Aldis Hodge, cast as Hawkman in the upcoming superhero flick Black Adam, has shared insight on his character's origin story. Led by Dwayne Johnson as the titular anti-hero, the film begins as Black Adam has risen from 5,000 years of imprisonment and begins issuing some violent score-settling until Hodge's Hawkman and others arrive. With several moving parts and stunning costumes already revealed by trailers, the film is shaping up to be one of DC's boldest adventures yet. Black Adam arrives in theaters on October 21.

The Hawkman character's alias and backstory have been bifurcated into two main through-lines: one as Carter Hall, an American archeologist with powers bestowed to him by touching a precious dagger, and another as Katar Hol, a police officer from the alien planet of Thanagar sent on a mission to Earth, where he becomes Hawkman. The two Hawkmen share a somewhat confusing, multi-verse style existence, and there are endearing parts of both that deserve to make it to the screen. Hodge's Hawkman, Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan) from the Justice Society of America will make their modern film debut, opposing Johnson's Black Adam in an epic cinematic showdown.

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Hodge shares just a bit of information regarding Hawkman's origin story in an exclusive interview with Screen Rant after being asked if Black Adam will introduce elements from Thanagar. Hodge's Hawkman is billed as Carter Hall, but the actor hints that the creative team may borrow elements from the hero's many dueling origin stories. Read Hodge's comments below:

"You know I can't tell you that. No, bro. I will say, though, when I tried to figure out which backstory and which lane I was going to go with... My application of Carter was found in the synergy of all of the iterations that we know of Carter Hall. What are the most consistent traits that we understand Carter Hall or Katar Hol to be, and pull that into this? And hopefully, we can get to tell the backstory in origin in another film. But for now, I can't spill those beans."

What Introducing Thanagar Could Mean For The DCEU

Hawkman and Doctor Fate Negotiate in Black Adam

Nth Metal, the material powering Hawkman's wings and other aspects of his powers, originates on the planet Thanagar. There have been many iterations of a mystical substance from an alien planet undergirding a fantasy story, such as Unobtanium in the Avatar films or Vibranium in Black Panther. These fictional materials often serve as a metaphor for the scarcity of resources on Earth, but the DCEU can still turn out an original take on the novel concept. Thanagar is also populated by loads of different races, heroes and villains, representing the opportunity for a massive clash of characters akin to an Avengers event on the alien world.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had demonstrated success with world-building through Black Panther's home world Wakanda. Wakanda has grown to be more than just a fictional place within the MCU; it's an iconic slice of comic book movie-inspired culture. While Disney has not acted on its suggestion that it would build a Wakanda-themed addition to its adventure park, this style of world-building is perfectly situated for larger marketing plays and fandom cultivation. If DC introduces Thanagar and bills it as their brand's Wakanda, then a Hawkman origin film could be destined to succeed. No independent Hawkman film is set in stone just yet, and the DCEU will get its first introduction to Hodge's depiction of the winged hero in Black Adam.

Next: Who Is Dr. Fate? Pierce Brosnan's Black Adam Superhero Explained

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