In 2600 BC, the tyrannical king Ahk-Ton of Kahndaq creates the Crown of Sabbac to attain great power. After attempting to stage a revolt, a young slave boy is given the powers of Shazam by the Council of Wizards, transforming him into Kahndaq's heroic champion, who kills Ahk-Ton and ends his reign.

In the present day, Kahndaq is oppressed by the Intergang as Adrianna Tomaz, an archaeologist and resistance-fighter, tries to locate the Crown of Sabbac with the help of her brother Karim and their colleagues Samir and Ishmael. As Adrianna obtains the crown, Intergang ambushes them and kills Samir, forcing Adrianna to read an incantation that awakens Teth-Adam, whom she believes to be Kahndaq's champion, from a slumber. As he slaughters most of the Intergang troops, US government official Amanda Waller deems Adam a threat and contacts the Justice Society to apprehend him. Justice Society members Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Cyclone, and Atom Smasher arrive in time to stop Adam from causing further destruction to Kahndaq and Intergang's troops and explain to Adrianna that Adam was not an entombed savior, but an imprisoned madman.

Ishmael reveals himself as the leader of Intergang in Kahndaq, pursuing Adrianna's teenage son Amon, who has stolen and hidden the crown. Adam, Adrianna, and the Justice Society find the crown and intend to trade it for Amon. Reaching Ishmael, he reveals himself as the last descendant of King Ahk-Ton and wants his rightful place on the throne. Adrianna willingly gives the crown to save Amon's life, but Ishmael betrays his part of the deal and shoots at Amon, causing Adam, trying to save Amon, to lose control and destroy the hideout with his power, killing Ishmael and wounding Amon. Guilt-ridden, Adam flees to the ruins of Ahk-Ton's palace and reveals to Hawkman that the legends of Kahndaq's champion were misattributed; it was Adam's son, Hurut, who was granted Shazam's powers and became Kahndaq's champion. Knowing that Hurut was invincible, Ahk-Ton instructed assassins to execute Hurut's family, including Adam and Hurut's mother. Hurut gave Adam his powers to save his life and Ahk-Ton's assassins immediately killed the de-powered Hurut, causing an enraged Adam to slaughter all of the king's men and inadvertently destroyed Kahndaq's palace. Subsequently deemed unworthy by the Council of Wizards, Adam attacked and killed them in anger except for Shazam, who succeeded in imprisoning him along with the Crown of Sabbac within what became Adam's tomb.

Feeling incapable of becoming a true hero, Adam surrenders and the Justice Society takes him to a secret underwater Task Force X black site in Antarctica, where Fate has a premonition of Hawkman's impending death. As the Justice Society returns to the city, they realize Ishmael intentionally provoked Adam to kill him while he wore the Crown, to be damned to Hell and be reborn as a champion of the six demons of Sabbac, arising from the underworld to claim his throne and the power held within. When Sabbac summons the Legions of Hell to terrorize Kahndaq, the people are rallied by Amon, Adrianna, and Karim to repel the undead as the Justice Society prepares to face Sabbac. However, Fate creates a magic force field around the ruins preventing his teammates from entering, disclosing that Hawkman's death can be avoided with his sacrifice. As he fights Sabbac alone, Fate uses astral projection to release Adam while talking to him in his cryo sleep. Sabbac kills Fate, and as a result, it di