We got a look at the first official trailer for ‘Black Adam’, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s long awaited entry into the DC universe. The film, which was delayed due to the pandemic, will finally arrive in theaters on October 21. The trailer not only provides us with some of Black Adam’s backstory, we we also get a glimpse of the Justice Society of America (JSA), featuring Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, and Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, who will be the leader of the JSA. Sarah Shahi has also joined the cast as resistance fighter Adrianna Tomaz. The film is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise).
About 5,000 years ago, Teth-Adam/Black Adam was a slave in Kahndaq who died, but was brought back to life and bestowed with the powers of the Egyptian gods. His son sacrificed himself to save his father’s life, and Black Adam was then imprisoned for 5,000 years. Once he’s awakened, Black Adam still retains the powers of the gods, but sees no point in using them to help humanity or save people. The character was originally a corrupted super-villain in the comics and a primary antagonist of Shazam, but since then has evolved into an antihero seeking revenge for his murdered family. And while Hawkman tells Black Adam that heroes don’t kill people, he quickly responds, “Well I do” before chucking a henchman into the ocean.
Wait, so is Black Adam the villain of his own movie?
Brosnan’s Doctor Fate tells Black Adam that he can save the world or destroy it, and presumably Johnson will pick up the mantle of hero (otherwise it’s a bummer of a movie, right?). But if Johnson is the dark antihero, then who is he battling against? Does the film have a real villain?
We know that the supervillain group Intergang will make an appearance, which Shahi confirmed in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, saying “I play a character named Adrianna, and she’s a freedom fighter that’s leading this big resistance against an evil, malicious group called Intergang.” Intergang is an organized crime group first created by Jack Kirby, who are armed with weapons by the evil New Gods of the planet Apokolips. The group has had various permutations over the years, and this would be their first appearance in a feature film.
Who leads the Intergang?
We also know that Marwan Kenzari (Aladdin, The Old Guard) has been cast as the film’s lead villain. It is rumored that Kenzari will play Ishmael Gregor, a Russian mob boss who possesses the satanic powers of the demon Sabbac. Much like how Shazam harnesses the powers of Greek gods, Sabbac calls on the demonic powers of Satan, Aym, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Crateis (DC characters love anagrams). Sabbac has super strength, super speed, breathes fire, and can grow up to several stories high.
Sabbac’s appearance is also confirmed by toy listings from McFarlane Toys and Funko. MacFarlane announced a Sabbac megafig, while Funko has already listed Sabbac as a Pop figurine.
Are you excited for Sabbac to fight Black Adam? Let us know in the comments!
(featured image: Warner Bros./DC Films)
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