Black Adam is the DC Extended Universe’s newest superhero. However, he seems to have much in common with an existing superhero: Shazam. Teth-Adam even says the same magic word to activate his powers, which were granted to him in a very similar way that Billy Batson got his own super power.
One cannot help but wonder what exactly Black Adam’s connection to Shazam is.
How are Black Adam and Shazam related
Black Adam and Shazam both get their powers from the same Council of Wizards, which explains why Teth-Adam says “shazam!” to power up.
Both of them can fly and shoot lightning from their hands, though Billy is far less brutal than Teth-Adam. Their costumes have a lot in common, but Black Adam doesn’t sport a cape.
Black Adam draws his powers from the Egyptian gods: Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aton, and Mehen. Shazam derives his powers from other mythological figures: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury.
In the comics, Teth-Adam was chosen by the wizard Shazam. In the film, he wasn’t Shazam’s chosen champion; instead, his son was chosen and later transferred the power to Teth-Adam to protect him.

Black Adam is Shazam’s predecessor
Billy Batson is chosen as champion 5000 years after Black Adam gained his power.
Billy Batson accidentally stumbles upon the Rock of Eternity – the mystical fortress when escaping a pair of bullies. There he meets the last living wizard who attempts to discover if he’s worthy of becoming a new champion. While discussing the origins of the power, the Wizard says that he and his fellow magicians made a mistake in choosing the champion once. It’s more than likely he was referring to Adam.
Will Shazam be in Black Adam
There was a plan to introduce both characters together in Shazam. “When the first draft of the movie came to us, it was a combination of Black Adam and Shazam: Two origin stories in one movie,” Dwayne Johnson said. He also said that he had to fight hard for the two characters to “have their own stand-alone films.”
Director David F. Sandberg has confirmed that Black Adam won’t be showing up in Shazam 2, but Johnson has indicated a crossover is possible in the future. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see if the two characters are going to collide anytime soon.