Marvel Mondays: Energetic Egyptians

These two cats from the way back are distinct parallels for a number of reasons. Both Black Adam and Blue Beetle were tied to ancient Egypt, the former being its protector in centuries bygone before becoming its dictator, the latter being an archaeologist who unearthed its greatest secret and became a guardian of good himself. Each met a tragic end to their ignoble careers, despite what the two old men... Shazam and Pharoah... had expected of them when electing them their candidates of courage. 

And still they returned...

Teth Adam allowed greed to corrupt him, while Dan Garrett allowed overconfidence to overtake him. Each faced their own mortality and yet were revived in manners only left to comic books through pseudo-science and the like. While Dan proved the inspiration for another to take his name and his place, Adam became the perpetual thorn in the side of his arch-rival Captain Marvel. With but a handful of appearances for each, both men still found ways to leave their mark.

Both possessed vast powers by simply calling out to their mentors, such as flight, super strength, invulnerability, etc. While Dan continued his career as an archaeologist, Adam abandoned his occupation as... royal court lackey? Nevertheless, their greatest acclaim was that the were the forerunners for a new generation of superheroes that would take what they started to greater heights.

Their counterparts on Earth-One and Earth-Two were Mon-El/Eltro Gand and Halk Kar/Doctor Occult who like their Black and Blue dopplegangers had dual personas, superhuman abilities and having been early incarnations or placeholders for their Earths' greatest Supermen.

The similarities between these four individuals with similar power sets are:

• The Doctor's ancient Egyptian belt made of anti-gravity or "nth" metal is from the same era as that which Mighty/Black Adam was born into as Teth Adam, and where Blue Beetle originated. And this same anti-gravitational metal was later harnessed by Mon-El


• Like Mon-El, Black Adam was exiled for over a thousand years from his respective Earth. And just as Mon-El's heroic alter ego was Marvel Lad, Adam was tied to the Marvel Family albeit as their mortal foe.


• Both Beetle and the Doctor were under the tutelage of wise older men who guided them on their path, as was Adam before rejecting his mentor's guidance while the younger Eltro Gand lived up to his forefather Lar's legacy.

Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.