Are Black Adam and Shazam the same? What links the two DC characters?
Black Adam exploded onto our screens last year with a very familiar costume and power set. In fact, many things about Teth-Adam recall Shazam, including the use of that magic word. With Shazam! Fury of the Gods in cinemas now, you might be wondering just how these two characters are linked.
Below, we dive into all you need to know about the connection between Shazam and Black Adam. And, have no fear, the following contains no spoilers for Shazam! 2, so you're safe to read whether you've seen the movie or not.
Black Adam and Shazam both get their powers from the same Council of Wizards, which explains why Teth-Adam says "Shazam!" to power up. Unlike Billy Batson, though, Black Adam draws his powers from the Egyptian gods: Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aton, and Mehen. Shazam derives his powers from other mythological figures: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury.
Their superpowers are very similar, too. Both of them can fly and shoot lightning from their hands, though Billy is far less brutal than Teth-Adam. Plus, their costumes have a lot in common, but Black Adam doesn't sport a cape.
Black Adam doesn't appear in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and, considering Johnson has indicated that he won't be playing Black Adam again anytime soon following James Gunn and Peter Safran taking the DCU's reins, it seems unlikely that we'll ever see the two characters collide. Even the future of Shazam is uncertain, as there's no third movie on the current DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters slate.
Originally, though, there was a plan to introduce both characters together in Shazam. "When the first draft of the movie came to us, it was a combination of Black Adam and Shazam: Two origin stories in one movie," Dwayne Johnson
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