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While die-hard DC fans have long been familiar with Black Adam’s complicated history as both a villain and anti-hero, the character’s popularity among casual audiences largely stems from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s portrayal of Teth-Adam in the 2022 film. However, that era of the DC Universe has since come to an end as DC Studios reshapes its stories and films under the leadership of James Gunn. That doesn’t mean DC is finished with Black Adam, though. In fact, the character’s latest redesign proves he still has a major role to play in this new post-Dwayne Johnson era.
In October 2024, DC launched its Darkseid-created Absolute Universe, a new reality that completely reimagined the publisher’s heroes and villains with darker origins and more hardcore designs. These reinvented versions of various characters have been explored across DC’s Absolute titles, with one of the most notable being Jason Aaron’s Absolute Superman series.
The series has topped bestseller lists for nearly two years and has introduced some of the most extreme villain redesigns in the Absolute Universe, from Brainiac to Parasite and beyond. Among the villains to make their Absolute Universe debut in the title is Black Adam, who is currently serving as the main protagonist of the ongoing story arc after first appearing in Absolute Superman #18.
While Absolute Black Adam’s original design was already a hardcore evolution of his main universe counterpart, Jason Aaron and artist Rafa Sandoval’s Absolute Superman #21 sees the character undergo another visual redesign. One that makes him look even more badass than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s version.
Black Adam's New Absolute Universe Armor, Explained
Comic Panels Come from Jason Aaron's Absolute Superman #21 (2025) - Art by Rafa Sandoval
Absolute Superman #21 picks up where the previous issue left off, with Superman continuing his battle against the recently reawakened and overpowered Black Adam, who poses a world-ending threat to Earth. This issue focuses heavily on the brutal fight between the two and showcases the alien armor Superman first donned in issue #20 in action, while also seeing Black Adam debut an armored look of his own.
To understand this new look and how it came to be, fans first need some background information. Those who have been following the series will remember that Superman wears a “cape” made from Kryptonian Sunstone dust. This unique material can expand, reshape itself, create shields, protect others, heal injuries, and even form armor, as seen with the full-body armor Superman wears in this issue.
Black Adam also appears to wield something similar to Superman’s high-tech cape, though Adam’s version is more mystical in nature. His cloak appears to be connected to ancient magic and Brainiac technology, as it was Brainiac’s impersonation of ancient sorcerers that helped forge Adam into the powerful being he is today. This imbued power is what allows Adam to summon his own armor in the middle of battle, much like Superman.
However, Black Adam’s armor is visually very different from the Man of Steel’s. It embraces the character’s signature black-and-gold color scheme, but instead of a skin-tight suit, it transforms those elements into a knight-like set of armor complete with a mace and a helm featuring the head of a cobra. So, while the Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson era of Black Adam may be over, DC is still clearly hitting home runs when it comes to the character's ever-evolving visual appearances.
Absolute Superman #21 from DC Comics is now available to read!
