DC Characters

Black Adam

History

Adam was born to the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II in the neighboring (fictional) land of Kahndaq. While there are contradictory accounts of the circumstances of Black Adam's early history, certain elements are consistent:

While serving as high priest to Ramses II, the wizard Shazam sought a successor to his godly powers. Impressed with his virtue and martial heroism, he chose Adam. Having determined to make Adam his successor, Shazam's intentions were altered by the intervention of his half-demonic daughter Blaze. Blaze struck a bargain with the god Set so that when Adam speaks the word "Shazam," instead of becoming the avatar of the wizard's deific patrons, he becomes the avatar of the Egyptian gods Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aton and Mehen.

"Teth-Adam" (Mighty Adam) then served the Egyptian pharaoh as his champion for many years. At one point, a time-traveling adventure of the Justice Society showed him in service to Prince Khufu (an early reincarnation of Hawkman) alongside the wizard Nabu. This service however, drew him away from his family and home country of Kahndaq, which was attacked in his absence, resulting in the murder of his family and the devastation of his people. The attack was carried out by a rogue priest who used the Orb of Ra to give himself Metamorpho-like powers, and plotted conquest in league with the immortal Vandal Savage. With the assistance of the time traveling members of the Justice Society of America, the two villains were eventually defeated. Captain Marvel, interacting with his predecessor prior to his fall from grace, was both impressed by the valor and nobility of Adam, and disturbed by the bloody vengeance he exacted upon the murderer of his family.

Though he went on to serve the pharaoh of Egypt for hundreds of years thereafter, Teth-Adam eventually fell from the good graces of Shazam. This happened either because Adam became dictatorial towards Kahndaq, he became corrupted and homicidal by his powers, or the wizard believed he was plotting conquest with Blaze. Henceforth, the wizard referred to him as "Khem" (or "Black") Adam. In any event, Shazam somehow magically transposed Teth-Adam's powers (and apparently Teth-Adam's spirit) into a mystical scarab amulet, where they remained for thousands of years. Having been unnaturally supported past his normal lifespan, Adam's body disintegrated. Made cautious by this failure, Shazam does not empower another champion until modern times when Billy Batson was made into Captain Marvel.

The scarab amulet found its way into the tomb of Ramses II and remained there until an archeological expedition financed by Dr. Sivana served as the vehicle for fate's intercession. Billy Batson's father C.C. Batson led the expedition and discovered the amulet along with his wife Marylyn and assistant Theo Adam. Becoming immediately obsessed with the amulet, the unscrupulous assistant killed the Batsons to claim it for himself. Theo Adam discovered he was a descendant of Black Adam and learned to speak the magic word that bestowed upon him the powers of Black Adam, and eventually released the ancient warrior's spirit. Recognizing Captain Marvel's resemblance to C.C. Batson, the empowered Theo Adam revealed himself as the murderer of Billy's parents, and the two battled. Marvel achieved victory by snatching away the scarab from Theo and took him to the wizard Shazam who removed his memory and voice.

This solution proved short-lived, however, as Shazam's daughter Blaze again intervened and restored Theo's faculties and thereby his powers. Holding the soul of his sister hostage in hell, she coerced Theo to serve her in a plot against the wizard. When her brother Satanus interfered and released his sister's soul, Black Adam turns on Blaze and she was defeated by the wizard. Theo/Teth-Adam was then sent to a far-flung part of the cosmos. He eventually returned and claimed to be free of the influence of Theo.

Hereafter there is confusion as to whether Black Adam's real persona is Theo or Teth-Adam. His next appearance showed him acting irrationally and violently, and opposed by the Justice Society, who were only able to stop him by bringing lightning from ancient Egypt to the present and transforming Adam back to mortal form. From that point on, the mortal form Black Adam transmogrifies to is that of Teth in his prime, and he appears to be the sole personality involved. He claimed to have been once again temporarily under the influence of Theo when he made a deal with Johnny Sorrow to remove a brain tumor from Theo in return for his joining the Injustice Society. Black Adam then claimed to be free of Theo. He joined the Society against Sorrow and they triumphed. Applying for membership in the Justice Society, Adam was accepted as a probationary member. However, there was a great deal of suspicion of him, particularly from Atom Smasher, who was openly hostile, and Captain Marvel, who also joins to keep an eye on Adam.