Black Adam of Earth-S
Black Adam of Earth-S
The ancient Egyptian hero turned villain who is the sworn enemy of Captain Marvel (first appearance: The Marvel Family No. 1, Dec 1945: "The Mighty Marvels Join Forces!").
Actually Teth-Adam, son of Ramses II, Black Adam gains the powers of seven Egyptian gods, Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aton and Mehen, when he speaks the name of the wizard Shazam. The wizard bestowed the powers on Teth-Adam to become his champion, Mighty Adam. However, Mighty Adam soon abused his power and seized the throne of Egypt, forcing Shazam to punish his champion by dubbing him Black Adam to match his evil nature and exiling him far away into space. Eventually returning to Earth in the 20th Century, Black Adam becomes the sworn enemy of Captain Marvel, the current champion of Shazam.
Superman encounters Black Adam in September 1982, when "the slayer of pharaohs" crosses the "lightning barrier" between the Parallel-Worlds and attempts to conquer Earth-1. Evenly matched, the Man of Steel must rely on Captain Marvel and his alter ego Billy Batson, with whose aid the villain is tricked into saying "Shazam", reducing him to his "puny mortal self" (DCCP No. 49: "Black Adam!").
