- NOTE: This article is about the incarnation of Black Adam from the DC Extended Universe. The mainstream version can be found here: Black Adam.
| “ | Tell them the Man in Black sent you. | „ |
| ~ Black Adam's catchphrase. |
| “ | I was a slave until I died. Then I was reborn a god. I kneel before no one. | „ |
| ~ Black Adam to Doctor Fate. |
| “ | Prove your strength. Destroy your enemy and all he cares about. Make him beg for mercy, but deny it until his final breath. | „ |
| ~ Black Adam to Amon Tomaz. |
Teth-Adam, also known as Black Adam, is the titular main protagonist of the 2022 DC Extended Universe superhero film Black Adam.
He is a former slave in the ancient city of Kahndaq and is the father of Hurut, who became the first Champion of the Council of Wizards due to his courageous and noble nature, and this allowed him to be given the power of the Gods of Egypt. After Teth-Adam was fatally wounded by gladiators of Akh-Ton, the tyrant king of Kahndaq, Hurut transferred his powers to his father, making Teth-Adam the new champion, but Hurut was killed soon after.
In his wrath, Teth-Adam vengefully slaughtered King Aki-Ton and his entire court, which also resulted in the releasing of the Seven Deadly Sins on Kahndaq and the world. This forced the Council of Wizards to declare him unworthy, causing Teth-Adam to murder nearly all of them with the Wizard Shazam being the last one standing, and he imprisoned Teth-Adam in a tomb. 5,000 years later, he was freed and is determined to unleash his unique form of justice in on the world he does not recognize.
He was portrayed by Dwayne Johnson, better known as The Rock, who also portrayed The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns, Sarge in Doom, Agent 23 in Get Smart, Terrorcon Cliffjumper in Transformers: Prime and John Hartley in Red Notice.
Biography[]
Backstory[]
Teth-Adam was born a slave in the ancient nation of Kahndaq because of his poor family. In his adulthood, he got married to a Kahndaqi woman named Shiruta and they had an only son named Hurut. One day, Hurut started a Rebellion in Kahndaq against King Akh-Ton, which led to the latter ordering his execution. Teth-Adam tried to save his son by pushing through the king's guard, only for them to hold him back, and he is forced to watch as Hurut is about to be executed for his treachery but the boy suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving Tech-Adam confused. It turns out, the Council of Wizards had summoned Hurut to name him as Champion.
With his given power, Hurut won many victories against Ahk-Ton's men. This caused the King Akh-Ton to retaliate by setting up as trap where his gladiators would murder Teth-Adam and Shiruta, however, only Shiruta died and Teth-Adam was fatally wounded. When Hurut finally arrived, he saves his father by sacrificing his powers, in which he transferred them to Teth-Adam. This not only saved his life but he also became the new Champion. Unfortunately soon after, Assassins fatally wound Hurut causing Teth-Adam to retaliate by killing them with a powerful lightning bolt. When Hurut died, he went into a despairing rage, as his signature black armor forms around his body. He then seeks to exact his revenge on all those responsible for the death of his family.
The tragic death of his wife and son drove Teth-Adam in protecting Kahndaq through the usage of brutality and ruthlessness as well as any means necessary. This would accidentally result in the releasing of the Seven Deadly Sins on Kahndaq and the genocidal rampage of these powerful demons resulted in the deaths of millions and the destruction of several ancient civilizations which led them to be erased from existence.
Teth-Adam stormed into Ahk-Ton's palace and released a wave of energy which killed not only King Ahk-Ton but also his royal guard, and everyone in or near his palace. A servant attempted to deliver the ancient crown of the demon Sabbac to Akh-Ton but was killed before he could reach his king. Because of Teth-Adam's destructive actions, the Council of Wizards were forced to declare him unworthy and attempted to strip him of his powers but Teth-Adam retaliated by murdering nearly all of them, leaving the wizard Shazam as the sole survivor. He successfully imprisoned Teth-Adam in a tomb for 5 millennia.
Black Adam[]
Years later, Teth-Adam was freed by a professor named Adrianna Tomaz to once again help protect and save Kahndaq, fighting Intergang forces while trying to adjust to a new age thanks to Adrianna's son Amon. Despite his brutal murders, Adam soon became the focus of the Justice Society (consisting of Doctor Fate, Atom Smasher, Cyclone and Hawkman), who were sent to to Kahndaq by Amanda Waller to end his rampage, as Waller deemed him a threat. Adam briefly fights them until they managed to call a truce, having to save Amon from Ishmael Gregor, the leader of Intergang.
During the course of the rescue, Adam had disagreements with Hawkman over how bad guys such as criminals should be treated properly. Once Amon was saved, Adam turned himself in, leading to him being imprisoned in the Task Force X Black Site. However, he is telepathically released by Doctor Fate to team up and help the Justice Society kill Gregor, who has transformed into a demon known as Sabbac. In the end, Adam emerged victorious by defeating Sabbac with the help of the Society, becoming the true hero and protector of Kahndaq, referring to himself as "Black Adam" to better suit modern times.
Sometime later, Adam is visited by an A.R.G.U.S drone that projects an image of Amanda Waller, who warns him not to leave his nation, sending Superman to dialogue with him.
Personality[]
Teth-Adam grew up as a slave in Kahndaq, being constantly mistreated and exploited by his leaders, which generated hatred towards them, but he was always full of courage and bravery to attend to situations that required it. Raising his son Hurut, Teth-Adam always tried to protect him from any evil, teaching him from an early age that the world they lived in was a dangerous one, contrasting with his son's premature desires to improve it. At some point, when Hurut observed how some gladiators mistreated a slave, he was about to help him, however Adam stopped him and told him that they couldn't do anything about it no matter how much they wanted to. However, Teth-Adam took pride in his son's morality and sense of fairness and justice, as Adam eventually smiled as Hurut handed his slice of bread to some slaves in need, telling Shiruta that he felt there was still hope in Kahndaq.
Following the sudden death of his wife and son at the hands of King Ahk-Ton's forces, Adam was left traumatized and filled with emotional pain, which led him to became brutal, vengeful, cold, ruthless, and aggressive after the loss of his family. Adam began misusing his powers and accidentally releasing the Seven Deadly Sins upon his family's murderers and the rest of the people of Kahndaq, killing millions.
Having become invincible and taking revenge on his former leaders, Adam developed a strong ego that allowed him to consider himself unable to surrender to anyone. Teth-Adam also developed a twisted sense of justice, using a methodology where the ends (protecting Kahndaq) justify the means, so Black Adam doesn't mind coldly hurting and killing people to get what he wants. All these heinous acts caused him to be declared unworthy by the Council of Wizards, who tried to bury him and revoke his powers, however, Adam completely refused to surrender, killed the Council of Wizards as well, until he was finally buried by the wizard Shazam.
Waking up in a modern world, Teth-Adam had a hard time adjusting, but continuing his brutal and vengeful nature, Adam murdered every Intergang soldier who got in his way, but taking pity on Adrianna Tomaz and Karim by instinctively saving them from being killed. a stone fell on them, because his divine wisdom predicted that they would be important in the near future.
After some time and finding himself in the Tomaz residence, Teth-Adam was uncomfortable with Amon Tomaz's questions, but having compassion for the child, he simply asked him to get out of his way, even remarking that he was not a hero when he asked him to save Kahndaq. Likewise, Adam in his impression with the modern world, is surprised when he finds himself with a mirror or witnesses a television, believing that it was magic from sorcerers, Adam destroyed the television, and finding himself painful that the land in which he used to life would have changed, he went out to explore Shiruta City, curious about a statue dedicated to the champion of Kahndaq. Adam also does not have caution or care for other people's property, destroying the walls of the Tomaz residence instead of using the doors. This even led to Kent Nelson pointing it out to him.
Due to the danger Teth-Adam represented in the eyes of A.R.G.U.S., the Justice Society was sent in an attempt to stop him, to which Adam, seeing himself threatened by them and unwilling to surrender, referred to himself as a god and that he would not kneel before anyone, easily gaining the upper hand. Annoyed with the Justice Society and especially with Hawkman, Teth-Adam even threatened to kill them if they wanted to continue fighting.
When Hawkman mentioned not disagreeing with fighting, Adam smiled. As soon as Amon Tomaz was kidnapped and Adrianna begged him to save him, Teth-Adam did not hesitate to go to the rescue and save him, killing every soldier who got in his way, which led him to have an ethical conflict with Hawkman, who was trying to convince him not to kill people since it was not something heroes should do, to which Adam remarked that he would kill if necessary, causing a brief confrontation between them. Adam was also open to having a sense of humor, adopting sarcasm when Kent Nelson mocked Adam saying he wouldn't murder people, Teth-Adam was soon sarcastic by mentioning that he loved teaming up with the Justice Society, only to then attack the Al Hadidiyah Mine, ignoring Hawkman's plans.
Finding himself provoked by Ishmael Gregor who mentioned being a descendant of Ahk-Ton and mocked Hurut's death, as well as shooting Amon Tomaz, Teth-Adam unleashed all his wrath on preventing Amon's death and then took revenge by murdering Ishmael, generating an explosion that destroyed everything around him, and if the Justice Society had not intervened, the Tomaz would have died. The intentional taunting of Adam allowed Gregor to be killed just as the Crown of Sabbac was placed, traveling to the underworld to gain demonic powers.
Meanwhile, Teth-Adam was completely hurt and sorry for the damage he could have caused as well as all the massacres he committed in the past, so he finally decided to renounce his powers, traveling back to the palace of King Ahk-Ton to reflect on his actions, after Hawkman demanded his surrender and no longer feeling worthy of being the champion, Adam returned to his civilian form and voluntarily surrendered upon learning that no one could defeat him, asking Hawkman to lock him up and that they ensure he does not transform again, soon imprisoning him at the Task Force X Black Site.
After Sabbac threatened to destroy Kahndaq, Kent Nelson awakened Teth-Adam in an attempt to stop him, convincing him that despite not being chosen by the Council of Wizards, he was worthy and destined to fight Sabbac, stating that he was wrong and that the world needed him, motivating Adam to escape from his prison by fighting A.R.G.U.S. guards. Remembering his son's legacy, Adam reactivated his powers and traveled back to Kahndaq, where he demonstrated that despite having to deal with overwhelming pain, Adam still had kindness in his heart and he was truly willing to give up his powers and/or sacrifice himself to protect Kahndaq and all of its inhabitants, even at the cost of his life, saving a group of civilians from having a statue fall on them and killing Sabbac with the help of Hawkman, after the battle, Adam ended up being more empathetic towards the Justice Society, even agreeing with Atom Smasher that they made a good team. Accepting his rightful role as the hero of Kahndaq, Teth-Adam finally agreed to protect the nation, but after being goaded to sit on Ahk-Ton's former throne, he deemed it wrong due to all the former king's atrocities, destroying it. Being more open to Amon's initial proposals to become a hero, Adam agreed to change his name to Black Adam, but still maintained his ego as the most powerful being on the planet, Adam was not afraid to confront Waller when she threatened him to stay in Kahndaq, causing Superman to arrive to request to talk.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
| “ | The powers were not a gift from the wizards... but a curse. Born... out of rage. | „ |
| ~ Black Adam about his powers. |
- Superhuman Physiology: After being infused with the powers that the Council of Wizards had bestowed on his son Hurut, Adam is granted with various inhuman feats (including the strength, courage, speed, stamina, power and wisdom of the Egyptian gods, Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aten and Mehen respectively); such as superhuman strength, speed, durability, leaping, agility, stamina, etc., making him an extremely powerful superhuman.
- Superhuman Intelligence: With the wisdom of Zehuti, Black Adam possesses far more intelligence than normal humans.
- Superhuman Strength: With the strength of Amon, Black Adam possesses abnormally powerful superhuman strength beyond human levels, enabling him to lift heavy, colossal objects, send opponents flying for miles with a single punch or fling and even able to hold his own against Intergang, the Justice Society and Sabbac. His strength has been able to rival that of Superman's, who also has similar strength.
- Superhuman Durability: With the courage of Mehen, Black Adam's body is invulnerable to literally anything as he is completely immune to almost all types of shots as well as withstand being hit with any object, including melee weapons so none of these attacks are capable of leaving any type of bruise, injury, scratch, cut, wound, scar or gash on him. Objects that attempt to penetrate Adam would end up getting destroyed in the process.
- Superhuman Speed: With the speed of Heru, Black Adam is capable of moving at speeds beyond human levels as he can travel thousands of kilometers in a few seconds. He also gains accelerated perception which allows him to see the world around him in slow motion. His speed extends to his reflexes, allowing him to catch bullets and missiles before they even hit him. Black Adam's speed has also been able to rival that of Superman's and the Flash's, who both have similar speed.
- Superhuman Agility: Black Adam's speed contributes to his remarkable agility, allowing him to leap long distances with extreme ease. On some occasions, he even combines his leaps to later fly.
- Superhuman Stamina: With the stamina of Shu, Black Adam's advanced musculature is considerably more efficient than that of normal humans. As a result, his muscles produce practically no fatigue toxins during physical activity compared to those of humans. His virtually inexhaustible stamina enables him to exert himself at peak capacity for an undefined period of time without tiring at all, allowing him to fight against Intergang, the Justice Society and Sabbac with absolutely no signs of exhaustion.
- Electricity Manipulation: With the mystical power of Aten, Black Adam can manipulate, generate, create and project electricity from both his hands while also capable of using it as shots against his foes. He was able to instantly turn humans into ashes as well as generate enormous electrical blasts that he can summon by drawing energy.
- Flight: Black Adam can levitate himself and fly through the air at great superhuman, hypersonic speeds without having to walk, allowing him to traverse the Earth in a matter of moments.
- Regenerative Healing Factor: Black Adam is capable of healing and regenerating from any injuries as he was able to completely heal from scars caused by Sabbac's demonic powers after defeating him with help from the Justice Society.
- Immortality: As long as Black Adam remains in his empowered form, he cannot age.
Abilities[]
- Master Combatant: To be added
- Egyptology: Teth-Adam has a huge knowledge of Egyptian history, lore, and magic.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Throughout the film, he was never referred to as Black Adam, only be his real name Teth-Adam, only at the end that he would go by the title.
- This is the live-action debut of Black Adam.
External Links[]
- Black Adam on the Heroes Wiki
- Black Adam on the DC Extended Universe Wiki
