The Justice Society of America will the DC Extended Universe in his version of the movie on HBO Max in 2021. In the absence of more of the Justice League, the DCEU could soon have a new team ready to serve justice.
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's long-awaited DC have a role in Stargirl.
This will change with Black Adam, as a currently unconfirmed roster of characters will be featured to set up the Justice Society. Multiple JSA have been linked to the movie through various rumors, but so far, only one character is confirmed: THR announced that Noah Centineo is playing Atom Smasher in Black Adam. Now that it is confirmed Albert Rothstein a.k.a. Atom Smasher will appear, it might not be too long before more JSA are revealed. But how will Black Adam introduce this new super team?
Atom Smasher and Black Adam's DC Comics History
Atom Smasher's role in Black Adam is a no-brainer based on the strong connection they have in the comics. Atom Smasher ed the Justice Society after a short stint with the Justice League and went on many missions with his new teammates. It wasn't long, though, before Black Adam ed the ranks after he turned against his previously-evil ways. This initially creates a conflict between Rothstein and Black Adam, as the former doesn't believe that he's turned good. However, the two form a brotherly bond after Black Adam defends him for killing Extant. The two then decide to leave the team behind.
Now off on their own adventures, Atom Smasher and Black Adam help each other get revenge on those who have wronged them. They first go and kill the villain Kobra, who accidentally murdered Al's mother (before she was saved with time travel) and was allowed to get away by the Justice Society. Black Adam was the one who ripped Kobra's heart out to ensure his death. After this event, the duo travels to Adam's home country of Khandaq to overthrow the dictatorial ruler. Their war with Khandaq draws the attention of the JSA, resulting in the pair fighting their former teammates at first before it is decided that Adam can rule the country if they never leave.
After their fight with the JSA, Atom Smasher stays with Black Adam for a short time, until Spectre kills him. Black Adam resurrects him and returns Al to the JSA headquarters. It isn't long after this that Atom Smasher is sent to jail for his recent actions and is recruited to the Suicide Squad by Amanda Waller. One of his missions requires him to start a war with Black Adam and results in Atom Smasher reing the JSA to hunt him down. But, Al winds up saving Black Adam's life after Shazam strips him of his power.
How Black Adam Introduces The Justice Society of America
If Black Adam uses comics as a blueprint, there is a reasonably clear trajectory for the Justice Society. When Johnson discussed the role the JSA will play in his movie, he was careful with his words, which could offer better insight into their plans. He said that Black Adam would introduce "the world of JSA." This could mean that the movie will help set up the team by introducing characters like Atom Smasher, but the JSA won't necessarily be formed yet. If this is the case, then Black Adam could feature the origin of the Justice Society at some point, possibly even making Black Adam a founding member instead of a late addition.
The possibility of Black Adam also serving as the origin of the JSA could be a smart direction to go, especially since casual moviegoers most likely aren't aware of this DC superhero team at all. Introducing Atom Smasher and rumored characters like Hawkman, Stargirl, and Cyclone gives the movie a chance to show why they all team-up and form the JSA potentially. However, even if this is the case, Black Adam could speed up the process to have the Justice Society assemble relatively early on the movie. This would give the movie time to have Black Adam be part of the team for a longer part of the film's runtime.
Although the Justice Society's role in Black Adam could be done in this fashion, there is still a chance that the team will be fully formed by the time the movie begins. It also isn't guaranteed that Black Adam will be working Atom Smasher and other DC heroes. The JSA could serve as antagonists to Black Adam at first before he decides to them or be his foes for the entire movie. In either case, it would probably be too much story to expect everything from Atom Smasher and Black Adam's history detailed before to be in this first film, as some elements could be saved for sequels or spinoffs.
Black Adam Could Expand The DCEU's Past
No matter what route Black Adam takes to introduce the Justice Society, the introduction of the team will just be another way that the movie expands the DCEU's past. This will already be done through Black Adam's origin and possible connections to Shazam! and the Seven Deadly Sins, but the JSA adds another piece of history. Atom Smasher and any other JSA who appear in Black Adam will suddenly exist in, presumably, the distant past. These characters could then still be part of the DCEU but not heavily tied to the present-day narrative, which gives them the opportunity for spinoffs.
That's not to say that every Justice Society member who appears in Black Adam will get a solo movie, but some of the more popular ones could star in their own projects. Even if standalone films don't happen, there's no reason to believe that some of these characters won't get solo TV shows on HBO Max. There's also the possibility that instead of multiple spinoffs for individual characters, the Justice Society team could get a movie or HBO Max show to further build the DCEU. All of this could happen before these heroes would potentially return for a Black Adam sequel. Who knows — maybe the followup to Black Adam will ultimately become Black Adam vs the Justice Society. As long as the Justice Society characters are a hit with audiences, then they should have a bright future in the DCEU — whether in the past or somehow in the present.
