Black Adam: 10 Justice Society Heroes We Need in a Sequel or Spinoff

A new era of the DC Universe is upon us, following the recent theatrical release of Black Adam. The blockbuster film is already performing well at the worldwide box office, and is introducing moviegoers to Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) and a number of other heroes and villains from DC’s comics. Fans have definitely taken a liking to the film’s take on the Justice Society, a modern reinvention of DC’s original superhero team, the Justice Society of America. The film version of the Justice Society showcased Carter Hall / Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Maxine Hunkel / Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Albert Rothstein / Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) — and only scratched the surface of what the group’s roster can entail.

As comic fans know, the JSA boasts a pretty prolific roster in the comics, ranging from its original Golden Age ensemble, to the newer multi-generational version of the team that modern fans love. With Johnson and those involved with Black Adam hinting that they want to further build out the Justice Society’s presence upon the film’s success, there’s definitely the question of if the team could end up getting their own spinoff, or an increased presence in a sequel. If that does end up being the case, there are no shortage of comic-accurate JSA members who could join the movie version of the team — and here are ten that we really want to see.

Black Canary

Let’s start with a comic-accurate JSA member who has already showed up in the DCU — Dinah Lance / Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett), who first appeared in 2020’s Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). The character has been synonymous with the JSA for decades, with the original Black Canary, Dinah Drake Lance, joining the team at the tail end of the Golden Age, before hopping universes and joining the Justice League of America following the untimely death of her husband. Her daughter, Dinah Lance, ultimately joined the JSA for a lengthy stint of its modern incarnation.

There are no shortage of possibilities for Smollett’s next appearance in the DCU — in addition to appearing in a Birds of Prey sequel or hypothetically joining the Justice League, a solo Black Canary movie has been in the works since the summer of 2021. Joining the JSA in a sequel or spinoff would also be another epic option, adding another strong fan-favorite personality to the movie incarnation of the team.

Alan Scott

Another original member of the JSA’s comic roster is Alan Scott, the Golden Age incarnation of Green Lantern. Sporting a magic ring that gives him a wide array of superpowers, Alan initially helps found the JSA during the Golden Age. He continues to be a significant member of the team in its modern incarnation, alongside his children, Obsidian and Jade. More recently, comics have established Alan as one of the first LGBTQ+ superheroes in mainstream fiction, exploring his life as a gay man.

Alan is one of those characters that feels like a no-brainer for a movie JSA roster, especially when you start to imagine his dynamics with Carter, Kent, and Al Pratt / The Atom (Henry Winkler). And with the long-gestating Green Lantern HBO Max series recently being retooled to no longer feature Alan, the door is definitely open for the movies to give him his proper live-action debut.

Wildcat

Ted Grant / Wildcat is arguably one of the most memorable members of the JSA, with standout appearances in countless comics, animation, and the like. A championship boxer with a heart of gold, Ted provides a unique perspective to the team, and simultaneously butts heads with and mentors the younger members (including Black Canary). 

While Ted has had his fair share of appearances in JSA-related stories, he’s long overdue for his cinematic debut. Plus, having him be a part of the original JSA roster, and exchanging jabs with the likes of Carter and Kent, would be infinitely entertaining. With the recent tie-in comic to The Flash movie featuring a reference to him, here’s hoping that ultimately leads to us seeing him on the big screen.

Jay Garrick

You arguably can’t talk about the Golden Age JSA without bringing up Jay Garrick. The original incarnation of The Flash, Jay not only was a founding member of the team in its original heyday, but he was the narrative lynchpin that helped the team return in a series of crossovers with the JLA.

Considering the fact that next year’s The Flash movie set to be an interesting turning point for the DCU in more ways than one, an argument can be made for further fleshing out the Flash Family with other speedster characters. While it would be pretty hard to top John Wesley Shipp’s version of the character across The Flash and Stargirl, it would definitely be fun to see Jay in a movie context.

Red Tornado

A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment of Black Adam confirmed Maxine’s tie to one of DC’s oldest female heroes — Abigail “Ma” Hunkel / Red Tornado. Back in the 1940s, Ma suited up as the initial version of Red Tornado, sporting a red onesie, a cape, and an upside down stew pot on her head as she went to fight crime. The character became a surprise success, eventually eclipsing the popularity of the character (Scribbly the Boy Cartoonist) whose feature she originated in. While the Red Tornado mythos has evolved into some wild paths since then, Ma Hunkel has remained a fan-favorite component of the Justice Society, eventually becoming the caretaker and morale booster of the group’s headquarters. Her previous work as a superhero also inspires Maxine, her granddaughter, to eventually become Cyclone.

It would be amazing to see the Ma Hunkel incarnation of Red Tornado make her way onto the big screen — either as a full-fledged superhero, or a retired crimefighter who inspires Maxine.

Mr. Terrific

If the DCU’s Justice Society wanted to explore Carter’s comic-accurate struggles with leading the team, it could bring in his de facto co-leader from the modern era — Michael Holt / Mr. Terrific. While the mantle has been held by multiple characters, it is best associated with Michael, a tech genius and Olympic athlete who becomes one of the most prolific team members of the modern JSA.

Despite a version of Mr. Terrific appearing on Arrow for several seasons, fans of the character have wanted to see him get his proper due in live-action — and a Justice Society-related sequel or spinoff would definitely do it.

Power Girl

Another memorable part of the JSA’s comic roster is Karen Starr / Power Girl, who starts out as one of the legacy members of the Earth-2 incarnation of the team. Later, Karen joins the modern version of the team after Black Canary’s exit, and has become a fixture of it ever since.

With Sasha Calle’s Supergirl set to make her film debut in next year’s The Flash movie, expanding out the Super-family mantle by introducing Power Girl would be a pleasant surprise as well. Plus, it would add even more women to the Justice Society’s movie roster.

Sandman

This year has been a significant one for fans of DC’s Sandman mantle, with the hit Netflix series The Sandman not only following Dream, but providing a major Easter egg for the more traditionally-costumed Garrett Sanford incarnation of the character. Before Garrett, there was Wesley Dodds, a mystery man who helped found the JSA, and would later get the spotlight again with Sandman Mystery Theatre.

It would be delightful to see Dodds brought to life in a cinematic context as a member of the Justice Society — especially if it found a way to connect back to Netflix’s Sandman in some way.

Hourman

Another eclectic staple of the JSA roster is Hourman, with the original incarnation of the character, Rex Tyler, helping found the team. An ordinary man who gets an hour’s worth of superpowers thanks to an experimental drug named Miraclo, Rex would be succeeded by his son, Rick Tyler, as well as an android named Matthew Tyler.

Back in 2021, reports indicated that an Hourman movie was in the works for DC, but updates surrounding it have essentially been nonexistent. Whether or not the film ends up happening, adding some incarnation of Hourman to the big-screen Justice Society roster would be a no-brainer.

Johnny, Jonni, or Jakeem Thunder

And finally, one of the weirdest members of the JSA’s comic roster is Johnny Thunder — a bumbling, ordinary man with the ability to summon a powerful pink genie named Yz. While Johnny essentially fell into obscurity right before the JSA’s initial disbanding in the Golden Age, he has sporadically lived on in other comics and contexts. The “mantle” of Johnny Thunder has also been remixed with two other characters — a female private eye in the 1980s named Jonni Thunder, and a latchkey kid named Jakeem Thunder in the more modern comics.

Honestly, any incarnation of the Thunder mantle would work in a Justice Society movie roster, and would pay tribute to some of the weirder components of the team’s comics in the process.

***

What characters would you want to see join the DCU’s Justice Society? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Black Adam is now playing exclusively in theaters.