Summary

• Sometimes an anti-hero and other times an outright villain, Black Adam often appears to be the "anti-Superman" — protective of those in his care, but ruthless and violent.
• Both Black Adam and Superman rank among DC's strongest characters, making many wonder which of them would win in a one-on-one battle.
• Overcoming the Man of Steel's immense strength is no easy feat, but Black Adam has a few factors working in his favor — including his ferocity.

DC's Black Adam certainly lives up to his reputation as one of the World's Mightiest Mortals. As a thorn in Shazam's side, the villain (and sometimes antihero) usually employs his power in the defense of his native Kahndaq. When that nation is threatened, Black Adam has proved willing to unleash hell on Earth. His strength and power have led to comparisons with the greatest heroes DC has to offer, including the inevitable debate over what would happen in a Black Adam vs Superman scenario.

DC's 2007 miniseries World War III pitted Black Adam against the DC Universe. Even the powerful Martian Manhunter noted the inhuman resolve Teth-Adam possesses. This incredible ferocity was more important than Black Adam's physical strength when it came to making him such a formidable threat. Settling the matter once and for all, Black Adam demonstrated that, while he might not be the toughest tyrant in the DC Universe, he's definitely the most tenacious.

Updated by Timothy Blake Donohoo on 1/01/2024: The raging debate over whether Superman could take out Black Adam reached a crescendo following the release of the 2022 Black Adam movie. Sadly, this promise of a title bout for the DC Extended Universe's most powerful character was never realized, and the shared universe is now over. Nevertheless, fans can look toward the comic books and use the source material to find out which of these powerhouses would likely come out on top.

How Strong is Black Adam?

The precursor to the events of World War III depicted the deaths of Black Adam's wife, Isis, and her brother, Osiris. This caused the somewhat reformed (but still violent) antihero to snap in rage. Although his days of frustrating Billy Batson had passed, this loss was enough to remove any inhibitions from Teth-Adam, and resulted in a rampage across the DC Universe that cost many lives — including those of a few heroes.

Eventually, the Teen Titans, Justice League, and Black Adam's former allies, the Justice Society, united in an concerted effort to defeat him. Driven by rage and uninhibited by morality, Black Adam cut a path of destruction that gave testimony to his true level of power. The Martian Manhunter noted that, while several other beings in the DC Universe are physically stronger than Black Adam, none can match his ferocity. The Manhunter was instrumental in stopping Adam, but only after the rage-fueled former villain had brutally killed several civilians and superheroes. His death toll was ultimately even higher than that of the villainous Superboy-Prime, proving Martian Manhunter's observation about Black Adam's power to be horribly accurate.

Black Adam Vs. Shazam and Martian Manhunter

Though a Black Adam vs. Superman battle is what many DC fans love to think about, the former isn't actually isn't a recurring foe of the Man of Steel. In reality, Black Adam is one of the chief villains of DC's Captain Marvel, a.k.a. Shazam. They both derived their powers from ancient gods and Biblical figures, though with a twist. Whereas Billy Batson's magical abilities are inherited from Solomon, Hercules, Zeus and others, Teth-Adam gets his gifts from Ancient Egyptian figures. Beyond these differences, they have the same powers and power levels. In the case of Shazam/The Captain, however, Billy usually splits his powers with "Marvel Family" members such as Mary Marvel and Freddy Freeman/Captain Marvel Jr.

Black Adam retains all of his power, and with his inhuman rage, he's able to overpower the "Big Red Cheese," who comparatively holds himself back. Concerning Martian Manhunter, he's actually one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe. This trait is largely overlooked many times, but J'onn J'onnz can physically go toe-to-toe with Wonder Woman and even Superman. A Black Adam vs. Superman fight would certainly go one way, but it's not quite as clear between Black Adam and Manhunter. The Martian species has a particularly deadly weakness toward fire, and though this is psychological, it's still a potent weapon against them. Black Adam's lightning-based abilities could easily conjure up a flame, allowing him to swoop in and take out the Manhunter from Mars.

How Black Adam's Wrath Was Depicted in the DCEU

Black Adam being this powerful in DC's comic book universe makes sense. After all, he possesses the same level of power as both Martian Manhunter and Superman. Given Adam's habit of not holding back, he would be capable of inflicting far more damage. This deep and multilayered characterization translated onto the big screen, but there is one factor that kept this from happening to the same extent.

It appears that the intended future direction of the DC Extended Universe held back the movie from portraying Black Adam with the same degree of brutality seen in the comics. Though the Black Adam film had some grisly elements, such as Teth-Adam accidentally ripping someone's arm off, it largely backed away from the brutality seen in DC's World War III storyline. Ironically, Adam's actions in the movie were somewhat tempered by the DCEU equivalent to his wife, Isis.

It's also worth noting that this may have been done due to the reception towards previous movies in the shared universe. The Zack Snyder's controversial films were especially dark compared to previous cinematic takes on heroes like Superman. Seemingly, this prompted higher-ups at Warner Bros. to move away from this darker direction for Black Adam. A violent Black Adam movie would seem to be in that same general wheelhouse, so this may have led to a change in the character's depiction in the cinematic world. Sadly, the downward trajectory of the DCEU as a whole meant that a Black Adam vs. Superman fight never came to pass on the big screen.

The DCEU Never Showcased a Superman vs. Black Adam Battle

The post-credits scene for Black Adam teased the return of Henry Cavill's Superman, who was seemingly poised to fight Black Adam. This was a major point of hype, especially since, Zack Snyder's Justice League notwithstanding, Cavill's take on the Man of Steel had been absent since the 2017 theatrical release of that movie. Sadly, a bout that tests Black Adam's powers was eventually taken off the table, especially following the disappointing box office receipts for Black Adam. Not too long afterward, it was announced that James Gunn was taking over as the creative lead for DC Studios and rebooting the shared universe with 2025's Superman: Legacy. This means eventually casting David Corenswet as the new Superman and discarding all previous continuity.

As a result, fans will never get to see if the Dwayne Johnson version of Black Adam is stronger than Superman. The two will likely never share the screen again, and the DC Extended Universe ended with 2023's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Now, the focus will be on establishing the new movie universe, and this means that any plot threads from the old DCEU will fade away. It might be a long time before moviegoers see Black Adam back on the big screen. Whenever it does finally happen, it will hopefully involve an adaptation of World War III and a true Black Adam vs. Superman fight.