Black Adam looks like a relatively straightforward movie, and a showcase for Dwayne Johnson to play his first superhero (sorry, "anti-hero"). Once upon a time, there were plans for this character to appear in Shazam!, but the actor pushed for the studio to give Black Adam his own solo outing.
The character is certainly worthy of one, and there's also a lot of excitement for the Justice Society of America to make its big screen debut.
Among the group's members will be Aldis Hodge's Hawkman, a hero with a storied history in the DC Universe. His history dates back as far as 1940, and like a lot of DC Comics characters, the publisher has had to find ways to explain how Carter Hall has been around for such a long time. Essentially, he constantly reincarnates and has roots that go as far back as Ancient Egypt.
Pretty simple, right?
Talking to Vanity Fair, Black Adam director Jaume Collet-Serra explained why he's decided to forego including Hawkman's comic book origin. "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," the filmmaker says. "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."
We're not sure it is all that confusing, and it actually comes across as a somewhat lazy way to avoid having to explain why Black Adam and Hawkman haven't previously crossed paths. Now, it's hard not to wonder whether Doctor Fate, Atom-Smasher, and Cyclone's histories have been similarly simplified, and, dare we say it, dumbed down.
Remember, Hawkgirl isn't set to be part of this movie, so without that shared history between her and Hawkman, Shiera Hall's introduction is also likely to be heavily altered should it happen down the line.
Black Adam looks set to electrify audiences in theaters when it's released on October 21.