Over the years, Black Adam and Superman have developed a bit of an unlikely friendship. Still, given that they are both superpowered tanks that don’t belong (Teth Adam’s from another time and Kal-El is from a different planet), it seems to work. Adam has never been a typically heroic figure, something that is made clear by his more brutal (and occasionally gruesome) forms of justice, so when Superman nominates him to be a member of the Justice League in Black Adam #6, a couple of his closest friends began to question his judgment.
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An Antihero Gone Good?
The Man of Steel believed that with the right opportunity and motivation from those around him, Black Adam could grow into an incredibly heroic super team member, so he went out of his way to encourage his teammates to let the antihero join their forces.
For a while, Black Adam did seem to improve. He could work with others without too many problems and showed interest in several of his teammates, forming bonds with them. Unfortunately, the nature of a powerful force is not easily changed.
A Quickly Decaying Trust
After what seemed to be the death of a lot of the League, Black Adam did his best to keep the team afloat, but he quickly began to have issues with many of the younger heroes who had stepped up to fill the spots that had been opened up. He made a couple of poor decisions that had the remaining League members questioning their decision, including the murder of a fighter pilot and his decision to get help from the Legion of Doom rather than other heroes.
To test him, in Black Adam #6, the Martian Manhunter and Steel developed a simulation that they used on Black Adam, unbeknownst to him. In the simulation, Black Adam is confronted by Batman after he finds out that Bruce Wayne had been helping with the funding of a democracy movement that had risen up in Kahndaq (can’t have anyone messing up his regime).
The simulated Batman provokes Black Adam into attacking him and, in the ensuing fight, is killed by the Egyptian antihero. He is allowed to return to reality, but the Martian Manhunter deems him no longer fit for the Justice League.
Superman’s Unrealistic Optimism Will Be His Downfall
Superman truly believed that even the people with the worst records could improve; unfortunately, that belief would bite him. Superman’s insistence for Black Adam to be on the team, followed by Adam’s actions and willingness to not only harm but murder a fellow member in Black Adam #6, will have damning effects on the Man of Steel’s reputation.
Most of the Justice League hadn’t wanted to bring Black Adam onto the team in the first place and were quite wary of him initially, so this incident in Black Adam #6 proved their suspicions correct. Black Adam will not likely remain a Justice League member for much longer.
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