‘Black Adam’ ending explained: How Dwayne Johnson’s superhero changes the DC Extended Universe going forward

So, why did Teth-Adam get powers?

The film toys with two different versions of Black Adam’s backstory, as it initially explains that he was a young slave who rebelled against a tyrannical king who forced his subjects to mine for Eternium so he could make a crown out of it (but we’ll get to that later). But before the young slave can be executed, the wizard Shazam and other magical elders turn him into a champion.

And while all that is true, the film tries to misdirect the audience into thinking the modern Black Adam is still the transformed version of the young boy. However, it’s revealed that after the boy’s mother was killed by the king, he transferred his powers over to his father, Teth-Adam.

This is because the young hero had recognized that the threat wasn’t something he could handle, whereas Adam was willing to embrace his violent side in search of revenge.

Unfortunately, this instantly comes back to bite Adam when his son is struck down by arrows from the king’s assassins and his grief only intensifies his search for revenge.

That’s why he crashes into the king’s palace and explodes with energy, killing everyone inside. The event causes the history books to refer to Black Adam as a destroyer rather than a champion, and they’re not wrong.

Why does Ishmael want the Crown of Sabbac?

Outside of introducing Black Adam and his origin story, the film quickly establishes that Adrianna Tomasz (Sarah Shahi) and her rebel group are hunting for an ancient artifact called the “Crown of Sabbac” to keep it out of Intergang’s hands.

Tomasz has spent most of her life living under military occupation, and since Intergang is stripping Kahndaq of everything it’s worth, it’s not surprising that she wants to preserve the country’s history.

Tomasz works alongside Ishmael Gregor (Marwan Kenzari), who masquerades as a rebel when he’s actually the leader of Intergang. But why does he betray his own people just to get his hands on the crown? Well, he’s more of an extremist than anything.

By the time the final act slug-fest gets going, Ishmael confesses to Black Adam and the Justice Society that he’s the last descendent of the king that took over Kahndaq thousands of years ago in the past. Because of Ishmael’s ancestry, he’s determined to take power for himself and restore his family’s legacy to something greater than it is at the moment.

The Crown of Sabbac is made out of the rare mineral underneath the country, Eternium, and it’s inscribed with a cryptic message that tells the wearer how to unlock its true power.

Basically, if they have the crown and they let themselves die, they’ll go to hell, where they’ll be subsequently resurrected as hell’s champion: Sabbac. And Ishmael lets Black Adam kill him because he knows he’s about to become one of the most powerful beings in existence.

Interestingly, Sabbac stands for Satan, Aym, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Crateis, similar to how Shazam is an acronym for Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury. The insinuation is that Sabbac is the dark, twisted version of Shazam — so it’s interesting that DC saved him for this film rather than 2019’s “Shazam!”

What did Doctor Fate’s vision mean?

Pierce Brosnan’s silver fox hero, Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate, is plagued with troubling visions throughout the film which show Kahndaq exploding with energy as Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) is impaled on a rod. It’s not exactly a great omen about the mission to restore “international stability,” but he downplays its importance to his winged partner.

But it turns out that the vision is actually a way of convincing Doctor Fate to make a sacrifice himself in order to stop Sabbac. Fate stopped the rest of the Justice Society from taking on Sabacc because he knew he’d need to die so Hawkman could use the Helmet of Fate.

The mystical artifact is particularly picky about who can use it, and when they can touch it, so that’s why Kent needed to die in order for Hawkman to grab it. Luckily, Hawkman had picked up a few tricks from working alongside Doctor Fate for many years, which is how he was able to duplicate himself over and over.

Yes, it is one of the duplicate Hawkmen that is stabbed by Sabbac, not the original. So that means Doctor Fate’s prophetic vision was true. Even down to the burst of energy in Kahndaq, though it didn’t cause widespread destruction. But Kent’s sacrifice ultimately led to Sabbac being distracted enough that Black Adam could literally rip him in half. Nice.

It doesn’t seem likely that Brosnan will reprise his role as Doctor Fate in future films since he disintegrated after Sabacc literally punches right through his body.

But this is the DC Extended Universe so anything is possible.

Why does Black Adam destroy the throne?

After finally defeating Sabbac with the help of the Justice Society, Black Adam is understandably praised as a hero by the people of Kahndaq, which is why Adrianna suggests that he sit on the throne to rule as the country’s new king. Better the devil they know, right?

Although the allure of ruling his own country is definitely tempting, Black Adam destroys the seat of power because he’s already seen how kings have ruined the once-great nation.

After all, a vicious ruler is what got his wife and son killed thousands of years ago, and it’s clear he’s aware of the burdens that ruling a turbulent nation like Kahndaq would come with.

Plus, this is a victory for the people of Kahndaq, they should be the ones to choose a proper leader, rather than the antihero who’s only been on the scene for a few days.

Nevertheless, he vows to protect it with the full might of his electrifying abilities.

What does the Superman mid-credits scene mean?

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Henry Cavill as Superman!

The actor finally reprises his role as Superman in the DCEU in the “Black Adam” mid-credits scene. It’s been a long time coming after the hilarious “cameo” at the end of “Shazam!” as the Man of Steel’s head is just out of frame.

But the scene itself revolves around the fact that Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) threatens Adam with imprisonment if he steps foot out of Kahndaq. Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t take that very well, smashing the drone displaying her hologram.

In response, Waller sends in her biggest gun to talk to Adam: Superman. The Kryptonian says “we should talk,” but the film doesn’t show the rest of their conversation as a way of delivering that all-important sequel bait.

Dwayne Johnson hasn’t shied away from the idea of Black Adam versus Superman, in fact, he relishes in it.

The actor previously told audiences at San Diego Comic-Con that the outcome of the fight depends on who’s playing the iconic hero. But now that we know Cavill is back in those red boots, it seems like that fight is on the horizon.

The only problem with the idea of that battle is that Superman is very level-headed, and Black Adam is able to at least understand reason in order to have a discussion. Realistically, Superman seems like the type of hero that should be able to talk Black Adam down… But where’s the fun in that?

So the inevitable sequel will have to find a natural way of pitting them against each other, and it also seems like a no-brainer to get Zachary Levi’s Shazam involved somewhere down the line. Although whether audiences need to see another film where the hero and the villain have the same powers remains to be seen.

All this is to say that “Black Adam” changes the DCEU by adding yet another incredibly powerful figure alongside the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), The Flash (Ezra Miller), and more.

Hopefully, Warner Bros. is setting the stage for bigger things in the future, because Teth-Adam could be the Justice League’s secret weapon if a bigger villain reveals themself further down the line.

“Black Adam” is in theaters now.