A new champion has arrived: Black Adam. Fulfilling a 15-year journey to the screen for Dwayne “The Rock†Johnson, Black Adam not only brings one of comics’ oldest anti-heroes to life on the big-screen for the first time, it also introduces a cadre of brand-new heroes: The Justice Society, consisting of Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo). With Black Adam and the Justice Society now positioned as central players in the DCEU, let’s break down the Easter eggs referencing the characters’ comic-book pasts and cinematic futures.
Kahndaq
The home of Black Adam is actually a relatively recent addition to DC’s mythos. The character originally hailed from Egypt. Kahndaq was introduced in 2006 and its comics history is similar to the one in the film, in that it was ruled over by a malevolent dictator who had Teth-Adam’s family killed.
The Wizard Shazam
Djimon Hounsou reprises his role as the wizard Shazam — from, you know Shazam! (2019) — bestowing powers on Kahndaq’s champion. In Shazam!, the wizard references Teth-Adam as a past individual who misused the power of the gods in a warning to Billy Batson (Angel Asher). Hounsou will reprise the role in Shazam! Fury of the Gods in 2023.
Intergang
The army of occupying soldiers that Black Adam makes quick work of in the film are Intergang. In the comics they’re a crime syndicate who received weapons, vehicles and advanced technology from Apokolips at the behest of Darkseid, under the condition that the gang helped him track down the Anti-Life Equation. While they are typically Superman’s adversaries, they ran into trouble with Black Adam in the comic maxi-series called 52. While there’s no mention of Apokolips in the film, Intergang does have advanced technology, leaving room for a thread to be tied between Darkseid (Ray Porter) in Zack Snyder’s Justice League and the events of Black Adam.
Adrianna Tomaz and Amon
Adrianna first debuted as Andrea Thomas in the 1975 CBS television series, The Secrets of Isis, about a science teacher who gained the powers of the Egyptian goddess. The show served as the second half of The Shazam! Isis Hour. She was later brought into the comics and reimagined in 52 as Adrianna Tomaz, a refugee captured by Intergang. After being saved by Black Adam, she helped him realize how he could change Kahndaq for the better. Gifting her with the Amulet of Isis, Adrianna developed powers of her own and married Black Adam. While Black Adam doesn’t hint at any romantic possibilities between Adrianna (Sarah Shahi) and Teth-Adam, that could change in the future. What seems more certain is that Adrianna will eventually receive powers of her own, helping form the “Black Marvels†family, just as Shazam has his own family.
Another member of that family is Amon (Bodhi Sabongui). In the movie, he’s Adrianna’s superhero-obsessed son, though in the comics, he was her brother. The latter version became the teenager superhero, Osiris, and gained his powers by speaking Black Adam’s name.
The Original Atom
Henry Winkler makes a brief appearance via Facetime as Al Rothstein’s (Centenio) Uncle Al, aka Al Pratt, the original Atom who was a founding member of the Justice Society. In the comics, Pratt was originally a diminutive masked boxer, before he acquired the power to pack an atomic punch after being exposed to radiation in a fight with the atomic scientist turned villain, Cyclotron. In the film, Rothstein reveals that his costume is a hand-me-down from his uncle.
Cyclone’s Origin
Maxine Hunkel (Swindell) tells Al she got her powers at 15 when she was kidnapped by a mad scientist, who injected her with “nanobites.†Cyclone’s comic origin is the same. The name of that scientist is T.O. Morrow, creator of the android Red Tornado, the second individual to use that moniker. The first was Mathilda Hunkel, Maxine’s grandmother, who disguised herself as a man to fight crime as a member of the original Justice Society. In Mark Waid and Alex Ross’ Kingdom Come, which depicts a near future version of the DC Universe, Maxine Hunkel adopts the name Red Tornado, becoming the third iteration.
Doctor Fate and the Helmet of Nabu
Kent Nelson (Pierce Brosnan) reveals that his helmet is alien in origin and possesses him when he becomes Doctor Fate. This is a slight simplification of the character’s comic book history in which the helmet houses a cosmic entity, Nabu, who is a Lord of Order and stands against the Lords of Chaos. As referenced in Black Adam, the helm has possessed different bearers over the centuries. The death of Nelson in the film’s third act leaves room for his successor, Khalid Nassour, to be chosen by Nabu as the new Doctor Fate in a sequel or spin-off.
Hawkman’s Rebirth
While the film doesn’t outright say it, Carter Hall’s (Hodge) lack of fear over his own death is due to the fact that he is destined for reincarnation, something that has happened repeatedly throughout his many lifetimes. Granted longevity and immortality, Hawkman has not only been around since ancient Egypt but also reincarnated across the multiverse, along with his partner and soulmate, Hawkgirl. Occasionally, two or more iterations of themselves exist at the same time across different dimensions.
Emilia Harcourt
Jennifer Holland reprises her role as Agent Emilia Harcourt from The Suicide Squad (2021) and Peacemaker (2022), this time sporting her comics-accurate look as designed by Jim Lee when she first appeared in 2015. What she’s doing working that closely for Waller again, or why the Justice Society has allied itself with her following the revelations of both Task Force X’s existence and Waller’s culpability at the end of the first season of Peacemaker, remains to be seen. It’s possible Black Adam is set before The Suicide Squad, or that the second season of Peacemaker will clue us in on how these allegiances shifted, and perhaps even justified Waller’s actions to the public. One thing is certain though, Waller’s new Artic holding facility undoubtedly houses a sizable number of supervillains who surely won’t all stay locked there forever.
Sabaac
Black Adam’s big bad is another one of Shazam’s oldest adversaries, alongside Black Adam and Doctor Sivana (Mark Strong). The original version, Timothy Karnes, received his powers from the forces of Hell but largely retained his human look. Ishmael Gregor, the version of Sabaac portrayed by Marwan Kenzari in the film, first appeared in 2004 as an adversary of Freddy Freeman and his teammates, The Outsiders. In the comics, Gregor is Russian born, but the film ties him to Kahndaq’s history and an ancient crown. The end result is the same. Gregor is transformed into a beastly, horned demon whose powers stand in opposition to those granted by Shazam.
The Rock of Finality
Just as Shazam and Black Adam receive their powers from The Rock of Eternity, Sabaac receives his from The Rock of Finality. In the comics, Shazam once threatened to trap Black Adam there if he did not stop his rampage.
The Original Champion
The film reveals that Teth-Adam was not chosen as Kahndaq’s champion. Rather, it was his son, Hurut (Jalon Christian). While Teth-Adam did have a son named Hurut in the comics who was killed, his being the original champion is a new wrinkle added to the mythology. When the power of the gods is originally bestowed on Hurut, he transforms into a being that looks strikingly similar to the comic book depiction of Black Adam, right down to the widow’s peak. His subsequent form, The Champion, is played by Uli Latukefu — who plays Dwayne Johnson on NBC’s Young Rock. Talk about keeping it in the family.
Nth Metal
Hawkman tells the new members of the Justice Society that his ship is made entirely of Nth Metal. This anti-gravity metal is from the planet Thanagar, where one iteration of Hawkman, Katar Hol, is from. More recently, the comic series Dark Knights: Metal revealed Nth Metal is actually 9th Metal and forms the barriers of the multiverse, preventing separate dimensions from bleeding into each other. If those barriers were broken, the DCEU would have a crisis of infinite proportions on their hands. But that’s another story best saved for a later sequel.