8) He Believes The End Justifies The Means
If you’re wondering how Black Adam could be called an anti-hero when he’s done something as evil as straight-up murder his only family member to gain power, then you should know that Adam strongly believes that the end justifies the means. Like many of the most interesting villains, Black Adam truly believes that he’s a hero, and is only doing what has to be done.
When Shazam finds out what he did his nephew, for instance, Adam tells him that he’ll do anything he can to “free this world from those who enslave it.” After suffering at the hands of cruel men in his mortal life, he wants to ensure that no one else has to endure the same fate. It just so happens that he can stomach people dying in order for him achieve his goal.
7) He Has A Family
If you’re familiar with Shazam, you’ll know that he has a team of allies called the Marvel Family (more recently known as the Shazam family, for obvious reasons). These include Shazam’s sister Mary Marvel, their friend Captain Marvel Jr. and Shazam’s pet tiger, Tawny.
Not to be outdone, Black Adam has his own group of relatives known as the Black Adam family. This was formed during The 52 storyline, when Shazam was ruling Kandaq and attempting to establish himself as a hero. It includes his wife Adrianna Tomaz, who becomes the superheroine Isis. Amon Tomaz, Adrianna’s brother, becomes Osiris and finally, we have Sobek, an intelligent humanoid crocodile who’s Black Adam’s analogue for Tawny.
Unfortunately, Adam’s quest for peace ends in tragedy when the Four Horsemen of Apokolips murder Isis and he goes on a murderous planet-wide rampage (more on that later).
