The now-infamous mid-credits scene in 2022’s Black Adam famously reintroduced Henry Cavill’s Superman as a force capable of stopping the antihero, teeing up a showdown that will now never happen. The two contestants both harbored immense power beyond those of even the world’s mightiest mortals, hyping up what sadly never came to be. Despite this lack of payoff, evidence of how the fight might have gone is present in the source material.
In the comics, Black Adam and Superman have battled many times. Still, it’s not always certain whether Black Adam can beat Superman. They both have their strengths, but they have weaknesses as well. Though a Black Adam vs. Superman fight may never happen in James Gunn’s revamped DC Universe, there’s enough evidence to determine if Black Adam is stronger than Superman.
Updated by Timothy Blake Donohoo on May 5, 2025: The Black Adam vs. Superman fight was a duel the DC Extended Universe hinted at but never came to be, and that shared universe is now gone. However, the rise of the new DCU still has fans wondering who will win if a Superman vs. Black Adam showdown ever happened. Some aspects of the comics reinforce this curiosity, especially the new Absolute Universe. Given how Absolute Superman is somewhat different from his mainstream counterpart, his existence makes the Black Adam vs. Superman query more interesting.
Black Adam Gets His Powers From Egyptian Gods
Black Adam Has Supernatural Powers That Rival Superman’s
When it comes to Black Adam vs. Superman, the first thing that has to be looked at is the source of their powers. In DC mythos Black Adam’s amazing powers were originally bestowed upon him by the ancient Egyptian wizard, Shazam. Teth-Adam was given supernatural abilities by this wizard because of his moral purity and good deeds. Unfortunately, his ethics were eventually tainted, which saw the wizard (in most tellings) banishing Black Adam to another dimension or a distant star. The story has been retold and revised several times in different comics, but the basic plot stays the same. By saying the magic word “Shazam,” Teth-Adam can transform into Black Adam, who has stamina, swiftness, strength, wisdom, power, and courage. The basic root of Black Adam’s supernatural power is magic. He draws each of his abilities from a specific ancient Egyptian god.
From Shu, Black Adam has godly stamina and endurance that protect him from magical energies. Additionally, Shu’s powers make Teth-Adam immortal. He gets incredible speed from Horus, wisdom from Zehuti, and courage from Mehen. He draws magical power from Aten, which gives him the power to fly and magical resistance against all types of attacks. Black Adam derives super strength from Amon, with which he can perform impossible things like bending steel and producing shock waves just by clapping his hands. This strength has been described as equal to, and possibly greater than, Superman’s.
Black Adam always uses his powers and strengths to his full capabilities, regardless of the consequences. In the Black Adam film, he declares he is not a hero and kills without remorse. This prompts the question of how a Black Adam vs. Superman fight might transpire, with the former seemingly having no real blindspots. Black Adam, however, does have two weaknesses: one is a metal called eternium. When used against him as a weapon, it can penetrate and cause wounds. The extent of harm that eternium can do is unclear since this is a new weakness introduced by the Black Adam movie. The other weakness might not exactly be a weakness, but it can be used against him. In this case, when he says “Shazam,” Black Adam reverts to his human form.
Superman Gets His Powers From Sun Exposure
The Man of Steel’s Kryptonian Heritage Grants Him Special Abilities Derived From the Sun’s Rays
Unlike the Earth-born Black Adam, Superman comes from the planet Krypton, with powers activated by Earth’s yellow sun. Some comics explain that his powers evolved because of the higher gravity of Krypton, and others specify that his powers would be deactivated by the type of red sun that Krypton orbited. His main ability is superhuman strength, but he can also fly and hear sounds that are normally imperceptible to others. Superman possesses breath capabilities including the power to blow on people and freeze them. His body is unaffected by bullets and other weaponry. In addition, he has heat vision, where he can project beams of fiery light strong enough to melt steel, and X-ray vision powers that allow him to see through objects.
Superman’s weaknesses are more clearly defined in the comics and DCEU. As seen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Kryptonite doesn’t just take away his incredible powers — it also makes Superman feel physically ill. Different types of kryptonite can affect him in different ways, but they all have negative effects. The Man of Steel’s other main weakness is magic and other mystical forces. Superman is completely vulnerable to spells, enchantments, and other methods of magic and does not possess any special powers that can specifically protect him. While this may not be considered a traditional weakness, Superman holds back from fully using his powers; he usually restrains himself from killing anyone, no matter who they are. This can thus become a problem in a Superman vs. Black Adam fight.
Can Black Adam Beat Superman in an All-Out Brawl?
Superman and Black Adam Are Both Powerful Enough to Win
Given their similar powers, a Black Adam vs. Superman fight initially seems fair. The two are equally matched in areas like strength, speed, flight, and special abilities. However, Black Adam’s powers specifically derive from Superman’s magical weakness. This could be a major problem for Superman if Black Adam leveraged his magical powers correctly. The other inequality could be that if they battled with each other, they would fight for different results.
While Superman would be fighting simply to stop Black Adam, while the latter would be fighting Superman to the death. On the other hand, Superman could decide this is finally the time to utilize his full powers and make an example of Black Adam. These differences could be what tips the balance one way or the other, leaving a clear winner in the Black Adam vs. Superman fight. Unfortunately, that winner remains to be seen in present or potentially even future DC films.
Why the DCEU’s Superman vs. Black Adam Fight Never Happened
Although Black Adam promised a historic fight between Black Adam and Superman, it has now become clear that this fight will not happen, at least not in the way it was set up. Neither Dwayne Johnson nor Henry Cavill are expected to return in future films, with James Gunn’s new DCU canon taking over after the DC Extended Universe (which ended in late 2023 with the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) came to an end. Black Adam played no small role in this change of direction. The film was only one installment in a long streak of box office and critical disappointments from the troubled cinematic universe. Before the film’s release, major star Dwayne Johnson seemed to be positioning himself for a bigger role behind the scenes of the DCEU, with Black Adam potentially playing a central role therein. However, the failure of Black Adam left Johnson without any allies in DC, and it was only weeks later that James Gunn and Peter Safran became co-CEOs at the studio.