I finally got around to watching Black Adam yesterday. While it isn’t going to win awards (I’m looking at you Scorcese), it was one of the better superhero movies released this year.

I’m excited about what this means for the DCEU. Their struggle to build a shared universe might be officially in the past. They managed to find the correct tone for a DC film. It was dark but not too dark. It was fun but not slapstick like marvel.

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*

I’m not going to rehash the plot. I want to explore the overall theme of the movie, which seems to dance around the notion of justice and what that means from the perspective of being a hero. 

To beat you over the head with this concept, DC introduces us to The Justice Society, which feels like doppelgangers of famous marvel characters. Notably, Hawkman gives off serious Falcon vibes, and Doctor Fate feels like Professor X. 

The Justice Society sees Black Adam as the villain, and he doesn’t seem to fight that perception. Isis makes the argument that it’s the dark parts of Black Adam that allow him to deliver justice in a way that the Justice Society cannot. Hawkman begrudgingly concedes this point, even if he doesn’t agree with it. 

Superhero films like this are great springboards for looking at humanity through the lens that divides our inner world into two distinct parts: dark and light. Carl Jung talked about the concept of the shadow self, which is a lens into our darker half. Black Adam is a reflection of the shadow of ideals that we view as heroic and noble.

In a broader sense, this movie challenges the current black vs white political climate we find ourselves in. I wish they would have explored that a bit more in the movie, but I think the takeaway is that sometimes justice and doing the right thing clashes with our sense of the morality of our actions.

There is room to expand, especially given the mid credits scene. There is a scene after the first round of credits and before the black screen full credits where Superman makes an appearance. Superman should be a more definitive contrast for such an antihero character. 

Ultimately, this was a much needed win for DC. I think the future will look back at this movie as a turning point for the DCEU. It’s the first movie that makes me excited for the future of DC. If you haven’t seen it, give it a shot.