Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam is a 2010 direct-to-video animated superhero short film co-produced and directed by Joaquim Dos Santos and written by Michael Jelenic, about the DC Comics characters Superman and Captain Marvel / Shazam cooperating to battle the powerful villain Black Adam. George Newbern and Jerry O'Connell reprised their roles from the DC animated series Justice League Unlimited as the two leads.

Released on  as the main feature on the compilation DVD DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection, Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam was the fourth (and to date, longest) of the DC Showcase series, which were also included in extended versions. This also marked James Garner's last performance before his retirement the same year and his death on July 19, 2014.

Plot
In Fawcett City, young Billy Batson is an orphaned boy who has recently been kicked out by his foster parents and is living alone in a rundown slum. Upon arriving at a local diner to meet up with Clark Kent, who is writing an article about his situation, Billy is attacked by Black Adam, who returned to Earth the night before, planning to kill him before a "Wizard" could get to him. Clark distracts Adam, allowing Billy to escape while he transforms into Superman. Black Adam chases Billy through the streets, but Superman intervenes and battles him.

Billy flees into the subway with the help of a homeless man he had unsuccessfully tried to protect from bullies earlier. Black Adam corners Billy on the train tracks, only for the latter to apparently get run over by a train. Billy then awakens and discovers he is on an empty subway car that takes him to a gigantic cave. There, he meets the wizard Shazam, who informs him that he is the next Chosen One; Shazam explains that Black Adam used to be his champion 5000 years ago, only to use his power for his own personal gain and corrupted the gift as a result. He was then banished across the universe, but has now returned seeking vengeance against the Wizard and his new champion. To atone for his mistake of creating Adam, Shazam bestows his powers upon Billy and causes a cave-in, after which he tells Billy to say his name if he needs help.

Upon arriving outside, Billy confronts Adam and, upon saying Shazam's name, is instantly transformed by a bolt of lightning into an adult superhero version of himself codenamed Captain Marvel, with the transformation being reversed in the same manner. As Captain Marvel and Superman join forces to battle Black Adam in the skies, Adam, realizing he can't defeat both of them, destroys a dam that threatens to flood the city. While Superman diverts the flood, Adam takes a motorist as hostage and tells Captain Marvel to surrender himself in his mortal form to secure her release. He complies, only for Adam to throw his hostage into the sky and silence Billy before he can attempt to rescue her. The woman is then rescued by Superman, who attacks Adam and frees Billy, allowing Billy to transform back into Captain Marvel and quickly defeat Black Adam. Just as Shazam is about to kill him, Superman convinces him to be a better person than a murderer; Adam declares that only death will stop him just as the homeless man reappears and reveals himself to be Billy's guardian angel Tawky Tawny. Tawky reverts to his true form as a tiger and threatens to have the Wizard banish Adam even further across the universe. Unwilling to be banished again, Adam shouts "SHAZAM!", reverting to the mortal Teth-Adam and dying from old age.

Days later, Billy reads Clark's article on the newspaper when the same bullies he encountered earlier confront him. They try to intimidate him into saying just one word before they attack, but Billy simply smiles and a bolt of lightning strikes, implying he has said "SHAZAM!" and transformed into Captain Marvel once more.

Voice cast
 George Newbern as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman
 Jerry O'Connell as Billy Batson / Captain Marvel
 Zach Callison as Billy Batson
 Arnold Vosloo as Teth-Adam / Black Adam
 James Garner as Shazam
 Kevin Michael Richardson as Tawky Tawny
 Danica McKellar as Sally
 Josh Keaton as Punk, Sally's Boyfriend (uncredited)

Music
A soundtrack album featuring the film score by composers Benjamin Wynn and Jeremy Zuckerman was released by La-La Land Records on April 12, 2011. This release was a limited edition of 1000 units and additionally featured music from the Green Arrow, Jonah Hex, and the Spectre animated shorts of the DC Showcase series.

References

External links

 
 Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam at The World's Finest

2010 films
2010s English-language films
2010 animated films
2010 direct-to-video films
2010 short films
2010s American animated films
2010s direct-to-video animated superhero films
2010s Warner Bros. animated short films
Films directed by Joaquim Dos Santos
Films about rapid human age change
Films about orphans
Animated superhero films
DC Showcase
Black Adam
Animated Superman films
Superman animated shorts
Captain Marvel (DC Comics) in other media
Warner Bros. Animation animated short films