presence eventually proved to be the undoing of the Black Marvel Family however.

Black Adam soon discovered that Sobek was in fact the Fourth Horseman known as Famine (Yurrd the Unknown). Sobek caused a massive blight that swept across Kahndaq ultimately killing Isis. He also turned against Osiris, savagely biting him in half and consuming the remains. Black Adam came upon Isis' body as she lay dying. Her final words were a plea of vengeance against those who brought this tragedy upon Kahndaq.

Adam next attacked Sobek, killing him by hyper-extending his jaws. He then tracked the First of the Horsemen, Death (Azeuz) to the nation of Bialya and engaged in a massive battle with him. Black Adam's thirst for vengeance wasn't sated with merely defeating the Horsemen however. He lashed out against the entire country, killing every man, woman and child in Bialya, even sterilizing the earth. This genocide empowered Death, who believed he would now be able to defeat Black Adam in battle. He was soon proven incorrect.

The world at large watched in horror as Black Adam continued blazing a trail of devastation across the globe. His next target was mainland China, whom he suspected was responsible for financially backing the Oolong Island experiments that resulted in the creation of the Four Horsemen. China's super-hero team the Great Ten attempted to stop Black Adam, but they proved ineffective. The Chinese government issued a proclamation that no other country was to interfere in China’s affairs, even on their own behalf. Such an action would be interpreted as an act of war, and China would retaliate with nuclear weapons.

An assemblage of heroes led by the Justice Society of America set up a beachhead on China's borders. Many of them wanted to ignore China's warning and fight Black Adam, but they maintained their vigilance for fear of aggravating a new war.

When Black Adam defeated the Great Ten, the Chinese government asked the Western world for aid. Dozens of super-heroes including the JSA, the Doom Patrol and the Teen Titans mounted an attack against Black Adam, but his fury was so intense that nothing seemed to stop him. One of the casualties was the former Teen Titan, Terra, whom Black Adam slew by punching his fist through her chest. The Teen Titan, Young Frankenstein, also feel to his fury.

Captain Marvel petitioned the gods of ancient Egypt to take away Black Adam's powers, but they refused. In fact, they even advocated Adam's actions. Marvel then sought the aid of the mystical community and worked with Zatanna in a desperate attempt to defeat Black Adam once and for all.

Captain Marvel and Adam fought one another, and Marvel spoke the magic word "Shazam", summoning the mystic lightning that grants them their powers. He channeled the lightning into Black Adam, forcing him to transform back into the mortal Teth-Adam. Through Zatanna's spell, Captain Marvel managed to change the magic word so that Teth-Adam would be unable to turn back into Black Adam.

As the war came to a close, Teth-Adam escaped justice and fled back to Kahndaq. He was last seen wandering the streets of Shiruta incognito, attempting to learn the new magic word that bring his powers back.

Adam appears with his powers restored, having secretly taken up residence in the abandoned Khandaq embassy in Gotham City. Mary Marvel stumbles upon him at the embasy and finds that he has killed several others that have had to the misfortune to find their way in there. It appears that Adam is very angry with Mary as well but with the uttering of Shazam he transfers all of his powers to Mary. Before leaving, he implies that he had discovered what his new word was - 'Sorry' - and somehow changed it back to 'Shazam'. In transferring his powers to her he is now an average mortal and powerless, what he has decided is better then the burden he bore for so long as Black Adam.

The still-powerless Teth-Adam orders his remaining loyal servant to savagely beat his face in order to alter his physical appearance. Effectively disguised, he leads the group to Kahndaq to retrieve the bones of Isis, while the JSA is in Bialya searching for him. Adam and his men are attacked by unidentified soldiers (who are also searching for Teth-Adam) while leaving the tomb of Isis and Osiris. Adam's followers sacrifice their lives so that he can escape with his wife's remains. Adam then travels to the frozen Himalayas, where he eats the corpse of his last remaining henchman after running out of food. Finally reaching a secluded cave, Teth-Adam resurrects Isis using a Lazarus Pit.

Coming to realize she is no more then a decaying reanimated dead body, he is forced by the realization to kill her. He then takes her bones and goes on a pilgrimage to the Tower of Fate. Using a small piece of the Rock of Eternity, he reveals the Tower of Fate's location and enters. Expecting to find Doctor Fate so that he may get back the Amulet of Isis, he is suprised to find the doctor not in and Felix Faust has been trapped there with Neron, due to a spell cast by the deceased Ralph Dibney. Apparently Neron found a way out and left. Faust, in order to gain freedom joins forces with Adam and helps him cast a spell to transfer residual magic from Isis's bones to him to allow him to transform into Black Adam.

Powers & Abilities

Black Adam is gifted with a panoply of powers that appear to correspond to and match, if not exceed, those of Captain Marvel. Essentially, he is gifted with six attributes of particular gods who are exemplars of them. He is as strong, fast, durable, powerful, knowing, and as possessed of inner strength as six gods who are pinnacles of those qualities. These powers are both magical and divine in nature. They are magical insofar as it was the Wizard Shazam who originally provided the link to the gods who empower Black Adam, but the powers themselves come directly from the six gods who lend their puissance to him. This is a significant distinction insofar as the gods seem to have shown reluctance to abandon their avatar, even when his magical patron would clearly rather have removed his gift. While the wizard was able to initially displace the powers into an amulet, this was clearly not sufficient to keep Adam from eventually reclaiming them. Nor was Shazam apparently able to repeat the feat in the modern age. Captain Marvel, having apparently inherited the wizard Shazam’s power after the Spectre slew him, was roughly rebuked when he sought the gods’ intercession with Black Adam during the events of 52. It took an impressive coalition of magic-users acting in concert with Marvel, and the simultaneous distraction of fighting a large contingent of the world’s heroes, to change the Word and temporarily disempower the violent powerhouse.

The chief distinction between the power of Captain Marvel and that of Black Adam is that Adam’s powers are provided by the Egyptian, rather than the Greek, pantheon. Presumably, the two are nearly equal in power, though it is conceivable that one god might be more potent than another (an interesting note is that Solomon, Achilles, and Hercules - three of Marvel’s patrons, were originally at least half mortal). Aside from the short-lived Black Marvel family, Black Adam does not share his power the way Billy does with Freddy, rendering him much more powerful in most situations. Therefore, any feat demonstrated by Captain Marvel should be at the very least duplicable by Adam. Teth even in mortal form shows remarkable ability to inspire his followers, even to their deaths, and was an able warrior before being given his abilities. Moreover, Adam has had centuries more experience with his powers than most super-beings, and is an accomplished and iron-willed combatant even without his powers. The powers granted to Black Adam are as follows:

Shu

(stamina): Nigh-invulnerable, and does not need to eat, sleep, or breathe (can survive unaided in space). Extremely resistant to magical attack, and effectively tireless. Even when a specially prepared bullet made from the Rock of Eternity could puncture him, Adam dug it out with his fingers and healed almost immediately. Has survived the equivalent of a major astronomical event being teleported inside his skull, and Captain Marvel has withstood being literally turned inside out by a spatial tesseract bomb with zero ill effects! Shu is the Egyptian god of the air, whose name means “he who rises up”.

Heru

(Horus - speed) - Black Adam can fly, move, and fight at, at least Mach 500 in an atmosphere; and in space, at faster than light speeds. In one account, Adam traveled from the farthest reaches of the cosmos to earth in 5000 years (the universe is 156 billion light years wide). Heru is the Egyptian god of the sky and victory personified.

Amon(strength) - Provides Adam with truly incredible strength. In a strength class with Superman and Captain Marvel, and able to toss one-handed an aircraft carrier (hundreds of thousands of tons) for possibly hundreds of miles. On one occasion, He was successfully able to hold his own against an assemblage of The Justice League, Justice Society, and The Teen Titans, Something neither Superman or Captain Marvel have been able to do. Amon is considered the king of the Egyptian gods, a god of virility and the ‘breath of life’

Zehuti

(Thoth-wisdom) - Access to godly level of knowledge, magical and mundane. Can simply 'know' appropriate knowledge for a situation, and be counseled as to the best course of action. Adam has voiced distrust for the voices of the gods to Captain Marvel. Adam’s gods have also expressed approval for his more brutal actions in "52", which appears to be very different than the stance of Captain Marvel’s patrons. Black Adam’s senses are phenomenally sharp as well, though nowhere near the level of Superman’s. Zehuti, or Thoth, is the Egyptian god of magic and writing, whose magical powers were so great, that those who read the 'Book of Thoth', became the most powerful magician in the world.

Aton

(power) - Aton provides the magic lightning that transforms Adam, and Adam can use the lightning bolt as a weapon by dodging it and allowing it to strike an opponent. The power of Aton enables Adam’s flight, enhances his physical abilities and invulnerability, and gives him godly resistance against magical attacks. This power also allows him the power of interdimensional travel. It is feasible that the power of Aton and the wisdom of Zehuti could be used more extensively, if required, but that Adam’s general invincibility makes him favor the direct approach. Aton is the Egyptian god of the solar disk and of creation itself

Mehen

(courage) - Provides a godly degree of inner strength, including superhuman resistance to psychic manipulation, or any form of mind control. It is worth noting that even in mortal form Teth demonstrates phenomenal determination, mental toughness, and nerves of steel. Mehen, or “one who is coiled” is the serpent god who fought the demon Apep to protect the sun.

Weakness

Gallery

Comments

Hero commented on - 2012-04-11 16:41:17

WHEN DID HE GET TELEKINESIS

Djjackson1003 commented on - 2012-04-01 15:48:52

I am with you on that 1.

Hero commented on - 2012-04-01 15:45:54

Heck don't u think that Capetian marvel is better than this guy cause I really do

Hero commented on - 2012-03-27 05:01:52

WHY IS HE HIGJER THAN CAPTAIN MATVEL!!!!!!Ą!!!!!!!!!!!