Black Adam Teaser Breakdown: Meet DC's Godlike Champion And The Justice Society Of America

DC FanDome brought the thunder straight out of the gate with a sneak peek at the upcoming DC Comics movie "Black Adam." Dwayne Johnson plays the titular superpowered anti-hero, who was given the power of the wizard Shazam over 5,000 years before Billy Batson became the boyish superhero of the same name in "Shazam!" 

Not only did DC FanDome provide a clip showcasing the arrival of Black Adam after being imprisoned for five centuries, the panel also featured a glimpse of the Justice Society of America. Let's break down the footage from the teaser below.

The "Black Adam" presentation during DC FanDome began with a mini-featurette that provided some new concept art, behind the scenes footage, and an early introduction to Justice Society of America. The superhero team will have to deal with the return of "Black Adam," who is undoubtedly pissed off after being imprisoned for thousands of years. This isn't the original roster of heroes introduced in the team's debut back in 1940, but rather a smaller assembly of a variety of superheroes from the ensemble's comic history.

First up, we have Aldis Hodges as Hawkman (seen above). The superhero will appear as the reincarnation of an Egyptian prince who has the power of flight thanks to his metal wings. In present day, he's an archaeologist, but he'll come to lead the Justice Society of America in battle.

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Next, we have Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, who is able to control wind so powerfully that she can manifest cyclones and blow villains away (quite literally). She also has the ability to fly and can generate sound waves with devastating results.

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There's also Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, who can grow to a massive height and has increased strength that's proportionate to his size, not unlike Ant-Man. 

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Finally, we have Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, the son of an archeologist who learned sorcery and was given the Helmet of Fate, bestowing upon him magical abilities and superpowers. Brosnan actually wore a motion capture suit for this performance when he becomes Doctor Fate, but that shiny golden helmet is practical. 

As we've seen so many times before, some curious individuals track down ancient ruins and they're surprised when they accidentally end up unleashing a being with unthinkable powers. In this case, one of those people is Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz, who becomes the superhero Isis in DC Comics. But when we meet Adrianna here, she's merely a university professor and resistance fighter in Kahndaq, where Black Adam lived thousands of years ago. 

Adrianna and her partner stumble upon a floating crown in the middle of these ancient ruins, which has been lying underground for thousands of years. Presumably, this crown belonged to Black Adam. Though Black Adam used the power bestowed upon him by the wizard Shazam to protect his family and free slaves, he let his power corrupt him when he came to rule Kahndaq. That's why he ended up being imprisoned by Shazam. 

As Adrianna reads a tablet on the floor, she says the magic word, "Shazam!" But instead of a man-child of a superhero showing up in a red suit, or an old wizard looking for a new champion, we get this Emperor Palpatine-esque force of lightning known as Black Adam. A blast sends a team of soldiers flying back, and they're in trouble.

Wearing a cloak that obscures his face just enough, Black Adam has been awakened. The soldiers begin to close in on him, and Black Adam patiently waits until the time is right. One soldier gets far too close, and that's a bad idea.

Black Adam wastes no time electrocuting this poor solider. The guy is terrified, but he doesn't have to feel the fear for too long. Because after being choked and charged with electricity, he literally turns to dust. Even his skull just crumbles. 

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Who I feel sorry for the most is this guy above. He clearly realizes that he made a mistake by coming here with these guys, and there's a good chance he's not going to make it out of here alive. Hopefully, Black Adam doesn't leave any evidence that this guy clearly crapped his pants.

Giving just a taste of how powerful Black Adam is, we also see him catching a bullet, and then taking a barrage of them as he ascends, presumably making an escape that will end up resulting in the world being threatened by this superpower individual. We're not sure where he's going or what he's going to do, but the Justice Society of America isn't going to let him get away with it so easily.

"Black Adam" hits theaters on July 29, 2022.