Black Adam: First Set Photos for Shazam! Spinoff Tease Mysterious Connection to Hawkman

Black Adam is expected to expand the DC Films mythos in some genuinely compelling ways, not only introducing Dwayne Johnson’s take on the titular antihero, but multiple members of the Justice Society of America. With production on the film expected to begin in the coming months, fans have been curious to see exactly how it will establish its world — and a series of new set photos provide a pretty compelling look. The photos, which you can check out below, provide a look at some of the sets that are currently being built for Black Adam. While it isn’t definitively clear what the sets are meant to be, some have begun to speculate or infer that they could be ships from Thanagar, which would tie into the origin story of Carter Hall/Hawkman (Aldis Hodge).

If the sets really are Thanagarian ships, that could signify a bit of the film’s approach to Hawkman’s backstory, something that is arguably one of the most complicated parts of DC Comics lore. In some forms of continuity, Hawkman and Hawkgirl are imperial rulers or police officers from the alien planet of Thanagar, whose pursuit of a wanted criminal eventually brought them to Earth, while in others, Hawkman is the reincarnated version of an Egyptian prince. It was safe to assume, given the general premise of Black Adam, that the film would try to marry those two elements together — but the idea of the film potentially showing part of Hawkman’s history as a Thanagarian is definitely compelling.

Joining Hodge and Johnson in the film are Noah Centineo (To All the Boys I Love Before, Charlie’s Angels) as Atom Smasher, Quintessa Swindell (Trinkets, Euphoria) as Cyclone, Sarah Shahi (Person of Interest, The L Word), and Marwan Kenzari (The Old Guard, Aladdin).

“When [Dwayne] said, ‘Welcome to Black Adam,’ it was literally like what I imagined winning the lottery to feel like,” Hodge said in a previous interview. “I had been very, very much looking forward to being a part of any kind of superhero universe. I didn’t care what it was for such a long time just because I had been such a fan. I grew up on graphic novels. I got into the business so I could earn money to buy Batman toys, you know? But as far as my pursuit of this kind of vehicle — for no particular character, but just any foot in the door — it had been many years. It was like 13 to 15 years of constantly going up to bat and getting told no…. So it really was a validation of those last few years of pursuit, hustle, and preparation. And for me, it was a real moment of disbelief.”

“As a fan, a comic book fan, and a superhero fan, I love Hawkman’s nature. He’s an absolute warrior. He is a savage, and a savage for the best reason. He’s well-intentioned. But the thing that I love about him so much and that I connect to personally is his understanding and love of trying to get history right. It comes down to the cerebral part of it. He’s a professor, and because he lives so many lives, he understands; he was there. He is history. And when it comes to certain things in textbooks, he wants to get it right.”

Are you excited to see Hawkman appear in Black Adam? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!