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10 Things You Need To Know About Black Adam

For the last few years, practically the only thing we knew about the long-mooted Shazam! movie was that Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson would be appearing as villain Black Adam. Through various interviews, Johnson spoke of his interest in the character as an anti-hero, which suggested that DC were making him the star of the show. Now, that's been confirmed, as we learned this week that the actor will be getting his own Black Adam solo movie.

Black Adam

9) His (Alternate) Dark Origin Story

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What we just mentioned is the character’s origin in the original timeline of the DC continuity. In 2011, DC rebooted their universe with The New 52 initiative, and Black Adam was one of many heroes who underwent a critical re-hauling.

In The New 52, Adam was a slave in the fictional middle eastern country of Kahndaq. When he was injured in an escape attempt, his dear nephew Aman was granted the powers of Shazam by an ancient wizard. The loyal boy healed Uncle Adam’s wounds and decreed that he would henceforth share his power with his uncle and together they would help others. However, when Aman next said the word “Shazam,” Adam killed his nephew so that he could be the sole recipient of the powers.

This is a way darker origin for Adam, and would make for a much more dramatic backstory for the movies. It’s no surprise, then, that this looks to be the route they’re heading down, as Johnson has spoken about how his character will have had a dark past as a slave.