The latest Black Adam trailer offered a better look at costumes of the film's main heroes, but how do they compare to their comic book versions?
The latest Black Adam trailer provided more detailed looks at the costumes of its titular character and the Justice Society, but how do they compare to the ones from the comics? Aside from focusing on Teth-Adam's antihero journey, the film will also introduce the Justice Society into the DCEU. The team consists of Doctor Fate, Atom Smasher, Cyclone and Hawkman. They are sent in by Amanda Waller to stop Black Adam after he awakens from a 5,000-year slumber. Despite the initial animosity between them, the trailer hints at the two parties being forced to work together against Sabbac, a new villain with demonic abilities.
Despite its somewhat dour approach to superheroes, the DCEU has remained relatively faithful to its characters' comic book looks. Movies like Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman blended classic and modern elements to successfully translate their traditionally colorful protagonists into live-action. Black Adam continues that approach with Dwayne Johnson's mystical antihero and his super-powered rivals.
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Black Adam's newest trailer finally offered some solid looks at the characters' super suits, showing how heavily they were influenced by their DC Comics roots. Much like most other live-action superhero outfits, however, the costumes are not exact recreations of their depictions on the printed page. There are noteworthy differences between the versions that both enhance the characters' appearances and allow them to fit into Black Adam's blend of realism and larger-than-life fantasy.
Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson) is a former slave from the nation of Kahndaq who's imbued with mystical powers that allow him to become the ruthless Black Adam. In his superhuman form, he has the powers of flight, super strength, and lightning projection. While the antihero's costume stays largely faithful to its source material, there is one big difference between the two designs: Their color. In the comics, the costume's prominent black is broken up by a golden pair of boots, bracelets, and a belt. In the Black Adam movie, Teth-Adam's suit is almost entirely black, with the golden sections seemingly having darkened over time. The biggest exception is the lightning bolt on his chest, which gives the attire a touch of the original gold. That, however, is still somewhat darkened, possibly serving as a metaphor for Adam's questionable morality.
Pierce Brosnan portrays Doctor Fate, aka Kent Nelson, a sorcerer and wearer of the legendary Helmet of Fate. Fate's costume is one of the most comic-faithful in Black Adam. The character sports a gold-and-blue suit as in the comics, but with some alterations that add a touch of realism to it, such as the fabric's glyph pattern. One of the most notable revisions to Black Adam's Doctor Fate is in his ankh insignia. The comic version of the character sports an ankh on his chest—an ancient Egyptian symbol meant to represent eternal life. In Black Adam, the insignia is still on his chest, but it morphs into Nelson's shoulder pads and the collar that connects his cape to the rest of the suit. Perhaps the biggest change from his DC Comics costume is the Helmet of Fate. While the original helmet has two eye slits, the movie version only has one on the left side, with the right side being a smooth surface.
Maxine Hunkel, aka Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) has the ability to control wind, which allows her to create powerful wind-based attacks (such as whirlwinds) and fly. Cyclone's costume in Black Adam represents a big departure from the one she's worn in the comics. The character has typically sported a simple dress-like attire made of cloth with red-striped stockings. Dwayne Johnson's DCEU film, on the other hand, gives her a partially armored costume, with a modern line pattern that makes the design more identifiably hers. Cyclone also sports pants with white stripes on the sides, a callback to her comics' aforementioned stockings. While the film's version of the suit is quite different from the comics one, it does somewhat carry over the feel of its predecessor through its color and wavy appearance.
Atom Smasher—real name Albert Rothstein—is played by Noah Centineo. He has the ability to increase his size and mass, which grants him superhuman strength, stamina, and durability. In the comics, Atom Smasher wears a sleeveless, spandex-like full-body suit and a full-face blue mask. His Black Adam suit evokes the feel of that attire, but there are some major differences between them. First, the character in the film wears a full-body suit made of a mesh-like material, as opposed to spandex. Furthermore, unlike the comics' version of the mask, which is a simple blue piece, the live-action iteration features an intricate line-pattern design. One notable similarity between the two costumes is the silver bracelets—a signature element of Atom Smasher. The suit also carries over Atom Smasher's collar, but gives it a sleeker makeover. Rothstein's live-action costume is particularly modernized by a light-up effect that is seemingly triggered by his powers, which imbues it with a futuristic feel in line with the DCEU's high-tech aesthetic.
Aldis Hodge portrays Carter Hall, aka Hawkman, one of the most experienced members of the DCEU's Justice Society. He has the power of flight and superhuman strength that may rival Black Adam's. Aside from Cyclone, Hawkman went through the most significant makeover for the film. The winged hero is often shirtless in the comics, wearing only a harness for his wings, green pants, red trunks, and red boots. In Black Adam, on the other hand, Hall sports a sleeker version of the harness worn over Nth-metal armor that covers his entire torso, paired with red pants and golden boots. Another departure from its comic roots is the suit's high-tech nature. Hall's wings look very robotic, and his helmet materializes around his head in a similar fashion to the headgear worn by MCU heroes like Captain Marvel and Star-Lord. Black Adam's second trailer showed how technologically advanced the Justice Society is—a contrast to Adam's ancient attire—and suits like Hawkman's and Atom Smasher's serve as prime examples of the team's more sci-fi leaning interpretation.
Daniel Klissmman is a Movies and TV Features Writer for Screen Rant. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past seven years, and has written for Movie Pilot, Comic Book Resources (CBR), AMC Theatres, Cinemark Theatres, BamSmackPow and ComicBookMovie.com. He has experience writing about comic book media and the entertainment industry in general. When he’s not ranting about the Spawn movie or engaging in philosophical conversations about just how powerful Squirrel Girl is, he dabbles in engineering.