5. Black Adam’s Origin Story

Black Adam 1

Originally a slave, Adam gained his powers when his young nephew Aman was imbued with them by a mysterious wizard. He saved his uncle by sharing his newfound abilities between them. While Aman wanted to use his new powers to help his people and cure his former slavemasters of their evil souls, Adam only sought vengeance against those who had enslaved them.

To this end, when Aman called down the lightning, Adam seemingly killed Aman so that he himself was the sole recipient of the power. That’s a pretty dark origin story, and it gives The Rock some very different and complex material to work with when he brings this character to life. In Adam’s case, S is for the stamina of Shu, H for the swiftness of Heru, A for the strength of Amon, Z for the wisdom of Zehuti, A for the power of Aton, and M for the courage of Mehen.