Dwayne Johnson is gearing up to join the DCEU in the upcoming Black Adam movie, where he will play the titular anti-hero. But Adam is not the only superpowered being the movie will introduce. Aldis Hodge was revealed last year to have been cast in the role of Hawkman, the leader of the Justice Society of America (JSA). Hodge recently told ScreenRant how he is preparing to play the winged warrior.

"As far as research, I've done all kinds of research. I read all the graphic novels, from the JSA to the Hawkman series. I find myself really enjoying who and what he is, and how he is, and I know what we have in store for how we're going to show him. It's got me really excited."

Hawkman has a long and complex history in DC Comics. He is one of the longest-lived superheroes, who was originally an alien cop named Katar Hol from the planet Thanagar, before he traveled to Earth and was reborn over the years in different avatars. It has been revealed that Hawkman will appear alongside the rest of the heroes of the JSA. Aldis Hodge had explained in a previous interview how excited he was to finally be able to play a superhero after years of getting rejected from such roles.

"When [Dwayne Johnson] said, 'Welcome to Black Adam,' it was literally like what I imagined winning the lottery to feel like. I had been very, very much looking forward to being a part of any kind of superhero universe. I didn't care what it was for such a long time just because I had been such a fan. I grew up on graphic novels. I got into the business so I could earn money to buy Batman toys, you know? It was like 13 to 15 years of constantly going up to bat and getting told no. So it really was a validation of those last few years of pursuit, hustle, and preparation."

Black Adam will see Dwayne Johnson play the role of an ancient ruler, who used the powers of the wizard Shazam to create his empire. But the power went to Adam's head, and he became a cruel tyrant. As such, Black Adam was sealed away in a tomb for centuries, and the wizard found a new champion, Billy Batson who became the superhero Shazam.

Although Black Adam has traditionally appeared in Shazam's comics as a villain, it seems the DCEU is taking a leaf out of Sony's Venom playbook, and giving the villain his own standalone movie that will portray him as an anti-hero. Johnson appears highly excited about the upcoming movie, which he has been campaigning hard to get made for more than a decade now.

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Black Adam features Dwayne Johnson, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, and Sarah Shahi. The film currently does not have a release date. Screenrant was the first to share these quotes.