In fiction , a character or personage , is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel , play , radio or television series , music , film , or video game ). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, in which case the distinction of a "fictional" versus "real" character may be made. Derived from the Ancient Greek word χαρακτήρ , the English word dates from the Restoration , although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones by Henry Fielding in 1749. From this, the sense of "a part played by an actor " developed. (Before this development, the term dramatis personae , naturalized in English from Latin and meaning "masks of the drama", encapsulated the notion of characters from the literal aspect of masks .) Character, particularly when enacted by an actor in the theater or cinema, involves "the illusion of being a human person". In literature, characters guide readers through their stories, helping them to understand plots and ponder themes. Since the end of the 18th century, the phrase " in character " has been used to describe an effective impersonation by an actor. Since the 19th century, the art of creating characters, as practiced by actors or writers , has been called characterization .
73-526: Black Adam , real name Teth-Adam , is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . He was created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck , and first appeared in the debut issue of Fawcett Comics ' The Marvel Family comic book in December 1945. Since DC Comics licensed and acquired Fawcett's characters in the 1970s, Black Adam has endured as one of the most popular archenemies of
146-685: A character on a real person can use a person they know, a historical figure, a current figure whom they have not met, or themselves, with the latter being either an author-surrogate or an example of self-insertion . The use of a famous person easily identifiable with certain character traits as the base for a principal character is a feature of allegorical works, such as Animal Farm by George Orwell, which portrays Soviet revolutionaries as pigs. Other authors, especially for historical fiction , make use of real people and create fictional stories revolving around their lives, as with The Paris Wife which revolves around Ernest Hemingway . An author can create
219-438: A character using the basic character archetypes which are common to many cultural traditions: the father figure , mother figure, hero , and so on. Some writers make use of archetypes as presented by Carl Jung as the basis for character traits. Generally, when an archetype from some system (such as Jung's) is used, elements of the story also follow the system's expectations in terms of storyline . An author can also create
292-626: A charity dinner with Venus Sivana, during which Osiris first meets a talking crocodile (whom Osiris names Sobek). Osiris is accepted into the Teen Titans . Upon returning from a mission, he and the rest of the Black Marvel Family are attacked by the Suicide Squad . The Black Marvels defeat the Squad, but not before footage of them in battle (including Osiris's accidental killing of a Squad member who
365-460: A deadly disease before Adam kills him and his partner War. A gravely ill Isis saves Adam from Death using her powers to send Death into the sky with a geyser of lava and tells Adam with her dying breath that she was wrong to try to change his views on justice, and that he should avenge both her and Osiris. After the funeral in honor of his family, Adam attacks the neighboring Intergang-associated nation of Bialya in search of Death. Sick with grief over
438-512: A deal with the Egyptian god Set. The Mighty Adam serves as Egypt's champion for many centuries but becomes corrupted by the charms of a mysterious woman, revealed to be Shazam's evil daughter Blaze in disguise. The bewitched Adam is convinced that he and his mistress should rule Egypt, so he kills the Pharaoh and appoints himself ruler. Shazam learns of this and strips Adam of his powers, encasing them in
511-455: A distinction between the individuals represented in tragedy and in comedy arose: tragedy, along with epic poetry , is "a representation of serious people" (1449b9—10), while comedy is "a representation of people who are rather inferior" (1449a32—33). In the Tractatus coislinianus (which may or may not be by Aristotle), Ancient Greek comedy is defined as involving three types of characters:
584-600: A failed attempt to defeat Superboy-Prime , he is transported to Earth-5 when he is punched too far from the Tower by Superboy-Prime. He joins the heroes in the Battle of Metropolis, destroying Amazo shortly after his arrival. Black Adam appears as a featured character in DC's weekly 52 comic book. Depicted as the violent protector of the nation of Kahndaq, Adam kills several supervillains in public and on television to demonstrate his views. As
657-577: A falling building. Marvel brings Theo Adam to Shazam, who wipes Adam's memory and takes away his voice, so that he cannot access his powers. This solution proves temporary, as Blaze re-enters her former lover's life and helps restore his voice, memory, and powers. Although Adam appears during the Power of Shazam! ongoing series' first year of publication as a villain, towards the end of the series' run, Adam returns and announces that Black Adam and Theo Adam are separate personalities. Black Adam stands trial again for
730-574: A fictional Middle Eastern country named Kahndaq, located at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula . Portrayed and seen as a hero who liberated his homeland of Kahndaq from slavery. Featured roles in such comic book series as Justice Society of America , Villains United , Infinite Crisis , and 52 have elevated the character's prominence in the DC Universe , culminating with DC's 2021 line-wide Infinite Frontier relaunch, wherein he joins
803-429: A fictional character using generic stock characters , which are generally flat. They tend to be used for supporting or minor characters. However, some authors have used stock characters as the starting point for building richly detailed characters, such as William Shakespeare 's use of the boastful soldier character as the basis for John Falstaff . Some authors create charactonyms for their characters. A charactonym
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#1732859057604876-590: A malignant tumor from Adam's brain. He is sent to battle Wildcat, and easily defeats him, showing how easily he could kill him by taking him about 25,000 feet above the ground—just high enough for them to talk while unable to go any higher without the human Wildcat freezing or suffocating—explaining the different ways he could kill him, and asking what he will give for his life. He shows him the Rock of Eternity where Sorrow has turned Shazam to stone with his cursed face that usually kills those that see him, also making contact with
949-574: A militant dictator whose actions had long been ignored by the United Nations. Late 2003 began the publication of a JSA / Hawkman crossover story arc titled "Black Reign", written by Geoff Johns alone, which features Adam and his militia's hostile takeover of Kahndaq. A war soon breaks out, with Adam, his comrades, and the Kahndaqi people on one side, and the Justice Society on the other. The dictator
1022-487: A mystical scarab necklace. Adam's depowered body rapidly experiences the aging process that the magic had staved off, and the former hero withers away into a dried cadaver in seconds. Shazam buries both the body and the scarab in the tomb of Ramesses II , where he plans for it to remain for all eternity. In death, the former hero is referred to as " Khem-Adam " ("Black Adam"). Disillusioned by what he perceived as Adam's betrayal, Shazam waits several millennia before appointing
1095-498: A nearby ship where he obtains a length of rope which he uses to bind and gag Billy, after which he throws him into the sea. However, Billy swims to the surface, and is rescued by a colonist rebel, and freed. He realizes the rebel is Paul Revere before returning to his own time. Adam comes to Captain Marvel to exact revenge, when during a short battle, Adam is once again tricked by Captain Marvel into saying "Shazam." Adam then gets amnesia as
1168-529: A portion of his own power on the boy, as Captain Marvel did for Captain Marvel Jr. Isis's brother then becomes a new addition to the Black Marvel Family under the name Osiris . They help the Marvels beat the demonic Sabbac using their lightning strike on Halloween when he tries to sacrifice children to the demon Neron while several stories high. He is then moved to an unknown location. The Black Marvel Family also has
1241-553: A prisoner. Dr. Sivana tortures Adam for weeks using the electrical crown, which only serves to enrage Adam further, who vows to tear them all apart. The " Science Squad " makes a worldwide announcement that they plan to sell Black Adam as a living weapon to the highest bidder, resulting in the Justice Society assaulting the island to free Adam. It is revealed that Chang Tzu had built the Horsemen under orders of China, who wanted Adam and his family to be assassinated after Adam withdrew from
1314-623: A result of a powerful punch from Captain Marvel. After that, Black Adam is also involved with Karmang in the All-New Collectors' Edition #C-58 (Black Adam's third appearance, but second new appearance in the Bronze Age) and tries to destroy both Superman and Captain Marvel. After several more defeats at Captain Marvel's hands, Adam joins Mister Mind 's final pre- Crisis version of the Monster Society of Evil which stages an assault on
1387-572: A result, he is distrusted by the superhuman community. In 52 , DC introduces Adrianna Tomaz, the "most beautiful slave from Egypt" offered to Adam by Intergang as a token to curry his favor, along with $ 2,000,000 in African gold. Black Adam sends Intergang a message by killing Noose, by tearing his face apart, and sending the rest of the Intergang members home, leaving Adrianna behind. During Week 10, he creates an international metahuman coalition against
1460-462: A revelation, and realizes that he is a reincarnation of Khem-Adam. Grasping his stolen scarab, Adam speaks Shazam's name and is transformed into the super-powered Black Adam. Black Adam reveals himself to Captain Marvel as the Batsons' killer, and the two battle. Captain Marvel emerges victorious by snatching Adam's scarab, and therefore his power, away from him. However, he saves him from being crushed by
1533-565: A second champion to fight evil in his name. During the late 20th century, an unscrupulous archaeological aide named Theo Adam is assigned to the Malcolm Expedition, financed by the Sivana Foundation to excavate the tomb of Ramesses II. Adam uncovers Khem-Adam's tomb in a secret passageway, and leads his superiors, C.C. Batson and his wife Marilyn, to the discovery. Upon first sight of Khem-Adam's scarab, Theo Adam becomes obsessed with
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#17328590576041606-458: Is a "walk-on", a term used by Seymour Chatman for characters that are not fully delineated and individualized; rather they are part of the background or the setting of the narrative. Dynamic characters are those that change over the course of the story, while static characters remain the same throughout. An example of a popular dynamic character in literature is Ebenezer Scrooge , the protagonist of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. At
1679-587: Is a name that implies the psychological makeup of the person, makes an allegorical allusion, or makes reference to their appearance. For example, Shakespeare has an emotional young male character named Mercutio , John Steinbeck has a kind, sweet character named Candy in Of Mice and Men , and Mervyn Peake has a Machiavellian, manipulative, and murderous villain in Gormenghast named Steerpike . The charactonym can also indicate appearance. For example, François Rabelais gave
1752-522: Is an ancient Egyptian named Teth-Adam (i.e., "Mighty Human"), who is chosen by the wizard Shazam to be his successor due to his presumed moral purity. This story is reprinted in DC's Shazam! #8 (1973), which is his first appearance in the Bronze Age. When Teth-Adam says the magic word "Shazam", he is transformed into Mighty Adam, but is corrupted by power. Originally, the wizard Shazam grants Adam powers derived from ancient Greco-Roman deities ; later in
1825-932: Is black and golden yellow, instead of red and golden yellow. Though Adam is defeated in the same story which he debuted, the DC version of Adam is resurrected and revitalized nearly 30 years later in Philadelphia by Doctor Sivana's reincarnation machine in DC Comics ' Shazam! revival of the Marvel Family characters. He then destroys the machine so it cannot be used against him, much to Sivana's annoyance. According to Shazam! #28 (Black Adam's first "Bronze Age" appearance, but second actual appearance, after The Marvel Family #1 ) Black Adam gets his powers from Shu (stamina), Heryshaf (strength), Amon (power), Zehuti ( Thoth ) (wisdom), Anpu (speed), and Menthu (courage). Black Adam accidentally time-travels back to 1776 while going to
1898-651: Is completely removed from the origin story, and Adam's rage is described as having resulted from the conquering of Kahndaq (and the murder of his wife and children) at the hands of a magically powered supervillain named Ahk-ton (whose powers resemble the future hero Metamorpho ), who is working with the notorious immortal Vandal Savage . The Mighty Adam kills Ahk-ton during the struggle and returns to Kahndaq to reclaim it by any means necessary, including murder. The wizard Shazam does not agree with Adam's actions, and robs Adam of his powers and kills him. In JSA #45 (2003), Black Adam and his teammate Atom Smasher both defect from
1971-519: Is finally killed by Atom Smasher. By the end of the arc, the JSA leaves Adam in control of Kahndaq, provided that he does not leave its borders, convincing him that he cannot enforce his rule on the world or he is no better than the dictator he had defeated. Brainwave is saved by the JSA, Mister Mind is apprehended thanks to the Atom infiltrating Brainwave's head—as part of an undercover mission to confirm whether Adam
2044-462: Is grateful to meet Captain Marvel since Marvel's presence demonstrates that his legacy will survive him even with his children gone. When Marvel transforms back into Billy Batson, Adam expresses admiration for the young man's ability to handle the power of Shazam at such a young age, something he doubts he could have achieved himself. After returning to the present, Marvel notes that he has a better understanding of Adam's motives now after learning about
2117-491: Is possible, therefore, to have stories that do not contain "characters" in Aristotle's sense of the word, since character necessarily involves making the ethical dispositions of those performing the action clear. If, in speeches, the speaker "decides or avoids nothing at all", then those speeches "do not have character" (1450b9—11). Aristotle argues for the primacy of plot ( mythos ) over character ( ethos ). He writes: But
2190-517: Is still a handicap; when the Spectre attacked Kahndaq after being corrupted by Eclipso, Black Adam actually told his people that the JSA were also their enemy because he did not want to give his people the impression that he needed help to protect them, despite the fact that he was clearly outmatched by the Spectre's power. Black Adam is featured heavily in DC's 2005 Infinite Crisis crossover, primarily in
2263-511: Is trying to attack him, he transforms Adrianna into the superheroine Isis . Four weeks later, in Week 16, he proposes with a jewel given to Cleopatra by Caesar, and the two are married, with Captain Marvel and the rest of the Marvel Family as witnesses, Mary as bridesmaid. Renee Montoya and the Question prevent a suicide bomber, a child sent by Intergang, from ruining the wedding. For this they are awarded
Black Adam - Misplaced Pages Continue
2336-549: The Day of Vengeance storyline has reverted all magic in the DC Universe to a raw, chaotic structure, and the death of the wizard Shazam has transformed him into a tether that can be used to harness magic, allowing Alexander to use any member of the Marvel family to power his equipment if the wizard's name is spoken. By the end of the miniseries, Black Adam is freed by Superboy and Nightwing . Adam quickly kills Psycho-Pirate and, following
2409-807: The Villains United miniseries as a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains (which he only joins to protect Kahndaq from the Society). Concurrently, in JSA , Atom Smasher leaves Adam's side to return to the JSA. The Society is run by Alexander Luthor Jr. , a character from the alternate world of Earth-Three , who disguises himself as the Lex Luthor of the Post- Crisis Earth. The Infinite Crisis limited series centers around Alexander Luthor's plan to restore
2482-731: The Justice League . In 2009, Black Adam was ranked as IGN 's 16th-greatest comic book villain of all time. Dwayne Johnson voiced Black Adam in DC League of Super-Pets (2022), before starring as him in his live-action debut in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film Black Adam (2022), following a silent digital cameo in Shazam! (2019). The canon version of Black Adam appeared only once during Fawcett's initial publication run of Captain Marvel comics. In The Marvel Family #1, Black Adam
2555-670: The Multiverse . Needing a member of the Marvel Family to power the apparatus he has designed to recreate the alternate Earths of the Multiverse, Luthor has the Society betray and capture Black Adam. With the help of the mind-controlling powers of the Psycho-Pirate , Luthor is able to control Adam and have him call down the Shazam magic lightning bolt to fuel the apparatus. The Spectre 's rampage during
2628-493: The Spectre , who provides them with additional information. Adam soon betrays Sorrow, and he and the JSA defeat the Injustice Society. Black Adam briefly gives Flash the speed of Heru enabling him to defeat Johnny Sorrow by hitting him at near-lightspeed when he is paralyzed after Doctor Mid-Nite showed Sorrow a previously recorded image of his own face, sending him from Earth to another dimension. Flash meets Black Adam in
2701-463: The buffoon ( bômolochus ), the ironist ( eirōn ), and the imposter or boaster ( alazṓn ). All three are central to Aristophanes ' Old Comedy . By the time the Roman comic playwright Plautus wrote his plays two centuries later, the use of characters to define dramatic genres was well established. His Amphitryon begins with a prologue in which Mercury claims that since
2774-452: The social relations of class and gender , such that the conflicts between the characters reveal ideological conflicts. The study of a character requires an analysis of its relations with all of the other characters in the work. The individual status of a character is defined through the network of oppositions (proairetic, pragmatic , linguistic , proxemic ) that it forms with the other characters. The relation between characters and
2847-699: The Freedom of Power Treaty. Adam refuses to be taken into custody for the destruction of Bialya, despite the requests of Atom-Smasher, once more flying off to seek revenge for the death of his family. Fictional character A character who stands as a representative of a particular class or group of people is known as a type. Types include both stock characters and those that are more fully individualized . The characters in Henrik Ibsen 's Hedda Gabler (1891) and August Strindberg 's Miss Julie (1888), for example, are representative of specific positions in
2920-459: The Justice Society, expressing dissatisfaction with the team's refusal to cross certain lines. During the next few issues, Adam forms his own organization, which administers justice the way Adam wants it: "an eye for an eye". His roster includes a mix of DC heroes and villains, including Atom Smasher, Brainwave (who is possessed by Mister Mind ), Northwind and the rest of the society of Feithera, Nemesis , and former JSA museum curator Alex Montez,
2993-527: The Rock of Eternity to destroy Shazam at Sivana's request, as Sivana felt Adam's powers would be wiped out as well, but Captain Marvel accidentally throws him back in time. He and Captain Marvel battle, during which Black Adam realizes he will have to do something drastic and tricky to defeat Marvel. Adam gets his transformative lightning to strike Captain Marvel, transforming Captain Marvel back to Billy. He then seizes Billy and covers his mouth before he can finish saying his magic word, "SHAZAM!!". He then flies to
Black Adam - Misplaced Pages Continue
3066-528: The Rock of Eternity. The evil god of magic Oggar summons an evil army from the sands and dust of Egypt for Adam to lead after muting Billy with his magic. They escape, despite being defeated. When last seen during Crisis on Infinite Earths , Adam was fighting the heroes on the five remaining and partially merged Earths. Black Adam is reintroduced to the DC Universe in The Power of Shazam! graphic novel by Jerry Ordway in 1994 (an earlier Post-Crisis version of
3139-452: The action of the story shifts historically, often miming shifts in society and its ideas about human individuality, self-determination , and the social order . In fiction writing , authors create dynamic characters using various methods. Sometimes characters are conjured up from imagination; in other instances, they are created by amplifying the character trait of a real person into a new fictional creation. An author or creator basing
3212-538: The artifact, and kills both Batsons to steal it. Escaping Egypt , Theo Adam soon made his way back to America. The Batsons' son, Billy, has been left behind in the United States , and is drafted by Shazam to become the wizard's second champion, Captain Marvel. When Theo Adam first encounters Captain Marvel, he notes both Marvel's identical appearance to C.C. Batson and the lightning-bolt insignia on Marvel's chest that had also decorated Khem-Adam's tomb. Adam therefore has
3285-459: The character appeared in Shazam!: The New Beginning but this appearance is not considered canonical). In that story and the subsequent Power of Shazam! ongoing series, Adam is a deadly and evil adversary for Captain Marvel. In this revised origin, Teth-Adam was born on September 11, 1279, BC. Teth-Adam is the son of the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II , and impresses one of the high priests,
3358-500: The character's old-fashioned and militant ideals of justice, and his officious and strongly opinionated attitude. Despite this, he has stated on many occasions that he respects the Justice Society, particularly members such as Jay Garrick . Several other JSA members are shown to be skeptical of Adam's reformation; primary among them is the Atom Smasher , who later becomes Adam's close friend after Adam sympathizes with his decision to kill
3431-453: The characters, but they include the characters for the sake of their actions" (1450a15-23). Aristotle suggests that works were distinguished in the first instance according to the nature of the person who created them: "the grander people represented fine actions, i.e. those of fine persons" by producing "hymns and praise-poems", while "ordinary people represented those of inferior ones" by "composing invectives" (1448b20—1449a5). On this basis,
3504-635: The country's highest honor, the Order of the Scarab, by Black Adam, although he is furious to find Renee is missing the ceremony while sleeping with a Kahndaqi woman from sorrow over killing a child. In 52 Week 23, Black Adam and Isis, with the assistance of the Question and Renee Montoya , find Isis's brother Amon. Due to a failed escape attempt, Amon suffers near-fatal wounds from repeated beatings, meaning that he will never walk again. To save his life, Black Adam bestows
3577-428: The death of his family, Adam proceeds to exterminate the entire 2,000,000-citizen population of Bialya in his hunt for his target. Upon confronting his family's killer, the enraged Adam battles a greatly enhanced Death, who has been feeding on the slaughter of Bialya's population. Despite his enhanced strength, Death is defeated by Adam with a barrage of mystic lightning. While torturing Death for an entire day, Adam learns
3650-579: The earliest surviving work of dramatic theory , Poetics ( c. 335 BCE ), the Classical Greek philosopher Aristotle states that character ( ethos ) is one of six qualitative parts of Athenian tragedy and one of the three objects that it represents (1450a12). He understands character not to denote a fictional person, but the quality of the person acting in the story and reacting to its situations (1450a5). He defines character as "that which reveals decision , of whatever sort" (1450b8). It
3723-419: The human host of the demon Eclipso . Adam's collective executes Kobra , a villain who has been acquitted by the legal system (albeit because his followers had threatened to blow themselves up if he was not released) when the JSA could have spared them his escape and the hassle of a trial by simply killing Kobra when he was first captured. Adam then turns his attentions to his old homeland of Kahndaq, now ruled by
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#17328590576043796-530: The identity and whereabouts of the Horsemen's masters, flying off to Oolong Island in search of the Science Squad . He easily gets past their defenses, even a weapon equivalent to the meteorite that killed the dinosaurs proving incapable of stopping him. Adam is subdued by the scientists, who projected a dimensional field into his mind the size of a football field, rendering him powerless. They then use an electro-crown to re-route his body's impulses and hold him as
3869-443: The loss of Adam's family. Adam rebuffs the offer, commenting that Marvel cannot truly understand him, stating that, while they are not enemies, they will never be friends. Johns and Goyer used this story arc to slightly alter Adam's origin. The hero now hails from the fictional west Asian nation of Kahndaq, not Egypt, although he serves the Egyptian prince Khufu (who is later reincarnated as JSA member Hawkman ). The character of Blaze
3942-406: The most important of these is the structure of the incidents. For (i) tragedy is a representation not of human beings but of action and life. Happiness and unhappiness lie in action, and the end [of life] is a sort of action, not a quality; people are of a certain sort according to their characters, but happy or the opposite according to their actions. So [the actors] do not act in order to represent
4015-511: The murders of the Batsons, and is acquitted when it is revealed that his fingerprints do not match those of Theo Adam. The reformed Black Adam is still vulnerable to his murderous host's influence, and he attacks the Justice Society of America under Theo Adam's control in JSA #6 (1999). In subsequent issues, Adam joins supervillain Johnny Sorrow 's Injustice Society after Sorrow removes
4088-633: The name Gargantua to a giant and the huge whale in Pinocchio (1940) is named Monstro . In his book Aspects of the Novel , E. M. Forster defined two basic types of characters, their qualities, functions, and importance for the development of the novel: flat characters and round characters. Flat characters are two-dimensional, in that they are relatively uncomplicated. By contrast, round characters are complex figures with many different characteristics, that undergo development, sometimes sufficiently to surprise
4161-406: The narrative structure, unlike core characters, for which any significant conflict must be traced during a considerable time, which is often seen as an unjustified waste of resources. There may also be a continuing or recurring guest character. Sometimes a guest or minor character may gain unanticipated popularity and turn into a regular or main one; this is known as a breakout character . In
4234-466: The near-immortal Extant to save his mother. The writers also created added tension in the book by having Captain Marvel, who is wholly unconvinced that Adam has reformed, join the team. One JSA story arc (issues 39 through 44) features Marvel, Hawkgirl , and Mr. Terrific venturing back in time to ancient Egypt, where they meet the Mighty Adam before his corruption. During this visit, the Mighty Adam
4307-639: The past, where he has been sent due to the great speed he traveled, and again uses his speed, this time to return to his own time. After the Flash returns, Black Adam helps the JSA battle the Sin-Eater, a Thanagarian demon. Claiming to be free of Theo's evil influence again, a repentant Black Adam requests membership in the Justice Society, and is granted a probationary membership in JSA #21 (2002). During their tenure on JSA , writers Geoff Johns and David S. Goyer redefined Adam's personality and background, focusing on
4380-562: The perceived metahuman supremacy of the United States. He gets members of the Great Ten of China and Russia's Rocket Reds , among others, to join the coalition. Adrianna begins to counsel him and stays as a refugee. She makes him a ruler who shows more mercy and performs charitable acts. In Week 12 of the series, Adam gains a magical amulet, hidden on the scarab in which Shazam imprisoned him. With help from Captain Marvel, who first thinks Adam
4453-454: The play contains kings and gods, it cannot be a comedy and must be a tragicomedy . [...] is first used in English to denote 'a personality in a novel or a play' in 1749 ( The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary , s.v.). Its use as 'the sum of the qualities which constitute an individual' is a mC17 development. The modern literary and theatrical sense of 'an individual created in a fictitious work'
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#17328590576044526-525: The powers he has come to hate. Osiris does so, only to be betrayed and brutally devoured by Sobek, while in his mortal form. Isis and Adam confront Sobek after finding Osiris's body, who reveals that he is Famine, the Fourth Horseman of Apokolips , one of four creatures created by Intergang to attack Black Adam. Adam swiftly disposes of Sobek by hyper-elongating his jaws and does battle with the other three Horsemen. One of them, Pestilence, infects Isis with
4599-476: The reader. In psychological terms, round or complex characters may be considered to have five personality dimensions under the Big Five model of personality. The five factors are: Stock characters are usually one-dimensional and thin. Mary Sues are characters that usually appear in fan fiction which are virtually devoid of flaws, and are therefore considered flat characters. Another type of flat character
4672-400: The series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main focus. A guest or minor character is one who acts only in a few episodes or scenes. Unlike regular characters, the guest ones do not need to be carefully incorporated into the storyline with all its ramifications: they create a piece of drama and then disappear without consequences to
4745-421: The series, it was changed to ancient Egyptian deities . Deciding that he should rule the world, the Mighty Adam overthrows and kills the pharaoh and assumes the Egyptian throne. Angered by this betrayal, Shazam renames his errant champion Black Adam and—unable to revoke the powers he gave Adam—banishes him to the most distant star in the universe. Black Adam spends the next 5,000 years flying back to Earth. By
4818-450: The start of the story, he is a bitter miser, but by the end of the tale, he transforms into a kindhearted, generous man. In television, a regular, main or ongoing character is a character who appears in all or a majority of episodes, or in a significant chain of episodes of the series. Regular characters may be both core and secondary ones. A recurring character or supporting character often and frequently appears from time to time during
4891-629: The superhero Captain Marvel / Shazam and the Marvel Family alongside Doctor Sivana and Mister Mind . Black Adam was originally depicted as a supervillain and the ancient magical champion predecessor of Captain Marvel, who fought his way to modern times to challenge the hero and his Marvel Family associates. Since the turn of the 21st century, however, Black Adam has been redefined by DC Comics writers Jerry Ordway , Geoff Johns , and David S. Goyer as an ancient Kahndaqi and corrupted antihero attempting to clear his name and reputation. He came from
4964-512: The time he makes it back, in 1945, Shazam has appointed three new champions to take his place: Captain Marvel , Captain Marvel Jr. , and Mary Marvel . Adam's attempts to take over the world cause the Marvels to seek counsel with Shazam, who tells them about Black Adam. Adam succeeds in gagging Billy and Freddy while they are talking to Shazam. He then ties them up, planning to kill them later. Uncle Marvel releases them while Mary battles Black Adam, enabling them to transform. Adam does battle with
5037-419: The trio, known as the Marvel Family , but since all are equally invulnerable, the fight goes on without resolution. The non-powered Marvel Family member Uncle Marvel gets an idea from Shazam and tricks Adam into saying "Shazam," reverting him to Teth-Adam. As he is no longer immortal, he dies and crumbles into a skeleton. Black Adam's costume is almost identical to Captain Marvel's—except that Black Adam's costume
5110-558: The two battle until subdued by Isis and the Marvels. Osiris relents, seemingly accepting that he has repented enough for the Persuader's death, and accompanies the Black Marvel Family back home. However, when Osiris and his friend Sobek , the talking crocodile, are alone, he admits that he was only putting up a front to appease those around him and that he could never forgive himself for killing anyone, as Black Adam has. Sobek advises Osiris that he should say Black Adam's name and rid himself of
5183-421: The wizard Shazam , with his good deeds. The wizard gives Teth-Adam the power to become the superhero the Mighty Adam by speaking the name "Shazam", an acronym for the Mighty Adam's powers: the stamina of Shu , the swiftness of Heru ( Horus ), the strength of Amon , the wisdom of Zehuti ( Thoth ), the power of Aton , and the courage of Mehen . He does not draw powers from Shazam due to the demoness Blaze making
5256-669: Was attacking Isis) is captured by Amanda Waller , who uses it to further ruin the Black Marvel Family's reputation. Meanwhile, Kahndaq is struck by a number of natural disasters, which seem to have a supernatural origin. He engages in more beneficial activities, like a charity dinner with the Sivanas. Wracked with guilt over the death of the Persuader , Osiris ventures to the Rock of Eternity and pleads with Captain Marvel to have his powers removed, as he fears Black Adam's influence (and those of his gods) has tainted him with evil. Black Adam arrives and
5329-447: Was brainwashing his comrades—and Nemesis and Alex both die during the battle when Alex loses control of Eclipso. Only Northwind and Atom Smasher remain at Adam's side, with Atom Smasher later leaving when a time-travelling clash with Degaton results in him meeting Al Pratt in the 1950s and re-evaluating his past motivations. As Kahndaq's ruler, Adam is depicted as fiercely working to protect his people and his nation, although his arrogance
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