Pierce Brosnan & Aldis Hodge Interview: Black Adam

Pierce Brosnan and Aldis Hodge join the DC Cinematic Universe as senior members of the Justice Society of America in Black Adam. Despite being part of DC Comics' first superhero team, and making their debut in All-Star Comics in 1940, Black Adam will be the first time DC’s classic superhero team will be seen on the big screen.

Brosnan and Hodges share fans' excitement and thoughts about bringing the iconic team to life. Brosnan plays Doctor Fate, whose wisdom shines as brightly as his helmet. Meanwhile, Hodge plays Hawkman, whose mysterious origins could make way for an entirely separate film.

Screen Rant spoke to both actors about Doctor Fate and his alter-ego Kent Nelson’s relationship with the helmet Nabu, Carter Hall’s backstory in the film, and how each member of the Justice Society changes their perception of being a superhero after meeting Black Adam.

Pierce Brosnan & Aldis Hodge Dive into Black Adam Dynamics

Hawkman and Doctor Fate Negotiate in Black Adam

Screen Rant: All Star Comics in 1940 was the debut of the JSA. How does it feel to bring those characters to life on the big screen for the first time?

Pierce Brosnan: Sensational.

Aldis Hodge: Yeah. Incredible. Incredible, man.

Pierce Brosnan: It's a feast of a movie. My sons who are aficionados of this genre just gave it such a thumbs up. Really. It works on every level.

Aldis Hodge: You put that so elegantly, "They're aficionados of this genre." That's the most classy I've heard that put. I'll take it. I'm like, "Yeah, I'm just a fan. I'm a nerd." He's like the "aficionados".

Pierce Brosnan: Works on every level.

Pierce, let's talk about Doctor Fate for a second, because he has such a gravitas that's so evident in this movie. Can you talk to me about where he's at when we meet him for the first time and his relationship with Nabu?

Pierce Brosnan: He's at a great flux in his life. He's at a turbulent point in his life. He comes onto the stage holding great secrets of what is about to unfold and he comes at the behest of his dear friend Carter Hawkman. And they have traveled down through the eons and created such a life force for themselves, but this is a moment in time that is critical, crucial and heart-yearning.

Talk to me. Is Carter Hall a mortal man that's a terrestrial man or are we diving more into Thanagar stuff that we have in the comics?

Aldis Hodge: 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.

I love how you said Katar Hol, because I feel like that's a deep cut right there for a lot of Hawkman fans.

Aldis Hodge: Yeah. Carter Hall or Couture Hall. It's one of the two, you know what I mean? But I told you I'm in there. I'm not going to tell you.

One of the big themes of this film is morality. Can you talk to me about the JSA interacting with Black Adam, and how their perspective on being a superhero may change?

Aldis Hodge: Yeah, sure. For me, I think that [the JAS] meet Black Adam with our preserved means of what justice actually is. And especially when we go to conduct and we try to impose upon them what we think justice to be. And Black Adam shows us a different injustice. And not only that, the people galvanize around him to support a different definition of justice. So, for us, we have to really understand and learn. And part of our journey is, whilst we still believe in what we believe in, can we learn how to respect and adapt and apply different means of justice?

What is right for them? Is that also right for us? So, there is a morally complex battle in terms of being able to respect and also learn how to be of true service.

Guys, this movie is incredible. All the way through I was on the edge of my seat. That action is incredible. Jaume does a fantastic job directing this.

Aldis Hodge: Jaume's the king.

Pierce Brosnan: It was remarkable watching him put together this movie, every day.

About Black Adam

Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods -- and imprisoned just as quickly -- Black Adam is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.

Check out our other Black Adam interviews here: