CODENAME: Black Adam
CHARACTER TYPE: Canon
LJ:
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
dark_progenitor REAL NAME: Teth-Adam
ALIASES: Hassan Bari, Mighty Adam, the Black Marvel
AGE: 3250
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Brown
HEIGHT: 6’
WEIGHT: 198 lbs
RELATIVES: Shiruta (wife, deceased); Gon and Hurut (sons, deceased); Theo Adam (descendant, currently in control of his body); Sarah Primm (descendant, Theo's sister)
MAJOR ALLIES: Due to Black Adam’s long history, he has quite a considerable number of allies – much more than one might expect from his combative personality. Firstly, he has a complex relationship with his rival Captain Marvel, who has been both ally and adversary to him. Several members of the JLA are either friends of Black Adam or support his philosophies – most notably Albert Rothstein, but Kon-El, Hawkgirl, and Jay Garrick are among his supporters as well. Black Adam also has the support of his more powerful followers in Kahndaq: Brainwave, Northwind, and Alex Montz. An alliance he forged with Talia Head has proven firm and she has been an invaluable partner to him in his unending efforts to make Kahndaq great again. Finally, Black Adam has the support of the entire Kahndaq nation, as the common Kahndaq citizen thinks of Black Adam as a hero, and sometimes even a god.
MAJOR ENEMIES: Black Adam has a lot of enemies. The hero community still does not completely trust him, even after all that he has done. They are waiting for the other shoe to drop. The villain community does not know what to think, believing that he is up to something, or has betrayed them to become a "goodie goodie", turning his back on them. Enemies of note include his rival Captain Marvel and the immortal Vandal Savage (who has crossed paths and swords many times with Black Adam over the centuries). Dr. Sivana is another sworn enemy – Black Adam joined Sivana’s first Monster Society only to betray him, and the mad scientist has never forgiven him. Finally, there is Geo-Force, Black Adam’s most recent enemy, who has sworn to kill him for the death of his sister Terra at Adam’s hands.
AFFILIATION: Black Adam’s loyalty is to his nation, Kahndaq. Those who he counts among his friends can always count on his support as well. He has had many affiliations in his time, from the JSA to the Monster Society, but right now is only concerned with his people.
APPEARANCE: Black Adam is formidable and statuesque. He has an incredibly gifted physique, a square chin, and a chiseled, handsome face. His hair is short and black, while his brown eyes are deep and dark, seeming to draw in the object of their attention. He is a man who could truly be described as tall, dark, and handsome, with the only thing that takes away from his good looks being his cold expression and arrogant demeanor. He has no known scars.
A man of simple tastes, Black Adam’s costume reflects this. It is in most respects an average black bodysuit, the only difference being the lightning bolt emblazoned on the chest. Though it offers no significant protection, Black Adam does not need it. The costume’s true value is that it can endure rigorous punishment without significant wear and tear. Golden gauntlets, yellow boots and a belt round out the rest of Black Adam’s repertoire.
One unusual and distinctive feature about Black Adam are his ears – pointed like an elves’, they are extremely distinctive, and quite unmistakable. Though Black Adam very rarely needs or wishes to travel incognito, if and when he were to do so his ears would be by far his biggest giveaway.
PERSONALITY: If there's one aspect of his personality that Black Adam is famous - arguably, infamous - for, it's his arrogance. This reputation is not entirely undeserved – Black Adam is quite arrogant, haughty and dismissive of all but the most obvious of threats. This has earned him something of a reputation for being a brute, an unthinking man who just knocks over anyone who may stand in his way. But Black Adam is no fool - he is in fact quite educated and the additional wisdom of Zehuti grants him considerable intelligence and cunning.
He is, however, somewhat xenophobic. As the sovereign of Kahndaq, Black Adam tends to place the needs of his people and his nation above everything else, and does not concern himself with worldwide threats until those threats pose harm to Kahndaq. He is no diplomat, distrusting politicians and ambassadors, and as a result his country is largely isolationist in policy. Although not known for his natural charm, Black Adam has an aura of authority and leadership about him. He leads by example, and is always at the front of a charge. He truly cares for those under his command, and his followers are to a man unswervingly loyal to him.
Black Adam's bearing is forceful, even regal, and he tends to float just above the ground whenever speaking to those he believes are "lesser" in stature than himself. Dignified in bearing, Black Adam does not make jokes and takes himself and his duties very seriously. His eyes gaze upon most people with a disdainful expression, and he is coldly reserved to those he does not believe he should be even talking to. Indeed, he is the sort of man who does not even need to raise his fists to achieve victory. He's one of those people who can wither you with a look; who can make you feel like you're lower than dirt without even touching you.
Black Adam also has a powerful temper, and is prone to losing his patience and snapping at others. He does not take 'insolence' lightly, and has no notion of mercy in regards to the guilty - criminals are to be executed, not rehabilitated. An angry Black Adam is a truly terrifying thing, and God help you if you threaten his people or anyone under his protection.
As a combatant, Black Adam rarely resorts to strategy beyond 'use overwhelming strength to beat the enemy into submission' - but that's only because he rarely has to. Because of the utter superiority his mystical powers grant him over most combatants, Black Adam is very rarely presented with a serious challenge. Against an opponent who poses a true threat, however, Black Adam's warrior roots emerge - he is a devious foe who uses whatever measures necessary to secure victory.
WEAPONRY/PERSONAL BELONGINGS: Black Adam carries no weaponry – he hardly needs it, and certainly anyone foolish enough to try challenging him would agree. He is, however, quite skilled in the use of many types of ancient weapons, as a result of his former life, and thus should not be taken for helpless even if he is somehow de-powered.
POWERS: Black Adam possesses much the same power as Captain Marvel, the ability to summon great powers with the utterance of a mystical name. Although Adam, like Captain Marvel, invokes the name "Shazam" to summon his powers, he draws his power not from the wizard Shazam, but instead from seven Egyptian gods: Shu, Heru (also known as Horus), Amon, Zehuti (also known as Thoth), Aton and Mehen. The abilities he is granted by these gods are as follows:
S
For the stamina of Shu | Using Shu's endurance, Black Adam can withstand and survive most types of extreme physical assaults. Additionally, he does not need to eat, sleep, or breathe and he can survive unaided in space, effectively making Black Adam immortal. |
H
For the swiftness of Heru | By channeling Heru's speed, Black Adam can move at sub-light speeds in orbit. In outer space, Black Adam can fly at trans-light speeds, while on Earth he has been depicted of running at a maximum Mach 500. |
A
For the strength of Amon | Black Adam has a phenomenal level of super strength, able to easily bend steel, punch through walls, and lift 100,000 tons easily. Adam's strength is equal to or possibly even greater than that of Superman and Captain Marvel - on at least one occasion, he has been able to successfully hold his own against an assemblage of the Justice League, Justice Society, and the Teen Titans, a feat which neither Superman nor Captain Marvel have been able to perform. Black Adam may well be the strongest metahuman on Earth. |
Z
For the wisdom of Zehuti | Black Adam has instant access to a vast level of scholarly knowledge. The wisdom of Zehuti also gives Adam clairvoyance and provides him with counsel and advice in times of need. |
A
For the power of Aton | Aton's power allows Black Adam to fly, fuels the magic thunderbolt that transforms Adam, enhances Adam's other physical abilities, and provides magic resistance against a considerable amount of magic spells and attacks. Adam can use the lightning bolt as a weapon by dodging it and allowing it to strike an opponent or target. |
M
For the courage of Mehen | This aspect is primarily psychological, and gives Black Adam superhuman amounts of inner strength from which to draw. His strength of mind renders him resistant to telepathy and mind control. |
As a side effect of these abilities, Black Adam also has a "sixth sense" to the subtleties of magic and the awareness to pick up these ebbs and flows in the universal continuum. This equates to a sense of intuition to powerful magics being utilized anywhere near him, and he can tell if reality altering affects are occurring nearby as well. This is not a "detect magic" spell, just simply a "hunch" or "intuition" that it is occurring, and will not tell him exactly what is occurring.
WEAKNESSES: Despite Black Adam’s great power, he is still vulnerable to magic and mages who wield it, although only magic of significant power is going to do any more than faze him.
Black Adam must also be able to call upon the name of Shazam in order to summon his great power - he cannot invoke his power if he is gagged or hampered in some way from talking.
Finally, if Black Adam is tricked into saying the name of Shazam while in his empowered state, he will revert to his normal human form. He has fallen prey to this in the past, however, and will not be so easily duped again.
OTHER SPECIAL SKILLS / ABILITIES: Black Adam can speak several languages including ancient Egyptian, Arabic, Kahndaqi and American English. Adam is also extremely well-versed in all aspects of Egypt – history, lore, mythology, and magic.
Black Adam is also a talented leader. He was a warrior-general in Ancient Egypt, and has led armies of thousands of men down to small squads. He knows how to say just the right things to get the blood pumping, and has a skill for manipulating people into following him. His followers are loyal to a man, and would follow Adam unto death if need be. He truly believes that the cause that he follows is just, and that tends to effect those around him as well. He tends to chafe around others in command, but is willing to follow orders - as long as he thinks they're right.
CHARACTER HISTORY:
Black Adam was born Teth-Adam ("Mighty Adam"), the half-brother to Khufu, and the son of the Pharaoh Ramses II in ancient Kahndaq, over 3200 years ago. As a boy, Teth-Adam was fair and just, exhibiting a wisdom and decency far beyond his years. When the wizard Shazam, high priest of Ramses II, began searching for a champion to bestow his powers upon, he did not have to look far. Conferring with his Pharaoh, Shazam decided to choose Teth-Adam to be his successor. However, things did not exactly go as planned - originally, Shazam intended for Teth-Adam to draw his powers from the same six Gods as his later champion, Captain Marvel. However, Shazam's scheming daughter Blaze utilized her powers to allow Teth-Adam to draw instead the power of six Egyptian Gods: Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aton and Mehen. This calculating maneuver was performed so that Adam would draw his power from a source other than the wizard, even though it was the wizard's name he intoned to gain that power.
Endowed with the stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru (Horus), the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti (Thoth), the power of Aton, and the courage of Mehen, Teth-Adam had nearly unstoppable power - more than enough power to defend his home nation and his father's kingdom of Egypt. Teth-Adam traveled between the two countries, serving as the official Protector of Egypt for several years, although this duty took him away from his family - Teth-Adam had a wife, Shiruta, and two sons, Gon and Hurut. But one day, while Teth-Adam was away from Kahndaq, tragedy struck.
A mad priest, Ahk-ton, ravaged Kahndaq and killed Adam's family. The priest had been empowered and driven mad by the "Orb of Ra." Unfortunately, the Orb had also endowed Ahk-ton with metamorphic powers, and even with his great strength Teth-Adam was unable to apprehend him. Ahk-ton escaped, leaving Teth-Adam to entomb his family. Teth-Adam then returned to the court of Ramses where he served as Egypt's champion for several more years, aided by a new defender: the wizard Nabu, who had sworn to ensure to Ahk-ton's atrocities would never be inflicted again.
Eventually, however, Teth-Adam got his vengeance against Ahk-ton. Shortly after allying himself with Prince Khufu (who later became Hawkman), Adam met three travelers from the future: Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific, and Captain Marvel. With the help of these visitors and the wizard Nabu, Adam defeated Ahk-ton and his newfound ally, Vandal Savage. Teth-Adam slew Ahk-ton, and Vandal Savage fled. With the weight of vengeance lifted and the knowledge that his legacy would continue through Captain Marvel, his apparent future counterpart, the time seemed right for a new beginning for Teth-Adam.
Unfortunately, Teth-Adam did not get his new beginning. He continued to defend Egypt, but as time passed the pain he felt from the loss of his family only strengthened. He became extreme in his measures against the enemies of Egypt, and his protectiveness of Kahndaq also become overpowering and paranoid. Eventually, after hearing of atrocities committed there, Adam returned to Kahndaq and forcefully overthrew the government present there, appointing himself the country's new ruler. The wizard Shazam, upon learning of these events, dubbed this new Adam, "Khem-Adam" or Black Adam. Believing that Adam had been corrupted by his twisted daughter, Shazam returned, defeated Black Adam easily, and because he could not remove Adam's powers, drained them into a Scarab and entombed Adam for millennia.
Thousands of years later, the tomb of Khem-Adam was discovered by a team of archaeologists financed by the Sivana Foundation. This team considered of three individuals: the couple of C.C. Batson and Marilyn Batson and fellow archaeologist Theo Adam. Theo Adam discovered the scarab of Khem-Adam, and in a fit of madness murdered the elder Batsons, claiming the "prize" for his own. With his precious scarab in hand and the Batson's lifeless bodies left to rot, Theo Adam returned to America.
Shortly afterward, Theo Adam was confronted by the second champion of Shazam, the hero Captain Marvel. Realizing at first sight that Marvel must be of relation to the Batsons, Theo Adam had a further revelation - the lightning-bolt insignia on Marvel's chest had also decorated Khem-Adam's tomb. The scarab awakened new memories in Theo Adam's mind - memories not his own. Speaking the name of Shazam, Theo Adam transformed into the ancient Khem-Adam, reborn as Black Adam.
Defeated by Shazam and Captain Marvel after the ancient wizard removed Adam's ability to speak (thus preventing him from summoning his powers), Theo Adam disappeared into obscurity. However, all of this was being watched by another enduring immortal, the wicked Blaze. Restoring Theo Adam's ability to speak, she forced Theo into her service. However, while Theo Adam could be controlled, the willful Black Adam could not, and with the aid of the hero Ibis, Black Adam defeated Blaze. Unfortunately, in the process he had another confrontation with Captain Marvel, this one ending with Black Adam's banishment into deep space.
Black Adam's slow return to Earth gave him time to come the grips with the two personalities within him: the heroic Khem-Adam and the unscrupulous Theo Adam. Adam eventually subdued the scheming nature of his descendant, returning to Earth with a resolution to make right what Theo had wronged. Black Adam surrendered to authorities, willfully standing trial for the murders of the Batsons. When courtroom evidenced revealed that Black Adam's fingerprints did not match those of Theo Adam, Black Adam was acquitted though the Batson's son Billy (the host for Captain Marvel) did not accept the verdict as evidence of Adam's innocence. Eventually, however, Black Adam won Billy's acceptance, if not trust, when he directly saved Captain Marvel's life.
The entire hero community was shocked, then, when Black Adam joined the Monster Society, a team of supervillains led by Thaddeus Sivana, the man who had financed the expedition that led to Black Adam's 'rebirth.' Captain Marvel reluctantly prepared to square off against his old enemy once again, but in a crucial moment Black Adam revealed that he had only joined the Monster Society to lead them to defeat. With the whole of their plan hinging on Black Adam, the Monster Society was almost decimated in one battle. Dr. Sivana escaped, but it would take him years to rebuild his Society to the position of power it once held.
Having now proven his sincerity, Black Adam petitioned and was allowed to join the Justice Society of America. However, Captain Marvel joined shortly afterward, wanting to keep an eye on him. Black Adam's tenure with the JSA was short - when the team was forced to spare the life of the villain Kobra, Black Adam was outraged. The decision to let Kobra escape formed a schism in the team, and Black Adam recruited those members of the JSA who felt the same way he did to hunt Kobra down and finish the job.
Black Adam and his allies tracked Kobra to, ironically, Black Adam's original nation of Kahndaq, where Kobra had foolishly believed he would find succor. Indeed, Kobra found allies in the corrupt Kahndaq government, but neither walls nor bureaucrats could stop Black Adam, and Kobra was executed by Adam personally.
In tracking Kobra, however, Black Adam had been forced to see what his home nation had been brought down to - a miserable den of criminals from all walks of society, constantly torn by strife and regarded as a pariah by sister nation Egypt. It was more than Black Adam could take. In a single day, Black Adam once again overthrew Kahndaq's government. It was only after the deed that he realized that the true struggle lay ahead.
The JSA learned of Black Adam's coup de' tat and traveled to Kahndaq, only to be met by their former allies, who supported Black Adam's actions and had agreed to serve as his advisors in his new plan – to rebuild Kahndaq, rather than simply rule it. An uneasy compromise was reached - Black Adam was allowed to retain control of Kahndaq, as long as he stayed within its borders. Having no interest in the outside world now that he knew what his nation had been brought to, Black Adam agreed instantly.
Since that time Black Adam has proven more or less true to his word, traveling outside of Kahndaq only when absolutely necessary. His attention has been focused primarily on the prosperity of his nation, though when conflicts bleed over into Kahndaq Black Adam has proven firm and decisive. When Talia Head sought him out for an alliance and informed him of her mad father’s involvement in a plague which gripped Kahndaq, Black Adam personally traveled to the prison where Ra’s was held, executing the eco-terrorist with his own hands.
Six months ago a battle between the Teen Titans and the alien Despero spilled over into Kahndaq. Black Adam and his followers joined the battle, and in the chaos Black Adam unintentionally killed Teen Titan member Terra, who had been under the psychic thrall of Despero. The incident earned Black Adam a new enemy in Terra’s brother, Geo-Force, who quit the Teen Titans in frustration after being forced to retreat from Kahndaq.
