The reason behind Black Adam's name is probably exactly what you expected.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Dwayne Johnson addressed his character's name. "Black Adam's real name is Teth-Adam," Johnson said. "And the Black in Black Adam refers to his soul."

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Who Is Black Adam?

Created by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck, Black Adam debuted in 1945's The Marvel Family #1. The character originally hails from Egypt in the distant past and has powers analogous to those possessed by his archnemesis: Captain Marvel/Shazam. While originally a villain, Black Adam has become more of an antihero in recent years and even worked with the Justice League to take on some of the greatest threats in the DC Universe.

Black Adam's journey to the big-screen has been a long one. Johnson has been attached to the role since 2014 and was originally slated to appear in the Shazam! movie. However, plans changed, and Black Adam eventually got his own solo film. The project was then further delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused production shutdowns across the globe.

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Black Adam sees the titular character escaping imprisonment after almost 5,000 years. He soon attracts the attention of the Justice Society of America -- made up of Carter Hall/Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Al Rothstein/Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), Maxine Unkel/Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan) -- and finds himself fighting against the group. However, they're also forced to contend with the villainous Intergang.

In terms of what fans can expect from the film, director Jaume Collet-Serra says Black Adam isn't a typical origin story. Johnson and others involved in the production have also on several occasions stressed the character's moral ambiguity, with Collet-Serra recently comparing the character to Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry.

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Just how Black Adam's debut will affect the DCEU isn't totally clear at this time. However, a recent report claims that Warner Bros. shot a new post-credits scene for the film that has significant ramifications for the shared universe. That report comes amid a major shake-up at Warner Bros. following a merger with Discovery. Additionally, WBD CEO David Zaslav recently said that the brand is planning to map out the next 10 years of DC films.

Black Adam is slated to release on Oct. 21, with the latest delay having been chalked up to the workloads of VFX houses.

Source: Vanity Fair