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'Black Adam' Trailer Lights Up Dwayne Johnson as DC Antihero

It's Black Adam vs. Hawkman in the first trailer for the Shazam spinoff.

Jennifer Bisset Former Senior Editor / Culture
Jennifer Bisset was a senior editor for CNET. She covered film and TV news and reviews. The movie that inspired her to want a career in film is Lost in Translation. She won Best New Journalist in 2019 at the Australian IT Journalism Awards.
Expertise Film and TV Credentials
  • Best New Journalist 2019 Australian IT Journalism Awards
Jennifer Bisset
A hooded Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Black Adam

Dwayne Johnson plays antihero Black Adam.

Warner Bros.

While we're waiting for the sequel to DC's 2019 superhero caper Shazam, this spinoff tells the origin story of Shazam's greatest nemesis. Black Adam, starring Dwayne Johnson, is scheduled to arrive in theaters on Oct. 21.

The first trailer arrived Wednesday, giving us a taste of the antihero's origin story. In the comics, Black Adam hails from fictional North African nation Kahndaq, where he was imprisoned for 5,000 years. He gains superpowers from the same ancient wizard from whom Shazam scored his lightning powers -- read our guide to Black Adam to find out more. According to the trailer, the movie version of Black Adam must choose between being a hero or villain -- and it looks like he takes the darker path, judging by his take on the question of whether heroes kill people.

Check out the trailer below.

Black Adam also stars Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone and Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate.

We got a first look at the flick in October at DC Fandome. It showed archeologists zapping Black Adam with a bolt of lightning. The hooded figure promptly turns a dude to dust, catches a bullet in midair and then takes to the sky.

Looks like intense stuff, although a joke about a rocket suggests some humor too.

After Black Adam, Shazam: Fury of the Gods brings back Zachary Levi's boyish superhero in December. Sequels for Aquaman and the Flash follow next year. 

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