SUPERMAN versus BLACK ADAM
Chapter Three (DC)
Where: DC Comics Presents #49 When: September 1982 Why: Roy Thomas & Paul Kupperberg How: Rich Buckler
The Story So Far...
Superman flies the night sky over Egyptian desert, listening carefully for a broadcast that spells certain doom!
Terrorists are threatening to blow the Aswan Dam unless the government surrenders to their political demands! Fortunately, The Man of Steel intervenes to send their nuclear device into deep space, and rescue the dam from breaching, but the explosion has set off tremors that threaten the nearby Temple of Abu Simbel!
A super-human feat to lift the ancient 13th Century landmark saves it from destruction, but despite Superman's best efforts, the building sits a few inches lower once returned to its modern resting place. That slight difference aligns the entrance with the rising sun, inadvertently opening a gateway that allows entry from an inter-dimensional interloper -- Black Adam!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Superman 6 (Mach Speed)
Stamina: Draw 6 (Generator)
Agility: Draw 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Black Adam 7 (Living Weapon)
Energy: Superman 5 (Lasers)
Total: Black Adam 34 (Super)
Superman has challenged the power of SHAZAM many times over the years, but usually he's come up against his magic-powered equivalent: Captain Marvel!
Earth's mightiest mortal had to struggle to stand his ground against an Eclipso compromised Superman in Action Comics Annual #4 and Superman #216, but was much more in control while radicalized in Kingdom Come #4, and when sent into a tag team match alongside Hawkman, in Superman/Batman #4.
Black Adam represents a far deadlier opponent, wielding the power of Shazam as the dark-hearted ancient champion who fell from the Wizard's grace.
No example demonstrates Teth-Adam's corruption of Shazam's power greater than 52 #45. Having slaughtered the other Horsemen of Apokolips in 52 #44; Adam relentlessly pursued Azraeuz into the politically corrupt nation of Bialya, where he conducted a bloody rampage that cost the lives of millions!
Like Captain Marvel; Black Adam summons the power of a pantheon of gods & legends by speaking the Wizard's name. His magic lightning endows him with the stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru, the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti, the power of Aten, and the courage of Mehen.
It's debatable whether the magic of his abilities should have any real special effect on Superman. Kryptonians have no natural defenses against magic, but this should really be considered a vulnerability, rather than an innate weakness akin to Kryptonite. Black Adam was himself similarly defenseless against the vast magics of Ibis the Invincible in Power of Shazam #11.
We saw the uniquely invulnerable Superboy-Prime laugh off Black Adam's magic lightning when they came to blows in Infinite Crisis #6. Of course, the Kal-El of Earth Prime proved to be unique for a variety of reasons, matching Black Adam in his intensity and aggression while using incredible super-human strength.
We saw Black Adam earn a tactical victory against Captain Marvel in Hawkman #24, negating the stalemate of their physical strength. It might be speculated that Black Adam is the more powerful of the two, but to find out how he stacks up against Superman we should just take a look...
Where: DC Comics Presents #49 When: September 1982 Why: Roy Thomas & Paul Kupperberg How: Rich Buckler
The Story So Far...
Superman flies the night sky over Egyptian desert, listening carefully for a broadcast that spells certain doom!
Terrorists are threatening to blow the Aswan Dam unless the government surrenders to their political demands! Fortunately, The Man of Steel intervenes to send their nuclear device into deep space, and rescue the dam from breaching, but the explosion has set off tremors that threaten the nearby Temple of Abu Simbel!
A super-human feat to lift the ancient 13th Century landmark saves it from destruction, but despite Superman's best efforts, the building sits a few inches lower once returned to its modern resting place. That slight difference aligns the entrance with the rising sun, inadvertently opening a gateway that allows entry from an inter-dimensional interloper -- Black Adam!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 6 (Invincible)Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Superman 6 (Mach Speed)
Stamina: Draw 6 (Generator)
Agility: Draw 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Black Adam 7 (Living Weapon)
Energy: Superman 5 (Lasers)
Total: Black Adam 34 (Super)
Superman has challenged the power of SHAZAM many times over the years, but usually he's come up against his magic-powered equivalent: Captain Marvel!
Earth's mightiest mortal had to struggle to stand his ground against an Eclipso compromised Superman in Action Comics Annual #4 and Superman #216, but was much more in control while radicalized in Kingdom Come #4, and when sent into a tag team match alongside Hawkman, in Superman/Batman #4.
Black Adam represents a far deadlier opponent, wielding the power of Shazam as the dark-hearted ancient champion who fell from the Wizard's grace.
No example demonstrates Teth-Adam's corruption of Shazam's power greater than 52 #45. Having slaughtered the other Horsemen of Apokolips in 52 #44; Adam relentlessly pursued Azraeuz into the politically corrupt nation of Bialya, where he conducted a bloody rampage that cost the lives of millions!
Like Captain Marvel; Black Adam summons the power of a pantheon of gods & legends by speaking the Wizard's name. His magic lightning endows him with the stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru, the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti, the power of Aten, and the courage of Mehen.
It's debatable whether the magic of his abilities should have any real special effect on Superman. Kryptonians have no natural defenses against magic, but this should really be considered a vulnerability, rather than an innate weakness akin to Kryptonite. Black Adam was himself similarly defenseless against the vast magics of Ibis the Invincible in Power of Shazam #11.
We saw the uniquely invulnerable Superboy-Prime laugh off Black Adam's magic lightning when they came to blows in Infinite Crisis #6. Of course, the Kal-El of Earth Prime proved to be unique for a variety of reasons, matching Black Adam in his intensity and aggression while using incredible super-human strength.
We saw Black Adam earn a tactical victory against Captain Marvel in Hawkman #24, negating the stalemate of their physical strength. It might be speculated that Black Adam is the more powerful of the two, but to find out how he stacks up against Superman we should just take a look...
The Tape: Black Adam Ranking: Superman (#5)
What Went Down...
Standing atop Umpire Rock: Black Adam holds court with a car held aloft over an audience of helpless Manhattan police.
The would-be conqueror declares himself king of the world, but the destruction of effortlessly tossing the vehicle across the park draws the attention of a red-caped hero who can stop him -- Superman!
Black Adam instantly recognizes his challenger from a previous encounter and reveals the hero's unwitting hand in bringing him to this world.
The villain takes confidence from their previous battle -- and a plot to manipulate Earth's electric fields to prevent Captain Marvel following him and surviving the breach with his powers in tact. It's all Superman needs to hear to end the chit-chat and spring into action!
The Man of Steel launches himself wildly at his deadly new adversary, connecting with a stiff left to the jaw! Adam shakes it off immediately and fires back with a roundhouse punch that sends Superman hurtling through the air!
The spiteful villain uproots a nearby tree and lobs it like a spear, but Superman manages to duck and charges in to bury his fist deep in Adam's vile gut!
Superman gave his punch everything he had, but still Black Adam prevails, taking advantage of their close quarters to crack the Kryptonian with another hard right to the face!
As Superman drops to the ground, a young boy named Billy Batson rushes from the crowd of onlookers. He knows all about Black Adam's exploits from reading his Uncle's old comic books and can't stand to see him get the upper-hand.
The sudden sight of the familiar young man shocks Black Adam to distraction. For a moment he believes Captain Marvel has made it to this world, but the Billy Batson before him is too young to be the alter-ego of his arch-nemesis.
Seeing an opportunity to twist the indomitable will of his opponent, he snatches the boy by the collar and issues an ultimatum: Superman must remove himself from sight forever or the boy will suffer the consequences!
Unwilling to compromise the life of the child -- Superman leaps into the air and gives his word he won't attack in the city. Black Adam believes his conquest is all but assured. He under estimates the Man of Steel's resolve...
The Hammer...
It might look as if Black Adam has manipulated Superman into submission, but it all amounts to another inconclusive result. He may've had a slight advantage blow for blow, but both men were still in the fight when the action breaks.
Superman swings by the crowd on his way out to pick up Jimmy Olsen, keeping a watchful eye on Black Adam from afar with his x-ray vision.
Jimmy's journalistic instincts help connect Superman with the young Billy Batson, who eventually makes a break for it, and helps to inspire a plot that will bring Captain Marvel to their world using a similar method to Black Adam's!
This may be the only time Earth-One Billy Batson makes an appearance. Despite an extended dream sequence this issue, he never receives the magic lightning. Instead he'll be lost in the shuffle to various attempts by DC to utilize their Fawcett Comics acquisition. Captain Marvel persists on Earth-S for a time, but eventually joins the streamlined DC Universe and Justice League after Crisis on Infinite Earths.
It's all a little bit convoluted, but I enjoy seeing a crossover where the heroes are actually on the same page. It's become an underrated phenomenon!
Villains like Black Adam exist to be the dark shadow of their heroic counterparts. They function in dream match scenarios almost as well as two heroes who might be commonly compared -- without requiring any real compromises.
It might be fun to occasionally see what happens when Superman fights Hulk, but I think it quickly becomes much less interesting than those other, far less obvious encounters, like when Superman met Venom, or Batman met Scorpion.
The degradation of good-natured superheroes has been a real problem of the last decade or more of superhero in-fighting. It's kind of absurd. The world really doesn't need another evil version of Superman when you've got perfectly good stand-ins like General Zod or Bizarro ready to explore those ideas with lasting consequence. That's what they're there for.
The conviction that Superman's moral fibre is somehow alienating, or in need of mitigating in a modern context, completely ignores its value as a defining character trait, and the fundamental honor of stories about good versus evil.
It might be interesting to explore characters who are morally complex, or grey, but that really shouldn't diminish our aspirations for good, or the conceivable existence of it. Superheroes remain at their core aspirational figures, and Superman should offer a blueprint to inspire us to be greater than ourselves.
Heroism doesn't have to be equal to simplicity, but obviously if, and when, you can routinely rely on characters like Superman or Captain Marvel to be pure bred heroes, it is very interesting to read about other archetypes, as well.
In DC Comics Presents #49 we see a Black Adam who is still very much a figure of villainy. His scheme is simply to rule the world: simplistic megalomania that later inspired a more nuanced take when he conquered Khandaq during Black Reign, and committed mass murder while pursing vengeance against Azraeuz.
The moral flexibility found in modern incarnations of Black Adam draws from his earliest appearance as a former champion chosen by Shazam.
Black Adam is ultimately a study in absolute power corrupting absolutely. A man of incredible means seduced to act on base desires of wrath, greed, and pride. In many ways he is the answer to what would happen if Captain Marvel went bad, but over the years he has become complicated with his own innate references, circumstances, and backstory. Which is all very interesting.
If you want to find more of Black Adam's exploits you should follow the links littered throughout this post! Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 650 battles and ranked more than 950 characters! You can find 'em all indexed by publisher, series, and issue number in the Secret Archive!
If you'd like to read today's featured fight in its entirety, you can find it collected in Superman vs SHAZAM! and Shazam! A Celebration of 75 Years. Use the Amazon links provided to do your shopping and you'll not only get a good deal -- you'll also be supporting the site!
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Winner: Inconclusive (Draw)
#5 (--) Superman
#26 (+1) Black Adam
#50 (--) Billy Batson (Captain Marvel) [+1 assist]
Strength: Captain Marvel 6 (Invincible)
