warn! There are spoilers for Black Adam Issue 8! A look back at Black Adam’s past once again confirms that the fallen Shazam champion is an incredibly complex hero. The eponymous character recounts his early days as a magic user and what set him on his unusual path.
Despite gaining the power to wield living lightning and becoming the Earth’s magical protector, the hero once known as “Mighty Adam” fell from grace after deciding to use his powers with reckless abandon. Unable to remove Adam’s power, the wizard Shazam banished the now Black Adam for thousands of years. However, he eventually returned shortly after Billy Batson became the hero Shazam and replaced Adam as champion. Unable to accept his replacement, Black Adam repeatedly attempted to steal Batson’s powers for himself, often allying himself with more evil forces. However, a part of Mighty Adam still shines through Black Adam, suggesting there may be a hero inside.
Black Adam’s past shapes his thirst for justice
Looking back at the champion’s early years sheds new light on the true driving force of the man once known as “Mighty Adam.”exist Black Adam #8 Starring Christopher Priest, Eddie Barrows, Eber Ferrera and Montos, Black Adam returns to his palace, as does his descendant Malik White, aka new hero Bolt. Suffering from the same disease that Adam contracted. While everyone waits for Malik to recover, Tais Adam tells Malik the story of the last champion, the Pharaoh. Teti is the latest in a series of pharaohs served by the mighty Adam, but Teti is ruthless, using Adam’s power to kill and enslave his enemies. However, one day, after Adam received orders to kill countless innocent people, he killed Pharaoh in anger and said that from now on, justice would rule the land.
Tess-Adam’s usual origin suggests that he harnessed the powers of the wizard Shazam to overthrow the system that enslaved people like him. However, this tweaks his start slightly, showing that long before he dispatches any rulers, he is actually complicit in the system that helps maintain inhumane practices. Black Adam’s true mission appears not to be to seek revenge on those who enslaved him and his people, but to attempt to atone for the sins of his past.
Black Adam wants to be a hero to redeem himself
A theme running through the new work black adam series is whether Black Adam can redeem himself. The stories he tells to his descendants reveal that Black Adam was a conflicted man who was tormented by the bad decisions he made throughout his life. Black Adam murders for power and for reasons he doesn’t believe in. Black Adam clearly has a sense of guilt within him that drives him towards heroism to atone for the sins he has committed in the past.Fans can judge Tes-Adam’s hero status for themselves by reading Black Adam #8now on sale.