By AZRIEL OLMEDO

Photo made using FlamingText, a logo design and name generator (Azriel Olmedo / Ethic News).

Note: The live-action adaptation of Thor without Mjolnir or Stormbreaker will be used as source material. Any DC publications featuring Black Adam will also be used.

Mythology is no stranger to the world of comics. For both Marvel and DC, there exists a boundary between gods and mortals. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe however, this boundary seems to have been broken long ago, considering Thor is mostly present on Earth and regularly interacts with his fellow Avengers. On the other hand, the DC Universe has made it clear that gods are a bit more exclusive.

Thor is the God of Thunder and son of the King of Asgard, Odin. In the MCU, Thor has appeared in six films, including Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, and the rest his own (Photo by CinemaBlend).

Thor, as many are familiar with, is the son of Odin, the King of Asgard. As God of Thunder, Thor has struck the hearts of many and is loved for his cunning and sometimes oblivious nature. With Mjolnir and Stormbreaker, which was first introduced in Avengers: Infinity War, he has grown to become one of the most powerful heroes in all of Marvel.

Contrarily, Black Adam takes the role of a villain in the DC universe. To put it simply, Black Adam “draws power from a collection of Egyptian deities and becomes a superhuman warrior,” when shouting the word “Shazam!” much like the hero, Shazam, according to the DC Universe Encyclopedia. Over the years, he has learned to control the element of lightning, further magnifying his abilities.

Black Adam first made his appearance in DC’s “The Marvel Family #1,” published in 1945. Here, Black Adam sits atop an Egyptian throne, giving a homage to his past and history before becoming a full-fledged villain (Photo by LRM Online).

These two powerful beings not only have a striking elemental resemblance, but are also considered some of the strongest lightning-users in comic book history. This begs the question, who would win in a battle of the gods between Thor and Black Adam?

Round #1 – Power

In Thor: Ragnarok, fans were reassured after Mjolnir’s sudden destruction that it was merely a way to contain the God of Thunder’s immense power. Beforehand, Thor could only call upon the lightning to strike Mjolnir and direct it towards his enemies. 

After Mjolnir’s destruction, Thor learned he could not only direct lightning, but create his own and manipulate it to his will, using this to his advantage during the final moments of his battle with Hela, the Goddess of Death and in the Battle of Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War.

On the contrary, lightning is only a piece of what makes Black Adam what he is. Originally, he was not gifted with the element, but after learning how to utilize the magical lightning that struck and changed him into the powerful being he is, Black Adam became accustomed to the element.

Much like his heroic counterpart, Shazam, Black Adam is granted power from Egyptian deities at the shout of “Shazam!” Specifically, he is granted the “stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru, the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti, the power of Aton, and the courage of Mehen,” according to the DC Universe Encyclopedia.

Round #2 – Strength

Although Black Adam is not known as well as some of DC’s flagship characters, he is said to be on par with Superman, Wonder Woman and Shazam in terms of strength.

Superman fights Black Adam in DC’s “Action Comics #831,” published in 2005. Both characters are shown to be equal in strength (Photo by DC Comics).

Additionally, Black Adam once fought Ultraman, a version of Superman from another universe that thrives on tyranny and conquest. While he lost their first battle, Black Adam managed to move the moon away from its eclipsed state for their second battle, allowing the light to shine through and significantly weaken Ultraman.

The sheer amount of strength needed to simply move the moon out of place is astonishing. Ultraman, unlike Superman, is “weakened by yellow sunlight,” according to the DC Database.

In Avengers: Infinity War, Thor was able to hold and withstand the full force of a star to some extent when Rocket, Groot and himself arrived at Nidavellir in order to properly craft Stormbreaker. 

Round #3 – Accomplishments

While the full force of the star Nidavellir had left Thor burned and nearly unconscious, he still accomplished something that many heroes could never dream of achieving. Upon receiving the axe, Stormbreaker, Thor’s body had surprisingly healed from the burns, and the Avenger was once again ready to fight Thanos’ army in Wakanda.

Thor fights Hulk in a one-on-one gladiator match on the planet Sakaar. Thor: Ragnarok was released in theaters on November 3rd, 2017 (Photo by The Verge).

Speaking of fighting, Thor also managed to overwhelm and, arguably, defeat the Hulk on the planet Sakaar in Thor: Ragnarok. He awakened in a state of almost unstable electricity, without the need of Mjolnir. The Hulk has always been considered a powerhouse in the comics and the live-action universe, and seeing Thor strike the green juggernaut was definitely a sight to see.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will play the live-action Black Adam starring in his own movie. Due to the pandemic, the release date for the film might be pushed at a later date than what was announced (Photo from Deadline).

Black Adam holds the accomplishment of starting World War III on his own. Adam managed to obliterate “2 million people in the fictional nation of Bialya,” inspired by the country of Libya in North Africa, according to ScreenRant, and was able to single handedly defeat the “Teen Titans, the Doom Patrol, and countless others.” It required the efforts of both Superman and Shazam to take him down.
Now that some statistics have been given, the question can now be answered: who would win in a fight between Thor and Black Adam? To the surprise of many, it was revealed on August 22, 2020 that Black Adam would make his way into the live-action DC universe, and will be played by none other than Dwayne Johnson. Fans of both the actor and the comics will get to see his performance when Black Adam hits theaters early 2022.