Black Adam didn't exactly disrupt the DC Extended Universe's (DCEU) hierarchy of power as promised, but it rocked the boat. Dwayne Johnson's debut as Teth-Adam finally gave Henry Cavill's Superman not just a potential rival, but an equal as well. Unsurprisingly, the promise of a showdown between the two has fans buzzing.
Now that a Black Adam and Superman crossover movie is inevitable, DC fans are excitedly debating about which hero would win in the coming fight. The two have only one mid-credits scene together, but their respective movies offer more than enough data to hypothesize a potential winner.
10 Superman Was A Walking Natural Disaster
Winner: Superman
A good way to measure Black Adam and Superman's brute strength was by looking at the collateral damage they caused. Black Adam and Superman were destructive saviors who left ruin wherever they went. Even when Superman tried to hold his full powers back, he still demolished Smallville and Metropolis in Man of Steel.
Black Adam had no qualms about violence, so he didn't even try to control his strength. Black Adam callously wrecked parts of Kahndaq's cities whenever he fought, but he didn't reduce everything to rubble. Even at full force, Black Adam couldn't cause a fraction of the destruction that a restrained Superman did.
9 Black Adam's Magic Gave Him A Natural Advantage
Winner: Black Adam
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Like his heroic foil, Shazam, Black Adam was a hero born from magic. Thanks to his son Hurut's sacrifice (and, by extension, the Council of Wizards), Teth-Adam was gifted the powers of Shazam. Because of these origins, Black Adam has a natural advantage over Superman thanks to the latter's weakness to magic.
Superman hasn't fought a truly magical foe in the DCEU. At most, he fought heroes who wielded magical weapons, like Aquaman and Wonder Woman. That said, it wouldn't be surprising if the DC movies retained this weakness to even the odds. With his ties to the supernatural, Black Adam could defeat Superman.
8 Superman Couldn't Be Depowered By A Single Word
Winner: Superman
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Black Adam's origins and powers are basically the same as Shazam's. Black Adam could instantly empower or depower himself by saying "Shazam." However, the moment Black Adam deactivated his powers, he was stuck in a powerless mortal form. As seen in Black Adam, he was quickly gagged and imprisoned in such a state.
Superman's weaknesses, conversely, took some time to rob him of his relative godhood. For example: even if Kryptonite weakened Superman, Batman almost died many times just to get the mineral in Superman's breathing range. Convincing Black Adam to say "Shazam" to become mortal is actually easier than weakening Superman.
7 Black Adam Could Still Fight In A Depowered State
Winner: Black Adam
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Just because Black Adam was an ordinary man in his depowered state didn't mean that he was helpless. The only reason why he was imprisoned in Task Force X's blacksite was that he allowed it. After the powerful sorcerer Doctor Fate freed him, Black Adam made quick work of the soldiers guarding him without his powers.
Meanwhile, Superman could barely fight or even stand after he was exposed to enough Kryptonite. In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the very human Batman had the godlike Superman at his mercy thanks to his Kryptonite weapons. If a powerless Black Adam and Superman had to fight, Black Adam would easily win.
6 Superman Had More Abilities Than Black Adam
Winner: Superman
Broadly speaking, Black Adam had the same powers as Shazam. Both had super strength, flight, heightened instincts and physicality, and the ability to summon powerful lightning. Black Adam put these to good use in his fights. However, Black Adam's powers barely amounted to half of what Superman was capable of doing.
Minus the magical lightning, Superman could do almost everything Black Adam did, but stronger and faster. Superman also had freezing breath, heat and/or x-ray vision, and his natural Kryptonian physiology. As strong as Black Adam was, Superman still outclassed him in terms of raw strength and powers.
5 Black Adam Had Fewer Logical Weaknesses
Winner: Black Adam
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Black Adam and Superman actually have some similar weaknesses. For one, both can be weakened and even harmed by a specific mineral. Kryptonite poisoned Superman, while Eternium in ordinary weapons like missiles injured Black Adam. That being said, Black Adam had fewer exploitable weaknesses than Superman.
Superman is nigh-invulnerable, but he wasn't unstoppable. Superman was still susceptible to natural forces like atmospheric changes, gravity, and inertia. Worse, Superman's myriad of unavoidable limits left him defenseless to someone as ruthlessly strategic as Batman. Black Adam, meanwhile, simply shrugged off such attacks.
4 Superman Protected The Entire World In One Day
Winner: Superman
Black Adam's only concern was protecting Kahndaq. Even though he started with little to no moral restraints, Black Adam used his powers for his homeland's sake. As seen in his first movie, Black Adam had difficulty in protecting a few blocks of a city from Intergang's invasion, his fights with the Justice Society, and Sabbac's rampage.
Superman also had a hard time protecting people while simultaneously fighting villains. However, he accomplished more than Black Adam did in roughly the same amount of time. In Man of Steel, Superman demolished General Zod's loyalists, destroyed the World Engine in India, and flew back to Metropolis to kill Zod in just a matter of hours.
3 Black Adam Didn't Have To Die Fighting His Strongest Foe
Winner: Black Adam
The most notable difference between Black Adam and Superman is that Superman was the only one who died fighting his strongest enemy. In the famed crossover Batman v Superman, Superman defeated Doomsday via mutual kill. Worse, Superman was weakened by his fight with Batman, a nuclear explosion, and exposure to Kryptonite.
In contrast, Black Adam killed Sabbac while recovering from his detention in a cryogenic prison. Even before regaining his full might, Black Adam stopped Sabbac without putting himself in mortal danger. Superman still died with the League's help, while Black Adam survived even when his only backup was Hawkman.
2 Superman Defeated The DCEU's Most Powerful Beings
Winner: Superman
Superman is canonically the DCEU's most powerful being. It only makes sense that he'd face the strongest enemies. To wit, Superman defeated General Zod and his loyalists, Doomsday (who's really a resurrected General Zod), the Justice League, and Steppenwolf by himself. At worst, Superman needed some reinforcements.
Black Adam has a similar track record, as he defeated Intergang's forces, the Justice Society, and Sabbac (who's really a demonic Ishmael Gregor). However, these foes were B-listers and cannon fodder at best. As tough as Black Adam's enemies were, they were only as strong and threatening as Superman's weaker enemies.
1 Black Adam Killed A Literal Demon From Hell
Winner: Black Adam
Sabbac wasn't as gigantic or strong as Doomsday. However, he was a demon born from and powered by dark magic. This is notable because, in the comics and possibly the DCEU as well, Superman was weak to magic. By this logic, Sabbac would've dominated Superman. Conversely, Black Adam ripped Sabbac in half.
Black Adam was a hero born of magic, meaning he was on equal ground with Sabbac. At worst, Black Adam was momentarily winded during the fight. Black Adam needed the Justice Society's help to beat Sabbac, but his victory was never in doubt. Superman could defeat Sabbac, but he would've had a harder time than Black Adam did.