Black Adam Origin

In The Marvel Family #1, Black Adam is an ancient Egyptian named Teth-Adam (i.e., “Mighty Human”), who is chosen by the wizard Shazam to be his successor due to his presumed moral purity. This story is reprinted in DC’s Shazam! #8 (1973), which is his first appearance in the Bronze Age.

Black Adam Origins

Teth-Adam was born in Egypt in the 26th Century BCE, along the banks of the Nile as part of the Kahndaqi tribe. His father, greatly in debt, died when the Nile flooded. As Teth was a child and too young to assume his father’s responsibilities, he and his family were instead enslaved by Ibac. During his time as a slave, Teth was extensively tortured, with even worse suffering being visited upon his mother. Almost the entirety of his family was killed by the slavers — all except his nephew Aman, whom Adam eventually managed to help escape from imprisonment, being mortally wounded by guards in order to buy him time.^[2]

However, refused to abandon his dying uncle, and rescued him. Together, while escaping the underground prisons, they found themselves magically transported into the Rock of Eternity, where they were greeted by Shazam. The wizard, deeming Aman pure, offered him the role of his champion, giving him the task of defeating the slaver Ibac — which Aman accepted on the condition that Shazam healed Adam. Explaining that the gift bestowed upon him could be shared with his family, Shazam gave Aman his powers, healing and empowering Adam in the process.

Returned to their tribe, Aman and Adam contemplated how to use their powers in order to free their people. While Adam was willing to destroy Ibaq and exact revenge for their dead family, Aman wanted to save them and give them peace, stopping all bloodshed. Fearing that Aman’s method would not work, Adam killed him and seized his powers for himself, seeing it as a necessary sacrifice for the greater good. Using this power, he became known as the Mighty Adam. Among his first actions were enacting vengeance upon those who had enslaved him- and the families of those who had enslaved him.

Was Black Adam the first Shazam?

Originally imagined as an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, Teth-Adam (Black Adam Origins alter ego) was the first mortal being to be granted the powers of Shazam, long before the teenaged Billy Batson was chosen as the ancient wizard’s champion. (OK, to be as clear as possible here: Shazam is the name of the wizard who empowered Batson as he transformed him into the superhero Captain Marvel. But thanks to a complicated, long-lasting legal battle involving Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and the now-defunct Fawcett, Marvel secured the rights to the title. Eventually, the Captain Marvel name needed to be changed, so Shazam’s champion took the name of Shazam as well. Ironically, Marvel’s Captain Marvel and DC’s Shazam! were released in theaters less than a month apart in 2019.)

Like Batson, Teth-Adam has only to utter the magic word, “Shazam,” in order to transform into the superhero known as Mighty Adam. But the resulting powers become too overwhelming for Adam, corrupting him and inspiring the ancient wizard to rename him “Black Adam” as a result.

When did Black Adam first appear?

Black Adam, real name Teth/Theo-Adam, is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck, and first appeared in the debut issue of Fawcett Comics’ The Marvel Family comic book in December 1945.