title: United States Navy

text: In 2010, Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, noted that demands on the Navy have grown as the fleet has shrunk and that in the face of declining budgets in the future, the U.S. Navy must rely even more on international partnerships.


title: United States Navy

text: In its 2013 budget request, the navy focused on retaining all eleven big deck carriers, at the expense of cutting numbers of smaller ships and delaying the SSBN replacement. By the next year the USN found itself unable to maintain eleven aircraft carriers in the face of the expiration of budget relief offered by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 and CNO Jonathan Greenert said that a ten ship carrier fleet would not be able to sustainably support military requirements. The British First Sea Lord George Zambellas said that the USN had switched from "outcome-led to resource-led" planning.


title: United States Navy

text: One significant change in U.S. policymaking that is having a major effect on naval planning is the Pivot to East Asia. In response, the Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus stated in 2015 that 60 percent of the total U.S. fleet will be deployed to the Pacific by 2020. The Navy's most recent 30-year shipbuilding plan, published in 2016, calls for a future fleet of 350 ships to meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive international environment. A provision of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act called for expanding the naval fleet to 355 ships "as soon as practicable", but did not establish additional funding nor a timeline.


title: United States Navy

text: The U.S. Navy falls under the administration of the Department of the Navy, under civilian leadership of the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV). The most senior naval officer is the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), a four-star admiral who is immediately under and reports to the Secretary of the Navy. At the same time, the Chief of Naval Operations is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is the second-highest deliberative body of the armed forces after the United States National Security Council, although it plays only an advisory role to the President and does not nominally form part of the chain of command. The Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations are responsible for organizing, recruiting, training, and equipping the Navy so that it is ready for operation under the commanders of the unified combatant commands.


title: United States Navy

text: There are nine components in the operating forces of the U.S. Navy: the United States Fleet Forces Command (formerly United States Atlantic Fleet), United States Pacific Fleet, United States Naval Forces Central Command, United States Naval Forces Europe, Naval Network Warfare Command, Navy Reserve, United States Naval Special Warfare Command, Operational Test and Evaluation Force, and Military Sealift Command. Fleet Forces Command controls a number of unique capabilities, including Military Sealift Command, Naval Expeditionary Combat Command, and Navy Cyber Forces.


title: United States Navy

text: The United States Navy has seven active numbered fleets – Second, Third, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Tenth Fleets are each led by a vice admiral, and the Fourth Fleet is led by a rear admiral. These seven fleets are further grouped under Fleet Forces Command (the former Atlantic Fleet), Pacific Fleet, Naval Forces Europe-Africa, and Naval Forces Central Command, whose commander also doubles as Commander Fifth Fleet; the first three commands being led by four-star admirals. The United States First Fleet existed after World War II from 1947, but it was redesignated the Third Fleet in early 1973. The United States Second Fleet was deactivated in September 2011 but reestablished in August 2018 amid heightened tensions with Russia. It is headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, with responsibility over the East Coast and North Atlantic. In early 2008, the Navy reactivated the United States Fourth Fleet to control operations in the area controlled by Southern Command, which consists of US assets in and around Central and South America. Other number fleets were activated during World War II and later deactivated, renumbered, or merged.


title: United States Navy

text: Shore establishments exist to support the mission of the fleet through the use of facilities on land. Among the commands of the shore establishment, , are the Naval Education and Training Command, the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, the Naval Supply Systems Command, the Naval Air Systems Command, the Naval Sea Systems Command, the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, the Bureau of Naval Personnel, the United States Naval Academy, the Naval Safety Center, the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (formerly known as the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center), and the United States Naval Observatory. Official Navy websites list the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and the Chief of Naval Operations as part of the shore establishment, but these two entities effectively sit superior to the other organizations, playing a coordinating role.


title: United States Navy

text: In 1834, the United States Marine Corps came under the Department of the Navy. Historically, the Navy has had a unique relationship with the USMC, partly because they both specialize in seaborne operations. Together the Navy and Marine Corps form the Department of the Navy and report to the Secretary of the Navy. However, the Marine Corps is a distinct, separate service branch with its own uniformed service chief – the Commandant of the Marine Corps, a four-star general.


title: United States Navy

text: The Marine Corps depends on the Navy for medical support (dentists, doctors, nurses, medical technicians known as corpsmen) and religious support (chaplains). Thus, Navy officers and enlisted sailors fulfill these roles. When attached to Marine Corps units deployed to an operational environment they generally wear Marine camouflage uniforms, but otherwise, they wear Navy dress uniforms unless they opt to conform to Marine Corps grooming standards.


title: United States Navy

text: In the operational environment, as an expeditionary force specializing in amphibious operations, Marines often embark on Navy ships to conduct operations from beyond territorial waters. Marine units deploying as part of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) operate under the command of the existing Marine chain of command. Although Marine units routinely operate from amphibious assault ships, the relationship has evolved over the years much as the Commander of the Carrier Air Group/Wing (CAG) does not work for the carrier commanding officer, but coordinates with the ship's CO and staff. Some Marine aviation squadrons, usually fixed-wing assigned to carrier air wings train and operate alongside Navy squadrons; they fly similar missions and often fly sorties together under the cognizance of the CAG. Aviation is where the Navy and Marines share the most common ground since aircrews are guided in their use of aircraft by standard procedures outlined in a series of publications known as NATOPS manuals.


title: United States Navy

text: The United States Coast Guard, in its peacetime role with the Department of Homeland Security, fulfills its law enforcement and rescue role in the maritime environment. It provides Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDETs) to Navy vessels, where they perform arrests and other law enforcement duties during naval boarding and interdiction missions. In times of war, the Coast Guard may be called upon to operate as a service in the Navy. At other times, Coast Guard Port Security Units are sent overseas to guard the security of ports and other assets. The Coast Guard also jointly staffs the Navy's naval coastal warfare groups and squadrons (the latter of which were known as harbor defense commands until late-2004), which oversee defense efforts in foreign littoral combat and inshore areas.


title: United States Navy

text: The United States Navy has over 400,000 personnel, approximately a quarter of whom are in ready reserve. Of those on active duty, more than eighty percent are enlisted sailors and around fifteen percent are commissioned officers; the rest are midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy and midshipmen of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps at over 180 universities around the country and officer candidates at the Navy's Officer Candidate School.


title: United States Navy

text: Enlisted sailors complete basic military training at boot camp and then are sent to complete training for their individual careers.


title: United States Navy

text: Sailors prove they have mastered skills and deserve responsibilities by completing Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS) tasks and examinations. Among the most important is the "warfare qualification", which denotes a journeyman level of capability in Surface Warfare, Aviation Warfare, Information Dominance Warfare, Naval Aircrew, Special Warfare, Seabee Warfare, Submarine Warfare or Expeditionary Warfare. Many qualifications are denoted on a sailor's uniform with U.S. Navy badges and insignia.


title: United States Navy

text: The uniforms of the U.S. Navy have evolved gradually since the first uniform regulations for officers were issued in 1802 on the formation of the Navy Department. The predominant colors of U.S. Navy uniforms are navy blue and white. U.S. Navy uniforms were based on Royal Navy uniforms of the time and have tended to follow that template.


title: United States Navy

text: Navy officers serve either as a line officer or as a staff corps officer. Line officers wear an embroidered gold star above their rank of the naval service dress uniform while staff corps officers and commissioned warrant officers wear unique designator insignias that denotes their occupational specialty.


title: United States Navy

text: Warrant and chief warrant officer ranks are held by technical specialists who direct specific activities essential to the proper operation of the ship, which also require commissioned officer authority. Navy warrant officers serve in 30 specialties covering five categories. Warrant officers should not be confused with the limited duty officer (LDO) in the Navy. Warrant officers perform duties that are directly related to their previous enlisted service and specialized training. This allows the Navy to capitalize on the experience of warrant officers without having to frequently transition them to other duty assignments for advancement. Most Navy warrant officers are accessed from the chief petty officer pay grades, E-7 through E-9, analogous to a senior non-commissioned officer in the other services, and must have a minimum 14 years in service.


title: United States Navy

text: Sailors in pay grades E-1 through E-3 are considered to be in apprenticeships. They are divided into five definable groups, with colored group rate marks designating the group to which they belong: Seaman, Fireman, Airman, Constructionman, and Hospitalman. E-4 to E-6 are non-commissioned officers (NCOs), and are specifically called Petty officers in the Navy. Petty Officers perform not only the duties of their specific career field but also serve as leaders to junior enlisted personnel. E-7 to E-9 are still considered Petty Officers, but are considered a separate community within the Navy. They have separate berthing and dining facilities (where feasible), wear separate uniforms, and perform separate duties.


title: United States Navy

text: After attaining the rate of Master Chief Petty Officer, a service member may choose to further their career by becoming a Command Master Chief Petty Officer (CMC). A CMC is considered to be the senior-most enlisted service member within a command, and is the special assistant to the Commanding Officer in all matters pertaining to the health, welfare, job satisfaction, morale, use, advancement and training of the command's enlisted personnel. CMCs can be Command level (within a single unit, such as a ship or shore station), Fleet level (squadrons consisting of multiple operational units, headed by a flag officer or commodore), or Force level (consisting of a separate community within the Navy, such as Subsurface, Air, Reserves).


title: United States Navy

text: CMC insignia are similar to the insignia for Master Chief, except that the rating symbol is replaced by an inverted five-point star, reflecting a change in their rating from their previous rating (i.e., MMCM) to CMDCM. The stars for Command Master Chief are silver, while stars for Fleet or Force Master Chief are gold. Additionally, CMCs wear a badge, worn on their left breast pocket, denoting their title (Command/Fleet/Force).


title: United States Navy

text: Insignia and badges of the United States Navy are military "badges" issued by the U.S. Department of the Navy to naval service members who achieve certain qualifications and accomplishments while serving on both active and reserve duty in the United States Navy. Most naval aviation insignia are also permitted for wear on uniforms of the United States Marine Corps.


title: United States Navy

text: As described in Chapter 5 of U.S. Navy Uniform Regulations, "badges" are categorized as "breast insignia" (usually worn immediately above and below ribbons) and "identification badges" (usually worn at breast pocket level). Breast insignia are further divided between "command" and "warfare and other qualification".


title: United States Navy

text: Insignia come in the form of metal "pin-on devices" worn on formal uniforms and embroidered "tape strips" worn on work uniforms. For the purpose of this article, the general term "insignia" shall be used to describe both, as it is done in Navy Uniform Regulations. The term "badge", although used ambiguously in other military branches and in informal speak to describe any pin, patch, or tab, is exclusive to "identification badges" and authorized "marksmanship awards" according to the language in Navy Uniform Regulations, Chapter 5. Below are just a few of the many badges maintained by the Navy. The rest can be seen in the article cited at the top of this section:


title: United States Navy

text: The size, complexity, and international presence of the United States Navy requires a large number of navy installations to support its operations. While the majority of bases are located inside the United States itself, the Navy maintains a significant number of facilities abroad, either in U.S.-controlled territories or in foreign countries under a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).


title: United States Navy

text: The second largest concentration of installations is at Hampton Roads, Virginia, where the navy occupies over of land. Located at Hampton Roads are Naval Station Norfolk, homeport of the Atlantic Fleet; Naval Air Station Oceana, a Master Jet Base; Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek; and Training Support Center Hampton Roads as well as a number of Navy and commercial shipyards that service navy vessels. The Aegis Training and Readiness Center is located at the Naval Support Activity South Potomac in Dahlgren, Virginia. Maryland is home to NAS Patuxent River, which houses the Navy's Test Pilot School. Also located in Maryland is the United States Naval Academy, situated in Annapolis. NS Newport in Newport, Rhode Island is home to many schools and tenant commands, including the Officer Candidate School, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and more, and also maintains inactive ships.


title: United States Navy

text: There is also a naval base in Charleston, South Carolina. This is home to the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command, under which reside the Nuclear Field "A" Schools (for Machinist Mates (Nuclear), Electrician Mates (Nuclear), and Electronics Technicians (Nuclear)), Nuclear Power School (Officer and Enlisted); and one of two Nuclear Power Training Unit 'Prototype' schools. The state of Florida is the location of three major bases, NS Mayport, the Navy's fourth largest, in Jacksonville, Florida; NAS Jacksonville, a Master Air Anti-submarine Warfare base; and NAS Pensacola; home of the Naval Education and Training Command, the Naval Air Technical Training Center that provides specialty training for enlisted aviation personnel and is the primary flight training base for Navy and Marine Corps Naval Flight Officers and enlisted Naval Aircrewmen. There is also NSA Panama City, Florida which is home to the Center for Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Divising (CENEODIVE) and the Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center and NSA Orlando, Florida, which home to the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD).


title: United States Navy

text: The main U.S. Navy submarine bases on the east coast are located in Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut and NSB Kings Bay in Kings Bay, Georgia. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard near Portsmouth, New Hampshire, which repairs naval submarines. NS Great Lakes, north of Chicago, Illinois is the home of the Navy's boot camp for enlisted sailors.


title: United States Navy

text: The Washington Navy Yard in Washington, DC is the Navy's oldest shore establishment and serves as a ceremonial and administrative center for the U.S. Navy, home to the Chief of Naval Operations and numerous commands.


title: United States Navy

text: The U.S. Navy's largest complex is Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, which covers of land, or approximately one-third of the U.S. Navy's total land holdings.


title: United States Navy

text: Naval Base San Diego, California is the main homeport of the Pacific Fleet, although its headquarters is located in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. NAS North Island is located on the north side of Coronado, California, and is home to Headquarters for Naval Air Forces and Naval Air Force Pacific, the bulk of the Pacific Fleet's helicopter squadrons, and part of the West Coast aircraft carrier fleet. NAB Coronado is located on the southern end of the Coronado Island and is home to the navy's west coast SEAL teams and special boat units. NAB Coronado is also home to the Naval Special Warfare Center, the primary training center for SEALs.


title: United States Navy

text: The other major collection of naval bases on the west coast is in Puget Sound, Washington. Among them, NS Everett is one of the newer bases and the navy states that it is its most modern facility.


title: United States Navy

text: NAS Fallon, Nevada serves as the primary training ground for navy strike aircrews and is home to the Naval Strike Air Warfare Center. Master Jet Bases are also located at NAS Lemoore, California, and NAS Whidbey Island, Washington, while the carrier-based airborne early warning aircraft community and major air test activities are located at NAS Point Mugu, California. The naval presence in Hawaii is centered on NS Pearl Harbor, which hosts the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet and many of its subordinate commands.


title: United States Navy

text: Guam, an island strategically located in the Western Pacific Ocean, maintains a sizable U.S. Navy presence, including NB Guam. The westernmost U.S. territory, it contains a natural deepwater harbor capable of harboring aircraft carriers in emergencies. Its naval air station was deactivated in 1995 and its flight activities transferred to nearby Andersen Air Force Base.


title: United States Navy

text: Puerto Rico in the Caribbean formerly housed NS Roosevelt Roads, which was shut down in 2004 shortly after the controversial closure of the live ordnance training area on nearby Vieques Island.


title: United States Navy

text: The largest overseas base is the United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, which serves as the home port for the navy's largest forward-deployed fleet and is a significant base of operations in the Western Pacific.


title: United States Navy

text: European operations revolve around facilities in Italy (NAS Sigonella and Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Naples) with NSA Naples as the homeport for the Sixth Fleet and Command Naval Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia (CNREURAFSWA), and additional facilities in nearby Gaeta. There is also NS Rota in Spain and NSA Souda Bay in Greece.


title: United States Navy

text: In the Middle East, naval facilities are located almost exclusively in countries bordering the Persian Gulf, with NSA Bahrain serving as the headquarters of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. Fifth Fleet.


title: United States Navy

text: NS Guantanamo Bay in Cuba is the oldest overseas facility and has become known in recent years as the location of a detention camp for suspected al-Qaeda operatives.


title: United States Navy

text: , the navy operates over 460 ships, including vessels operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC) crewed by a combination of civilian contractors and a small number of uniformed Naval personnel, 3,650+ aircraft, 50,000 non-combat vehicles and owns 75,200 buildings on .


title: United States Navy

text: The names of commissioned ships of the U.S. Navy are prefixed with the letters "USS", designating "United States Ship". Non-commissioned, civilian-manned vessels of the navy have names that begin with "USNS", standing for "United States Naval Ship". The names of ships are officially selected by the secretary of the navy, often to honor important people or places. Additionally, each ship is given a letter-based hull classification symbol (for example, CVN or DDG) to indicate the vessel's type and number. All ships in the navy inventory are placed in the Naval Vessel Register, which is part of "the Navy List" (required by article 29 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). The register tracks data such as the current status of a ship, the date of its commissioning, and the date of its decommissioning. Vessels that are removed from the register prior to disposal are said to be "stricken" from the register. The navy also maintains a reserve fleet of inactive vessels that are maintained for reactivation in times of need.


title: United States Navy

text: The U.S. Navy was one of the first to install nuclear reactors aboard naval vessels; today, nuclear energy powers all active U.S. aircraft carriers and submarines. In the case of the carrier, two naval reactors give the ship almost unlimited range and provide enough electrical energy to power a city of 100,000 people. The U.S. Navy previously operated nuclear-powered cruisers, but all have been decommissioned.


title: United States Navy

text: In the early 2010, the U.S. Navy had identified a need for 313 combat ships, but could only afford 232 to 243 ships. In March 2014, the Navy started counting self-deployable support ships such as minesweepers, surveillance craft, and tugs in the "battle fleet" to reach a count of 272 as of October 2016, and it includes ships that have been put in "shrink wrap". The number of ships generally ranged between 270 and 300 throughout the late 2010s. As of February 2022, the Navy has 296 battle force ships, however analyses state the Navy needs a fleet of more than 500 to meet its commitments.


title: United States Navy

text: An aircraft carrier is typically deployed along with a host of additional vessels, forming a carrier strike group. The supporting ships, which usually include three or four Aegis-equipped cruisers and destroyers, a frigate, and two attack submarines, are tasked with protecting the carrier from air, missile, sea, and undersea threats as well as providing additional strike capabilities themselves. Ready logistics support for the group is provided by a combined ammunition, oiler, and supply ship. Modern carriers are named after American admirals and politicians, usually presidents.


title: United States Navy

text: The Navy has a statutory requirement for a minimum of 11 aircraft carriers. Currently there are 10 that are deployable and one, , that is currently undergoing extensive systems and technologies testing until around 2021. All US aircraft carriers are nuclear-powered; they and submarines are the only nuclear-powered Navy vessels.


title: United States Navy

text: Amphibious assault ships are the centerpieces of US amphibious warfare and fulfill the same power projection role as aircraft carriers except that their striking force centers on land forces instead of aircraft. They deliver, command, coordinate, and fully support all elements of a 2,200-strong Marine Expeditionary Unit in an amphibious assault using both air and amphibious vehicles. Resembling small aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships are capable of V/STOL, STOVL, VTOL, tiltrotor, and rotary wing aircraft operations. They also contain a well deck to support the use of Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) and other amphibious assault watercraft. Recently, amphibious assault ships have begun to be deployed as the core of an expeditionary strike group, which usually consists of an additional amphibious transport dock and dock landing ship for amphibious warfare and an Aegis-equipped cruiser and destroyer, frigate, and attack submarine for group defense. Amphibious assault ships are typically named after World War II aircraft carriers.


title: United States Navy

text: Amphibious transport docks are warships that embark, transport, and land Marines, supplies, and equipment in a supporting role during amphibious warfare missions. With a landing platform, amphibious transport docks also have the capability to serve as secondary aviation support for an expeditionary group. All amphibious transport docks can operate helicopters, LCACs, and other conventional amphibious vehicles while the newer "San Antonio" class of ships has been explicitly designed to operate all three elements of the Marines' "mobility triad": Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles (EFVs), the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, and LCACs. Amphibious transport docks are typically named after U.S. cities.


title: United States Navy

text: The dock landing ship is a medium amphibious transport that is designed specifically to support and operate LCACs, though it is able to operate other amphibious assault vehicles in the United States inventory as well. Dock landing ships are normally deployed as a component of an expeditionary strike group's amphibious assault contingent, operating as a secondary launch platform for LCACs. All dock landing ships are named after cities or important places in U.S. and U.S. Naval history.


title: United States Navy

text: Cruisers are large surface combat vessels that conduct anti-air/anti-missile warfare, surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and strike operations independently or as members of a larger task force. Modern guided missile cruisers were developed out of a need to counter the anti-ship missile threat facing the United States Navy. This led to the development of the AN/SPY-1 phased array radar and the Standard missile with the Aegis combat system coordinating the two. s were the first to be equipped with Aegis and were put to use primarily as anti-air and anti-missile defense in a battle force protection role. Later developments of vertical launch systems and the Tomahawk missile gave cruisers additional long-range land and sea strike capability, making them capable of both offensive and defensive battle operations. The "Ticonderoga" class is the only active class of cruiser. All cruisers in this class are named after battles.


title: United States Navy

text: Destroyers are multi-mission medium surface ships capable of sustained performance in anti-air, anti-submarine, anti-ship, and offensive strike operations. Like cruisers, guided missile destroyers are primarily focused on surface strikes using Tomahawk missiles and fleet defense through Aegis and the Standard missile. Destroyers additionally specialize in anti-submarine warfare and are equipped with VLA rockets and LAMPS Mk III Sea Hawk helicopters to deal with underwater threats. When deployed with a carrier strike group or expeditionary strike group, destroyers and their fellow Aegis-equipped cruisers are primarily tasked with defending the fleet while providing secondary strike capabilities. With very few exceptions, destroyers are named after U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard heroes.


title: United States Navy

text: Modern U.S. frigates mainly perform anti-submarine warfare for carrier and expeditionary strike groups and provide armed escort for supply convoys and merchant shipping. They are designed to protect friendly ships against hostile submarines in low to medium threat environments, using torpedoes and LAMPS helicopters. Independently, frigates are able to conduct counterdrug missions and other maritime interception operations. As in the case of destroyers, frigates are named after U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard heroes. As of autumn 2015, the U.S. Navy has retired its most recent class of frigates and expects that by 2020 the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) will assume many of the duties the frigate had with the fleet.


title: United States Navy

text: The LCS is a class of relatively small surface vessels intended for operations in the littoral zone (close to shore). It was "envisioned to be a networked, agile, stealthy surface combatant capable of defeating anti-access and asymmetric threats in the littorals". They have the capabilities of a small assault transport, including a flight deck and hangar for housing two helicopters, a stern ramp for operating small boats, and the cargo volume and payload to deliver a small assault force with fighting vehicles to a roll-on/roll-off port facility. The ship is easy to reconfigure for different roles, including anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, homeland defense, maritime intercept, special operations, and logistics, all by swapping mission-specific modules as needed.


title: United States Navy

text: The LCS program is still relatively new as of 2018 with only ten active ships, but the navy has announced plans for up to 32 ships. The navy has announced that a further 20 vessels to be built after that will be redesignated as 'frigates'.


title: United States Navy

text: A special case is the , commissioned in 1797 as one of the original six frigates of the United States Navy, and which remains in commission at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston. She serves as a tribute to the heritage of the Navy, and occasionally sails for commemorative events such as Independence Day and various victories during the War of 1812. "Constitution" is currently the oldest commissioned warship afloat (, though older and also in common, is in permanent drydock).


title: United States Navy

text: Mine countermeasures vessels are a combination of minehunters, a naval vessel that actively detects and destroys individual naval mines, and minesweepers, which clear mined areas as a whole, without prior detection of the mines. The navy has approximately a dozen of these in active service, but the mine countermeasure (MCM) role is also being assumed by the incoming classes of littoral combat ships. MCM vessels have mostly legacy names of previous US Navy ships, especially WWII-era minesweepers.


title: United States Navy

text: A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties. There have been many designs for patrol boats, though the navy currently has only a single class. They may be operated by a nation's navy or coast guard, and may be intended for marine ("blue water") or estuarine or river ("brown water") environments. The Navy has approximately a dozen in active service, which are mainly used in the littoral regions of the Persian Gulf, but have also been used for home port patrols and drug interdiction missions. The navy's current class of patrol boats have names based on weather phenomena.


title: United States Navy

text: All current and planned U.S. Navy submarines are nuclear-powered, as only nuclear propulsion allows for the combination of stealth and long duration, high-speed sustained underwater movement that makes modern nuclear submarines quite vital to a modern blue-water navy. The U.S. Navy operates three types: ballistic missile submarines, guided missile submarines, and attack submarines. U.S. Navy (nuclear) ballistic missile submarines carry the stealthiest leg of the U.S. strategic triad (the other legs are the land-based U.S. strategic missile force and the air-based U.S. strategic bomber force). These submarines have only one mission: to carry and, if called upon, to launch the Trident nuclear missile. The primary missions of attack and guided missile submarines in the U.S. Navy are peacetime engagement, surveillance and intelligence, special operations, precision strikes, and control of the seas. To these, attack submarines also add the battlegroup operations mission. Attack and guided missile submarines have several tactical missions, including sinking ships and other subs, launching cruise missiles, gathering intelligence, and assisting in special operations.


title: United States Navy

text: As with other classes of naval vessels, most U.S. submarines (or "boats") are named according to specific conventions. The boats of the current U.S. ballistic missile submarine class, , are named after U.S. states. As the four current U.S. guided missile submarines are converted "Ohio"-class boats, they have retained their U.S. state names. The members of the oldest currently-commissioned attack submarine class, the , are typically named for cities. The follow-on ' three submarines—"Seawolf", "Connecticut" and "Jimmy Carter"—share no consistent naming scheme. With the current attack submarines, the U.S. Navy has extended the "Ohio" class' state-based naming scheme to these submarines. Attack submarines prior to the "Los Angeles" class were named for denizens of the deep, while pre-"Ohio"-class ballistic missile submarines were named for famous Americans and foreigners with notable connections to the United States.


title: United States Navy

text: Carrier-based aircraft are able to strike air, sea, and land targets far from a carrier strike group while protecting friendly forces from enemy aircraft, ships, and submarines. In peacetime, aircraft's ability to project the threat of sustained attack from a mobile platform on the seas gives United States leaders significant diplomatic and crisis-management options. Aircraft additionally provide logistics support to maintain the navy's readiness and, through helicopters, supply platforms with which to conduct search and rescue, special operations, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and anti-surface warfare (ASuW), including the U.S. Navy's premier Maritime Strike and only organic ASW aircraft, the venerable Sikorsky MH-60R operated by Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing.


title: United States Navy

text: The U.S. Navy began to research the use of aircraft at sea in the 1910s, with Lieutenant Theodore G. "Spuds" Ellyson becoming the first naval aviator on 28 January 1911, and commissioned its first aircraft carrier, , in 1922. United States naval aviation fully came of age in World War II, when it became clear following the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Coral Sea, and the Battle of Midway that aircraft carriers and the planes that they carried had replaced the battleship as the greatest weapon on the seas. Leading navy aircraft in World War II included the Grumman F4F Wildcat, the Grumman F6F Hellcat, the Chance Vought F4U Corsair, the Douglas SBD Dauntless, and the Grumman TBF Avenger. Navy aircraft also played a significant role in conflicts during the following Cold War years, with the F-4 Phantom II and the F-14 Tomcat becoming military icons of the era. The navy's current primary fighter-attack airplane is the multi-mission F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The F-35C entered service in 2019. The Navy is also looking to eventually replace its F/A-18E/F Super Hornets with the F/A-XX program.


title: United States Navy

text: The Aircraft Investment Plan sees naval aviation growing from 30 percent of current aviation forces to half of all procurement funding over the next three decades.


title: United States Navy

text: Current U.S. Navy shipboard weapons systems are almost entirely focused on missiles, both as a weapon and as a threat. In an offensive role, missiles are intended to strike targets at long distances with accuracy and precision. Because they are unmanned weapons, missiles allow for attacks on heavily defended targets without risk to human pilots. Land strikes are the domain of the BGM-109 Tomahawk, which was first deployed in the 1980s and is continually being updated to increase its capabilities. For anti-ship strikes, the navy's dedicated missile is the Harpoon Missile. To defend against enemy missile attack, the navy operates a number of systems that are all coordinated by the Aegis combat system. Medium-long range defense is provided by the Standard Missile 2, which has been deployed since the 1980s. The Standard missile doubles as the primary shipboard anti-aircraft weapon and is undergoing development for use in theater ballistic missile defense. Short range defense against missiles is provided by the Phalanx CIWS and the more recently developed RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile. In addition to missiles, the navy employs Mark 46 and Mark 50 torpedoes and various types of naval mines.


title: United States Navy

text: Naval fixed-wing aircraft employ much of the same weapons as the United States Air Force for both air-to-air and air-to-surface combat. Air engagements are handled by the heat-seeking Sidewinder and the radar guided AMRAAM missiles along with the M61 Vulcan cannon for close range dogfighting. For surface strikes, navy aircraft use a combination of missiles, smart bombs, and dumb bombs. On the list of available missiles are the Maverick, SLAM-ER and JSOW. Smart bombs include the GPS-guided JDAM and the laser-guided Paveway series. Unguided munitions such as dumb bombs and cluster bombs make up the rest of the weapons deployed by fixed-wing aircraft.


title: United States Navy

text: Rotary aircraft weapons are focused on anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and light to medium surface engagements. To combat submarines, helicopters use Mark 46 and Mark 50 torpedoes. Against small watercraft, they use Hellfire and Penguin air to surface missiles. Helicopters also employ various types of mounted anti-personnel machine guns, including the M60, M240, GAU-16/A, and GAU-17/A.


title: United States Navy

text: Nuclear weapons in the U.S. Navy arsenal are deployed through ballistic missile submarines and aircraft. The "Ohio"-class submarine carries the latest iteration of the Trident missile, a three-stage, submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) with MIRV capability; the current Trident II (D5) version is expected to be in service past 2020. The navy's other nuclear weapon is the air-deployed B61 nuclear bomb. The B61 is a thermonuclear device that can be dropped by strike aircraft such as the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet at high speed from a large range of altitudes. It can be released through free-fall or parachute and can be set to detonate in the air or on the ground.


title: United States Navy

text: The current naval jack of the United States is the Union Jack, a small blue flag emblazoned with the stars of the 50 states. The Union Jack was not flown for the duration of the War on Terror, during which Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England directed all U.S. naval ships to fly the First Navy Jack. While Secretary England directed the change on 31 May 2002, many ships chose to shift colors later that year in remembrance of the first anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Union Jack, however, remained in use with vessels of the U.S. Coast Guard and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A jack of similar design to the Union Jack was used in 1794, with 13 stars arranged in a 3–2–3–2–3 pattern. When a ship is moored or anchored, the jack is flown from the bow of the ship while the ensign is flown from the stern. When underway, the ensign is raised on the mainmast. Before the decision for all ships to fly the First Navy Jack, it was flown only on the oldest ship in the active American fleet, which is currently . U.S. Navy ships and craft returned to flying the Union Jack effective 4 June 2019. The date for reintroduction of the jack commemorates the Battle of Midway, which began on 4 June 1942.


title: United States Navy

text: Notable officers include John P. Jones, John Barry "(Continental Navy officer and first flag officer of the United States Navy)", Edward Preble, James Lawrence "(whose last words "don't give up the ship" are memorialized in Bancroft Hall at the United States Naval Academy",) Stephen Decatur Jr., David Farragut, David D. Porter, Oliver H. Perry, Commodore Matthew Perry "(who, under the direction of President Millard Fillmore, forced the opening of Japan)", George Dewey "(the only person in U.S. history to have attained the rank of Admiral of the Navy"")", and the officers who attained the highest rank of Fleet Admiral during World War II: William D. Leahy, Ernest J. King, Chester W. Nimitz, and William F. Halsey Jr.


title: United States Navy

text: The first American President who served in the U.S. Navy was John F. Kennedy "(who commanded the famous PT-109 in World War II)"; he was then followed by Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H. W. Bush.


title: United States Navy

text: Some notable former members of the Navy include U.S. Senators, Bob Kerrey, John McCain, and John Kerry, along with Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida, and Jesse Ventura, Governor of Minnesota.


title: United States Navy

text: Notable former members of the U.S. Navy include; astronauts (Alan B. Shepard, Walter M. Schirra, Neil Armstrong, John Young, Michael J. Smith, Scott Kelly), entertainers (Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas, Paul Newman, Robert Stack, Humphrey Bogart, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Don Rickles, Ernest Borgnine, Harry Belafonte, Henry Fonda, Fred Gwynne), authors (Robert Heinlein, Brandon Webb, Marcus Luttrell), musicians, (John Philip Sousa, MC Hammer, John Coltrane, Fred Durst), professional athletes (David Robinson, Bill Sharman, Roger Staubach, Joe Bellino, Alejandro Villanueva, Bob Kuberski, Nile Kinnick, Bob Feller, Yogi Berra, Larry Doby, Stan Musial, Pee Wee Reese, Phil Rizzuto, Jack Taylor), business people (John S. Barry, Jack C. Taylor, Paul A. Sperry), and computer scientists (Grace Hopper).


title: Black Adam

text: Black Adam, real name Teth/Theo-Adam, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck, and first appeared in the debut issue of Fawcett Comics' "The Marvel Family" comic book in December 1945. Since DC Comics licensed and acquired Fawcett's characters in the 1970s, Black Adam has endured as one of the archenemies of the superhero Captain Marvel / Shazam and the Marvel Family (a.k.a. Shazam Family), alongside Doctor Sivana and Mister Mind.


title: Black Adam

text: Black Adam was originally depicted as a supervillain and the ancient Egyptian predecessor of Captain Marvel, who fought his way to modern times to challenge the hero and his Marvel Family associates. Since the turn of the 21st century, however, Black Adam has been redefined by DC Comics writers Jerry Ordway, Geoff Johns, and David S. Goyer as a corrupted antihero attempting to clear his name and reputation. Featured roles in such comic book series as "Justice Society of America", "Villains United", "Infinite Crisis", and "52" have elevated the character's prominence in the DC Universe, culminating with DC's 2021 line-wide "Infinite Frontier" relaunch, wherein he joins the Justice League as Mighty Adam. In 2009, Black Adam was ranked as IGN's 16th-greatest comic book villain of all time.


title: Black Adam

text: Dwayne Johnson voiced Black Adam in "DC League of Super-Pets" (2022), before starring as him in his live-action debut in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film "Black Adam" (2022), following a silent digital cameo in "Shazam!" (2019).


title: Black Adam

text: The canon version of Black Adam appeared only once during Fawcett's initial publication run of Captain Marvel comics. In "The Marvel Family" #1, Black Adam is an ancient Egyptian named Teth-Adam (i.e., "Mighty Human"), who is chosen by the wizard Shazam to be his successor due to his presumed moral purity. This story is reprinted in DC's "Shazam!" #8 (1973), which is his first appearance in the Bronze Age.


title: Black Adam

text: When Teth-Adam says the magic word "Shazam", he is transformed into the Mighty Adam, a superpowered being possessing the same powers that Captain Marvel (Shazam) would later be granted; however, the Mighty Adam is soon corrupted by the vastness of his powers. Originally, the wizard Shazam grants Adam powers derived from ancient Greco-Roman deities; later in the series, it was changed to ancient Egyptian deities.


title: Black Adam

text: Deciding that he should rule the world, the 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.


title: Black Adam

text: Black Adam spends the next 5,000 years flying back to Earth. By the time he makes it back, in 1945, Shazam has appointed three new champions to take his place: Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., and Mary Marvel. Adam's attempts to take over the world cause the Marvels to seek counsel with Shazam, who tells them about Black Adam. Adam succeeds in gagging Billy and Freddy while they are talking to Shazam. He then ties them up, planning to kill them later. Uncle Marvel releases them while Mary battles Black Adam, enabling them to transform.


title: Black Adam

text: Adam does battle with the trio, known as the Marvel Family, but since all are equally invulnerable, the fight goes on and on without resolution. The non-powered Marvel Family member Uncle Marvel gets an idea from Shazam and tricks Adam into saying "Shazam," reverting him to Teth-Adam. The thousands of years it took traveling to earth catch up to him, and he's transformed into a skeleton.


title: Black Adam

text: Black Adam's costume is almost identical to Captain Marvel's—except that Black Adam's costume is black and golden yellow, instead of red and golden yellow.


title: Black Adam

text: Though Adam is defeated in the same story which he debuted, the DC version of Adam is resurrected and revitalized nearly 30 years later in Philadelphia by Doctor Sivana's reincarnation machine in DC Comics' "Shazam!" revival of the Marvel Family characters. He then destroys the machine so it cannot be used against him, much to Sivana's annoyance.


title: Black Adam

text: According to "Shazam!" #28 (Black Adam's first "Bronze Age" appearance, but second actual appearance, after "The Marvel Family #1") Black Adam gets his powers from Shu (stamina), Hershef (strength), Amon (power), Zehuti (Thoth) (wisdom), Anpu (speed), and Menthu (courage). Black Adam accidentally time-travels back to 1776 while going to the Rock of Eternity to destroy Shazam at Sivana's request, as Sivana felt Adam's powers would be wiped out as well, but Captain Marvel accidentally throws him back in time. He and Captain Marvel battle, during which Black Adam realizes he will have to do something drastic and tricky to defeat Marvel. Adam gets his transformative lightning to strike Captain Marvel, transforming Captain Marvel back to Billy. He then seizes Billy and covers his mouth before he can finish saying his magic word, "SHAZAM!!".


title: Black Adam

text: He then flies to a nearby ship where he obtains a length of rope which he uses to bind and gag Billy, after which he throws him into the sea. However, Billy swims to the surface, and is rescued by a colonist rebel, and freed. He realizes the rebel is Paul Revere, which was ironic since earlier in the story, he repaired Revere's statue. Billy then returns to his own time where Shazam tells him Black Adam is there. Adam comes to Captain Marvel to exact revenge, when during a short battle, Adam is once again tricked by Captain Marvel into saying "Shazam." Adam then gets amnesia as a result of a powerful punch from Captain Marvel.


title: Black Adam

text: After that, Black Adam is also involved with Karmang in the "All-New Collectors' Edition" #C-58 (Black Adam's third appearance, but second new appearance in the Bronze Age) and tries to destroy both Superman and Captain Marvel.


title: Black Adam

text: After several more defeats at Captain Marvel's hands, Adam joins Mister Mind's final Pre-"Crisis" version of the Monster Society of Evil which stages an assault on the Rock of Eternity. The evil god of magic Oggar summons an evil army from the sands and dust of Egypt for Adam to lead after muting Billy with his magic. They escape, despite being defeated.


title: Black Adam

text: When last seen during the Crisis On Infinite Earths (Pre-"Crisis" version), Adam was fighting the heroes on the five remaining and partially merged Earths.


title: Black Adam

text: Black Adam is reintroduced to the DC Universe in "The Power of Shazam!" graphic novel by Jerry Ordway in 1994 (an earlier Post-Crisis version of the character appeared in "Shazam!: The New Beginning" and "War of the Gods", but these appearances are not considered canonical). In that story and the subsequent "Power of Shazam!" ongoing series, Adam is a deadly and evil adversary for Captain Marvel.


title: Black Adam

text: In this revised origin, 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 the Mighty Adam by speaking the name "Shazam", an acronym for the 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. He does not draw powers from Shazam due to the demoness Blaze making a deal with the Egyptian god Set.


title: Black Adam

text: The 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. 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 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.


title: Black Adam

text: 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"). Disillusioned by what he perceived as Adam's betrayal, Shazam waits several millennia before appointing a second champion to fight evil in his name.


title: Black Adam

text: During the late 20th century, an unscrupulous archaeological aide named Theo Adam is assigned to the Malcolm Expedition, financed by the Sivana Foundation to excavate the tomb of Ramesses II. Adam uncovers Khem-Adam's tomb in a secret passageway, and leads his superiors, C.C. Batson and his wife Marilyn, to the discovery. Upon first sight of Khem-Adam's scarab, Theo Adam becomes obsessed with the artifact, and kills both Batsons to steal it. Escaping Egypt, Theo Adam soon made his way back to America.


title: Black Adam

text: The Batsons' son, Billy, has been left behind in the United States, and is drafted by Shazam to become the wizard's second champion, Captain Marvel. When Theo Adam first encounters Captain Marvel, he notes both Marvel's identical appearance to C.C. Batson and the lightning-bolt insignia on Marvel's chest that had also decorated Khem-Adam's tomb. Adam therefore has a revelation, and realizes that he is a reincarnation of Khem-Adam. Grasping his stolen scarab, Adam speaks Shazam's name and is transformed into the super-powered Black Adam.


title: Black Adam

text: Black Adam reveals himself to Captain Marvel as the Batsons' killer, and the two battle. Captain Marvel emerges victorious by snatching Adam's scarab, and therefore his power, away from him. However, he saves him from being crushed by a falling building. Marvel brings Theo Adam to Shazam, who wipes Adam's memory and takes away his voice, so that he cannot access his powers. This solution proves temporary, as Blaze re-enters her former lover's life and helps restore his voice, memory, and powers.


title: Black Adam

text: Although Adam appears during the "Power of Shazam!" ongoing series' first year of publication as a villain, towards the end of the series' run, Adam returns and announces that Black Adam and Theo Adam are separate personalities. Black Adam stands trial again for the murders of the Batsons, and is acquitted when it is revealed that his fingerprints do not match those of Theo Adam.


title: Black Adam

text: The reformed Black Adam is still vulnerable to his murderous host's influence, and he attacks the Justice Society of America under Theo Adam's control in "JSA" #6 (1999). In subsequent issues, Adam joins supervillain Johnny Sorrow's Injustice Society after Sorrow removes a malignant tumor from Adam's brain. He is sent to battle Wildcat, and easily defeats him, showing how easily he could kill him by taking him about 25,000 feet above the ground—just high enough for them to talk while unable to go any higher without the human Wildcat freezing or suffocating—explaining the different ways he could kill him, and asking what he will give for his life.


title: Black Adam

text: He shows him the Rock of Eternity where Sorrow has turned Shazam to stone with his cursed face that usually kills those that see him, also making contact with the Spectre, who provides them with additional information. Adam soon betrays Sorrow, and he and the JSA defeat the Injustice Society. Black Adam briefly gives Flash the speed of Heru enabling him to defeat Johnny Sorrow by hitting him at near-lightspeed when he is paralyzed after Doctor Mid-Nite showed Sorrow a previously recorded image of his own face, sending him from Earth to another dimension.


title: Black Adam

text: Flash meets Black Adam in the past, where he has been sent due to the great speed he traveled, and again uses his speed, this time to return to his own time. After the Flash returns, Black Adam helps the JSA battle the Sin-Eater, a Thanagarian demon. Claiming to be free of Theo's evil influence again, a repentant Black Adam requests membership in the Justice Society, and is granted a probationary membership in "JSA" #21 (2002).


title: Black Adam

text: During their tenure on "JSA", writers Geoff Johns and David S. Goyer redefined Adam's personality and background, focusing on the character's old-fashioned and militant ideals of justice, and his officious and strongly opinionated attitude. Despite this, he has stated on many occasions that he respects the Justice Society, particularly members such as Jay Garrick. Several other JSA members are shown to be skeptical of Adam's reformation; primary among them is the Atom Smasher, who later becomes Adam's close friend after Adam sympathizes with his decision to kill the near-immortal to save his mother.


title: Black Adam

text: The writers also created added tension in the book by having Captain Marvel, who is wholly unconvinced that Adam has reformed, join the team. One "JSA" story arc (issues 39 through 44) features Marvel, Hawkgirl, and Mr. Terrific venturing back in time to ancient Egypt, where they meet the Mighty Adam before his corruption. During this visit, the Mighty Adam is grateful to meet Captain Marvel since Marvel's presence demonstrates that his legacy will survive him even with his children gone.


title: Black Adam

text: When Marvel transforms back into Billy Batson, Adam expresses admiration for the young man's ability to handle the power of Shazam at such a young age, something he doubts he could have achieved himself. After returning to the present, Marvel notes that he has a better understanding of Adam's motives now after learning about the loss of Adam's family. Adam rebuffs the offer, commenting that Marvel cannot truly understand him, stating that, while they are not enemies, they will never be friends.


title: Black Adam

text: Johns and Goyer used this story arc to slightly alter Adam's origin. The hero now hails from the fictional North African nation of Kahndaq, not Egypt, although he serves the Egyptian prince Khufu (who is later reincarnated as JSA member Hawkman). The character of Blaze is completely removed from the origin story, and Adam's rage is described as having resulted from the conquering of Kahndaq (and the murder of his wife and children) at the hands of a magically powered supervillain named Ahk-ton (whose powers resemble the future hero Metamorpho), who is working with the notorious immortal Vandal Savage. The Mighty Adam kills Ahk-ton during the struggle and returns to Kahndaq to reclaim it by any means necessary, including murder. The wizard Shazam does not agree with Adam's actions, and robs Adam of his powers and kills him.


title: Black Adam

text: In "JSA" #45 (2003), Black Adam and his teammate the Atom Smasher both defect from the Justice Society, expressing dissatisfaction with the team's refusal to cross certain lines. During the next few issues, Adam forms his own organization, which administers justice the way Adam wants it: "an eye for an eye". His roster includes a mix of DC heroes and villains, including the Atom Smasher, Brainwave (who is possessed by Mister Mind), Northwind and the rest of the society of Feithera, Nemesis, and former JSA museum curator Alex Montez, the human host of the demon Eclipso. Adam's collective executes Kobra, a villain who has been acquitted by the legal system (albeit because his followers had threatened to blow themselves up if he was not released) when the JSA could have spared them his escape and the hassle of a trial by simply killing Kobra when he was first captured. Adam then turns his attentions to his old homeland of Kahndaq, now ruled by a militant dictator whose actions had long been ignored by the United Nations.


title: Black Adam

text: Late 2003 began the publication of a "JSA"/"Hawkman" crossover story arc titled "Black Reign", written by Geoff Johns alone, which features Adam and his militia's hostile takeover of Kahndaq. A war soon breaks out, with Adam, his comrades, and the Kahndaqi people on one side, and the Justice Society on the other. The dictator is finally killed by Atom Smasher. By the end of the arc, the JSA leaves Adam in control of Kahndaq, provided that he does not leave its borders, convincing him that he cannot enforce his rule on the world or he is no better than the dictator he had defeated.


title: Black Adam

text: Brainwave is saved by the JSA, Mister Mind is apprehended thanks to the Atom infiltrating Brainwave's head—as part of an undercover mission to confirm whether Adam was brainwashing his comrades—and Nemesis and Alex both die during the battle when Alex loses control of Eclipso. Only Northwind and the Atom Smasher remain at Adam's side, with the Atom Smasher later leaving when a time-travelling clash with Degaton results in him meeting Al Pratt in the 1950s and re-evaluating his past motivations.


title: Black Adam

text: As Kahndaq's ruler, Adam is depicted as fiercely working to protect his people and his nation, although his arrogance is still a handicap; when the Spectre attacked Kahndaq after being corrupted by Eclipso, Black Adam actually told his people that the JSA were also their enemy because he did not want to give his people the impression that he needed help to protect them, despite the fact that he was clearly outmatched by the Spectre's power.


title: Black Adam

text: Black Adam is featured heavily in DC's 2005 "Infinite Crisis" crossover, primarily in the "Villains United" miniseries as a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains (which he only joins to protect Kahndaq from the Society). Concurrently, in "JSA", the Atom Smasher leaves Adam's side to return to the JSA.


title: Black Adam

text: The Society is run by Alexander Luthor Jr., a character from the alternate world of Earth-Three, who disguises himself as the Lex Luthor of the Post-"Crisis" Earth. The "Infinite Crisis" limited series centers around Alexander Luthor's plan to restore the Multiverse. Needing a member of the Marvel Family to power the apparatus he has designed to recreate the alternate Earths of the Multiverse, Luthor has the Society betray and capture Black Adam. With the help of the mind-controlling powers of the Psycho-Pirate, Luthor is able to control Adam and have him call down the Shazam magic lightning bolt to fuel the apparatus.


title: Black Adam

text: The Spectre's rampage during the "Day of Vengeance" storyline has reverted all magic in the DC Universe to a raw, chaotic structure, and the death of the wizard Shazam has transformed him into a tether that can be used to harness magic, allowing Alexander to use any member of the Marvel family to power his equipment if the wizard's name is spoken. By the end of the miniseries, Black Adam is freed by Superboy and Nightwing. Adam quickly kills Psycho-Pirate and, following a failed attempt to defeat Superboy-Prime (which reveals that magic does not affect Superboy-Prime, as Adam's blows allegedly only "tickled"), he is transported to Earth-5 when he is punched too far from the Tower by Superboy-Prime. He joins the heroes, (although he is generally regarded as being on his own side by the other combatants), in the Battle of Metropolis, destroying Amazo shortly after his arrival.


title: Black Adam

text: Black Adam appears as a featured character in DC's weekly "52" comic book. Depicted as the violent protector of the nation of Kahndaq, Adam kills several supervillains in public and on television to demonstrate his views. As a result, he is distrusted by the superhuman community.


title: Black Adam

text: In "52", DC introduces Adrianna Tomaz, the "most beautiful slave from Egypt" offered to Adam by Intergang as a token to curry his favor, along with $2,000,000 in African gold. Black Adam sends Intergang a message by killing Noose, by tearing his face apart, and sending the rest of the Intergang members home, leaving Adrianna behind.


title: Black Adam

text: During Week 10, he creates an international metahuman coalition against the perceived metahuman supremacy of the United States. He gets members of the Great Ten of China and Russia's Rocket Reds, among others, to join the coalition. Adrianna begins to counsel him and stays as a refugee. She makes him a ruler who shows more mercy and performs charitable acts.


title: Black Adam

text: In Week 12 of the series, Adam gains a magical amulet, hidden on the scarab in which Shazam imprisoned him. With help from Captain Marvel, who first thinks Adam is trying to attack him, he transforms Adrianna into the superheroine Isis.


title: Black Adam

text: Four weeks later, in Week 16, he proposes with a jewel given to Cleopatra by Caesar, and the two are married, with Captain Marvel and the rest of the Marvel Family as witnesses, Mary as bridesmaid. Renee Montoya and the Question prevent a suicide bomber, a child sent by Intergang, from ruining the wedding. For this they are awarded the country's highest honor, the Order of the Scarab, by Black Adam, although he is furious to find Renee is missing the ceremony while sleeping with a Kahndaqi woman from sorrow over killing a child.


title: Black Adam

text: In "52" Week 23, Black Adam and Isis, with the assistance of the Question and Renee Montoya, find Isis's brother Amon. Due to a failed escape attempt, Amon suffers near-fatal wounds from repeated beatings, meaning that he will never walk again. To save his life, Black Adam bestows a portion of his own power on the boy, as Captain Marvel did for Captain Marvel Jr. Isis's brother then becomes a new addition to the Black Marvel Family under the name Osiris. They help the Marvels beat the demonic Sabbac using their lightning strike on Halloween when he tries to sacrifice children to the demon Neron while several stories high. He is then moved to an unknown location. The Black Marvel Family also has a charity dinner with Venus Sivana, during which Osiris first meets a talking crocodile (whom Osiris names Sobek).


title: Black Adam

text: Osiris is accepted into the Teen Titans. Upon returning from a mission, he and the rest of the Black Marvel Family are attacked by the Suicide Squad. The Black Marvels defeat the Squad, but not before footage of them in battle (including Osiris's accidental killing of a Squad member who was attacking Isis) is captured by Amanda Waller, who uses it to further ruin the Black Marvel Family's reputation. Meanwhile, Kahndaq is struck by a number of natural disasters, which seem to have a supernatural origin. He engages in more beneficial activities, like a charity dinner with the Silvanas.


title: Black Adam

text: Wracked with guilt over the death of the Persuader, Osiris ventures to the Rock of Eternity and pleads with Captain Marvel to have his powers removed, as he fears Black Adam's influence (and those of his gods) has tainted him with evil. Black Adam arrives and the two battle until subdued by Isis and the Marvels. Osiris relents, seemingly accepting that he has repented enough for the Persuader's death, and accompanies the Black Marvel Family back home.


title: Black Adam

text: However, when Osiris and his friend Sobek, the talking crocodile, are alone, he admits that he was only putting up a front to appease those around him and that he could never forgive himself for killing anyone, as Black Adam has. Sobek advises Osiris that he should say Black Adam's name and rid himself of the powers he has come to hate. Osiris does so, only to be betrayed and brutally devoured by Sobek, while in his mortal form.


title: Black Adam

text: Isis and Adam confront Sobek after finding Osiris's body, who reveals that he is Famine, the Fourth Horseman of Apokolips, one of four creatures created by Intergang to attack Black Adam. Adam swiftly disposes of Sobek by hyper-elongating his jaws and does battle with the other three Horsemen. One of them, Pestilence, infects Isis with a deadly disease before Adam kills him and his partner War. A gravely ill Isis saves Adam from Death using her powers to send Death into the sky with a geyser of lava and tells Adam with her dying breath that she was wrong to try to change his views on justice, and that he should avenge both her and Osiris.


title: Black Adam

text: After the funeral in honor of his family, Adam attacks the neighboring Intergang-associated nation of Bialya in search of Death. Sick with grief over the death of his family, Adam proceeds to exterminate the entire 2,000,000-citizen population of Bialya in his hunt for his target. Upon confronting his family's killer, the enraged Adam battles a greatly enhanced Death, who has been feeding on the slaughter of Bialya's population. Despite his enhanced strength, Death is defeated by Adam with a barrage of mystic lightning. While torturing Death for an entire day, Adam learns the identity and whereabouts of the Horsemen's masters, flying off to Oolong Island in search of the Science Squad.


title: Black Adam

text: He easily gets past their defenses, even a weapon equivalent to the meteorite that killed the dinosaurs proving incapable of stopping him. Adam is subdued by the scientists, who projected a dimensional field into his mind the size of a football field, rendering him powerless. They then use an electro-crown to re-route his body's impulses and hold him as a prisoner. Dr. Sivana tortures Adam for weeks using the electrical crown, which only serves to enrage Adam further, who vows to tear them all apart.


title: Black Adam

text: The "Science Squad" makes a worldwide announcement that they plan to sell Black Adam as a living weapon to the highest bidder, resulting in the Justice Society assaulting the island to free Adam. It is revealed that Chang Tzu had built the Horsemen under orders of China, who wanted Adam and his family to be assassinated after Adam withdrew from the Freedom of Power Treaty. Adam refuses to be taken into custody for the destruction of Bialya, despite the requests of Atom-Smasher, once more flying off to seek revenge for the death of his family.


title: Black Adam

text: Enraged to the point of madness, Black Adam launched a week-long attack against the heroes of the world, referred to afterward as "World War III". Tearing across the globe, Adam destroys many historical landmarks, including the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Egyptian pyramids in his battle with dozens of superheroes who attempt to stop him. After fighting and defeating the Marvel Family, the Global Guardians, the Doom Patrol, and the Teen Titans, resulting in the deaths of Young Frankenstein and Terra, Adam's path of destruction eventually moves through China. Adam's sustained assault finally prompts the decimated Chinese superhero team the Great Ten to allow the Justice Society and a coalition of other American metahumans onto Chinese soil in an attempt to stop Adam.


title: Black Adam

text: Captain Marvel pleads with the Egyptian gods to stop Black Adam's rampage, but the gods laughingly inform Marvel that Black Adam has their blessing. Although he failed to remove Black Adam's powers, Captain Marvel gathers with a group of mystics, including Zatanna and the Phantom Stranger, to work a spell which would allow him to use his powers to transform Black Adam back to his human form instead of himself. Green Lantern (Alan Scott) and Power Girl restrained Black Adam as they dragged him into the lightning's path, but the resulting blast tears him from their hands.


title: Black Adam

text: Teth-Adam, once again human, escaped with the aid of the Atom Smasher, who carried him to safety after saving him from his fall. After Adam was de-powered, Marvel also changed Adam's magic word with his abilities as the new guardian of the Rock of Eternity, keeping it secret to prevent him from ever regaining his powers. Left mortal, Adam wandered the Middle East, attempting to guess the word that would restore his power.


title: Black Adam

text: Black Adam's quest to gain his powers back between the events of "52" and "Countdown" was depicted in a six-issue miniseries entitled "Black Adam: The Dark Age", published from late 2007 to early 2008. Sometime after his defeat in World War III, Adam gathers a small band of Kahndaqi men who still remain loyal to Adam and sneaks into a heavily guarded and war-torn Kahndaq in disguise (having had his minions beat him mercilessly to alter his appearance) to retrieve the bones of Isis. The men kill the guards at the tomb, and get Isis's remains.


title: Black Adam

text: Most of Adam's men perish in a battle with a band of soldiers waiting for Adam at the tomb, but Adam manages to escape with Isis's remains. When the Justice Society later arrives at the scene following the shootout, Atom Smasher finds Isis's left ring finger and wedding ring, which Adam accidentally dropped during his escape. One of Adam's loyal servants, Hassan, the last one surviving, offers himself as food to Adam to help him survive across the mountains.


title: Black Adam

text: Adam takes Isis's bones to a Lazarus Pit in the Himalayas with the intentions of using it to resurrect her, but cannot complete the process without either using all of Isis's bones (including the missing ring finger) or her magical amulet, which has gone missing. He makes his way to Doctor Fate's tower looking for the amulet, and finds the supervillain and sorcerer Felix Faust, who was trapped in the tower by Ralph Dibny during "52". Faust reveals to Adam that Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. broke Isis's amulet into several pieces and scattered them across the globe.


title: Black Adam

text: Realizing that Isis is powerful enough to free him from the tower, Faust agrees to help Adam locate the pieces of the amulet. He enacts a spell that allows Teth-Adam to transform into Black Adam by drawing from the residual magic remaining in Isis's bones, with Adam using her name as a magic word. However, Faust warns Adam to use his powers only when absolutely necessary, lest Adam drain all of Isis's remaining power and make her resurrection impossible.


title: Black Adam

text: Using a homing signal etched into his hand by Faust, Adam sets out across the globe hunting down the pieces of Isis's amulet. At the same time, the Justice Society is working with the Marvels to perfect a way of using the Shazam lightning bolt to track Black Adam and bring him to justice. In addition, a hired team of armed vigilantes covertly funded by the U.S. and several other nations is hunting Adam as well, and have developed an "Eternity bullet"—manufactured from shards of the Rock of Eternity—which can penetrate Adam's skin and kill him.


title: Black Adam

text: Despite these challenges, Adam is able to retrieve all of the pieces of Isis's amulet (and Atom Smasher meets with Adam in secret to give him Isis's ring finger, though he keeps the ring to himself). Adam spends the entire quest reciting the names of streets, signs, locations, moods, and emotions in hopes of stumbling upon his new magic word. At the very end of his quest, Teth-Adam walks into a Fawcett City malt shop and orders a chocolate egg cream—only to find that "chocolate egg cream" is what Captain Marvel changed his magic word to.


title: Black Adam

text: With his original powers restored, Adam flies to Fate's Tower and confronts Faust. He tells Faust that if he crosses him, he will come after them. Faust attempts to resurrect Isis and apparently succeeds, but the resurrection fails, and Isis's bones crumble to the floor after swearing eternal hate on her husband. Faust blames Black Adam for using Isis's power too much, and distraught, Black Adam flies away, ending up in Gotham City. It is, however, revealed that the bones that Faust showed to Black Adam belonged to Ralph Dibny, and Faust resurrects Isis. With her under his power, Faust creates a door, and exits the tower.


title: Black Adam

text: In "Countdown" #47 (June 2007), a de-powered Mary Marvel who is being chased by criminals stumbles upon Black Adam, hiding out at the former Kahndaqi embassy in Gotham City, kills the criminals, and she finds that he has killed several others that have had the misfortune to find their way into the building. It appears that Adam is about to harm Mary as well as he starts strangling her, but instead, he transfers all of his powers to her (including those he recovered from Isis). He departs in his mortal form after she frees him from a wall that has toppled on him.


title: Black Adam

text: Black Adam is featured in "Final Crisis" #5, assisting a small group of Earth's heroes, many of whom he fought before, in battling against Darkseid's forces. Black Adam battles Mary Marvel and perceives a "leering old man" inside of her. He attempts to kill her but is stopped by Tawky Tawny and Shazam (Freddy Freeman). Adam is subdued by enemy forces.


title: Black Adam

text: A brooding, disparaged Black Adam appears in "Justice Society of America" vol. 3 #16 (2008), hiding in the tomb of Isis and Osiris and killing potential looters, along with sleeping in the coffins. He reveals through narration that the whole meaning of his power transfer to Mary Marvel was the hope that her innocence would eventually force Mary into surrendering back his power to him, but changed enough to allow Isis's rebirth. After the attempt failed, Adam returned to his state of mourning and anger. Adam's mourning is cut short, however, when he discovers a bloodied flower in his shrine, believing it a sign from Isis.


title: Black Adam

text: Despite her powers and consciousness being heavily sedated by Felix Faust's spells, Isis manages to use her powers to create a trail of flowers (including a batch in the shape of the Shazam magic lightning bolt symbol) to lead Adam to where Faust has been holding her captive. Finding Isis and freeing her from Faust's control, Black Adam then journeys to the Rock of Eternity and battles Billy Batson (now Marvel, the wizard of the Rock of Eternity, rather than Captain Marvel), using the same scarab necklace that once imprisoned him to strip Billy of his powers, with help from Isis sending lightning at Marvel and using them to take control of the Rock of Eternity. Isis plans to use the power of the Rock to "cleanse the earth" of all of humankind, which she sees as irrevocably evil. Black Adam and Isis are even able to convince Mary Marvel to join their crusade. The Black Marvels are soon challenged by the Justice Society, who has come to the aid of the powerless Billy Batson when he was trying to summon Freddy. During the course of the fight, the combatants end up in Kahndaq, where the people praise Black Adam's return. Isis then kills several of the followers, claiming that they are tainted by this new Earth. Black Adam attempts to protect his people, only to be attacked by Mary and Billy, who had been tainted by Mary's power. At that point, Jay Garrick (who had earlier been thrown by Isis into the mists surrounding the Rock of Eternity) appears with the spirit of Billy's father, and Shazam, whom the two had recovered from the Rock of Finality, where he had been imprisoned in a statue. Adam is convinced to return his power to Shazam, so that he could save Isis from her corruption. In turn, Shazam—who is furious at the misuse of the power he behested on his champions—takes the power from Isis, Billy, and Mary, and transforms Teth-Adam and Adrianna into statues. Sometime later, a shadowy figure appears in a bolt of lightning, gloating that Shazam has given him new champions to play with.


title: Black Adam

text: After the "Blackest Night" storyline, the resurrected Osiris returns to Kahndaq, vowing to restore the kingdom to its former prosperity. Osiris takes the petrified bodies of Adam and Isis and flies off to an unknown destination. After failing to revive Adam and Adriana, Osiris enlists in Deathstroke's new team of in hopes of finding a way to save them. He has been told to resurrect Isis, but not Adam, which he does by killing people with his lightning by saying Isis.


title: Black Adam

text: In "The New 52" (a 2011 reboot of the DC Comics universe), Black Adam was mentioned by Dr. Sivana while listening to witness reports of the wizard Shazam. Sivana mentions that Black Adam was a slave who was teleported from his prison cell to the Rock of Eternity and granted his powers by the wizard. Adam then went on to save Kahndaq from the Seven Deadly Sins before vanishing. During Dr. Sivana's explanation, drawings of Black Adam are shown in a historical text, displaying a slightly different look from his previous incarnations. Dr. Sivana later uses his new-found magic eye inside of some ruins to read a magically hidden hieroglyph that makes the wall explode, releasing Black Adam from his tomb. Adam is then shown in a revamped version of his original costume, which includes a cape, hood, and a metallic belt instead of a sash. His lightning bolt appears as an opening into his body with magical energy visibly inside of him.


title: Black Adam

text: In Black Adam's subsequent pursuit of Shazam, Billy is shown the beginning of Black Adam's origin. It centers around the story of Aman, a Kahndaqi boy who was thrust into abuse and slavery long ago. Thinking that he can surely relate and connect with another boy who has suffered like he has, Billy (without hearing the rest of the tale) rushes to Black Adam and tries to reason with him. To his surprise, Black Adam simply grabs him and tells him he "knows nothing".


title: Black Adam

text: Black Adam shows Billy the rest of his origin, which reveals that Aman had an uncle (who helped Aman escape slavery), whose name was Adam. Adam was injured during their escape, and when Aman was chosen by the wizard to be his champion, Aman shared his power with Adam to heal him. Afterwards, although Aman wanted to use his new power to help his people and cure his former slavemasters of their evil souls, Adam only sought vengeance against those who had enslaved them. To this end, when Aman called down the lightning, Adam seemingly killed Aman so that he himself was the sole recipient of the power. However, the details of Aman's "death" are not shown, leaving his fate open to speculation. Black Adam refers to Aman's "sacrifice", and tells Billy that he will go to any lengths to "free this world from those who enslave it".


title: Black Adam

text: In the finale of Shazam's origin story, Black Adam holds Billy's foster siblings hostage and demands he give up his power, or they will die. But instead of giving Black Adam his power, he shares it with his foster siblings, empowering them as "Shazams", as well. Together, they fight Black Adam and the "host" that the seven sins have inhabited. Eventually, the collateral damage endangers civilians, so Billy orders them to save the people while he alone battles Black Adam. He finally realizes that his knowledge of his newly acquired powers cannot defeat Adam, who has much more experience using his magic, and decides to change back into his child form. As normal teenager Billy, he challenges Black Adam to also change (into Teth-Adam) to make it a "fair" fight. After some convincing, he does so, but because he has been alive for centuries due only to his "Black Adam form", as a normal human he quickly ages and turns to dust.


title: Black Adam

text: During the "Forever Evil" storyline, revolutionaries in Kahndaq use an ancient scroll to attempt to revive Black Adam so he will be their champion once again to save them from their oppressive ruler. A man named Amon begins to read the ancient spell, but before he can complete it, the military attacks them. Amon, injured, makes his sister Adrianna complete the spell, which revives Black Adam. He proceeds to defeat the military forces and kills the Kahndaqi ruler. Acting as Kahndaq's protector again, Black Adam sees the Crime Syndicate's message "The World is Ours" and gets angered saying "this world belongs to no one!" When Jimmy Olsen activates his Superman signal watch when confronted by Ultraman, Black Adam answers the call and ends up fighting Ultraman. Ultraman manages to defeat Black Adam by breaking his jaw and throws him unconscious into the ocean. Black Manta managed to fish Black Adam out of the ocean when he meets up with Lex Luthor. Lex Luthor works on resuscitating Black Adam. When it comes to the final battle against the Crime Syndicate, Black Adam and Sinestro move the Moon where the Sun ends up weakening Ultraman. In the aftermath of the battle against the Crime Syndicate, it was stated that the villains who helped to stop the Crime Syndicate would have their criminal records wiped. Black Adam and Sinestro did not care about that and went their separate ways, along with the other villains.


title: Black Adam

text: In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth", which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". Black Adam appears in the "" miniseries. He is revealed to be a member of the Council of the Immortals, a group with the oldest beings of Earth, such as Vandal Savage and Hawkgirl. Black Adam supposedly kills Doctor Fate at the Rock of Eternity while in a fight against him, Wonder Woman, and Hawkgirl, who is by that point transformed by Barbatos into an evil version of herself named Lady Blackhawk.


title: Black Adam

text: When Billy and his family stumble upon the doors to the various Magiclands and go to the Funland, Black Adam arrives at the Rock of Eternity some time after their departure, noting that the Council of Eternity sealed off the Magiclands for a reason, that the door to the Monsterland is still sealed for now, and that Billy has no idea what he has done.


title: Black Adam

text: In the "Watchmen" sequel "Doomsday Clock", Black Adam takes advantage of "the Superman Theory" and the metahuman arms race where he "saves" the Creeper from Kobra's cult and allows any metahuman refugees to seek asylum in Kahndaq. He and the Creeper later attack Israel. Then he, the Creeper, and Giganta attacked the United Nations and fought Wonder Woman. When Wonder Woman took down Giganta, Black Adam engaged Wonder Woman. Following a news report where it was mentioned that the Amazons crashed the battle and forcefully took Wonder Woman back to Themyscira, Black Adam made his next move on the White House. He, the Creeper, and Giganta were now accompanied by Doc Dread, Killer Frost, Lady Clayface, the Man-Bat, Manhunter, Sandstorm, and Stingaree. Superman confronts Black Adam's group until the part where Superman has his foreseen encounter with Doctor Manhattan. When the People's Heroes, the Outsiders, and the Doomed appear with plans to make Superman pay for his involvement in the incident that occurred in Russia, Black Adam leads his group into getting to Superman first. Black Adam and his group are eventually defeated when Superman receives support from the Legion of Super-Heroes and the Justice Society of America. On Black Adam's part, he was taken down by Jakeem Thunder and Johnny Thunderbolt.


title: Black Adam

text: In order for Black Adam to distract the Shazam Family while he and Doctor Sivana went to the Monsterlands to free the Monster Society of Evil, Mister Mind summoned the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man who assist him in attacking Shazam and Lady Shazam up to the point where Shazam shared his powers with his biological father C.C. Batson. There was a flux in the powers between C.C. Batson and Mary Bromfield that affected their fight with Black Adam and the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man. This went back and forth until the Wizard teleported them to Wozenderlands before Black Adam and the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man can do their next attack. After C.C. uses his powers to send Mamaragan back to the Rock of Eternity, Black Adam arrives and starts to strangle C.C. while stating that he is with Mister Mind in his plot. C.C. starts to cast a spell to separate Black Adam's soul from his body and send it to the Darklands. He will be torn between realms as a way for him to see his family again. It turned out that C.C. is the real host of Mister Mind. The Shazam Family comments on the magic used on Black Adam when they see his body prior to their fight with the Monster Society of Evil. Scapegoat and Red Queen note that Black Adam is immobilized as he refused to follow Mister Mind. When Mister Mind was defeated, the spell on Black Adam was broken as he helps Shazam to fight Superboy-Prime. While blaming Billy for opening the doors to the Magiclands, Black Adam advises Shazam to undo the spell that would unite the Magiclands into one. Both of them quoted "Shazam" to take out Superboy-Prime, realizing that he was still somewhat vulnerable to magic but needing to use greater power to actively defeat him. As Adam is starting to turn to dust, Shazam was able to restore him by reclaiming the powers he placed in C.C. Batson. Once the spell was undone, Black Adam flew off advising Shazam not to open the doors to the Magiclands again. Mamaragan later notes that Shazam will see that Black Adam will eventually get a full redemption.


title: Black Adam

text: During the "Endless Winter" storyline, Black Adam was once freed in the 10th Century by Hippolyta, Swamp Thing, and Viking Prince to help deal with the Frost King. When Flash is attacked by the Frost King's ice monsters, he is saved by Black Adam. Black Adam, Silver Banshee, Catman, Icicle, Rampage, and Multiplex arrive at the Stagg Enterprises facility in Gotham City where Frost King's family is kept in stasis. Multiplex tries helping Black Adam, but he overexhausts himself and Frost King kills Multiplex. Black Adam threatens to kill Frost King's family. While Frost King is distracted, Sebastian Stagg sends out a robot that can fire cold fusion cannons, but it makes the Frost King stronger instead. Just before Black Adam is killed, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Batman, and Green Lantern arrive. When it turns out that the Frost King's real body was trapped in the Fortress of Solitude, Superman prevents Black Adam from killing him. When the Frost King is seemingly destroyed in an explosion, Black Adam leaves while swearing vengeance on Superman.


title: Black Adam

text: In the pages of "Infinite Frontier", Black Adam joins the Justice League as Adam attempted to turn over a new leaf, harkening back to the lessons Adrianna had taught him. He began acting more as a protector than an avenger, which attracted the attention of Superman, who believed that the Justice League needed fresh perspectives.


title: Black Adam

text: On the anniversary of Adrianna's death, Adam visited her grave, reflecting on what she'd tried to impart on him. While doing so, he was attacked by Brutus, an invader from another world. After the conflict with Brutus concludes, Adam joins the League known alternatively as "the Mighty Adam".


title: Black Adam

text: Later, during the "Dark Crisis", after the apparent death of the Justice League at the hands of Pariah, Adam would quietly lament to himself that he wished he had been killed, too, so that he could see Adrianna again.


title: Black Adam

text: When Teth-Adam/Theo Adam says the magic word "Shazam," he is transformed into Black Adam and granted the following powers derived from the ancient Egyptian gods:


title: Black Adam

text: Additionally, Adam's senses are acutely sharpened, as he claimed to be able to smell Felix Faust's sweat. Black Adam has repeatedly been described as a warrior who had proven himself to be highly skilled even before he was given the power of Shazam.


title: Black Adam

text: He has recently acquired the power of the goddess Isis, making him stronger than ever. When Black Adam utters the magic word, he not only gains his usual powers, but all of his original powers are greater in strength because of the extra power he gains from Isis. The power of Isis should also grant him control of nature and telekinesis, although he has not shown these abilities.


title: Black Adam

text: Saying the magic word again initially changes Black Adam back into Theo Adam, although when the Spectre strips him of his powers during the Black Vengeance affair, he reverts to Teth-Adam, the ancient Kahndaqi warrior who was the Mighty Adam. Subsequent depictions in the "52" maxiseries also showed Teth-Adam as Black Adam's default mortal identity. However, Black Adam very rarely voluntarily changes back to his non-powered form.


title: Black Adam

text: In DCnU continuity, Adam's powers were vastly different as opposed to his previous power set. As revealed in the journeys of his successor, the wizard (Mamaragan) initially gave the gift of Shazam to a worthy mortal host, but the powers that blessed his champion came of a deal struck with six old gods from across mythologies. Yet again, his power set has been altered when he was last resurrected through a mystic textile by "the Sons of Adam", giving him his current abilities tying him to six new gods of Egyptian history. His old powers were bestowed to him via link to the specific figures traditionally likened to the letters in the name "Shazam", each representing a specific superhuman ability:


title: Black Adam

text: After his resuscitation, Adam's abilities harnessed from the gods later reverted to his Egyptian pantheon.


title: Black Adam

text: Black Adam is the primary villain of the first story arc of the Johnny DC comic book series "Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!" by Mike Kunkel, an all-ages series which follows its own continuity derived from Jeff Smith's 2007 miniseries "Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil". Black Adam appeared in the first four issues of "Billy Batson", published between late 2008 and early 2009. In this version, Black Adam's alter ego, "Theo Adam", is a 14-year-old boy, although much of the rest of his backstory remains true to the original Fawcett version of the character. Within the context of the story, the wizard Shazam imprisoned the errant Theo Adam in an alternate dimension during the days of ancient Egypt, only for Adam to become free after a battle between Captain Marvel and Mister Mind opens a hole which allows Adam to escape. However, Theo Adam has forgotten the magic word ("Shazam") which will transform him into Black Adam, but after learning that young Billy Batson has taken over the role of Shazam's champion as Captain Marvel, Theo calls upon the help of the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man and captures Billy, attempting to force Billy into telling him the word. When Billy's sister Mary finds her brother captured, she transforms into Mary Marvel to save him, only to have Adam overhear her, repeat the word, and become Black Adam again.


title: Black Adam

text: In the alternate timeline of the "Flashpoint" event, Black Adam challenged the Outsider, who used technology to summon the magic lightning to change him back to Teth-Adam. He is then knocked off the train they were fighting on, suffering severe injuries afterward. Black Adam is later killed by J'onn J'onzz.


title: Black Adam

text: In the prequel comic to "", Black Adam once again serves as the ruler of Kahndaq where he is approached by Superman and Wonder Woman. Despite initial reluctance, Black Adam eventually allies with his One-Earth Regime. He then continues to aid the High Councilor in certain capacity.


title: Black Adam

text: He however plays a major role in the "Injustice 2" prequel comic, where he, Supergirl and Damian Wayne free Wonder Woman from the Amazons and provide her as well as the remaining members of the Regime safe harbor in Kahndaq after Superman is arrested. He and Diana then feed Kara false backstories about how Batman became evil and took over the world, with Superman forming a resistance to take him down but failing and being imprisoned along with several members of the regime.


title: Black Adam

text: During "JLA/Avengers", Black Adam is among the mind-controlled villains who attack the heroes as they assault Krona's Stronghold in #4. He is shown being defeated by Marvel's Captain Mar-Vell.


title: Black Adam

text: In the alternate future of "", Black Adam was imprisoned within the Phantom Zone by Superman (who is actually Billy Batson/Shazam). When Ray Palmer, Amethyst, and Frankenstein travel through the Phantom Zone, their ship is forced to its normal size and reveals itself to the dimension's occupants including Black Adam. He attacks the ship and rips off Frankenstein's arm but the trio manage to escape from the Phantom Zone. When Ray becomes the new leader of Stormwatch, he frees Black Adam from the Phantom Zone, promising to take him back to Earth, to help save Hawkman, Amethyst, and Frankenstein from Brainiac. Black Adam repeatedly calls down lightning bolts to shock Brainiac, giving the others time to escape and he joins them later on, fighting off Brainiac's robots. Black Adam makes it safely to Earth with the rest of the new Stormwatch and fights against Father Time's forces when he arrives to take the Engineer. He soon returns to Earth afterwards.


title: Black Adam

text: In the "Arrow" tie-in comic, "Season 2.5", Khem-Adam is a former Kahndaq soldier and a leader of extremist group called Onslaught who wants to save a country from foreign influence. A.R.G.U.S. sends Suicide Squad to kill him. The Squad begins to kill many members of Onslaught, while the Bronze Tiger and Khem-Adam go into brawl, the latter one killing him. When Khem-Adam goes to battle with general Ravan Nassar, the fight is cut by Nyssa al Ghul and Sara Lance/the Canary. Adam is taken to Nanda Parbat (the League of Assassins' headquarters) and is presumably executed by the ex-Onslaught prisoner turned League member Mesi Natifah.


title: Black Adam

text: Teth-Adam / Black Adam appears in films set in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), portrayed by Dwayne Johnson.


title: Paul Thomas Anderson

text: Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. He made his feature-film debut with "Hard Eight" (1996). He found critical and commercial success with "Boogie Nights" (1997) and received further accolades with "Magnolia" (1999) and "Punch-Drunk Love" (2002), a romantic comedy-drama film.


title: Paul Thomas Anderson

text: Anderson's fifth film, "There Will Be Blood" (2007), about an oil prospector during the Southern California oil boom, achieved major critical and commercial success, and is often cited as one of the greatest films of the 2000s. This was followed by "The Master" (2012) and "Inherent Vice" (2014). Anderson's eighth film, "Phantom Thread", was released in 2017. His ninth film, "Licorice Pizza", was released in 2021 to critical acclaim.


title: Paul Thomas Anderson

text: Anderson has directed music videos for artists including Fiona Apple, Radiohead, Haim, Joanna Newsom, Aimee Mann, Jon Brion, and Michael Penn. He directed a documentary, "Junun" (2015), about the making of the album of the same name in India. In 2019, he directed a short film accompanying Thom Yorke's "Anima."


title: Paul Thomas Anderson

text: Anderson's films are often psychological dramas and characterized by depictions of flawed and desperate characters, explorations of themes such as dysfunctional families, alienation, loneliness and redemption, and a bold visual style that uses moving camera and long takes. He is noted for his frequent collaborations with actors Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Melora Walters and John C. Reilly, cinematographer Robert Elswit, costume designer Mark Bridges, and composers Jon Brion and Jonny Greenwood.


title: Paul Thomas Anderson

text: His films have consistently garnered critical acclaim. Anderson has been nominated for eleven Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and eight BAFTA Awards (winning one), and has won a Best Director Award at Cannes, both a Golden and a Silver Bear at Berlin, and a Silver Lion at Venice.