The Black Adam footage shown in Warner Bros.' "The World Needs Heroes" trailer reveals that Dwayne Johnson's Teth-Adam and the Justice Society look even better in live-action than many fans expected. Some comic book characters are harder to translate to the screen than others. For every faithful iteration of the iconic Superman suit, there are a few Flash costumes that just refuse to look right, and even though Aquaman's royal armor had all the chances to look absurd, it managed to look much more serious than Batman's Batsuit did for a couple of movies in the late '90s. Fortunately, the prevalence of superhero movies in recent times comes with an excellent eye for detail when it comes to costume design.
Adapting the Justice Society to live-action is a big challenge. Unlike the Justice League, the Birds of Prey, or the Teen Titans, the Justice Society are linked to ancient times in many ways. Hence, their costumes need to look realistic and functional, but not too contemporary. Just like wrestler-style trunks and endless pouches have defined certain eras of comic book costumes, all-leather uniforms and overly tactical superhero suits will likely look quite dated in a few years' time. While this wouldn't be much of a problem for superhero teams that can be adapted to any era, it could become a bit of an issue for characters who are supposed to come from Ancient Egypt.
The outstanding work that Warner Bros. has delivered in the costume design of characters like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Suicide Squad has been a good omen for Black Adam and the Justice Society. Now, the teaser footage for the upcoming Black Adam movie has confirmed that these heroes will look like they were ripped straight out of the most visually appealing comic book pages. Here's how they compare to their comic book counterparts.
Hawkman
The first Justice Society member to be shown in all his costumed glory in the DC teaser trailer is none other than Hawkman, and with good reason. Hawkman has always been one of the most majestic-looking heroes in all of DC, with his iconic wings and helmet standing out for their sheer size. There are several different characters who have received the mantle of Hawkman, but they all have worn similar attire. Generally, the comic book version of this attire lacks a shirt, as only the harness supports Hawkman's wings and shows off his symbol. The pants are usually green, and the helmet sports a large aquiline nose and huge wings on either side.
Aldis Hodge's Hawkman is incredibly faithful to the hero's original look, with an even more intricate helmet than many iterations of the hero in the comics and an immense pair of wings, each with multiple rows of golden feathers. Coupled with the red pants, the long red feathers make the wings look even more regal, and the golden armor provides this Hawkman with a sensible layer of protection without going over the top. Hawkman's kneecaps and boots have a rather simple design, which resembles the classic look superheroes had back in the Golden and Silver Age of comic books.
Doctor Fate
Much like Hawkman, Doctor Fate is the moniker several different characters have adopted throughout the centuries in DC Comics. All of these champions have worn a similar blue outfit and have wielded the Amulet of Anubis, the Cloak of Destiny, and most importantly, the iconic Helmet of Fate. Pierce Brosnan's Doctor Fate is another example of an exceptional live-action costume design. The sorcerer only appears to sport the two colors that define the character, and they don't try to be grittier than they need to be. The solid blue suit does have an engraved pattern that imbues it with esoteric mystique, and the solid gold of the helmet, chest piece, and gloves looks fittingly uncanny, but realistic enough to not make Doctor Fate look cartoonish. The most eye-catching feature in this iteration of the sorcerer is, precisely, the lack of eye openings in his helmet, which tend to be depicted as small slits in other media. Only a small fraction of the Amulet of Anubis can be seen in Doctor Fate's chest in the teaser, but future promotional material for the perfectly-cast Black Adam will certainly provide a better look at the relic.
Cyclone
The straightforward design of Cyclone's original costume may mislead those who aren't familiar with her, as her powerful wind-bending abilities make her a force to reckon with in the Justice Society. Maxine Hunkel a.k.a. Cyclone usually wears a loose green dress with a tank top underneath, long striped socks, and a green top hat. Clearly, this costume provides zero protection in battle, but given Cyclone's immense power, it's evident that she doesn't need it, preferring the flow of her clothes and hair in the wind instead.
Quintessa Swindell's Cyclone may be the upcoming DCEU character whose look changed the most during her translation to the big screen, as she doesn't seem to leave any part of her body vulnerable. Cyclone now sports a green chest piece with golden shoulder straps and keeps her hair tied (though it's possible that she will let it loose while using her abilities), but it seems she still opts for a mostly non-armored look for the rest of her body. This will surely help fight more comfortably without leaving her open to attacks.
Atom Smasher
Albert Rothstein a.k.a. Atom-Smasher is one of the most famous size-shifters in DC Comics. Unlike Marvel's various Ant-Men, Atom-Smasher is able to grow in size without the need of a suit or a substance, which gives him the freedom to dress as he wishes. First, Al Rothstein joins the Infinity Inc. team and adopts the moniker of Nuklon, sporting a black-and-red bodysuit, a red mohawk, and either a bandana or an hourglass-shaped mask. He then changes his look once he enters the Justice Society, opting for a sleeveless shirt and a rather simple dark blue mask.
Interestingly, Noah Centineo's take on the Atom Smasher in Black Adam wears a full-body suit with an apparently high-tech belt and golden gauntlets. This version of the suited-up Albert Rothstein looks a bit more like a modern superhero than a luchador, but the simple pattern in his suit still gives an air of Golden Age hero. Whether Black Adam's Atom-Smasher can grow so much in size due to metahumans abilities or because of his suit is still unknown, but the green lights on his costume could be a sign that he's at least assisted by it.
Black Adam
The first official look at Dwayne Johnson in Black Adam's full suit had been anticipated for several years already. Now fans can rest easy knowing that the Rock looks just as phenomenal as he initially promised. There's not much to say about the original suit: it's a black fabric suit, with golden boots, gauntlets, a belt, and a lightning symbol. Yet, it is still iconic to this day. Similarly, like Billy Batson and the Shazam family in 2019's Shazam!, Teth Adam's suit in Black Adam steers clear of overly-complicated patterns or extra accessories. Instead, it takes the original costume from the comics and directly stamps it on a flesh-and-blood Black Adam. This live-action suit looks like it's made out of a weathered half-leather, half-spandex material unknown to modern humans, as it fits Dwayne Johnson's near-superhuman physique almost too perfectly, and its symbol glows bright yellow. Of course, the hooded black cape is just icing on the cake.
