The following contains spoilers for Black Adam, now playing in theaters.
In Black Adam, the former slave known as Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson) sparks a revolution in Kahndaq. He's freed into a new world but somewhat distracted by his past as a slave. Still, he can't help but recognize the atrocities being doled out by Intergang, as it's mining the nation's natural resources and turning it into a blood-soaked land run by criminals.
It leaves Adam eager for vengeance because this kind of oppression and exploitation destroyed his family and all his people centuries before. However, the Justice Society ends up invading, making it clear while he sees them as foreigners with no say, they're liberators and peacekeepers, crafting a tense, fragile political conflict, too. Luckily, both parties get on the same page when an explosive finale unfolds, bringing a demonic entity into play that could destroy the DC Extended Universe.
Black Adam Gives up to the Justice Society
Adam battles Ishmael, an Intergang general, when the goon kidnaps Adrianna's son, Amon, in exchange for the crown of Sabbac. During the fight, he uses his powers to turn all the villains into ash, ensuring Ishmael doesn't get to harness the crown's power and transcend into godhood. Adam, coincidentally, killed Ishmael's ancestor, King Ahk-Ton, in his time for trying to do the same. It brings the story full circle, ensuring that the bloodthirsty dynasty is put to bed.
But after ending the empire, Adam finally has a heart-to-heart with Hawkman at the palace ruins, informing him why he always comes from a place of rage and hatred. He confesses the statue there in the city isn't him and that the legend scholars wrote about was wrong. He wasn't the Wizards' Champion at the Rock of Eternity -- it was his son, Hurut. They chose the boy as the Champion, turning him into a powerful brute, but it led to the king killing Adam's wife. Hurut arrived and transferred his powers, saving a wounded, dying Adam, only to be immediately shot down with arrows by the king's assassins.
That led to a furious Adam going to the palace and blowing it all to kingdom come. As such, the Wizards imprisoned him for his sins, which is why Adriana realizes she never freed him from a tomb -- the Kahndaq cave was, in fact, his prison. But Hawkman empathizes, seeing Adam feeling at peace at last. Adam then utters the word "Shazam," transforming into his frail human form and allowing Amanda Waller's forces to imprison him in a snowy lair.
Black Adam Brings a Demonic Sabbac to Light
Sadly, Sabbac finds a way of coming to life. It turns out that the crown's inscriptions indicate death is the path to harnessing the power of the relic, with Ishmael wanting Adam to kill him all along. He ends up in the hellish dimension, the Rock of Finality, where the evil gods make him their Champion. They send Sabbac back to Earth, where he intends to take the throne and rule with a flaming fist.
However, the red devil's presence alerts the Justice Society, and they head back for a new war in Hawkman's Thanagarian vessel. Sadly, their ship's battered by the demon, leaving the heroes struggling against this deadly god when they crash in the streets. At this juncture, Doctor Fate, who's been seeing into the future all movie long, realizes his visions of Hawkman dying will come true unless he changes it. And he does so, blocking his allies out of the palace before battling Sabbac using his mystical clones.
Sadly, Fate dies in the process, but he leaves the world one lasting gift -- asking Adam via telepathy to be its savior. Fate frees Adam, who fights off the Task Force X guards before swimming to the surface. Nursing bullet wounds, he says his magical catchphrase again and turns into his lightning-shooting muscular form. The antihero flies off to a Kahndaq, now overrun by skeleton zombies, saving Amon from a falling statue. Adam then challenges Sabbac, intent on ending the being for good.
Black Adam Proves He's a Protector, Not a Hero
Adam and Hawkman are the final two members of the opposition left standing as Sabbac unleashes his fury. Shockingly, the devil impales Hawkman, making it seem like Fate's sacrifice was in vain. However, Hawkman was using Fate's helmet, honoring a trick Kent Nelson showed him from their years of working together. Sabbac actually killed a clone, allowing more Hawkman clones to arrive and subdue the tyrant.
That gives Adam a chance to grab Sabbac by the horns and fly up into the sky with him, where, egged on by Hawkman, he finally lets all his power loose. But this time, it's controlled as he melts Sabbac's head and is able to split the villain in half, dropping his lava-like body to the ground. Hawkman's impressed and relieved, eventually leaving with Cyclone and Atom Smasher. But he does ask Adrianna and Amon to keep Adam in check, as he can tell the antihero's still a loose cannon.
Adam eventually sits on the throne, pondering about leading the people who are now fully behind him. He knows he can't trust other governments and their forces, so as ruler, he can at least ward people off. But the Champion decides to smash the throne, as it's a symbol built on the backs of poor people for centuries. He also admits he's no hero, but he can give his country what it needs -- a protector. Adam ends the movie with a sinister, intimidating look, foreshadowing that any invaders will be treated with hostility and ruthless aggression.
See how Sabbac's taken down in Black Adam, now playing in theaters.