In Theatres: Black Adam (2022)

 In 1945, Fawcett Comics introduced Black Adam as a villain with the same kind of powers as their Captain Marvel. 32 years later, after the Shazam! franchise had been acquired by DC, Adam was introduced to a new audience, and made his TV debut four years after that in the short-lived Kid Super Power Hour With Shazam!. In each case, it was established that Adam, or, Teth-Adam, had been in ancient Egypt when he'd been chosen by Shazam.

Modern writers have rebooted Adam into the fictional country of Khandaq, and he would eventually transition from villain to anti-hero, joining the JSA and, more recently, the Justice League.

It is the JSA, or, more specifically, an iteration written by Geoff Johns, that factors into Adam's feature film debut. Dwayne Johnson's 2nd DC Comics entry this year has him as Adam, 20 years after Johnson's leading man debut in "The Scorpion King". Both films will make a ton of money despite some negative reviews. 

Adam's emergence in present-day Khandaq gets the attention of Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), who calls on the JSA, led by Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan) and Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), who has a standing grudge with Adam that really doesn't have much roots in the comics. In time, Adam will cross paths with Captain Marvel, now known as Shazam in DC continuity to avoid confusion with the other Captain at Marvel (which holds the trademark & copyright to the Captain Marvel name).

Check the trailer:

Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) is a 21st century reboot of Andrea Thomas, the mortal alter ego of Isis, who was integrated into the DCU some years earlier following the end of Secrets of Isis. However, Tomaz has no powers here, as there might not be plans for Isis in the DCEU.

The trailers include "Shazam!: Fury of The Gods", due in March, which might lead to Adam's return. Like the 1st "Shazam!" film, "Black Adam" is a little overboard with the comedy elements, and the use of pop classics by Player and the Rolling Stones is a riff on Marvel's "Guardians of The Galaxy" series.

Could've been better, really.

Rating: B--.