On October 21, 2022, a new anti-hero will be shaking up the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) as Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) makes his highly anticipated live-action debut. Johnson has been tied to the role of Black Adam since as early as 2014. However, the studio passed on including him in either Shazam! or The Suicide Squad (2021), waiting, instead, to give him his own solo, origin story film, Black Adam.
The DCEU has explored more nefarious characters before, especially with their two Suicide Squad films. However, the Suicide Squad is always under pretty tight control by Amanda Waller, given their status as convicts. With Black Adam, though, there isn’t really much that is restraining this man with god-like powers. As the Black Adam trailer touches on, he has the ability to either be the world’s savior or destroyer, and it;s unclear which path he will choose.
After all, even the comics can’t seem to agree on what Black Adam is. In some versions, he is a villain, through and through, and a consistent opponent of Shazam. In other versions, though, he is more of a misunderstood anti-hero who serves on the Justice Society of America and Justice League. It remains to be seen which direction he will take in Black Adam. However, we do see from the trailer that he’s not shy about the fact that he kills people. Just how much damage could Black Adam cause in the DCEU if he chose to?
How powerful is Black Adam?
In the comics, Black Adam is very powerful. Essentially, Black Adam has all of the same powers as Shazam, making them equal opponents. After all, both gained their powers because they were chosen to be champions of the wizard Shazam. The only difference is that Shazam’s powers came from the Greek gods, while Black Adam’s come from the Egyptian gods. Black Adam bears the stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Horus, the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti, the power of Aten, and the courage of Mehen.
His powers mean he is immortal, has superhuman strength, speed, durability, and the ability of flight. He also bears resistance to most magic, has an exceptional level of scholarly knowledge, and has strength of mind that keeps him from backing down or falling prey to mind control. So, as far as superpowers go, Black Adam pretty much has all of the powers. Meanwhile, it is also important to note that Black Adam has been around for over 5,000 years. Hence, while he and Shazam boast equal powers, Black Adam often has the advantage of far superior experience. He also lacks the concern for preserving life, which makes him much more reckless and dangerous.
Still, while Black Adam is extremely powerful, there are still others who rival him in power. After all, Superman exceeds him in strength and speed. There are seemingly no limits to Superman’s strength, but there are for Black Adam. At the same time, Black Adam and Superman have fought before and their battles always end in stalemates. This means, even if Black Adam is not superior to Superman, the two are pretty evenly matched. Hence, Black Adam is equal in power to Shazam and nearly equal in power to Superman.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
