A new Black Adam trailer includes footage from Justice League and Birds of Prey, teasing the movie's place in the larger DCEU. After years of being stuck in development hell, Dwayne Johnson is finally bringing Black Adam into the DCEU. Initially, Warner Bros. had plans to use Black Adam in the Shazam! movie, as he is Billy Batson's arch nemesis in the comics. However, Johnson pitched the idea of doing a solo movie for the iconic DC foe before clashing with Shazam.
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While DC Comics fans know Black Adam as a villain, the DCEU iteration will take the character in a brand new direction. Johnson's iteration will be depicted as an anti-hero, as Black Adam explores Teth-Adam's tragic origin story and how he becomes a mighty god. Even though Black Adam will take on Sabbac and Intergang, Johnson's character will go toe-to-toe with Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Atom Smasher, and Cyclone, who are members of the Justice Society of America.
Even though it's been known for quite some time that Black Adam takes place in the DCEU, the marketing has been careful in showing its ties to the larger franchise. To celebrate the film being exactly one month away from opening in theaters, Johnson shared a new Black Adam trailer, giving fans new glimpses of the highly anticipated movie. However, something that past Black Adam trailers haven't included previously is footage from other DCEU films, as the latest one showcases bits and pieces from Justice League and Birds of Prey. Check out the new trailer below.
While there are two versions of Justice League, the footage from which the Black Adam trailer used a scene was the 2017 cut. Despite Zack Snyder's Justice League having the better reception, Warner Bros. is still considering Joss Whedon's controversial cut canon to the DCEU, as the Black Adam sizzle reel features the drastically changed version of Steppenwolf. While the Snyder Cut was released on HBO Max, the filmmaker has talked about how it exists in its own continuity hence why Whedon's film is still regarded as DCEU canon. It's interesting, though, that the Black Adam trailer used footage of Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey rather than The Suicide Squad since the latter came out only a year ago.
Since Viola Davis' Amanda Waller will appear in Black Adam, it will be intriguing to see how the film factors into the DCEU on a larger scale. Johnson has teased for years how his character will forever change "the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe," explicitly calling out the Justice League heroes. Even though Birds of Prey and Justice League have no crucial connections to Black Adam, it's still a neat choice to feature those specific films in the marketing campaign for Johnson's film. With the potential of Black Adam sequels and spinoff projects, this film looks more and more like it will be a game-changer for the DCEU, especially as Warner Bros. Discovery is making the DC brand a bigger priority in the coming years.