What Is Eternium in Black Adam? Explained

The next entry in the DC Universe slate of films, Black Adam starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, hit theaters nationwide on Thursday, and while we cannot answer the question of how well the film will land with audiences, we can answer other questions, though. Notably, what is Eternium in Black Adam?

Readers are advised there will be spoilers in this guide.

Mysterious Mineral Eternium in Black Adam, Explained

In Black Adam, eternium is a unique mineral that, when refined, has the capability of channeling magical energies. Throughout the film, it is used as an energy source for the machines and weapons of Intergang, the multinational criminal corporation that plunders nations for their natural resources.

More importantly, it was used by the ancient King of Kahndaq to forge the “Crown of Sabbac” which would give him powers of six mighty demons and becomes a focal point of the film as both a Mcguffin and a sort of “kryptonite” to Black Adam.

Eternium is somewhat new in the DC comic book universe, but it does draw its origin from the Shazam books. In the comics, eternium are shards of the Rock of Eternity, the inter-dimensional home of the Wizard Shazam, and the prison of the Seven Deadly Sins.

In Legion of Super-Heroes #110 (Dec 1998), a villain named Dr. Savant (not to be confused with Dr. Sivana), leader of a group of science fanatics, blows up the Rock of Eternity in a bid to rid the universe of magic. The ensuing explosion sends the Rock of Eternity shards across the universe, known as eternium.

Being near the mineral removes the Powers of Shazam, similar to how kryptonite weakens and takes away Superman’s powers. This little tidbit is used in the Black Adam movie, where it is shown to injure Black Adam when a rocket containing the mineral explodes while he is holding it.

It is not made clear in the film where this mineral came from or if it is related to the Rock of Eternity, but as of now, the Rock of Eternity still exists in Black Adam as well as in the movie Shazam! and the early trailers for the sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

There will undoubtedly be more questions fans will have as they make their way to the theaters this weekend, but there is one less as we have explained what is eternium in Black Adam. For more on Black Adam, consider checking out our guide on does Superman show up as well as news of his introduction to Fortnite. Alternatively, feel free to peruse the relevant links below.