Who Is Black Adam, and What Should You Know Before the Upcoming Movie?

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It's hard to keep all the comic book heroes and villains straight. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars as Black Adam in a new DC Comics feature film coming out from Warner Bros.

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on Oct. 21, but even loyal comics readers may have no idea who this character is.

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A new trailer for the film was released on June 8. Here's a look at this intriguing character and his past.

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In the original comics, Black Adam is a corrupted ancient Egyptian with a complicated backstory.

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His original name is Teth-Adam, and the wizard Shazam grants him Shazam's same powers. However, once loaded up with power, he turns evil.

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He decides to conquer the world, starting with Egypt. Shazam can't take back the powers he gave Black Adam, so instead he banishes Black Adam, who doesn't make it back to Earth until 1945.

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