Deciding that he should rule the world, 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.
or
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, the wizard
Shazam, with his good deeds. The wizard gives Teth-Adam the power to become the superhero Mighty Adam by speaking the name "Shazam," an acronym for 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.
[9] He does not draw powers from Shazam due to the demoness Blaze making a deal with the Egyptian god Set.
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.[
citation needed] 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 treachery and strips Adam of his powers, encasing them in 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").
