The Black Adam movie will portray Doctor Fate's helmet as being both a blessing and a curse, according to Pierce Brosnan. The DCEU is about to have a big shake-up, as it's introducing some of DC Comics' most powerful characters. While many know Black Adam as Shazam's nemesis, the DCEU iteration will depict him as an anti-hero, something the franchise doesn't have many of at the moment. Black Adam will explore Teth-Adam's grim origin story and how he becomes the Godlike figure he is known to be in the comics.
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While Black Adam will take on villains such as Sabbac and Intergang, he will also tackle some traditional superheroes in the form of the Justice Society of America. The Golden Age team, which predates the Justice League in the comics, will consist of Hawkman, Cyclone, Atom Smasher, and Doctor Fate. After Black Adam awakens in modern times, Viola Davis' Amanda Waller has the Justice Society go after him and stop the anti-hero's rampage.
Brosnan is portraying Kent Nelson in Black Adam, making it the first DC film to feature Doctor Fate on the big screen. In a recent interview with GQ, Brosnan went into detail about how Doctor Fate's helmet will have its ups and downs. While the Helmet of Nabu can be seen as a blessing, Brosnan stressed that the film would also display how it's a curse, sharing the following:
Doctor Fate has the Helmet of Nabu, which is a curse and a blessing because he is shackled to the power of the helmet. It's an addiction, it's a curse. It all sounds a lot of fru-fru when you talk about it like that [laughs] but it's stuff that you have to lend your heart to if you go into the mythology of it, whether it be Doctor Fate or James Bond.
Doctor Fate's Helmet Has Always Been Tricky In The Comics & Other DC Media
In many iterations, the Helmet of Nabu has been depicted as a complicated source of power for Doctor Fate. While it makes Kent or anyone who wears it one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe, it comes with a price. Black Adam may be Doctor Fate's first film, but the character and the helmet appeared in live-action in Smallville season 9, where Kent had a similar problem. Despite the powers it would grant him, the Helmet of Nabu had, over time, driven the DC hero insane, which is also a key factor from the comics.
Given how Brosnan spoke about the helmet being an addiction for Kent, it wouldn't be shocking if Black Adam reveals that his version of the character has also had his sanity affected throughout the years. Since Doctor Fate will become one of the DCEU's most prominent power players after debuting in Black Adam, the Helmet of Nabu will hopefully be explored appropriately, given its complex background in the comics. If the Justice Society or even Doctor Fate is the one to get a Black Adam spinoff, this is an important story a writer could focus on, since these characters will likely be sticking around for quite some time. With less than a month to go before Black Adam's release, it will be intriguing to see how deep they go into Doctor Fate and the helmet's powerful effects.