Here Is Why Black Adam Also Says “Shazam”

Black Adam, the iconic antihero of the DC Universe, is known for his immense power, cunning intellect, and brutal methods. But there’s one aspect of his character that has puzzled fans for years: his habit of shouting “Shazam!” during battle. After all, “Shazam” is the name of his archenemy, and it seems odd that Black Adam would invoke that name while fighting. So, why does Black Adam also say “Shazam”? We’ve decided to use this opportunity to clear up the confusion regarding Black Adam shouting “Shazam!” even though the Wizard no longer empowers him.

Black Adam shouts “Shazam!” because the Egyptian pantheon of gods that he is empowered by has the same acronym as the gods that empowered him in the first place. Black Adam is empowered by Shu, Horus, Amun, Zehuti, Aten, and Mehem. When you take the first letter from the name of these gods, you get the acronym “Shazam.”

Now that we’ve cleared why Black Adam says Shazam in battle just like his arch-nemesis, it’s time to clear up all the details. If you want to find out more about the origin of Black Adam’s powers and how his abilities evolved over time, stay with us and keep reading!

Black Adam was originally empowered by the same gods as Shazam

We’ve already written about how Black Adam and Shazam are connected. We know that Black Adam was empowered by the same gods as Shazam in the sense that he gained all the same powers and abilities as the current champion of the Wizard. Only Black Adam’s story took a quite darker turn until he eventually lost the blessings of the gods.

Black Adam was blessed by the portion of mystic powers at the same time as his uncle Aman. Aman was the true champion of the Wizard as he recognized from the start that Aman had a pure heart; Black Adam’s empowerment was the result of Aman demanding that the Wizard saves him as well and grants him a portion of his powers.

So originally, Black Adam was empowered by the Wisdom of Solomon, the Strenght of Hercules, the Stamina of Atlas, the Power of Zeus, the Courage of Achilles, and the Speed of Mercury. He had all the same incredible powers and abilities that the current Shazam has but a far darker nature. So this is where the original S-H-A-Z-A-M acronym comes from, and Black Adam was the first to shout it to imbue himself during battle.

Black Adam decided that he didn’t want to deal with Kahndaqi oppressors through peaceful means, even though Aman wanted to deal with them peacefully. This led to a fight, and Black Adam killed Aman in a fit of rage. The council of eternity wasn’t able to strip Black Adam of his powers, the Wizard himself admitted that its impossible. Once the powers have been given, they cannot be taken away so lightly. Black Adam used powers to turn himself into a violent and vengeful villain that eventually turned his back on the Council of Eternity and eliminated the members in the most brutal fashion. He spared the Wizard that granted him powers, however.

Eventually, a new champion was appointed – Captain Marvel, most commonly known as Shazam. Shazam managed to overpower Black Adam, and as a consequence, Black Adam lost his life. This led to him being stripped of his powers, and this is what started the long rivalry between the two characters that still sometimes rages on, even though Black Adam transferred to a role of an antihero with a complicated past in the recent years.

After the resurrection, Black Adam was empowered by a different set of gods but with the same acronym

Black Adam died, but his loyal Kahndaqi followers managed to resurrect him and bound him to a much darker pantheon of gods. The new gods imbued him with identical powers that he had as the champion of the Council of Eternity, and coincidentally, the gods have the same acronym as the former gods that granted him powers.

Nowadays, Black Adam is empowered by the Stamina of Shu, the Speed of Haru, the Strenght of Amon, the Wisdom of Zehuti, the Power of Aton, and the Courage of Mehem. As you can see, these gods likewise form the acronym S-H-A-Z-A-M like his former gods.

Not only is the acronym the same, but Black Adam and Shazam likewise have nearly identical powers. They are both incredibly strong, fast beyond measure, intelligent, and extremely durable. They can both likewise summon magical, extremely potent lightning. The powers are, at their core, identical, only granted by a different source. Shazam is empowered by the Greek pantheon of gods, while Black Adam is empowered by something closer to home, the Egyptian pantheon of gods.

Why do Both Black Adam and Shazam yell Shazam in a fight?

To sum everything up, Black Adam yells shazam because the acronym of the gods that empowered him is identical to the acronym of gods that Shazam is empowered by. Black Adam served as a champion for different factions over the years as his character made a transition from a villain to an antihero. Even though both Shazam and Black Adam started at the same places and were once champions of the same entity, Black Adam eventually decided to follow his own path and turn his back on his destiny.

For that, he was stripped of his powers until he eventually found an alternative source of powers, the one leading to Shu, Haru, Amon, Zehuti, Atom, and Mehen. His powers remained the same; however, this is why even after losing his original powers, he is still incredibly powerful and dangerous.

Liked this article? Follow us on Bluesky for the latest Marvel & DC news!