WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Justice League: Endless Winter #2, by Andy Lanning, Ron Marz, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Howard Porter, Hi-Fi and Andworld Design, on sale now.
DC recently announced its next era "Infinite Frontier," slated to launch this March following its Future State publishing initiative. Setting the classic DC Universe in bold new directions, a brand new Justice League lineup has been announced, with Green Arrow leading the eclectic roster. Perhaps the most surprising addition on the upcoming League is the antihero Black Adam, often depicted as a frenemy of Shazam and the Justice Society of America, known to cross between bouts of heroism and outright villainy depending on his mood and motivations.
And as the crossover event Endless Winter comes to frosty end, a tense rivalry has already formed between Adam and his future teammate Superman.
Black Adam had played a prominent role in Endless Winter, revealed to have been brought out of exile temporarily to assist a band of heroes from the Viking Age in combatting the Frost King when the magical villain first threatened to plunge the DCU in an eternal polar vortex. Centuries later, the Frost King resurfaced after being imprisoned inside of an icy prison deep within the Arctic Circle, leading Adam to form his own impromptu ground of super-powered individuals for a globe-spanning rematch against the ancient supervillain. And as the final battle against the Frost King began in earnest, Superman's biggest fight isn't against the frigid foe but against Adam instead.
As a Viking Prince iteration of Swamp Thing fought against a kaiju-sized incarnation of the Frost King back at the Arctic Circle, the other heroes discovered that the colossal, icy titan was just an avatar for the villain's true form. The actual Frost King was still nestled deep within the ice, controlling his gigantic counterpart with his mind. Adam realizes that killing this vulnerable, human Frost King will end the villain's threat once and for all and moves to strike him down. Intent on preserving all life and bringing the Frost King to justice alive and well, Superman intercepts him and the two battle across the Arctic Circle.
For the Man of Steel, the fisticuffs isn't about putting Adam down so much as forcibly taking him away from the battlefield to keep the Frost King's vulnerable form safe. Superman tackles Adam and flies away, with Adam vocally upset that he would be treated in such a way by the Kryptonian. Even though the day is saved and the Frost King pacified without him being executed, Adam vows that the injustice of being manhandled by the Last Son of Krypton will be answered in the near future. Undeterred by Adam's threat, Superman lets the villain know he'll be more than ready for the rematch.
Developments in the crossover event Dark Nights: Death Metal indicating that the heroes involved will retain their memories as the cataclysmic upheaval gives way to Infinite Frontier. This means that with all the far-reaching changes coming to the DCU, Adam and Superman will remember their Endless Winter feud as they join the next iteration of the Justice League, potentially disrupting the team dynamic as they move to defend the DCU.
The threat of the Frost King is peacefully neutralized, with the Justice League managing to avoid any further bloodshed, including against the villain himself, but it may have already created fissures in the team's next lineup.