‘Black Adam’ is Just Another Standard Superhero Movie

What does it mean to be a hero? In most tales in the superhero genre, the answer to that question is a black-and-white binary. Reality is much more complicated, as someone’s protector is just as easily another person’s intimidator. That tension is at the heart of Black Adam, the latest entry into the DC Extended Universe, diving into a morality tale of what it means to be a hero.

Black Adam’s central thesis is present from the very beginning, where an expository voiceover details the history of Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson) and his native city of Kahndaq. Nearly 5,000 years ago, Kahndaq had substantial wealth and power thanks to a resource known as Eternium. That is until Kahndaq gets invaded, has its people enslaved, and the rich deposits of Eternium mined to create a crown capable of summoning a great evil.

To stop this evil, the Council of Wizards (last seen in 2019’s Shazam!) declare a young boy worthy of their power, transforming him into a hero capable of saving the day. While Teth-Adam succeeds in stopping this great evil, the ensuing chaos brings down the Kahndaq palace and all those inside it—including Teth—but not before his deeds become legend.