DCeased: Hope at World’s End #14 reveals that this universe’s most powerful superhero is much more sinister than Wonder Woman or Superman.
In the DCeased world, it appeared like the most powerful warrior in the cosmos was neither the Superman nor the Wonder Woman, after they had been bitten, the zombified Blighted Ones. Although Superman is still trapped in the heart of the Sun, and Wonder Woman still draws blood out there in DCeased: Dead Earth, one threat was severe enough that both of them could not take him down to work together.
Alert: The following includes spoilers for DCeased: Hope at World’s End #14 by Tom Taylor, Marco Failla, Rex Lokus, and Saida Temonfonte sale.
In the Hope at the World’s End Prequel, we see the Justice League’s two icons struggling to protect Poison Ivy’s haven from a warrior who outclasses all of them, Black Adam.
Black Adam has always been a heavy-handed kid, whether he’s an antihero or a villain, with his Shazam-granted magical abilities. As a dishonored hero of the wizard, he has become the master of the Anti-Living, with Nightshade’s teleporting power to carry the horde to the garden for fresh meat.
The heroes trained for this, but they somehow did not know that he was so powerful as to fly right through the supposedly impregnable walls. When Adam steps in, both Superman and Wonder Woman have rushed in, but it doesn’t go according to schedule. Black Canary’s Green Lantern enters and attempts to hold him with a shield, but his will is much too much. Even as she pins it down, it’s not enough for Kal-El and Diana to continue to add power. This trio will be enough to overpower any of the villains in the DC Universe, but Adam breaks out Dinah’s hold, casts off Superman and Wonder Woman, and calls down the divine lightning to shock his rivals.
Adam continues to punch Superman and Diana about with his invincible strength. Jon Kent’s Superboy and Wonder Girl see their issues and move in to help subdue the enemy because they want to defend Damian and the other hostages. But it’s only when Dina enters, using her ring to restrain Adam, that the heroes can gain a form of the upper hand. As Adam growls and flails about, it’s a surprise that it takes five of these heroes to nullify his assault.
As Dinah shields him so that he can’t bite anybody, it’s evident that a new tactic will be needed because they can only hold him at bay for so long. This kind of brute strength is unbelievable in any way, and it may very well make Black Adam the scariest creature in a world full of super-powered zombies.
Although Black Adam has always been savage and merciless, he hasn’t been unhinged since he was in the Arc of the Third World War in the 52nd century. As it is, these heroes hardly manage Adam. But with Lex Luthor plotting to kill the horde while he’s busy, the dictator may get even madder and drive the heroes to their limits.
More About Black Adam
One of the world’s leading magicians, Black Adam, has become a hero and a criminal over a life spanned thousands of years.
Thousands of years before Billy Batson became a superhero. Wizard Shazam chose another champion. Teth-Adam, or “Mighty Adam,” started as the saviour of humanity but then allowed his influence to distort his values and wishes. Now dubbed Black Adam, he was banished by Shazam, then returned to modern times. A frequent enemy of Earth’s heroes, Black Adam insists he is the right guy to lead humankind, and any action he does is essential for the common good.
About DCeased
DCeased is a seven-issue comic book mini-series distributed by DC Comics from May to October 2019. The writer created it by Tom Taylor and the creative team, including the pencilmaker Trevor Hairsine and the inker Stefano Guadiano. The plot takes place in an alternative Earth, where the corrupted iteration of the Anti-Life Equation contaminated most of Earth’s residents with a zombie-like virus. Lois Lane serves as a series narrator, explaining how incidents take place over a few weeks.
After a war between the Justice League and the armies of Apokolips Darkseid, he escapes Earth and Batman learns that Cyborg is being held on Apokolips. He is being tortured by DeSaad, who confirms that the Anti-Life Equation has existed in his bioengineered body. The Black Racer is summoned for Cyborg to survive the extraction. However, this allows the Equation to be distorted, and Cyborg is sent back to Earth to deter the virus’s propagation. It ends up spreading, harming superheroes and everyday citizens.
The End of Everything Starts Here…
