Forget Superman! Black Adam Vs. Shazam Is What The DCEU Needs

Black Adam promises to shake up the Superman-dominated power hierarchy of the DCEU, but it’s the clash between him and Shazam that should be getting the attention. When Dwayne Johnson thunders into theaters as the titular Black Adam this fall, he’ll be doing so with a familiar set of powers. Shazam! Fury of the Gods is due out late this winter, and with the DCEU’s future uncertain amidst reboot speculation, it could mean that the two of them are the best chance to get things back on some sort of track.

Black Adam has been around since the days when Shazam was known as Captain Marvel. Introduced in 1945’s The Marvel Family #1, the character was always a dark foil to Billy Batson, having been given the power of the gods by the wizard, Shazam, only for that power to corrupt him and make him a tyrant. In more recent decades, the character took a turn away from outright villainy, deepening his backstory and motivations and making him more of an anti-hero or anti-villain, more consistent with the logic of how the wizard determined who gained the powers.

The DCEU is floundering after so many sudden cancelations and underwhelming projects, but leaning on one of the few remaining connections – the dichotomy between Shazam and Black Adam – could bring things back into focus. With Superman not presently in the picture, there are few beings in the DCEU who can measure up to Black Adam at all. The relationship between the two is an integral part of the comics for both characters. In the long run, a clash between Black Adam and Shazam would therefore be far more interesting for audiences and beneficial for the DCEU as a whole.

Will Black Adam & Shazam Fight In The DCEU?

With the two of them being in the DCEU at once, it seems almost inevitable that Shazam and Black Adam will be at one another’s throats on the big screen soon enough. While the two actually hadn’t fought openly in years until recently, the hostile nature of the first meeting between Black Adam and Shazam is a constant across virtually every iteration of that storyline since 1945. Jerry Ordway’s The Power of Shazam! didn’t deviate from it in 1994, even going out of its way to deepen the connection between the characters. The highly controversial and transformative New 52 initiative had its chance to change things, and ultimately led to a clash between the two champions of the wizard, yet again. They may usually become (unsteady) allies over time, but their first meeting always ends in an exchange of fists, not words.

This status quo would be for the better in a bold new DCEU that’s still missing a Superman. Black Adam‘s drastic difference in power seems to pretty much every other character appearing on-screen seems to be pretty clearly indicated. Without Superman around to deal with him, it may just fall on Shazam to keep him in check. In fact, even if the current status of Superman within the DCEU was known, it may not matter much, as the Last Son of Krypton has traditionally struggled against Black Adam and his magic-based powers. The mighty Adam is indeed one of the few checks the DC Universe has on Superman’s own power, but Shazam can match him.

It isn’t just about power, however, as the very natures of Shazam and Black Adam just make their struggle more interesting than either of them fighting Superman. The ideological conflict need not be addressed. It’s obvious that they represent two fundamentally conflicting ideas on power and, more importantly, justice. However, it’s in the backgrounds of the two characters as downtrodden individuals, suddenly granted the power to right the wrongs of the world that makes them interesting. In the end, it isn’t Superman that Black Adam needs to fight, but Shazam.