Characters of the Past: Y&R's Adam Newman!

Like father, like son. The OG “Dark Horse.” One of the top complex, grey, compelling, fascinatin,g and layered soap characters. These three things and so many more depict our Throwback character Victor “Adam” Newman. Adam Newman has been one of the best-written, developed, and portrayed characters in recent soap history. Just a fact.

Adams’ parents: mom, Angelic Hope Williams, biological dad “devilish” Victor Newman, and good, hard-working Cliff Wilson, his adoptive father. “Vic” grew up thinking Cliff was his bio dad. Hope left the big lights of Genoa City and the bad influences of the Newman family and returned to her farm in Kansas to raise Vic. She asked that Victor stays out of their son’s life. Hope married Cliff. Victor would visit periodically, but Vic’s paternity remained a secret from Vic. But on Hope’s death bed, she revealed Vic’s paternity to him. Her dying wish was that Vic and Victor would be reunited as father and son. Hope passed away shortly thereafter. Then Vic showed up in Genoa City and asked that everyone call him Adam and the games began!

Hope’s DNA mixed with Victor’s could only produce an Adam. We love the character of Adam. How can you not? How we wish we could spend a day in Adam’s body. We can only imagine the tug of war, the battle that rages inside him of good vs “evil”, right vs wrong. Adam has spent most of his onscreen soap life trying to convince himself and those around him that he was more Hope’s son and that there was more good in him. Though all the time being more like his father than any of Victor’s other offspring.

Ironically, that’s Adam’s biggest problem of all. But not for the obvious reasons i.e. him wreaking havoc everywhere. Maybe if Adam would have spent more time just figuring out and developing who he was rather than expending so much energy resisting his “non Hope” impulses maybe, just maybe he wouldn’t be so much like Victor. Just a thought.

Adam has craved (we are discussing him in the present tense. Y&R has or will cast him soon so he IS alive) his father’s love, respect and acceptance since he was told he was Victor’s son. It has been the single most driving factor in his life since then. All he’s ever wanted is to be loved and accepted by Victor. Which we have thoughts about also. Um, has Adam ever noticed how Victor treats his other children? How Victor loves and accepts them? Why does Adam want that so much lol. Just a thought.

Anyway, so even when Adam is “Adaming” and he is a chip off the old block, in a way you feel sorry for him because you know deep down he is just a little boy crying out, starving for and acting out for the love and acceptance of his father. But can never quite measure up. Now that reel is real.

Lest we be accused of just trying to make excuses for Adam. We must keep it real. Adam can be dark, conniving, twisted and ruthless. And we love him for it. But he also can be loving and kind. In preparing this article, we were happy to be reminded Adam does have alot of Hope in him. We listed our favs. Adam has;

Saved Faith from a falling beam during a tornado.
Taken a bullet for Victor.
Tried to stop Patty from shooting Jack (let’s put a * because Adam knew Patty was in town and kept quiet. But Patty dosed him with insecticides and he was temporarily blinded again so everything evened out.)
Saved Chelsea from drowning in the lake thus also saving an unborn Johnny and helped deliver Johnny.
Helped Sharon when she was mentally ill/burned down the Newman Ranch.

Without question, Adam is more like Victor. We listed his Victorish actions. Can we name them all? Who has that kind of time? LOL. We listed our more memorable ones;

Framed Victor for Walter Palin’s murder.
Gaslighted Ashley which led to her having a mental breakdown and a miscarriage.
Stole Sharon’s baby and gave it to Ashley.
Faked blindness by injecting Botox in his eyes.
Faked his death and framed Nick for his murder.
Destroyed the memory card that could have freed Sharon from jail for Skye Lockhart’s murder.
Blackmailed Dr. Taylor and caused his death.
Hit Delia which caused her death (a * because it wasn’t done on purpose. But Adam didn’t come forward).
Teamed up with Jack to bring Victor down (legally and illegally). Which time? Pick one.
Conspired with Sage Warner to assume the identity of Gabriel Bingham.

Adam’s lovers were; Heather Stevens, Melanie Daniels, Sage Warner (one night stand) and Rafe Torres (Adam slept with him to get Rafe off his trail that Adam had set up Rafe’s aunt, Aunt Estella, to take the fall for his gaslighting of Ashley. That’s when Adam might have eclipsed good ole daddy! That was so darn soapy.

Adam was married to Skye Lockhart, posed as Sage Warner’s husband (Gabriel Bingham), Sharon Newman and Chelsea Newman. Shadam or Chadam? You know we can’t get involved in ship wars. (Spoiler alert I do have a preference but ask me on my own personal social media pages. The boss won’t let me bias here lol). Both pairings were hot. Shadam was dark, twisty and hot. Adam stole her baby and let her stay in jail when he could have freed her. Still, Sharon couldn’t stay away from him. Chadam were two outcasts who fell in love trying to rebuild their lives while trying to be better people. Two red hot pairings back to back with the same character doesn’t happen every day. But Chadam’s chemistry was off the charts. Chelsea loved and accepted Adam with all his faults. Even when he stayed away/presumed dead, lied about who he was when he returned and impregnated Sage, Chelsea still loved and wanted him. Shadam’s making love in NOLA and that Chadam proposal in the rain both made you swoon. The couples were just scorching hawt.

Adam’s non-romantic relationships were just as electric as his romantic ones. Adam had enemies up and down Genoa City, Phyllis Newman, Billy Abbott, Ashley Abbott, the list goes on and on and on. One of Adam’s few friends, let’s call them frenemies was Jack Abbott. They had a great rapport. You could always count on them to bond over their mutual “hatred” for Victor and their desire to bring him down. Adam’s relationships with his siblings were as you expected, not exactly loving. Adam and Abby didn’t have many noteworthy storylines/scenes. Now Nicholas and Victoria totally different story.

Although Nick and Adam fought over Newman Enterprises and the family, the underlying root of Nick’s hostility toward Adam was because of Sharon. No matter who Nick was with, he didn’t want Sharon with Adam. You can’t blame him. He did steal Nick’s child. More than anyone else (other than Victor) Adam’s main adversary was his sister, Victoria. Victoria has always refused to take a back seat to Victor, Jr. No how. No way. Their rivalry had one single focus Newman Enterprises. They locked horns over who would be the heir to the Newman Enterprises’ Throne, who would sit on the throne whenever Victor was away and who would sit at his right hand when he was there. Their battles were legendary.

By far Adam’s most intriguing screen partner has always been Victor Newman. We have already surmised the complexity of their father and son relationship at the beginning of this article. We will add a few things. By far Adam is much more like Victor than Victoria, Nick or Abby (it’s not even close). It can be hard looking in the mirror. It is their similarities, their desire to be in control and to win at all costs and to burn anything and everything that would dare stand in their way that has stood in between them, from the very beginning, and prevented them from having any type of a consistent, fruitful, loving relationship. But with all that has happened between them, Victor and Adam do love each other. We have heard each say it. And most importantly we have seen them show it (Adam took a bullet for his father. Victor has on more than one occasion saved Adam.)

Adam was convicted of Constance Bingham’s death. Victor abducted Adam from prison so him, Chelsea and Connor could disappear. But Chloe hadn’t forgiven Adam for Delia’s death as she had been portraying. She found a hiding Adam and shot him with a dart. Then we saw the cabin he was in explode. Adam was presumed dead and we mourned. Now, two and half years later Adam is on his way back. We were ecstatic. And after writing this article and refreshing our memories of Adam’s entire history, we are officially freaking ecstatic.

We are ready. Hurry home, Adam!

**Adam has two sons; a son Connor with Chelsea and a son, Christian with Sage.

**Those scenes about Delia’s death between Adam and Billy will live on in infamy.