Warning: Spoilers ahead for Action Comics #1033
Black Adam is one of the World’s Mightiest Mortals, and he’s using his newfound power within the Justice League to right one of the world’s gravest wrongs – for reasons more personal than fans may realize. Adam has walked the line between hero and villain for years. And even when he was an outright criminal, he still held a strong code of personal ethics that guided his actions, including a strong stance against slavery: an evil the Justice League has never truly eradicated.
Now, the ongoing events of Action Comics by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Daniel Sampere have given Shazam’s former foe the opportunity to get back to his ancient roots as a champion of the oppressed. With recently escaped Warworld slaves making their way to Earth, Superman and the Justice League have the opportunity to liberate their home. But while other members of the Justice League have different priorities for taking on Warworld, Adam’s reasoning is shockingly personal.
As the League discusses moving against Warworld in the pages of Action Comics #1033, Queen Hippolyta immediately indicates her support for Superman and argues that injustices like this – an entire world of slaves – are why the League exists in the first place. Black Adam is quick to agree, responding, “If it is a world of slaves, yes.” Adam asks for confirmation that Warworld truly isn’t free, but such an unhesitating stance is perfectly in line with Adam as a character. While it’s no surprise that Hippolyta – a queen of Themyscira – would immediately focus on an end to slavery after everything the Amazons went through, fans may not have expected Black Adam to agree so readily after his long history as a villain. But it’s important to remember that before Black Adam ever succumbed to villainy, he spent his life in slavery. His origins were reworked by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank in the Shazam! backup story of Johns’ time on Justice League. Now Black Adam’s story begins in chains as a Kahndaqi slave. When the Wizard of the Rock of Eternity offers the power of Shazam to Adam’s nephew, he steals the magic for himself in order to gain vengeance on their masters. Clearly, even after a few thousand years, his stance on slavers hasn’t changed.
While Adam and Hippolyta’s willingness to take on this injustice is pretty in-character, especially because of their more ancient and militant perspectives, the rest of the League’s differing priorities on the situation aren’t all that shocking either. In The Other History of the DC Universe #5 by John Ridley and Giuseppe Camuncoli, Anissa Pierce, hero called Thunder and daughter of Black Lighting says, “Dad used to tell me how the Justice League’s record on fighting for human rights was a little weak.” While the Justice League may be great when taking on an alien invasion, they leave a lot to be desired when dealing with evils on a more personal level.
The slaves of Warworld may not technically qualify as having “human” rights, but they’re still living beings being used as slaves, and while the other members of the Justice League support moving to free them, they aren’t acting with the same sense of urgency as Black Adam, Hippolyta, or even Superman. Despite being the Justice League, the League itself seems to forget that justice can mean more than simply punching an evil alien god right in the face. And for someone more like Black Adam, who was once considered an evil god, slavery seems to still be a pressing evil that these more modern heroes aren’t reacting to as immediately.
The Justice League isn’t perfect, and neither is Black Adam. But the League was looking for differing perspectives when they invited Adam to join, and that’s exactly what they got. With Black Adam and the Justice League backing up Superman, Mongul’s slavers won’t know what hit them.
