Exclusive: Black Adam actor Aldis Hodge talks about the origins of his character Hawkman and hints at a possible Hawkman movie as part of the DCEU.
Aldis Hodge, Cast as Hawkman in Upcoming Superhero Movie Black Adam, has shared insight into his character’s origin story. Led by Dwayne Johnson as the titular antihero, the film begins as Black Adam is resurrected from 5,000 years in prison and begins to issue a violent reckoning until Hodge’s Hawkman and others arrive. With several moving parts and stunning costumes already revealed through trailers, the movie will be one of DC’s most daring adventures to date. Black Adam hits theaters on October 21.
The Hawkman character’s alias and backstory is split into two main lines: one as Carter Hall, an American archaeologist with powers bestowed upon him by touching a precious dagger, and another as Katar Hol, an alien police officer. planet Thanagar on a mission to Earth, where he becomes Hawkman. The two Hawkmen share a somewhat confusing multi-verse existence, and there are endearing parts of both that deserve to be featured on screen. Hodge’s Hawkman, Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan) of the Justice Society of America make their modern-day film debut and take on Johnson’s Black Adam in an epic cinematic showdown.
Hodge shares just a little bit of information about Hawkman’s origin story in an exclusive interview with screen frenzy after being asked whether Black Adam will introduce elements from Thanagar. Hodge’s Hawkman is billed as Carter Hall, but the actor hints that the creative team may borrow elements from the hero’s many dueling origin stories. Read Hodge’s comments below:
“You know I can’t tell you that. No, bro. I’ll say though, when I was trying to figure out what backstory and what job I was going to… My application of Carter was found in the synergy of all iterations that we know from Carter Hall. What are the most consistent traits that we understand Carter Hall or Katar Hol, and pull that into this? And hopefully we can tell the backstory in the origin in another movie. But for now, I can’t spill those beans.”
What the introduction of Thanagar could mean for the DCEU
Nth Metal, the material that powers Hawkman’s wings and other aspects of his powers, originates on the planet Thanagar. There have been many iterations of a mystical substance from an alien planet underlying a fantasy story, such as Unobtanium in the Avatar movies of vibranium in Black Panther. These fictitious materials often serve as a metaphor for the scarcity of resources on Earth, but the DCEU can still provide an original take on the new concept. Thanagar is also populated by many different races, heroes and villains, which represents the potential for a massive clash of characters resembling a avengers event in the alien world.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has proven to be successful in building a world through Wakanda, the homeworld of Black Panther. Wakanda has grown into more than just a fictional place within the MCU; it’s an iconic piece of comic book-inspired culture. While Disney hasn’t followed through on his suggestion to build a Wakanda-themed addition to its adventure park, this world-building style is perfectly situated for bigger marketing games and growing fandom. If DC introduces Thanagar and labels it as their brand’s Wakanda, a movie of Hawkman origin would be destined to succeed. No independent Hawkman movie has been set in stone yet, and the DCEU will get its first introduction to Hodge’s portrayal of the winged hero in Black Adam.
