Why Is Black Adam Called ‘Black Adam’? Origin of the Name Explained

Black Adam has a colorful comic book history and is known as one of the best DC antiheroes ever created. Like his good counterpart Shazam, Black Adam likewise has a complicated history with his name. He was known as Teth-Adam, Khem-Adam, and Black Adam, among others, and some of his name origins were less flattering than others. Today we’re going to explore the origin behind Black Adam’s name and dive into the history of the character as a whole. 

Black Adam is called “Black Adam” because the Wizard banished him and gave him the name reflecting his “black personality.” Black Adam was the former champion of the Wizard, but he likewise used his divine powers for selfish and evil purposes hence why he was banished. The older version of the character was also called “Khem-Adam,” which roughly translates as “Black Adam,” his name, in this particular instance, was a reference to the rich black soil that surrounds Egypt and the river Nile. 

Now that we’ve covered the origin of Black Adam’s nickname, it’s time to explore the history of the character in a bit more detail. If you’re interested in more, stay with us and keep reading!

Black Adam was the former champion of the Wizard

Black Adam was born as a mortal man under the name Teth-Adam. He lived in ancient Egypt around the 26th century BCE, and ruthless slavers dominated both his family and him, and an unfortunate series of events led to his father’s death.  

Society did not treat Teth-Adam kindly, so he was forced to inherit and repay his father’s debts. He was unable to do so, resulting in Black Adam becoming enslaved. 

Teth-Adam, as a slave, experienced regular beatings and mistreatments. This marked the beginning of certain darkness within him. A darkness that will not be contained even millennia later Teth-Adam’s immediate family was likewise enslaved, and most succumbed to cruel treatment. He had one remaining relative, his nephew Aman. Teth-Adam was close to Aman and even willing to risk his life for him.  

In one instance, Teth-Adam got the opportunity to escape. He brought his nephew Aman with him and got mortally wounded trying to rescue him. Just as they were about to escape, or Teth-Adam was about to succumb to his injuries, the two of them were transported to the Rock of Eternity, where Shazam, the Wizard, greeted them. 

Originally it was Aman who the Wizard chose to carry the mantle of his champion, as the Wizard could most likely sense certain kinds of darkness within Black Adam. But in good faith, Aman refused the Wizard’s offer until he healed Teth-Adam and bestowed the same kind of powers on him as well.  

The Wizard agreed and decided to imbue Teth-Adam with a portion of his powers as well. Teth-Adam was restored to good health, and the two of them were free to return home under one condition: they were to fight against Ibac and his slavers and bring justice to enslaved people. 

And this is really where the trouble began. Both Aman and Teth-Adam wanted to deal with Ibac and remove him permanently, but they couldn’t agree on how they will exactly do that. Aman wanted to deal with Ibac peacefully, and Teth-Adam wanted to kill him as well as everyone connected to him.

Teth-Adam was, at this point, driven to insanity by rage and thirst for vengeance. He killed his nephew Aman in a blind fit of rage and absorbed all of his powers. He became the current champion of the Wizard. He dethroned the Ibac and released his Kahndaqui tribe from slavery. He likewise assumed the position of Kahndaqui leader, a position he would hold for centuries to come. 

But, being an immortal ruler of Kahndaq was not enough for Teth-Adam. He decided to turn against the Council of Eternity. He slew all the members save for the Wizard that granted him powers in the first place. The Wizard, however, managed to overpower Teth-Adam. 

Teth-Adam betrayed his former master, the Wizard, and due to this, the Wizard banished him beyond the universe’s farthest star and named him “Black Adam” to commemorate his transformation from a righteous hero to an evil creature consumed with revenge. 

And there you have it. The name “Black Adam” does not signify Adam’s skin. It rather marks his personality and his spirit. Black Adam got his name due to the evil he harbored within himself and the fact that he raised his hands on the Wizard, who gave him everything, including his powers. But the name Black Adam didn’t always have negative connotations. 

Black Adam was at one point called Khem-Adam 

With the release of Shazam Vol 1 #28 in 1977, the origin of Black Adam’s name changed. He returned to plague Billy Batson again, and this time the Wizard decided to bestow upon him a different name, Khem-Adam, which means “Black Adam,” as well translated roughly. 

The origin of “Khem-Adam” isn’t as sinister as the origin of the name Black Adam. As you can see in the scan below, the ancient Egyptians referred to Egypt as Khem or Kemet because of the rich fertile black land that surrounded them due to regular flooding of the Nile basin. Due to that, as a representative of the ancient Egyptian Kahndaq tribe, Black Adam became known as Khem-Adam. 

This is a really cool name origin, but it didn’t stick for long because the most recent “origin” story of Black Adam’s name, as the name signifying evil, was once again confirmed in Black Adam Vol 1 #4, released in 2022.

In this issue, we can see the flashback from Black Adam’s history, and once again, the Wizard banishes him and names him “Black Adam” because of his evil nature.  

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