Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Life is tough for young Billy Batson. Orphaned and alone, he lives in a dingy neighborhood in a seedy part of town, with rats for pets and little food or commodities. Still, he tries to live by the words of his now-deceased father: "Be good and good things will happen to you", and keeps an upbeat attitude, even complimenting his prostitute neighbor on her appearance and standing up to a gang of punks mugging a homeless man, despite the predictable outcome. He hopes an article being written about him by intrepid Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent will help him out of his predicament.

Unfortunately, Billy's luck takes a turn for the worse when a powerful being called Black Adam comes crashing from the sky with only one goal in mind: Billy's death. Because of his vulnerability to magic, not even the mighty Superman is a match for him, but a strange encounter with an immortal wizard will grant Billy the power of five gods in order to become the new champion of justice: Captain Marvel!

This original short was released as the main "feature" of a compilation of the DC Showcase shorts released with recent DC Universe Original Animated Movies, along with DC Showcase: The Spectre, DC Showcase: Jonah Hex and DC Showcase: Green Arrow.

Tropes used in Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam include:

Punk: It's the hero. Oh, and look at that. Hero's got nothing to say. Come on, say something. I dare you. Come on, just one word.

  • Billy smiles. View of city as lightning strikes. Roll credits.*
  • Mythology Gag: Superman trying to stop the flood from a broken dam like in the 1978 Superman movie.
  • Neck Lift: Black Adam to a random woman, and Captain Marvel to Black Adam.
  • Rapid Aging: Black Adam. "Aged 5,000 years in a single moment. Harsh."
  • Sadistic Choice: Black Adam forces Captain Marvel into one of these, stating that either Cap revert back to normal or Adam will kill a civilian. When Cap powers down to sacrifice himself for the woman, Adam attempts to kill them both anyway. Unfortunately for Adam, Superman was on hand to rescue them both, and this act ultimately resulted in Billy unleashing a heroic No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on Adam.
  • Shoryuken: CM delivers a flying one to Black Adam when he finds his Heroic Resolve.
  • Super-Hero Origin: For Captain Marvel.
  • The Worf Effect: Supes spends much of the short as Adam's punching bag until Billy becomes Captain Marvel. Justified due to his weakness to magic.