Warning: Spoilers for Black Adam #1!
The archenemy of the Shazam Family, Black Adam, has a suit design that closely resembles his ever-constant, superpowered foes, and now in a battle against an imposter Darkseid, a secret costume power has been confirmed! Let’s just say Black Adam never has to worry about his dry cleaning bill when using this helpful ability.
A costume-related moment seen in the premiere issue of Black Adam, by Christopher Priest and Rafa Sandoval, this book is just getting started yet immediately makes a case as to why Black Adam deserves his own solo series after all this time. Starting with a bang as readers are treated to an epic battle between Black Adam and Darkseid, things quickly get heated as these two god-tier characters go at it with abandon.
Fighting Darkseid with all his might, Black Adam is clearly giving it his all as his suit is in tatters, his cape is torn clean off, and his face is looking a bit worse for wear, especially for a seasoned ruler of Kahndaq. Deciding to call down the power of Shazam to finish the battle once and for all, it’s here where Black Adam — and by extension, the Shazam Family — are confirmed to have a super secret costume power that helps them look fresh and new at all times.
Hitting what is revealed to be a false Darkseid point blank with the full electrifying force of Shazam, Adam transforms back into his “civilian” self, only to call the lightning down yet again to deliver the final blow. Punching "Fakeseid" square in the jaw with electrified precision, the Shazam lightning strike is shown to have reverted the once battered and ripped costume of Black Adam’s to its original sterling condition, complete with a cape that wasn’t there earlier and a shine to his garments that were dulled, dim and falling off of Adam’s body mere moments before.
A secret wardrobe power that’s inextricably tied to the power of Shazam, it’s easy to make the connection that if Black Adam can get a brand new suit after being bathed in the iconic lightning that is the power of Shazam, then Billy Batson, Freddy Freeman, Mary Bromfield, and the rest of the Shazam Family would all be able to do the same. Now whether this secret power only triggers when their suits are in complete disrepair, is something that the user needs to specifically will to happen, or is just a cool power that automatically kicks in to keep everyone at the top of their fashion game, it hasn’t explicitly been seen much before this issue, making it a character detail that any Shazam fan should now know about.
Having an easy way to freshen up even mid-battle is a helpful costume power to have, especially if it comes with a side of lightning. Black Adam and the Shazam Family share a similar esthetic, and now it’s confirmed that they share a similar suit repair ability too!
Black Adam #1 is now available from DC Comics.