Warning: the following article may contain spoilers for Black Adam.
DC’s newest superhero movie, Black Adam, hits U.S. theaters today, to the delight of excited fans who’ve been patiently waiting for it. Starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the film follows the titular character, Adam, who was granted the power of Shazam in order to fight against oppression in the fictional nation of Kahndaq, 5000 years ago. Now, the character re-emerges as Black Adam to deal some damage to new enemies.
Besides this character’s current alias, though, you might also hear him being referred to as Teth-Adam, which might cause some confusion to those not yet familiar with the story. Those who want to find out the meaning of this word, by all means, stick around; but be warned – spoilers to follow.
The origin of Teth-Adam and its meaning
Before the character became known as Black Adam, his original alias was Teth-Adam, which translates to “Mighty Adam”. While the power of Shazam was an incredible asset to Adam, before long his newfound abilities became too much for him, and Adam was corrupted by it. The then-superhero became a brutal fighter, with no qualms about killing whoever stands in his way.
This occurrence led the ancient wizard who empowered him, Shazam, to attribute a new name to the character. From then on, he became known as Khem-Adam, which translates to Black Adam. The new alias is symbolic of the protagonist’s now dark soul. After renaming Adam, the wizard banished him from the planet for thousands of years.
Black Adam promises an action-packed story featuring one of DC’s most powerful beings. Surely no fan will want to miss it in theaters.