screenshot-2022.10.25-01_42_081666676528418.jpg

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Black Adam!

Being the newest entry in the DCEU, Black Adam changes a lot for the franchise, debuting new teams, expanding on the universe's history, and even reintroducing fan-favorite characters. With the state that the DCEU has been in lately, Black Adam was a much-needed breath of fresh air, adding a sense of direction and expansion that has been lacking since the series shifted its focus to solo movies. With Black Adam being the DCEU's biggest movie in a while, the character and the universe surrounding him are sure to have an impact on future DCEU projects.

Black Adam follows the titular antihero, an ancient meta-human from Kahndaq, as he returns to the world in modern times after being freed by a group of treasure hunters. Unlike most of the DCEU's heroes, Black Adam doesn't play by the rules and kills anyone that gets in his way. As star Dwayne Johnson has said, the power dynamic of the DCEU has changed with the character's introduction, given much of the film is dedicated to attempting to take Black Adam down. Black Adam has introduced a lot of new elements to the DCEU, so here is every big change the movie makes and how it will affect the franchise going forward.

Black Adam Is The DCEU's Oldest Superhero


Up until Black Adam, Wonder Woman was considered the DCEU's oldest superhero. While her age has never been confirmed in a DCEU movie, she had clearly been around for hundreds of years, making her much older than heroes like Batman and Superman. However, Black Adam (formerly Teth-Adam) is confirmed to have been a fully-grown man in 2600 B.C., making him somewhere around 4,650 years old during the events of his movie. This makes him the oldest DCEU superhero with an officially confirmed age, with the character still operating nearly 5,000 years after getting his powers.

Wonder Woman's age has been up for debate, though, meaning that if it were ever officially confirmed, she could be slightly older than Adam. While the studio and Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins have said that Diana Prince is about 800 years old during her first solo movie, star Gal Gadot has said she believes the character is 5,000 years old. It also gets a little muddled when considering characters from non-canon films like Zack Snyder's Justice League, such as the super-powered individuals who fought Darkseid when he first came to Earth. However, by strictly looking at canon DCEU movies and the ages confirmed in those, Black Adam is currently the oldest hero in the franchise.

The Justice Society Of America Is The DCEU's Newest Team


Black Adam introduced the DCEU's newest superhero team: the Justice Society of America. Currently consisting of Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Atom Smasher, and Cyclone, the Justice Society typically rotates members, picking those best suited for each mission out of a large roster of heroes. The Justice Society's members tend to be much more diverse than the Justice League's, consisting of all types of heroes with varying ages, powers, and experiences. Black Adam also reveals that the Justice Society has been operating for many years, with its founding members being Hawkman, Doctor Fate, and the original Atom Smasher (the movie version's uncle). This means that the Justice Society has been operating in the background since the DCEU's inception, making them the franchise's most historied super-team, even older than the Justice League.

The JSA Is Working For Amanda Waller


In Black Adam, Task Force X leader Amanda Waller — a character who has featured in both Suicide Squad movies and the Peacemaker TV series — enlists the Justice Society to take down the title character. Previously, Waller has only been seen working with villains, meaning her authority over the Justice Society has some major implications. It could be the Justice Society has worked for the government for a while, with Waller turning to them whenever a threat is too big for her Belle Reve inmates. It could also be that Task Force X was disbanded after The Suicide Squad's disastrous ending that lead to the deaths of several members and many innocents. Waller's Black Adam cameo is brief, but it hints at some major changes regarding her role in the DCEU, raising questions that may only be answered in future Suicide Squad movies.

Magic Now Officially Exists In The DCEU


While there are definitely characters who have used mystical powers before, Doctor Fate is the DCEU's first official magic user. The sorcerer uses all kinds of spells and incantations that haven't been seen before, and while his connection with the Lords of Order isn't confirmed in the movie, Black Adam explicitly talks about his powers coming from actual magic rather than just incredibly powerful weapons (as is the case with Wonder Woman). Much like how pre-Doctor Strange Marvel characters explained magic away as advanced science, the DCEU has previously done something similar up until the introduction of Doctor Fate. Furthermore, with Doctor Fate's helmet flying off after the death of Kent Nelson, it seems very likely that the Lords of Order will soon choose another champion, spreading this magic throughout the DCEU even further.