Black Adam - Television Tropes & Idioms

Black Adam/Teth-Adam is a comic book character. He first appeared in Marvel Family #1 (December, 1945). Created by writer Otto Binder, and artist Clarence Charles "C.C." Beck. He was at first a one-shot character. But was revived Shazam! #28 (March, 1977) and has had semi-regular appearances ever since. Adam was originally the archnemesis for Captain Marvel/Shazam, and the Marvel Family. But in recent years he's been portrayed more as an antihero, conflicted with which side controls the Black Adam body.

His backstory is relatively simple. He was born millennia ago. Given intense magical power by the wizard Shazam, Black Adam was the original Earth's Mightiest Mortal in ancient Khandaq (a fictional Ancient Egypt-like country). Unfortunately made drunk with his own power, Mighty Adam (as he's called) rebelled. Shazam had him banished to another dimension. In the 20th century, Captain Marvel was appointed the new champion of Shazam to battle the treacherous Adam. Bonding with Theo Adam, a modern archaeological aid, Black Adam comes back as a ruthless animal who killed Captain Marvel's parents years ago when he first returned.

In the recent Justice Society of America series, Black Adam came to the JSA asking for membership, saying that Theo Adam and Black Adam were not one and the same. He was let on probationarily, but was soon brought into some trouble when he wanted to reinvade his homeland of Khandaq. Taking a separatist team of heroes, he invaded his homeland and took over. In the series 52, Adam was one of the protagonists, and one of the leads gaining his own Black Marvel Family. Isis, Osiris, and Sobek, became his Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., and Tawky Tawny.

However toward the end of 52, they were all slain, and Black Adam became enraged and went on a rampage killing all people in the country of Bialya (another fictional Mid-Eastern nation), starting an actual World War Three. After 52, Black Adam recieved a miniseries where he managed to revive Isis, but the formerly loving and friendly Isis became embittered by her and her brother's murder. Together, they became darker and more evil than before, eventually having their powers taken from them by Shazam and transformed into statues. It's yet to be seen his return.

Adam is somewhat of an alternate company equivalent to Namor the Sub-Mariner, the Marvel Universe's own superstrong, pointy eared, black hair slick backed, antihero flyer. Both are also Golden Age characters, and both have been members of their World War II equivalent teams, the Invaders and JSA. Adam was originally published in Fawcett Comics stories, before the company closed and DC bought the characters.

Provides Examples Of:

Alternate Company Equivalent: Black Adam shares more than a few similarities to Marvel's Namor the Sub-Mariner as noted above.
Ancient Egypt: Originally he was from here, but it was later retroactively changed to the fictional Khandaq.
Anti-Hero Substitute: One for Captain Marvel as Black Adam was used far more often in the late 2000's than Captain Marvel, who didn't even have a book for most of the decade.
Berserk Button: He didn't take the deaths of his new family very well, that's for certain.
Boom, Headshot: Infamously does this to Psycho Pirate with one bare hand. By driving the latter's Medusa Mask right through his skull. "No more silly faces" indeed.
Breakout Villain: Originally intended as a one-shot baddy back in the 1940s, Black Adam has come back in force to become the most powerful villain/antihero of not only Captain Marvel mythos, but also one of the most powerful villains in the whole of the DC Universe.
Byronic Hero
Egyptian Mythology: The source of Adam's powers, with his version of SHAZAM standing for Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aton, and Mehen. When his rampage on Bialya was going on, apparently they were amused with what he was doing.
Expy: The Black Adam Family for the Marvel Family, Isis for Mary Marvel, Osiris for Captain Marvel Jr., and Sobek for Mr. Talky Tawny.
Flying Brick: Black Adam, like all users of the power of Shazam, is an example of this.
Qurac: Being from the Middle-East, he interacts with a few of these, most notably Bialya (which is nearly obliterated by Adam), and Khandaq (Adam's country).
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Near the end of the comic book series 52, Black Adam's wife and brother-in-law are killed. As it was the death of his first wife that caused his original fall from grace, it is unsurprising that the death of the second led to him going on on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge, wiping out the country that harbored the murderers, and anybody else that stood in his way. It doesn't end well, though, as the nerdy Mad Scientists behind her death soundly kick his ass with SCIENCE. And when he escapes from that, he just declares bloody vengeance on the entire world, leading to the week long World War III.
Shockwave Clap: Uses this during his attempt at joining the JSA (the first time), it knocks a few people away.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Started out as a villain, but tried to go clean. In fact, it looked for a while as if he'd finally have something to be happy about. Then the events of 52 hit.
World War III: Started one in fact, actually technically the second World War Three the DCU has had.