Black Adam (film)

## Release chronology

"*Kahndaq was a melting pot of cultures, wealth, power, and magic. Yet, most of us have nothing, except for the chains around our necks.*"
―Black Adam
***Black Adam*** is a 2021 epic superhero film based on the DC Comics supervillain of the same name. A spin-off of *Shazam!*, it is the 19th film in the DC Extended Universe and the 9th installment of the Silver Age. It was released on October 14, 2021.

A sequel/crossover, *Billy Batson and the Power of Shazam!* was released in December 19, 2023.

The film introduces Doctor Fate, Isis, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Stargirl, Atom Smasher, the Council of Eternity and the Justice Society of America into the DCEU.

## Synopsis

The epic story of one man who liberated a kingdom 5,000 years ago in Kahndaq.

## Plot

"*You know I can just get the league to handle this."
"No. I had quite a history with the subject at hand, literally. We'll take care of him.*"
―Mister Terrific and Hawkman
At the JSA Headquarters, Carter Hall/Hawkman, Sheira Hall/Hawkgirl, and Doctor Fate of the Justice Society of America prepares to visit Kahndaq. Courtney Whitmore and Albert Rothstein requests to join, Hawkman refuses but they are allowed by the doctor.

"*Hey Doc, who exactly is this guy we're dealing with?"
"Well kids, sit back let's witness the epic that is, the Legend of the Black Adam.*"
―Courtney and Doctor Fate, simulating visions in Courtney and Albert's mind
They arrive and meet with government officials ahead of an operation to locate the tomb of Black Adam, a legendary figure of immense power. The operation was arranged amidst a rumor (among the superhero community) of Lex Luthor attempting to retrieve the tomb himself. Using magic, Doctor Fate is able to locate the tomb by sensing magical signatures. They go to a cave and locates the tomb. While preparing to transport the tomb, Courtney asks Doctor Fate what they are going after, and Doctor Fate then tells the epic story of Black Adam. The film cuts to the main plot, set in 2,504 BC.

"*We will be free of this hardship, my love. And our sons shall live their live fulfilled.*"
―Teth-Adam to Shiruta
A common and poor man, Teth-Adam lives with his wife, Shiruta and his two sons, Gon and Hurut. Shiruta is a farmer and Adam is a construction worker, currently working on a monumental project for the Kahndaqi ruler, Ahk-Ton. Ahk-Ton is an oppressive ruler, and the Adam family plans to immigrate to Egypt, where they have better working conditions and overall better society. During the night, the Adam family enjoys a beautiful full moon and talked about moving to Egypt, and Adam gives his sons gifts that he had bought when he visited Egypt. Suddenly, they see a falling star approaching them, landing near the village, villagers gather, and warriors arrive to retrieve the strange glowing meteorite to Ahk-Ton, where he tells them to research it further. Among his neighbors and friends, Adam is seen as a righteous man, always helping others. He and his family are close friends with Adrianna Tomaz and her brother Amon. They have been protesting for better working conditions and corruption by the government. In Ahk-Ton's palace, they discuss the possible threat of Egyptian forces coming to invade Kahndaq and plan to search for spies among the Kahndaqis, they go to their scientists' lab, where they tell him the trans-mutative power of the meteorite and Ahk-Ton orders them to make it into a handheld weapon.

One day, Adam goes to work and sees that Adrianna and other protesters were being arrested and jailed. At Adam's home, the warriors have began searching the Sometime later news break out that Hath-Set, an Egyptian fugitive and his army of bandits has come to liberate Kahndaq and overthrow the king. Havoc breaks out in the city as Kahndaqi soldiers fight Hath-Set's few but powerful army. Adam runs to his home, and finds that warriors have captured his family who's being accused as Egyptian spies. His family is eventually killed amidst a battle between the soldiers and the bandits. At night, Adam buries his family in the farm they grew. Adam would eventually be demoted from his position and forced to work as a slave in the mines.

While working, one of Adam's coworkers fell ill, he is starving and malnourished. Adam attempts to help him by stealing the food and water from Ahk-Ton's warriors. The other workers then betray him by telling on the warriors of Adam's crime. Adam is then arrested but fights back, killing one of the warriors with his own weapon. This act warrants a death penalty, and he is then taken to the town center, where the people have gathered to witness his execution. Once his time comes, however, he is magically teleported to the Rock of Eternity, where he meets the ill coworker, who is revealed to be the Wizard Shazam, the leader of the Council of Eternity. He is told that he has been chosen to become the Champion for his good character and righteousness, and so, with the power of six Egyptian gods: Shu, Horus, Amon, Zehuti, Aten, and Mehen, Adam becomes the Champion, and is sent back to his execution, where a lightning strikes him and he rises, donning an awesome suit, to the surprise of many. The warriors then attempt to attack him, to no avail as Adam easily kills many of them, once the fighting stops, Adam made his way to the palace, where he confronts Ahk-Ton. Black Adam announces his frustrations with his governance, before preparing to kill Ahk-Ton, who then uses his Orb of Ra to gain the trans-mutative powers of the meteorite, **a destructive battle** then ensues between them, ending in the defeat and death of Ahk-Ton.

"*How magnificent!"
"Leave Kahndaq or I will break you."
"Now hold on! I mean no one harm other than the despot you just rightfully murdered. I came here with righteousness in my purpose. Kahndaq has suffered and I am here for the better of this nation."
"You're a fugitive, why should I hand Kahndaq to you?"
"You believe in the propaganda that were fed to you. I am no fugitive. I am a diplomat with knowledge of how to run a good society."*(Adam sneers and takes him to the sky) *"You lie. I see through you. You are a fugitive. And I know every bit of your intentions. However it is true that you do have the knowledge on how to run a good society. So I'll give you a chance, and to improve our relationship, you better be truthful to your words.*"
―Black Adam and Hath-Set
Black Adam then goes back to the palace, where he finds Hath-Set waiting for him, Hath-Set then states that he is a politician from Egypt and offers an alliance, stating that he wishes to liberate and improve Kahndaq, hence the invasion. Knowing that a powerful being like Adam would easily depose him, Hath-Set gave Adam his word. Adam then takes Hath-Set to the sky, threatening to end his life should he ruin Kahndaq, before giving a speech the people of Kahndaq that they would no longer face hardship as he promises things would get better. He then frees the imprisoned protesters, meeting Adrianna and Amon. The three of them then watch the sunset looking forward to a new Kahndaq, Adam then offers to lend his powers to them, and together they hold hands while shouting "SHAZAM!", successfully empowering Adrianna and Amon just like him. In the Kahndaqi palace, Hath-Set and his warriors talk about his true plan of invading Egypt, and that it may even be possible now that Adam is in the picture, and how Khufu will come for them any moment now.

In Egypt, Prince Khufu is alerted by his confidant that the fugitive Hath-Set had established a government in Kahndaq and that he had made an alliance with a powerful hero that now guards the nation. He and his wife Chay-Ara then prepares to visit Kahndaq to apprehend Hath-Set. Back in Kahndaq, Adam along with Adrianna and Amon helps many families after the recent chaos as the wizards watch among the citizens. They are then called in to the Rock of Eternity, where the wizards rebuke Adam for sharing his powers, but Adam upholds his choice, saying Adrianna and Amon are righteous people and they would not abuse their powers. The wizards accept and lets them in their room of magical collections, where Adrianna borrows the Amulet of Isis. The three then discovers the Room of Doors, where each door leads to another dimension/alternate realities. The scene intercepts with Khufu and Chay-Ara, along with the Egyptian military racing to Kahndaq. Adam eventually finds an alternate universe where his family is still alive, moments before they were captured by Ahk-Ton's warriors. Adam tells them to hide and throw away the gifts that he brought from Egypt, before tearfully telling his family that he has to go [back to his reality] as this is not his'.

Khufu finally makes his way to Kahndaq and confronts Hath-Set. The trio gets back to the main room to find the wizards missing, they go back to the world to find that chaos has occurred once again as the Egyptian army has invaded Kahndaq, Adam goes to meet with Khufu and Hath-Set, with Adam forbidding Khufu to detain Hath-Set. Khufu then strikes Adam, and an aerial battle ensues between them, with Adam killing many Egyptian soldiers coming to help Khufu. The wizards takes notice of this and tries to stop Adam, thinking they betrayed him, Adam turns on the wizards, killing Ainu, Haesel, and Siphare. With them dead, the remaining wizards know that their magic won't be powerful enough to rival Adam's godly powers. Adam then flies to Khufu, who has arrested Hath-Set and fights him once again. As they fight, Chay-Ara meets with the wizards, discussing how to defeat the fallen champion. As they discuss, Adrianna and Amon joins in, and they debate over the situation as Adrianna stands by Adam's side. As Adam and Khufu continue fighting, Hath-Set attempts to free himself from his shackles, eventually succeeding before running back to the palace. In the palace, he retrieves his Nth knife, a weapon he plans to use to kill the Thanagarian couple. As Adam and Khufu continue to try to kill each other, the wizards joins the battle on the side of Khufu. Adrianna and Amon renounces their powers, deciding not to intervene and instead tries to help the Kahndaqis caught in the chaos. In the palace, Chay-Ara confronts Hath-Set, telling him to surrender and leave Kahndaq alone, Hath-Set insults her and they begin to fight.

As Adam and the wizards fight on, Khufu leaves to return to Hath-Set. There, he finds him fighting Chay-Ara and joins in on the fight. Back to Adam, he successfully kills the remaining wizards except Mamaragan, who escapes before Adam has the chance to kill him. Hath-Set then successfully defeats the Thanagarians, killing them with his Nth knife, thus cursing them to reincarnate endlessly through time. At the Rock of Eternity, Mamaragan summons Nabu, telling him that the chose champion has gone rogue, before using the Helmet of Fate in order to enhance his magic. Black Adam and Hath-Set is then surprised by a large magical dome growing over the city. In a final fight of electrical chaos, Mamaragan successfully imprisons Adam in a cubic tomb. Knowing that he had killed his enemies and all of his allies are dead, Hath-Set leaves Kahndaq. Mamaragan returns to the Rock of Eternity, crying over his dead companions. Back at Kahndaq, Adrianna goes to the palace, seeing the dead Hawk couple, and over the horizon, more Egyptian forces come in, she takes the amulet she borrowed from the Rock of Eternity, exclaiming "I am Isis".

The film then comes back to the present, Courtney and Albert simultaneously wake up, telling each other that they had just dreamed about this Black Adam guy. They ask are they home yet and Hawkman tells them yes. When they come back to the states, the tomb is then transported to a military convoy, where it will be prepared to be sent off to the Watchtower. In the convoy, the armed guards all drop dead, Ma'alefa'ak then reveals himself, before using his mind powers to release Black Adam, by saying "Shazam". The truck is then struck by a powerful lightning, and Ma'alefa'ak quickly teleports himself and Adam to the Hall of Doom, where the fully assembled Legion of Doom awaits them.

## Cast

### Main characters

* Dwayne Johnson as Teth-Adam/Black Adam
* Sarah Shahi as Shiruta
* Saïd Taghmaoui as Vandal Savage/Hath-Set
* TBA as Ahk-Ton
* Keith David as Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate
* Ron Cephas Jones as Mamaragan/Shazam
* Henry Golding as Carter Hall/Hawkman
* Elizabeth Lail as Sheira Hall/Hawkgirl

### Antagonist(s)

* Zeeko Zaki as Prince Khufu
* Sofia Boutella as Chay-Ara

### Side characters

* TBA as Siphare of Egypt
* TBA as Haesel of the Celts
* TBA as Alo of North America
* TBA as Zekaru of Africa
* TBA as Ainu of Japan
* Olivia Cheng as Mai of China
* Teagan Croft as Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl
* Noah Centineo as Albert Rothstein/Atom Smasher
* David F. Sandberg as Mister Mind
* TBA as Mister Terrific
* Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor
* Joe Manganiello as Slade Wilson/Deathstroke
* Hayley Atwell as Barbara Minerva/Cheetah
* James McAvoy as Leonard Snart/Captain Cold
* Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as David Hyde/Black Manta

## Appearances

### Characters

Black AdamIsisDoctor FatePrince Khufu/HawkmanChay-Ara/HawkgirlWizard ShazamHath-SetAhkton.jpgAhk-TonSiphareHaeselAloZekaruAinuMaiNabuAtom SmasherMister Terrific (cameo)Mister Mind (cameo)Lex Luthor (cameo)Deathstroke (cameo)Cheetah (cameo)Captain Cold (cameo)Black Manta (cameo)Star Sapphire (cameo)Ma'alefa'ak (cameo)
### Locations

* Multiverse
	+ Astral plane
	+ Earth-2
		- Earth
			* Kahndaq
			* Egypt
			* United States of America
				+ JSA Headquarters
	+ Rock of Eternity
		- Room of Doors

### Events

* Kahndaqi National Revolution
	+ Massacre in Kahndaq

### Items

* Amulet of Anubis
* Amulet of Isis
* Black Diamond
* Cloak of Destiny
* Helmet of Fate
* Mamaragan's staff
* Nth mace
* Orb of Ra

### Species

* Demons
* Green Martians
* Humans
	+ *Homo magi*
	+ Metahumans
* Old Gods
* Thanagarians
* Venusian worm

### Organizations

* Council of Eternity
* Justice Society of America
* Legion of Doom
* Seven Deadly Enemies of Man

## Production

New Line Cinema began development of a *Shazam!* feature film in the early 2000s. By 2007, Dwayne Johnson was cast as the antagonist Black Adam. The film would be put on hold for more than a
decade until it was confirmed to be an installment of the DC Extended Universe. However, Dwayne Johnson felt that Black Adam needed a more developed backstory so they split the movie into two, allowing the creation of this film.

By 2018, it was confirmed that the Justice Society of America would appear in the film. Later that year Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Shahi, Aldis Hodge, Elizabeth Lail, Teagan Croft, and Noah Centineo were cast as Doctor Fate, Adrianna Tomaz/Isis, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Stargirl, and Atom Smasher, respectively.

## References and notes

1. ↑ The opening credits are on this scene, so once the film ends it will go straight to the rolling credits.
2. ↑ Luthor isn't seen as a criminal by the world just yet
3. ↑ The tomb is in the form of a large stone, and is indestructible
4. ↑ the wizards stopped time just before his decapitation, and when he comes back, time resumes and Adam is saved by turning into his super form
5. ↑ equipped with Thanagarian technology