Adam Alexander Carrington is a fictional character from the ABC prime time soap opera Dynasty, created by Richard and Esther Shapiro.

Over the next seven seasons, Adam would be motivated primarily by jealousy, undermining the professional successes of his brother Steven and brother-in-law Jeff, in an attempt to curry favor with his parents, especially his father.

When circumstances arise that truly make Adam sympathetic, he squanders that good will due to his selfish, jealous nature.

Adam was recast with British actor Robin Sachs for the 1991 miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion because Thomson was unavailable, filming the daytime series Santa Barbara.

[2] In 1986, the New Sunday Times called Adam "one of the truly imaginative, despicable villains on television", noting that "Adam has raped the butler's daughter, painted poor Jeff Colby's office with poisonous, lead-based paint, tricked Blake into signing over power of attorney while he lay at death's door—and blew a competitor out of the water by plastering his son's homosexuality all over Denver's front pages.

"[3] Thompson explained that soap operas need villains to drive story, and said, ""I've played heavies before but none as demonic as Adam.

While on the air, Alexis confesses a dark secret from their past: their firstborn son, Adam, had been kidnapped as a baby and was never recovered.

She tearfully tells her grandson Michael—whom she has raised since he was a baby after his parents supposedly died in a car crash—that he is really Adam Carrington.

Still using the name Michael Torrance, Adam travels to Denver in "The Roof", and checks into the La Miranda Hotel.

He meets a beautiful woman in "The Wedding", and while they flirt with each other and share a kiss, she playfully refuses to tell him her name.

He warns his mother that if she betrays him, he will implicate her in the scheme, since Alexis used Jeff's poor health to trick him into signing over his son's shares in Denver-Carrington to her.

Fallon questions Dr. Edwards, who reveals that Adam once won a court case that involved poisoning by toxic paint fumes.

During this time, Adam is attracted to Kirby, Jeff and Fallon's nanny and the daughter of the Carrington majordomo, Joseph.

Alexis is somewhat more sympathetic to Adam at this point, feeling guilty that they gave up the search for their lost son so many years ago, and condemning him to such a tragic life.

Adam causes great concern when he unwillingly is duped by Sammy Jo, his former sister-in-law, into helping her kidnap her son, his nephew, Danny.

Despite Blake's admonition not to become romantically involved with Claudia, Adam invites her to accompany him to Amanda's wedding to Prince Michael of Moldavia.

Jeff is ready to believe her accusation, but upon further counseling, Fallon realizes that her unresolved conflict over her sexual attraction to Adam when they first met was what triggered her mental breakdown and subsequent disappearance and amnesia.

Just prior to the wedding, Blake and Alexis present a stunned and grateful Adam with adoption papers—regardless of what McVane says, they consider him to be their son, faults and all.

Adam continues his manipulative ways, attempting to double-cross Jeff on their pipeline work by sleeping with Steven's former secretary, Claire.

Adam assists Alexis in investigating a mysterious mine on the Carrington property, where a 20-year-old dead body was recently found.

Vernon Scott of the Sun-Sentinel called Adam "the scum of the crop" among soap opera villains, and noted that Thomson "wallows in the evil of his role.

[4] Brent Antonello debuted as the long-lost Adam / Hank Sullivan in the 2018 episode "A Line from the Past", but the character is later revealed to be an imposter.

The baby, Adam, was kidnapped at six months old and never returned due to a trigger-happy police officer ruining the ransom exchange.

A tip from Alexis leads Steven to El Paso in "A Line from the Past", where he finds Adam living under the name Hank Sullivan (Brent Antonello).

Cristal discovers the ruse in "Dead Scratch", and Hank flees the mansion with an unhinged and pregnant Claudia Blaisdel (Brianna Brown).

Hank is the prime suspect in Cristal's murder, and blackmails Alexis in "Twenty-Three Skidoo", threatening to expose their plan.

In "Motherly Overprotectiveness", Adam introduces himself to the family at Carrington Manor with a silver rattle Blake recognizes.

Six months earlier in Billings, Montana, his mother Theresa had confessed that he is not Mike Harrison as he always believed, but is really the kidnapped Adam Carrington.

Fallon is dubious, Blake immediately believes the newcomer is Adam, and Alexis clings to her story that Hank is their son.

Adam confronts Alexis with proof that she orchestrated Hank's arrival and fake DNA test; she explains that she was desperate, and apologizes.