As far as complicated comic book backstories go, there are some easy ones at DC Comics like Batman and Superman, some that are a little tougher like Martian Manhunter, and then you have characters like Hawkman. Multiple versions of Hawkman have been published before, ranging from the version that hails from Earth and is rooted in reincarnation to the Hawkman that is actually a police officer from another planet. This fall will see Hawkman finally make his big screen debut, appearing in the upcoming Black Adam movie with actor Aldis Hodge taking on the role. So how will the film handle this convoluted origin? Well, apparently it won’t.
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“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,” director Jaume Collet-Serra confirmed to Vanity Fair. “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.”
Collet-Serra revealed that in Black Adam, Hawkman is the leader of the Justice Society of America, whose members on-screen will also include Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan). Even with a stacked roster like that, and a morally dubious Black Adam flying around, Hawkman is the one calling the shots. He’ll also be throwing down with Dwayne Johnson’s anti-hero.
“Aldis [Hodge] is so amazing as Hawkman and just brings a weight and an energy to this character that, if you’re a fan of Hawkman, you know his history, that [he] has lived many lifetimes, to [bring] a real nuance to the way Aldis plays him that, ultimately is really intriguing, but also, he’s a tough dude,” producer Hiram Garcia previously revealed to CBR. “The way him and Black Adam go at each other is going to be a lot of fun for fans to see. So all of them knocked it out of the park. Hands down, once we saw them read, we knew right away these are the guys with the roles, and we’re really happy with it.”
Black Adam will also feature Sarah Shahi (The L Word, Sex/Life) as Adrianna Tomaz,, with Uli Latukefu, Marwan Kenzari, Mohammed Amer, James Cusati-Moyer, and Bodhi Sabongui in currently unknown roles.
Black Adam is set to be released exclusively in theaters on October 21st.
