Black Adam as the face of the Shazam franchise

[daBronzeBomma]

Black Adam is superior to The Big Red Cheese.

1. For starters, there is no confusion, legal or otherwise, about what his name is. As opposed to the former Captain Marvel now Shazam aka Billy Batson.

2. He fits into the modern DCU far better Captain Billy ever did. There is definitely a greater place for rampaging, imperious anti-hero on Main Earth than there is for a child who turns into a hodgepodge of different religions (Greek/Roman/Jewish) champion.

3. Black Adam can coexist alongside Superman, Wonder Woman and the other major alphas without stepping on any of their toes. He has the Egyptian pantheon to himself (the Hawks just need to go and stay fully Thanagarian in origin).

4. He is more popular than his archenemy. And by a considerable margin (esp considering the name thing). This really only happens with team villians, i.e. Deathstroke and Teen titans, Dr. Doom and the F4, not with solo villains: joker is not more popular than Batman, Luthor is not more popular than Superman, Cheatah is not more popular than WW. But Black Adam is more popular than Captain Billy.

5. He is the only villain getting his own solo DCEU movie, on top of the other one with Captain Billy in which he also stars.

6. Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson. He is the Live-Action Black Adam. Perfect casting. No such ready-made lightning in a bottle casting exists for Captain Billy.
, either as Shazam or as Billy Batson.

7. Black Adam can have a perfectly healthy sex life. Captain Billy cannot due to his being both underage and full-grown at the same time.. Black Adam can have a spouse and children (Isis and Osirus). Captain Billy cannot (see Stargirl).

8. All his reprehensible villainous misdeeds can easily be hand-waved away, a la current Harley Quinn.

In conclusion, DC should push Black Adam as their answer to Marvel's Hulk: destructively awesome, but not evil. He will sell.

Hail Black Adam!

[BlackClaw]

At first I was "tf"? But after thinking about it for a while, I think this could work well if done right. There is no denying that the public's interest in Black Adam is rising especially since The Rock is playing him. And he's one of the most bankable men in Hollywood right no

[Vanguard-01]

It's......very difficult to argue against this.

Fond though I am of Billy and Mary, you may just be right.

[Air Wave]

The other problem with Shazam/Captain Marvel is that he always has to be played by two different actors, with the younger one probably having the larger & better role.

[Outside_85]

I would argue against the notion of Deathstroke being more popular than the Teen Titans.

[yohyoi]

I would argue against the notion of Deathstroke being more popular than the Teen Titans.

The sales does not reflect that Deathstroke is more popular.

Teen Titans is very popular to kids and teenagers. Kids and teenagers know the Teen Titans more than the Justice League, due to two long running animated series.

Teen Titans is also filled with popular members. Deathstroke will never be more popular than Robin/ Dick Grayson. While Dr. Doom is more popular than any member of the Fantastic Four.

[SuperiorIronman]

1. New 52 Shazam from what I heard wasn't very good, and with DC's subsequent push for things to match the New 52 in other media then it stands to reason he wouldn't show up as much. It really has nothing to do with legal issues regarding his name as that was solved with Shazam. The only problem one might have is if they had been aware of what he had been called prior, but that's no different than not knowing who is the current Robin. A internet query solves this.

2. Given the state of the current DCEU I'd say Billy is needed more than ever considering Wonder Woman is the only superhero movie of the bunch. Billy also hadn't gotten another shot since his last outing wasn't very good. Considering the DCU tends to ignore mythology as a whole and uses characters and events in name only I find it hard to believe that Billy Batson's powers are a problem.

3. So does Billy Batson.

4. This one I will somewhat grant but mostly due to the fact he's really the only villain the general public knows about regarding Captain Marvel/Shazam.

5. Because it's cheaper to hire one actor as opposed to two and Black Adam's story chronologically exists before Billy's even starts.

6. I'll skip this as it is perfect casting.

7. WTF does sex life have to do with being the face of a franchise? I think (and hope) you're talking about capacity for relationships as sex life doesn't have much of anything to do with what makes a character popular.

8. It was dumb with Harley Quinn, it's somewhat passable with Doctor Doom, these characters still have to be responsible in-universe.

What the hell does sex life have to do with Black Adam being the face of a franchise?

[CRaymond]

I'd fix this by having Rebirth Earth be Thunderworld's Phantom Zone. Since Black Adam is too gritty and bloody for Earth-5, he's magically banished to a world more like himself, the DCU. There, he encounters heroes and villains, becomes both at times, or only creates his own nation state, and even discovers the Earth-1 version of his Earth-5 nemesis.

I love DBB's idea and I ran with it.

[Frontier]

I don't see it, but maybe that's because I don't see the need to replace an icon with a clever and classic story with another anti-hero.

I mean, Billy's got the supporting cast, the villains, the costume, and a unique premise that can really appeal to people.

I just don't see Adam carrying all that himself.

Is Black Adam really that much more popular then Billy is? I mean, comics-wise, he's gotten a huge push but in other media Billy easily dwarfs him in appearances and focus. Pretty much every time Adam has shown up in other media he's just served as a major villain for Billy to fight.

You can say he fits the modern DCU better then Billy does but you can make the equal argument that the modern DCU needs a hero like the classic Captain Marvel now more then ever, particularly in Rebirth.

How does Billy step on the toes of the big dogs while Adam doesn't? Because he's a villain? I would say Billy works better because he's actually a hero.

And, frankly, I see that Black Adam solo as likely to happen as Will Smith's Deadshot movie.

"All his reprehensible villainous misdeeds can easily be hand-waved away, a la current Harley Quinn." I don't think that's setting a good example .

[MadFacedKid]

I prefer Teth and honestly been saying the same things for a long time. Nothing against Billy though I'm not to keen on the idea of a kid becoming an adult by the usage of a word.

[maxmcco]

I like the idea of Captain Marvel only on Thunderworld. While I enjoyed some of Johns' Curse of Shazam, Cap needs to be number one (which he can't be with Superman around) or else the concept falls flat. Let the Shazam movie take place on a different earth and have Adam banished to the DCEU at the end. Same for the comics. No more Billy Batson on prime earth. And call the comic and movie Thunderworld. The name Shazam is now more popular as an app.

[Calvinr]

Good idea,I don't see how many could argue that Adam is not a bigger draw than Shazam (at this time) , but I do believe Billy is still a draw though, as someone put on a similar thread there was a period when he was more popular than superman.
I think the key thing here is putting the marvel family back on earth S/5 with their own room to breathe, (that's not to stop the occasional crossover/link up with the rest of the dcu) that way Billy can actually be the main boy/man and not just making up the numbers.

[Frontier]

I like the idea of Captain Marvel only on Thunderworld. While I enjoyed some of Johns' Curse of Shazam, Cap needs to be number one (which he can't be with Superman around) or else the concept falls flat. Let the Shazam movie take place on a different earth and have Adam banished to the DCEU at the end. Same for the comics. No more Billy Batson on prime earth. And call the comic and movie Thunderworld. The name Shazam is now more popular as an app.

I think Cap can be number one in his own corner of the DCU like all the other DC heroes are in there corners.

Certainly Superman being around doesn't stop DC from treating Batman as top dog...

[maxmcco]

I think Cap can be number one in his own corner of the DCU like all the other DC heroes are in there corners.

Certainly Superman being around doesn't stop DC from treating Batman as top dog...

Supes and Cap's power set is almost identical though. They even look alike.

[Frontier]

Supes and Cap's power set is almost identical though. They even look alike.

Wonder Woman's power set isn't all that different from Superman's either, give or take a few things they both have that the other doesn't, same with Cap in my opinion.