Black Adam is the next film to be released in the DC Extended Universe, and many fans are excited to see Dwayne Johnson’s portrayal of the titular superhero. Alongside Black Adam himself, the film is set to introduce to live-action the Justice Society of America and some of its classic members. Director Jaume Collett-Serra confirmed to Vanity Fair that, in Black Adam, Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) is the leader of the JSA, whose members on-screen will also include Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan).
With Hawkman in such a significant role, one wonders how Black Adam planned to handle the character’s infamously complicated and confusing origin story. Multiple versions of Hawkman have been published, primarily two different versions. One version hails from Earth and is rooted in reincarnation, and the other is a police officer from another planet. Eventually the two distinct characters were merged and further complicated down the line. Speaking with Vanity Fair, Collett-Serra revealed that the upcoming film will avoid Hawkman’s backstory for this very reason. He stated:
In the comics, there are clear references of like, ‘Hey, I saw you 5,000 years ago. You remember me?’ We’re not doing that…It would be too confusing. Obviously, Hawkman reincarnates, so how many times do you need to reincarnate and still remember? All these rules [are something] you don’t want to set until those characters are really established…He is a very driven character that knows that he’s on the right side. He’s a leader. He wants to bring this team together, and bring a certain stability to the world. Hawkman has a very strong sense of what’s right or wrong, and Black Adam challenges that.”
—Jaume Collett-Serra
Considering Black Adam is designed to be a solo film for Johnson’s character and an introduction to the JSA, there could be plenty of time for DC to explore Hawkman’s origin more thoroughly in the future. Still, fans of the character should not get their hopes up to see it laid out in Black Adam.
Black Adam releases in theaters on October 21, 2022.
Source: Vanity Fair
