'Black Adam': Dwayne Johnson Gives First Look at the Justice Society in Concept Art Teaser

We’re still a long way off from anything close to a proper trailer for “Black Adam” — COVID-19 has after all delayed filming on a ton of movies. But on Saturday during DC FanDome Dwayne Johnson gave fans the next best thing courtesy of a pair of sizzle reels using concept art in which he explained the film’s core concepts and characters.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time,” said Johnson at the beginning of the “Black Adam” FanDome panel. “This is the one. This is the one that’s going to change everything. This is Black Adam.” Big words, and we’ll have to wait quite a while to see if the film lives up to them — December, 2021 — but based on what The Rock showed off Saturday, audiences are at least in for a spectacle.

Johnson explained that the film begins 5,000 years in the past, as we learn that Black Adam was a member of a powerful ancient civilization that fell under conquest and slavery. “My people needed a hero. They got me,” he says, and we see him acquiring his power in much the same way Billy Batson did in 2019’s “Shazam!”

Now Speaking of, Black Adam is one of Shazam’s greatest enemies, but Johnson didn’t show up as Black Adam in David F. Sandberg’s “Shazam!” last year. The explanation at the time was that both characters required their own introduction in separate films. However, his coming was clearly signaled early on, when the Wizard tells Billy Batson tells the story of a champion he had selected thousands of years earlier. In the tale, that hero quickly became a force for evil and destruction instead of good, and visuals make it clear that previous champion was Black Adam.

Johnson’s FanDome presentation fleshes that out a bit. We see that Black Adam becomes a champion for his enslaved people but as Johnson explains, his brand of justice was too cruel, too severe, and too destructive for the wizards who gave their power to him, and he was imprisoned, seemingly forever.

But 5,000 years later, he escapes his cage and returns to the world, intent on settling scores, righting perceived wrongs in his typically uncompromising methods, and doing things “my way.” But it’s not all smooth sailing because he’s opposed by a coalition of Heroes known as The Justice Society — Dr. Fate, Cyclone, Atom Smasher and Hawkman. Of course, Black Adam promises he’s going to kick their asses.