Black Adam was one of many upcoming DC films to have been met with delays, with the film now without a confirmed release date. Nevertheless, new details have continued to release surrounding the Black Adam's cast.
The Invisible Man's Aldis Hodge recently joined the cast as Hawkman, rounding out the Justice Society of America that will be featured in the film. Sarah Shahi is also rumored to have a role as the DC character Isis, who will play a "female lead and love interest" opposite Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam.
Producers of Black Adam also have big plans for crossovers with other DC properties, with producer Hiram Garcia particularly noting the direct connection to Shazam. Garcia also mentions that the studio has "big ambitions" for all of the new characters being introduced in the film, indicating that Justice Society characters could crop up in other DC films in the future.
Now, a new DC character will be joining the film, who seems to spell trouble for Black Adam...
NEWS
The Direct has exclusively learned that the DC supervillain Eclipso will make his DCEU debut in Black Adam. Sources indicate that the character will be used to help imprison Black Adam in the film.
WHAT THIS MEANS
Some fans may be unaware of Eclipso, being quite a relatively obscure character to the typical viewer. The character is somewhat of a sorcerer, possessing a vast array of magical powers. Eclipso is a frequent adversary of the Justice Society of America, with the mantle being held by different characters at various points.
This leads to a few possibilities for how he will be incorporated in the film. In the original teaser, Black Adam mentions that he is imprisoned for his crimes, which is paired with imagery of the wizard Shazam electrifying the villain. The direct usage of the term "imprison" could suggest that this is the point that Eclipso is introduced, retooling the character to exist in the BC time period to aid Shazam.
Alternatively, Eclipso could be featured in his traditional role as a Justice Society villain. This may force the Justice Society's hand to ask the supervillain for help, leaving them with no choice but to get Eclipso to seal Black Adam at the end of the film.
Eclipso seems to have been teased previously in concept art for Black Adam with the inclusion of the Heart of Darkness. In the comics, the Heart of Darkness is an item that Eclipso's soul is bound inside of. In the teaser, the item is seen floating next to Black Adam, prior to him returning in the present day. Perhaps Eclipso is the reason for Black Adam's escape in addition to his imprisonment, cutting a deal with Adam to benefit both parties somehow.
The inclusion of Eclipso is interesting, considering that the character has been confirmed to appear in the second season of Stargirl after an initial season finale tease. This demonstrates that DC continues to not be worried about having multiple incarnations on the silver and small screen at the same time.
The studio will soon have three Batmen in different films at the same time, being the Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck, and Robert Pattinson iterations in The Flash and The Batman, respectively. DC, therefore, is not concerned with multiple concurrent portrayals, trusting that audiences will be able to differentiate between the various incarnations.
When Black Adam will release is unknown, but Eclipso should pose an interesting threat to the character when the film does come out.
