Jaume Collet-Serra’s blockbuster film Black Adam has taken the world by storm. The Dwayne Johnson-starrer sees the big-screen debut of the beloved titular antihero as he flies about causing mayhem; thus, prompting the long-standing question — how strong is DC’s Black Adam, really? Well, going by the words of The Rock himself, the latest addition to the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is set to be “he is the most unstoppable force in the DC UNIVERSE.” with powers that are “rival to that of Superman.” While it is true that banking on divine empowerment from six Egyptian gods — namely, Shu, Horun, Amun, Zehuti, Aten, and Mehen (Shazam!) — Teth Adam, as the ruler of Kahndaq is often called, finds himself in the top tier of DC’s powerful characters. He stands amongst the likes of established champions Superman and Batman, but the speculation still remains strong —how strong is Black Adam compared to other comic book titans? Let us delve into the sacred DC lore to find out!
Black Adam vs. Superman
In a 2010 DC Showcase animated short, titled The Return of Black Adam, Black Adam (Arnold Vosloo) and Superman (George Newbern) have indeed been pitted against each other, where Adam, having just escaped imprisonment, comes to stop Billy Batson (Zach Callison) from becoming Shazam’s new champion. Superman, who was interviewing the young boy, jumps in to try and stop the fight. In typical fashion, Clark Kent puts forth his multitasking abilities and he not only matches Black Adam blow by blow but also serves to protect the innocent bystanders (including Batson). Adam shows little remorse as he threatens to kill people left and right. What is interesting to note is the fact that Adam manages to hit a particular weak spot of his enemy, as his powerful god-gifted magic, flowing so effortlessly around his entire being, is discovered to be harming Superman.
The duo, however, remains matching each other in terms of their exceptional strength; they throw one another across architecture and use the force of their hands in combat. When Adam showers bolts upon bolts of lightning upon Kent, the latter is quick to bring out his heat vision. The battle is prematurely brought to an end when Adam takes his own life, hence a winner is never crowned — but needless to say, their one-on-one take comes across as a fight of equals, a testimony especially to the sheer strength of the antihero, considering Superman happens to be one of the most powerful superheroes across all comic book universes, be it DC or Marvel. Perhaps, then, it would not be wrong to gather that Black Adam would undoubtedly hold his own should the two meet again sometime — hopefully on the big screen.
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Black Adam Gives Rise to World War III
In the comic issue World War III, the death of Black Adam’s wife, Adrianna Tomaz (aka ISIS), sees the antihero driven insane with grief and he begins a murder spree; where he single-handedly wages war against the whole world. He kills not only the four horsemen responsible for Tomaz’s murder but also every man, woman, and child of the neighboring country of Bialya he could get his hands on. From Sydney to Giza to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, he reduces some of the most significant sites of the world to rubble, essentially bringing about World War III.
The fact that the likes of the Doom Petrol, Green Lantern, the Teen Titans, and even Martian Manhunter (whom Adam vaporizes!) are helpless against stopping the Kahndaqian dictator speaks volumes about the power and strength that Black Adam possesses. He is only brought to some semblance of a halting point when Shazam strips him of his powers. Entire countries and their governments basically fall short against the wrath of Adam, and China especially exhausts a number of the republic’s superheroes to try and stop him — only to fail as everybody else. This established Black Adam, in his element, as some sort of unstoppable force to be reckoned with. It is widely understood that had Superman or Batman (quite conveniently MIA) been present at the time, their battle with the antihero would have been one for the history books.
Black Adam Moves the Moon
In the 52 comic book issue, the seemingly impossible-to-beat Ultraman has already dusted his fair share of superheroes and landed a strong blow to Black Adam’s jaw, consequently breaking it in half. But this isn't enough for him! He decides to also bring about an eclipse by shielding the sun (sunlight is his weakness) against the moon. What follows is a stunning display of might and supremacy courtesy of Black Adam, as his team-up with Sinestro helps move the moon back to its original position, thereby defeating Ultraman in his exposure to the sun’s rays. Who knew Adam, with his wicked mind games and mind-blowing strategies, could also possess this degree of physical strength?
Black Adam vs. Batman — A Battle in the Making?
The DC comics and animations have not yet allowed the fans a sneak peek of a battle between Black Adam and Batman, and it is only through comparisons between the characters’ individual fights with independent enemies that speculations about their potential encounter run rampant among the community. Batman’s genius-level intellect and martial arts mastery are frequently weighed against Adam’s immortality and superhuman agility, but the DC fandom remains divided — and quite evenly at that, since both the superhero and the antihero possess a strength of their own and are probably equal in their abilities to overcome the other. However, with Black Adam having marked his official step into the DCEU, these fan theories and disputes may soon be put to rest with DC giving their audience what they want: A Batman vs. Black Adam movie might be on the cards!
Black Adam is in theaters now.
