Heartwarming / Black Adam (2022)

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• Whatever Black Adam has become, he was once a loving father and was devastated by the deaths of his wife and son.
  • Black Adam clearly sees his son in Amon Tomaz. While he's not exaclty friendly with Amon, he never gets hostile with him, merely lifting the boy and moving him to one side when he blocks Adam's path. Black Adam also goes out of his way to protect Amon when Intergang goes after him specifically and is visibly frustrated when he's unable to do right by the boy. Upon seeing that there's a good person hiding underneath that grim exterior, Amon encourages Black Adam to be more heroic. His efforts are rewarded when SABBAC drops the statue of the champion on Amon, only for Black Adam to catch it in midair.
  • During his monologue on how to deal with one's enemies, Adrianna admonishes that she doesn't want Black Adam teaching Amon violence. Adam, surprisingly, apologizes... because he assumes she wants Amon's father (whom he hilariously assumes to be Karim, who's a total pushover at this point) to "teach him violence" and is defending his authority as a father. As powerful and ruthless as he's become, Adam still respects Sacred Hospitality and his fellow men (especially fellow fathers), and apologizes for overstepping his boundaries.
    • When told that Adrianna's husband died, Black Adam takes the time to issue his condolences.
  • When Adam briefly reunites with his wife and son in the afterlife, it's the first time he looks truly happy and has a real smile on his face.
• When Black Adam finds Kahndaq has become a metropolis, the first thing he does is look for the statue of Kahndaq's ancient champion. Not of Adam himself, but of the original Champion, his son Hurut.
• Though mistaken, the belief that Black Adam was the Champion who freed them from the despotic king was likely why Kahndaq's people named their capital city after Adam's wife, Shiruta.
• When Adrianna learns the truth about Adam (that he fought the evil king only out of revenge and nearly destroyed the entire country in the process), she is clearly disappointed, but still supports and encourages him.
  • She does more than that. When she tells him what the JSA said about him, her tone has a clear ring to it of "Tell your side of the story, if this is true, explain your reasons; if it isn't, refute it. Either way, we'll believe you."
• After Adam defeats the JSA (and later Sabbac), the people on the streets cheer for him and chant "Long live the Champion!" While the rest of the world might consider him a villain or a dangerous Wild Card, to his people, Adam is a true hero.
• Hawkman and Dr Fate are old friends and JSA teammates, and they have some sweet scenes together. Hawkman is devastated when Dr Fate dies fighting Sabbac, though he does get an indirect revenge through using Fate's helmet for a key distraction. And the whole reason Dr. Fate intentionally sacrifices himself in the battle against Sabbac is that he realizes it’s the only way to prevent Hawkman from dying. He doesn’t even hesitate in this regard.
• During Al's introductory scene, he takes a moment to tell his uncle - the original Adam Smasher - how much he looks up to the older man. Said older man is more concerned with giving his nephew some last-minute advice and telling him to come home safe when the mission is over.
• Dr Fate uses up his strength, during a losing battle with Sabbac, to meet Black Adam and encourage him to be a hero once more.
• This clip showcases a sweet moment between Al Pratt and Maxine, where they speak about how awesome they find each other to be.
• When Black Adam accidentally unleashes a burst of lightning that destroys the compound everyone's meeting in, Atom Smasher expands so that he can protect Cyclone with his massive durable hands.
• Hawkman and Black Adam hate each other's guts at first, but by the end Hawkman is willing to live and let live in regards to Adam's rougher brand of heroics. Conversely, Black Adam seems to recognize from Hawkman the value in fighting not for vengeance but to protect the innocent.
  • They bond after Adam reveals that his son was the original champion of ancient Kahndaq and the tragedy that happened to his family, Hawkman truly sympathizes.
  • During Adam's fight with Sabbac, it seems that he'll have another episode of Power Incontinence, but Hawkman encourages him to control his powers – which Adam manages to do this time.
• Right after Adam saves Amon from the falling statue of the champion, an expanded Atom Smasher grabs the statue and tells Adam to go after Sabbac. Adam gently nods in acknowledgement.
• Adam’s refusal to take the throne (implying he has no desire to be ruler of Kahndaq) shows he’s taken the desire for his homeland to be free to heart.
• Oddly enough, Superman's appearance to Black Adam isn't to issue a threat or a showdown — it's to talk things over because he wants to ease the world's nerves over his sudden arrival. He also genuinely addresses him as "Black Adam", as opposed to Amanda Waller's sarcastic use of his name. Superman really is The Heart of the DC Universe.
• On an out-of-universe note, after a long period of it not being clear if Henry Cavill would ever return as Superman (with even Shazam! using a faceless and silent body double) outside of Zack Snyder's Justice League, not only does he indeed return and even speak, but he's accompanied by the iconic John Williams theme and sports his spit curl along with a brighter, more colorful suit, indicating that he's finally becoming the Hope Bringer we know and love. Too bad this was his final appearance.

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