After the movie spent nearly a decade and a half in development, Dwayne Johnson has finally made his debut in the DCEU as the title character of Black Adam. Critics and audiences are mostly split down the middle on how they feel about director Jaume Collet-Serra’s box office hit, but one thing that most comic book aficionados can agree on is that it is great to finally see a big screen incarnation of the Justice Society of America.
The JSA — which some might also recognize form DC TV shows like Stargirl — is a premiere team of DC superheroes that actually predates the more well-known Justice League and is portrayed Black Adam cast members Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone. However, there are a colossal amount of other Justice Society members who also deserve their time in the spotlight in future DC movies, and these are just a few favorites we hope to see — starting with one who almost appeared in Black Adam.
Hawkgirl
Since we already met her partner in crime fighting and in life, Hawkman, it is only fair that we should eventually see Hawkgirl be introduced into the DCEU. Like Aldis Hodge’s Black Adam character, this winged warrior is known for a sporting bird-like cowl and using primitive-style battle weaponry to do her bidding, has a famous moniker that has been passed down to several people, and has already appeared in the Arrowverse, as portrayed by Ciara Renée. According to a tweet by Dwayne Johnson, Black Adam could have marked her cinematic debut before she was cut out in rewrites, but if she got that close before, it is probably just a matter of time before it becomes a reality.
The Spectre
A founding member of the Justice Society who has also already appeared in the Arrowverse is The Spectre, which is also another moniker passed down between several characters since his Golden Age debut. Reason being, this anti-hero is actually a vengeful sprit of unlimited, god-like ability that must bond itself to a human host to do its bidding. It even took over Green Lantern corps member Hal Jordan at one time, but I think I would rather see DC’s first iteration — slain police officer Jim Corrigan — be the star of his own flick inspired by film noir classics from the 1940s, but with a supernatural twist, of course.
Starman
Another member of the Justice Society who has, sort of, already appeared in the Arrowverse (Stargirl really follows its own continuity) is Starman — specifically a variation of the hero based on the original Star-Spangled Kid, Sylvester Pemberton (played by Joel McHale). However, for his big screen debut, I believe the DCEU should also bring in the first iteration, Theodore “Ted” Knight — an astronomer whose invention of a gravity rod (later known as a “cosmic rod”) that can manipulate various forms of energy allowed him to fly, repel or attract objects, and more. Plus, I think his backstory — a wealthy, genius playboy searching for a higher purpose — would make for a compelling, if not somewhat familiar, solo movie.
Doctor Mid-Nite
Another member of the Justice Society who has already appeared on Stargirl (both in the character’s earliest incarnation and one of the later versions, too) is Doctor Mid-Nite, who bears no similarities in ability to Doctor Fate…or even Doctor Strange. Actually, one Marvel character he does have something in common with is Daredevil as each of the hero’s secret identities were known to have lost their sight in an accident but, in turn, gained a special ability to see better in darkness. Since Charles McNider and Beth Chapel already had their moments on Stargirl, the latest to don the goggles, Pieter Cross, should be the one to make his live-action debut in the DCEU.
Mister Terrific
Another member of the Justice Society with a name that sounds a bit like a Marvel character is Mister Terrific — a superhero who may lack much in flexibility, but he makes up for it in intelligence that just might be greater than that of Reed Richards.
That being said, we could be describing either gentleman who has assumed this moniker — 1940s-era millionaire, athlete, and martial arts master Terry Sloane or his equally skilled successor Michael Holt, who took over the mantle in the late 1990s. Considering neither iteration has been formally adapted for live-action yet (Sloane appeared as part of a JSA painting in Smallville and the Arrowverse’s version of Mister Terrific, played by Echo Kellum, is named Curtis Holt), bringing either of them into the DCEU would work for me.
Liberty Belle
A member of the Justice Society whose involvement in the Arrowverse has been relegated mostly to Easter Eggs is Liberty Belle, whose name refers to the fact that her superhuman strength, speed, and stamina come from a special medal crafted from a piece of the Philadelphia landmark. The first speedster to originate this moniker was the decorated athlete and journalist Elizabeth “Libby” Lawrence, who has never been introduced in any DC-related media outside of the comic books — save the mere mentioning of her name in Injustice or an episode of The Flash — and a DCEU introduction would change that.
Power Girl
I am actually even more surprised that we still have yet to see any live-action iterations of Power Girl, unless you count Adrianne Palicki’s guest role on Smallville that is loosely based on the character…but I don’t. While essentially an alternate reality counterpart to Supergirl, Kara Zor-L is, arguably, the more popular female Kryptonian hero with familial ties to Clark Kent as evidenced by how many cosplayers you might find dressed as her at conventions. If Supergirl is still getting her own feature-length DCEU installment, I think it is only fair that the character ComicBook.com argues is smarter, stronger, and all around better deserves the same treatment.
As the first-ever team of superheroes brought together in comic book fiction, the Justice Society has a long and storied legacy that fans are happy to see make it to the big screen after more than 80 years in DC Comics. That being said, there are still plenty of other characters for the franchise to explore going forward after Black Adam. Hopefully, the underrated characters mentioned above get that chance soon.
