Movie fans will meet the Justice Society of America when they make their DC Extended Universe debut in Black Adam. The team also appeared in various forms on TV shows Smallville, Arrow, and Stargirl, but this will be their biggest introduction to most people as Hawkman, Doctor Fate, and Atom Smasher all appeared in Black Adam's trailer.
For fans unfamiliar with the comics, the Justice Society was the team that defended the world before the Justice League existed. It included some familiar heroes in Green Lantern and Flash, but both characters were earlier versions of the heroes most fans know today. In modern continuity, the Justice Society remained intact thanks to time travel and decelerated aging, and the team involves some of DC's most powerful legacy characters.
The Sandman
Netflix subscribers will finally see the Neil Gaiman series Sandman premiere in August 2022. One thing that only comic book fans know about Sandman is that the character is not only named after a classic Justice Society member, but the current DC hero exists because of Gaiman's Sandman.
Sandman is Wesley Dobbs. In the Sandman comics, Dream ended up imprisoned and his powers spread among several people. One of them was Dobbs. This gives him the power to have prophetic dreams and he could interpret what they meant, giving the Justice Society a chance to stop disasters before they happen. It isn't a major offensive power, but one of the best defensive powers.
Black Canary
Fans know Black Canary from her time in the Arrowvcerse, as well as a version of her in the movie Birds of Prey. However, Black Canary is a legacy hero, and both Dinah Drake and her daughter Dinah Lance served in the role. The original Black Canary had no powers outside of her fighting skills.
However, her daughter Dinah Lance had powers. This was the Canary Cry that fans know about from today's hero, which is a scream that allows her to injure or stun her enemies. She can scream loud enough to shatter metal, and could even cause an enemy's ears to start bleeding at their highest level.
Atom-Smasher
While there is a current DC hero known as The Atom, there was a similarly powered hero in the Justice Society called Atom Smasher. He is one of the Justice Society members shown in the Black Adam trailer, so he is someone that movie fans should get to know well.
Unlike Atom, who shrinks in size, Atom-Smasher grows in height up to 28 feet tall. Since he does this by using atoms, he is resistant to all normal-sized enemies and his weight is also multiplied by his height, making him an immensely powerful hero in the Justice Society.
Johnny Thunder
Johnny Thunder doesn't necessarily have any powers, but he controls the djinn Thunderbolt, and together they are an incredibly powerful member of the Justice Society. However, he was limited here because he only had possession for one hour and the djinn would fulfill every order, even unintentional ones.
The djinn had the powers of a Genie from the 5th Dimension. This means that Johnny could alter reality at an almost immeasurable range.
Mister Terrific
Mr. Terrific is a Justice Society member that has played a big role in DC. The original was Terry Sloane, an Olympic-level athlete and martial artist who was a golden age hero. Michael Holt followed him and was even more powerful thanks to being the third smartest man on the planet.
Mr. Terrific has an IQ of 179 and possesses an eidetic memory, meaning he can remember everything and has perfect recall. He is also a polymath and has 14 Ph.D.s. He is almost always the smartest man in the room and is the best tactical leader in the Justice Society.
Hawkman
Interestingly, Hawkman is one of the few Justice Society members who was also a member of the Justice League later. He is a hero who has died and been reincarnated multiple times, and every time he keeps his knowledge of past lives and experiences to become one of the most powerful warriors alive.
He is also very powerful thanks to his weapons, which are enhanced with Nth Metal. These allow him to fly, use enhanced vision, and give him enhanced strength and durability. The Nth Metal also keeps Hawkman alive in even the worst conditions, giving him self-sustenance.
Green Lantern
Alan Scott served as the Green Lantern on Earth before Hal Jordan received the power ring. He was also known as Earth's first Green Lantern, and he has all the powers of a member of the Green Lantern Corps thanks to his ring. This includes his indomitable will, which is a requirement of the role.
All Alan's abilities come from his power ring. This allows him to create anything from his ring as both offensive and defensive weapons. However, he is not as powerful as Hal Jordan and has the strange weakness of wood.
The Flash
Jay Garrick was Earth's Flash before Barry Allen took on the role. Jay was one of the original Justice Society members, joining up with Hawkman, Green Lantern, and others to help America during World War II and the battle with Nazi Germany.
Jay has the same powers as Barry Allen, but he is not as fast as the modern-day Flash. Despite that, he has his own connection with the Speed Force and still had the overpowered use of super speed, more than anyone from his era.
Doctor Fate
Impressively, Doctor Fate is one of the most powerful magic users in the DC Universe and only a few select people have more power, including one fellow member of the Justice Society. Doctor Fate's powers come directly from his mystical Helmet of Fate.
Whoever wears the Helmet of Fate is the host of Nabu. However, the man who served in this role in the Justice Society had even more power since he was an accomplished sorcerer without the Helmet. However, with the Helmet on, he has access to almost all magic in the DC Universe and has the lone weakness of feeling no emotions.
The Spectre
Spectre was one of the most powerful DC characters of all time. Jim Corrigan was a Gotham City police detective who died and inherited the role of the Spectre, the divine spirit of vengeance. There is almost no one more powerful than him in this form.
The Spectre is nigh-omnipotent and has the power and magic to do almost anything he wants. When it comes to magical forces in the DC Universe, he rules over all others.