The following contains spoilers for Black Adam, now playing in theaters

The post-credits scene for Black Adam confirms the return of the DCEU version of Superman, played by Henry Cavil. After defeating Sabbac, Black Adam announces himself a protector of Kahndaq -- and when Amanda Waller warns him via drone to stay out of the rest of the world or risk getting targeted, he goads her into revealing one of her big guns. Superman flies down and asks if Black Adam would be willing to speak with him about the future.

It's a big moment, that teases a long-awaited conflict between the Man of Steel and Khandaq's champion. But it's also one that quietly follows a trend of pitting Black Adam against Superman more often than against Shazam -- his nominal nemesis. There's a good reason for it though, as the reinvention of Black Adam in the early 21st century set him up to become the ultimate DC anti-Superman.

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How Black Adam Went From Shazam Villain To DC Fixture

Black Adam sitting on a throne in Kahndaq

Initially introduced as one of Captain Marvel's foes in the Pre-Crisis DC Universe, Adam carried on that role when he was reintroduced as one of the villains in Jerry Ordwell's The Power of Shazam! graphic novel. But the character became increasingly morally dubious during his tenure in JSA, starting as an enemy and eventually trying to redeem himself as a member of the team. It was during this period that he began to show more moral complexities.

He had a desire to do good but a willingness to commit horrifying acts if it was done for the greater good. In many ways, this quietly began to set Black Adam up less as an opposing force to Billy Batson -- who during that period went through a series of changes, including replacing the wizard Shazam as a result of the events leading up to Infinite Crisis. His role at the heart of the large-scale 52 made him a universal character less than just a Shazam villain, giving him a unique role in the DC Universe as a tragic villain who could occasionally serve as a morally dubious anti-hero. It makes sense then that he'd eventually be paired contrasted against Superman, the foundational character the rest of the DC Universe is built atop.

Both had functionally similar powers; super-strength, super-speed, flight, and endurance. Black Adam deriving his abilities from magic gives him a natural edge over Superman, thanks to the latter's vulnerability to the supernatural. Both also became largely defined by their mission statements to protect others, although Superman's more purely altruistic commitment to the preservation of life stands in stark contrast to Black Adam's more consistently brutal tactics. In theory, their power levels make them strong enough to actually pose a threat to one another, especially considering they'll likely never see truly eye-to-eye.

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Why Superman & Black Adam Work With (And Against) Each Another

Justice League Black Adam Superman flying

Superman and Black Adam's interactions have led to some interesting conflicts between the characters, especially in recent years. Following the events of Dark Nights: Metal, Black Adam has been shown embracing a more heroic direction, with his Future State incarnation fighting alongside Billy Batson against the Four Horsemen while his modern version joined the Justice League. His darker impulses have remained, however, and ultimately Adam's real strength in opposition to Superman has been more explored in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, albeit with a different Man of Steel. Jon Kent has spent most of the event contrasted against Adam, doing his best to keep the team from following his darker intentions for lethal forms of justice.

At his core, Black Adam makes a good contrast against the superhero community by carrying a very different form of morality. Hailing from an era and place where death was common and carried out with little accountability, Adam's brutality makes more sense. But his actions, while ultimately heroic, are carried out with no mercy. This contrasts beautifully against Superman, someone who always offers a hand to help before raising a fist to strike. It places Adam as the pure dark contrast to the heroic ideal at the very heart of the DC Universe and best personified by Superman. It's what makes Adam such an interesting counterpoint to the Man of Steel -- and the real reason people want to see them go head-to-head, even beyond the super-strength punches.