Powers
Teth Adam's human body has been super-charged with the magical energy of the Godwave. This grants him the stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru (which enables flight), the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti, the power of Aton and the courage of Mehen. S.H.A.Z.A.M. These powers are described below:
Total Memory: This represents Black Adam's wisdom of Zehuti. With it, he can Recall knowledge and facts that he normally should not and/or would not know with Monstrous ability.
Dimension Travel: This can only be used to travel to the Rock of Eternity at Remarkable rank. The Rock of Eternity is a nexus of power in a nearby realm of existence that channels power to anyone utilizing the power of the wizard Shazam. As to whether he can travel to other dimensions or locations using the Rock is currently unknown.
True Flight: Teth is able to defy gravity and fly at Shift-Z airspeeds, Class 1000 in space.
Hyper Speed: He has the ability to sharpen his awareness and increase his temporal flow at Unearthly rank, appearing to move faster than humanly possible.
Self-Sustenance: Black Adam is sustained by the magical energies coursing through his body. He does not require air, food or water.
Resist Disease and Toxins: Adam is highly resistant to the effects of toxins and disease to the point where he is unaffected by anything less than Unearthly intensity.
Body Resistance: When transformed Black Adam possesses Monstrous protection from physical and Energy attacks.
Alter Ego: By speaking the magic word, "Shazam," he summons a magical bolt of lightning that supercharges and transforms him. Since the bolt strikes wherever he is standing when he says the word, anyone at ground zero is damaged by Incredible lightning. Teth and Black Adam are Immune to any damage from this lightning.
| Fighting |
Typical |
| Agility |
Typical |
| Strength |
Good |
| Endurance |
Good |
| Reason |
Good |
| Intuition |
Good |
| Psyche |
Remarkable |
| |
|
| Health |
36 |
| Karma |
50 |
| Resources |
Good |
| Popularity |
-30 |
Talents
Egyptian history and lore, Egyptian mythology, Egyptian magic
Contacts
JSA
History
Black Adam's story begins with the young boy who would one day be known as the wizard Shazam. Shazam was born as Jebediah, in the ancient land of Canaan. When his family was murdered he called upon his gods for power, which they granted. He became a god in his own right with the powers of Voldar, Lumiun, Arel, Ribalvei, Elbiam and Marzosh. One day he was tempted by a demon who bore him two children, Blaze and Satanus. The gods were so angered that they banished the children to the netherworld. Later, Shazam battled the Three Faces of Evil and they were trapped inside the Rock of Eternity. The gods decreed that Shazam must watch over it for all time.
Circa 1200 BCE, Shazam became a high priest to the pharaoh Ramses II of Egypt. As the wizard grew older, he sought a champion worthy to inherit his powers. The young prince Teth-Adam of Kahndaq (Ramses' son) impressed the wizard with his fairness and decency. But before Shazam could bestow his powers, his daughter Blaze made a deal with the god Set. When Teth-Adam spoke the name "Shazam," instead of gaining the wizard's powers, he was blessed with the power of seven Egyptian gods: Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aton and Mehen. Thus, though Adam speaks the name "Shazam," he does not draw power not fom the wizard. Teth-Adam served Egypt for many years, but this duty drew him away from his wife and children in Kahndaq. While he was away, the mad priest, Ahk-ton ravaged Kahndaq and killed Adam's family. The priest was powered by the "Orb of Ra". Adam could not apprehend Ahk-ton, so he entombed his family and returned to the court of Ramses. There he served as Egypt's champion alongside another great wizard, Nabu.
Thet-Adam finally found his revenge against Ahk-ton, with help from time-traveling members of the Justice Society — from the 20th century! Adam met Shazam's future champion, Captain Marvel and was gladdened that his legacy would continue on. Ahk-ton and his ally, Vandal Savage were defeated and Adam slew the priest. Teth-Adam continued to serve Egypt for hundreds of years, but ultimately the loss of his family drove him to extremes; he became overly protective of Kahndaq, which attracted the attention of Shazam. The wizard believed that Adam had been bewitched by Blaze and dubbed him Khem Adam ("Black Adam"). Shazam withdrew Adam's power into a scarab, and entombed them both for millennia.
Teth-Adam rested until his sarcophagus was disturbed by an expedition from the Sivana Foundation. There, Theo Adam betrayed and killed Marilyn and C.C. Batson (the parents of Captain Marvel) over Teth-Adam's scarab. With the Scarab, Theo Adam awakened Thet-Adam's soul and accessed his ancient powers, becoming Black Adam. When Shazam and his new champion Captain Marvel finally caught Theo, they took away his ability to speak and thus, his ability to access his powers. (PoS Graphic Novel) Adam was soon cured of this condition by Blaze. In addition, she coerced Theo into her service by holding the soul of his sister, Sarah Primm, hostage. When Blaze's brother, Lord Satanus set Primm's soul free, Adam did the right thing and fought Blaze. This distraction allowed Shazam and Ibis to triumph and Black Adam was sent to the far reaches of the universe.
When Black Adam returned to Earth, he claimed to be totally free of the evil urges of Theo Adam. Even fingerprint analysis revealed that he was a different man. He claimed that bonding with Theo Adam was his "Holy Grail," his soul's way out of Tartarus. He proved his sincerity somewhat by saving Captain Marvel's life. In return, Shazam used a Mother Box to take Black Adam wherever he wished. He chose to return to deep space, to a world where he'd felt particularly at home.
The circumstances of his return to Earth are unrevealed, but his first reappearance again demonstrated the evil of Theo Adam. The JSA managed to defeat Adam by stealing a bit of lightning from the time of his creation (1200 B.C.) and forcing the transformation back to Theo Adam. Later, Adam claimed that he had again been under the influence of Theo. Worse, he'd made a deal with the JSA's foe, Johnny Sorrow. Sorrow agreed to remove a malignant tumor in Adam's brain and in exchange, Adam agreed to join Sorrow's new Injustice Society. Teth-Adam ultimately "betrayed" Sorrow and helped the JSA defeat him. After this, Adam placed a bid for membership in the JSA. He reasoned that many other heroes — including Superman — had dark moments in their history and that he, too, deserved a chance to prove himself. The elder members of the JSA agreed to grant him probationary membership after his help on Thanagar. He remained a JSA member in good standing for a while but quit the JSA when it refused to take decisive action against the terrorist known as Kobra.
Following this, he formed his own group to rival the JSA and take international justice into their own hands. He allied with the Venusian worm called Mister Mind, who took over the body of Brainwave. He also enlisted the entire society of Feithera, including former Infinity, Inc. member, Northwind. Atom-Smasher, Nemesis and Eclipso II rounded out their ranks. This group went to extremes, executing Kobra after his escape from authorities. Adam's ultimate goal was to free his old homeland from its dictatorial rule. He first returned to Kahndaq when he learned that his family's ancient burial site was excavated. His old ally Prince Khufu (now Hawkman) agreed to stop the excavations. But this alliance ended when Adam's team declared full-out war on the nation. They successfully took control, but the JSA stepped in to stop them. Ultimately, the JSA agreed to let Adam rule Kahndaq as long as he remained within the nation's boundaries. Atom-Smasher and the Feitherans remained as well
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