A familiar wizard, an important helmet, and yet another superhero team.
There's more going on in "Black Adam" than you might expect, and it's all steeped in
DC Comics lore you might not know.
The Justice Society of America has appeared or been alluded to in many different animated
series and live-action shows — CW series "Stargirl" even features two different incarnations
of the team.
But "Black Adam" sees the JSA debut in the DCEU, which is an entirely different tier
of recognition.
This group is presented as a peace-keeping organization, and is implied to have many
more members than the four who figure in this film's mission.
While that mission easily could have been a job for Amanda Waller's infamous Task Force
X or an opportunity to use the better-known Justice League, bringing the JSA to the big
screen has a power all its own — one that's easy to overlook if you haven't got the necessary
comics knowledge.
For most of his fictional history, Black Adam has been a villain.
But things changed in the pages of the 1999 "JSA" comic series.
Here, Adam undergoes an evolution and a change of heart that realigns him as an edgy antihero.
Much of that progression comes from his proximity to the JSA, composed here of elder heroes
who have been fighting the good fight since the 1940s.
They offer Adam a sense of kinship, as he is similarly displaced in time, only more
so.
Thus, putting the JSA in Black Adam's first feature film, rather than another super team,
strikes a meaningful note for fans of the comics.
"Black Adam" is a film that moves a bit too quickly to muster much time for delving into
its supporting players' backstories.
But there are a handful of nods to comics lore that eagle-eyed fans should recognize
immediately.
One especially vivid example is the scene where Atom Smasher tells Cyclone how impressed
he is, now that he's seen her superpowers in action.
He explains that his powers are hereditary, and expresses curiosity about the nanobot-driven
aspects of her own wind-based abilities.
She tells him she was kidnapped by an evil scientist as a child, who performed experiments
on her.
This dreadful experience left her with the ability to control the wind.
Cyclone doesn't refer to the sinister perpetrator by name, but diehard fans will know exactly
who she means.
In the pages of DC comics, Cyclone, aka Maxine Hunkel, gets her powers from being experimented
on by Professor T.O.
Morrow, the same mad scientist who created the Red Tornado.
Morrow has been a villain in the DC universe for years, frequently crossing paths with
the JSA and the Justice League.
He's also appeared in multiple small-screen DC adaptations, including "Supergirl" and
"Young Justice."
But he'd never appeared in a live-action movie before "Black Adam" hit theaters.
Perhaps we'll see more of this malicious madman in future movie outings — and, hopefully,
Cyclone as well.
"Black Adam" makes room for a number of delightful JSA-related cameos, but one related to Atom
Smasher's heroic legacy is particularly enjoyable.
On the ride over to the mission debrief, Atom Smasher is on a video call with Al Pratt,
the original Atom, played wonderfully by Henry Winkler.
"Uncle Al" tells him to be careful with the suit, as it's a very special family heirloom.
In the comics, Albert Pratt is godfather to Atom Smasher, whose real name is Al Rothstein.
The film seems to have simplified their connection by making him an elderly relative instead,
sidestepping the need to address the complexity of his comic book origins — and how many
decades now separate the modern day and the 1940s.
The 1999 "JSA" comic series, a huge influence on "Black Adam" in many ways, is big on introducing
second and third generation heroes, while keeping the veterans around to show the rookies
a thing or two.
Seeing Al Pratt referenced on the silver screen is a wonderful way to continue that legacy
and indicate the character's deep roots.
Any future cinematic appearances from the Justice Society would do well to follow in
this cameo's footsteps, if only to bring in such excellent character actors.
Even if we don't get Alan Scott's Green Lantern or Jay Garrick's Flash, we definitely need
more Henry Winkler in the DCEU.
"Ayyyy!"
In "Black Adam," Hawkman initially appears to be the Justice Society's answer to Batman.
He's rich, lives in a big mansion, has the gruff leader vibes covered, and, crucially,
lacks superpowers.
It's not until we see the science fictional ship he and the team travel in that we get
a vivid glimpse of what makes him extraordinary.
The entire ship, as he tells Cyclone, is made of Nth metal.
This highly advanced and mega-powerful substance also makes up his armor, wings, and mace.
The latter object is a huge and devastating creation that transforms into other weapons
throughout the film, most notably an ax.
In the comics, Nth metal originates on Thanagar, the planet some other iterations of Hawkman
come from.
This film's Hawkman, whose secret identity is Carter Hall, doesn't appear to be one of
the Hawkmen who is actually from outer space.
But by openly referencing the storied metal, "Black Adam" hints at the cosmic side of the
DCEU, which has yet to be fully explored.
Mentioning Nth metal also brings the darkly magical side of the DC universe to the fore:
The fabled substance plays a major role in the 2017 "Dark Nights: Metal" comic event,
which introduces the arcane Dark Multiverse.
It remains to be seen how the DCEU might incorporate Nth metal's fascinating history, but this
Easter egg definitely whets fans' appetites for more.
There's a moment that happens early in "Black Adam," where Kent Nelson, aka Doctor Fate,
leaves his helmet out on the Justice Society's ship.
Atom Smasher tries to touch it, and Hawkman tells him not to.
He explains that it's otherworldly, and only works for the wearer it has chosen to be its
host.
Tragically, Doctor Fate later sacrifices himself to buy the team some time against Sabbac,
which allows Black Adam to break free from his underwater prison.
Hawkman, a close friend and ally of Fate's, is able to temporarily use the helmet at a
key point in the battle, suggesting the helmet trusts him the same way it did Nelson.
But when that moment comes to an end, the helmet disappears entirely.
In the comics, the Helmet of Fate — sometimes known as the Helmet of Nabu — has had many
hosts over the years.
When Nelson dies and it shuffles away, comics fans know it's probably off to find his successor.
Doctor Fate is sort of like DC's equivalent to Marvel's Sorcerer Supreme: It's a hugely
powerful magical title that demands nearly everything from those who bear it.
Kent Nelson is probably the most noteworthy Doctor Fate, but he's definitely not the only
one.
The DCEU is probably unlikely to take things back to the '90s and bring angst-ridden Jared
Stevens to the big screen, but they might introduce audiences to Khalid Nassour, a young
Egyptian-American man from New York City who is the comics' current Doctor Fate.
"Black Adam" goes out of its way to disassociate itself from the 2019 "Shazam!"
film.
This is likely due to the two outings' diametrically opposed tones: "Shazam!" is light and airy
in a way "Black Adam" just can't afford to be.
But that doesn't stop the connections between these two movies from bubbling forth.
In the film's many flashbacks to Adam's origins — meted out over the course of the movie
in exponentially more revealing bursts — actor Djimon Hounsou appears as the wizard Shazam.
This powerful magic-user plays an important part in "Shazam!": He's the enigmatic figure
who gives Billy Batson his superpowers.
"You want me to do magic?"
"With this… all of my magic will become yours."
He doesn't get any dialogue or more than a passing glance in "Black Adam," but his unmistakable
visage tethers the film to the larger DCEU, and Adam himself to the universe's most ancient
entities.
Adam's flashback sequences also explore the central tragedy of his cinematic origin.
He himself was not Shazam's chosen champion — his son was.
Knowing he could not kill the boy, the vicious King Anh-Kot slew his family instead.
Adam's son gave his father the power of Shazam in an effort to save his life.
It worked, which meant Adam was forced to watch the king's men brutally murder his suddenly
mortal son.
This is a tragic and moving subversion of Black Adam's modern comics origin: There,
he killed the boy to seize his powers for himself.
For much of "Black Adam," Adrianna Tomaz and her son Amon represent the human element within
a fantastical world of gods, wizards, and superheroes.
Their struggle and yearning for Kahndaq to be free grounds all the action and intrigue
in something decidedly Earth-bound.
But in the comics, these two characters are far from ordinary bystanders.
Writer and DC universe architect Geoff Johns has contributed more to the Black Adam mythos
in the last 20 years than any other comics scribe.
One of the biggest arcs he penned for the character takes place in 2006's "52" series.
In this comic, Black Adam creates his own dark version of the Marvel Family, turning
Adrianna and Amon into Isis and Osiris.
Isis, as some may recognize, is also a callback to "The Secrets of Isis," a 1975 television
series that formed the latter half of "The Shazam/Isis Hour."
"Oh zephyr winds which blow on high, lift me now so I can fly."
The 1974 "Shazam!"
series, which formed the other half, was actually the first live-action adaption of the Captain
Marvel mythos.
Though Isis later appeared in "Smallville" and "Legends of Tomorrow," "Black Adam" marks
her first appearance in the DCEU, albeit in a de-powered state.
"Black Adam" is a film with loosely anti-colonial themes.
It presents the fictional nation of Kahndaq as a Middle Eastern country that has been
oppressed and exploited by foreign powers for much of its existence.
In the present day, Kahndaq is run by an organization called Intergang, who seem to be a tech-obsessed
band of mercenaries in search of the Crown of Sabbac.
Though they're certainly important, the film shifts gears away from them to primarily focus
on Ishmael and his connection to the ancient King Anh-Kot.
Uniquely, sharp-eyed fans might recognize Intergang from "Superman: The Animated Series"
before they recall the group's comics history.
In that cartoon, they're frequently featured as antagonists to the Man of Steel.
This animated adaptation keeps them largely in line with the comics, where they're a hugely
powerful criminal organization run something like a corporation.
They also boast seriously advanced tech and sci-fi weaponry, originating from Apokolips.
Though they're a constant thorn in the big blue boy scout's side, Intergang is often
presented as something of an appetizer to an inevitable Darkseid appearance.
"I take it the battle is not going well."
As the Darkseid-teasing ending of "Zack Snyder's Justice League" isn't treated as DCEU canon,
it's unlikely that Intergang is being used in "Black Adam" as a similar indication of
upcoming Fourth World adventures.
They're pretty much run-of-the-mill boogeymen who become fodder for Adam's vengeful carnage.
But who knows?
Maybe we'll see more of them in the future, complete with Apokoliptian weaponry.
Like the 2019 "Shazam!"
film, "Black Adam" acknowledges superheroes' in-world celebrity and pop culture presence.
In the former movie, Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman are aware of Superman and his Justice
League compatriots — Freddy even owns a well-loved selection of hero-themed t-shirts.
In "Black Adam," Amon acts as the resident fanboy.
When we first meet him at an Intergang checkpoint, we see a stack of comics fall out of his backpack.
Then we see his bedroom, which is absolutely plastered with superhero posters.
Black Adam wakes up within this room and inadvertently destroys a poster bearing Superman's image
with his lightning powers, foreshadowing a cataclysmic showdown between two titans of
the DC universe.
Beyond the Man of Steel, Amon has also tacked up posters of Aquaman and the Flash.
The kid further cements his status as the movie's resident geek by giving Black Adam
advice about how to be a hero.
According to Amon, Adam should go about developing a catch phrase, a more modern nickname, and
a cape.
This portrayal is a loving nod to ink-and-paper superhero fans everywhere, famed for their
comprehensive knowledge of hero tropes and towering stacks of comic books.
Many audience members see their own young selves in Amon, and perhaps recall their own
poster-filled bedrooms.
The DC universe is home to a number of high-security institutions meant to keep the bad guys safely
contained.
Gotham City has the infamous Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Penitentiary.
Metropolis has Stryker's Island.
Central City's got Iron Heights.
Right outside of St. Roch, Hawkman's stomping grounds, lies Belle Reve, the prison Amanda
Waller farms future Task Force X operatives from.
"Black Adam" reveals another one of Waller's high-priced cages.
When she tasks the Justice Society with capturing and detaining Adam, Hawkman tells her that
if she's got a cell that can hold him, they'll put him there.
This cell ends up being an unnamed facility hidden in an underwater base.
When Adam eventually makes his way there in his de-powered state, we see that several
other high-powered individuals are locked up in close proximity, suggesting this is
where Waller stashes the heavy-hitters unsuitable for use as cannon fodder on suicide missions.
Though unnamed, this place feels a lot like the Aquarium, an underwater prison that occasionally
shows up in Aquaman-centric comics.
It's hard to imagine the Atlanteans of the DCEU working with Waller on this, unless a
dramatic change has occurred off-screen.
But who knows?
Amanda Waller is renowned for her ability to make the impossible into cold, hard reality.
When the Justice Society brings Adam to the deep sea penitentiary for holding, there's
a familiar face lurking in the crowd.
This is Emilia Harcourt, an A.R.G.U.S.
agent from "The Suicide Squad."
Last seen in Season 1 of "Peacemaker," she gets less than a minute of screen time to
interact with our heroes in "Black Adam."
But within that brief cameo, she's able to amply display the no-nonsense attitude that
makes her so much fun.
Amanda Waller is fantastic as the DCEU's closest thing to Nick Fury.
But Fury doesn't work alone — he has agents to support him.
Emilia Harcourt plays a similar role, and does so wonderfully.
Her brief presence is also a particularly fun treat for fans of "Peacemaker," and helps
this DC universe feel a little more coherent across movies and TV.