Easter Eggs You Missed In Black Adam

"Black Adam," a passion project for its star, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, has been in development since 2007. Since that time, superhero movies have gone from being an occasional feature of the cinematic landscape to absolutely dominating it. The DCEU has grown into a rich and dynamic world, many feature films (and a television series) deep. But as much as fans have been salivating to see Johnson embody a role that feels tailor-made for his physique, charisma, and drive, they've also been itching to see how Black Adam could exist in the fictional universe we've now spent so much time in. 

The talented cast and crew of "Black Adam" worked tirelessly to make the movie its own endeavor, capable of entertaining audience members with no prior knowledge of the DC films it's tethered to. But they also used it as an opportunity to expand the borders of the DCEU. They accomplished this by introducing new characters and concepts outright, but also by layering in plenty of Easter eggs that imply further world-building, tease the DCEU's future, and quickly wink at the source material. If you overlooked these details, nods, and references because you were so in awe of watching the hierarchy of power in the DC universe shift forever, we're here to catch you up. These are the  Easter eggs you missed in "Black Adam."

Spoilers ahead for "Black Adam"

"Black Adam" is a film that moves a bit too quickly to muster much time for delving into its supporting players' backstories. But there are a handful of nods to comics lore that eagle-eyed fans should recognize immediately. One especially vivid example is the scene where Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) tells Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) how impressed he is, now that he's seen her superpowers in action. He explains that his powers are hereditary, and expresses curiosity about the nanobot-driven aspects of her own wind-based abilities. She tells him she was kidnapped by an evil scientist as a child, who performed experiments on her. This dreadful experience left her with the ability to control the wind.

Cyclone doesn't refer to the sinister perpetrator by name, but diehard fans will know exactly who she means. In the pages of DC comics, Cyclone, aka Maxine Hunkel, gets her powers from being experimented on by Professor T.O. Morrow, the same mad scientist who created the Red Tornado. Morrow has been a stable villain in the DC universe for years, frequently crossing paths with the JSA and the Justice League. He's also appeared in multiple small-screen DC adaptations, including "Supergirl" and "Young Justice." But he'd never appeared in a live-action movie before "Black Adam" hit theaters. Perhaps we'll see more of this malicious madman in future DECU outings — and, hopefully, Cyclone as well.

In "Black Adam," Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) initially appears to be the Justice Society's answer to Batman. He's rich, lives in a big mansion, has the gruff leader vibes covered, and, crucially, lacks bodily superpowers. It's not until we see the science fictional ship he and the team travel in that we get a vivid glimpse of what makes him extraordinary. The entire ship, as he tells Cyclone, is made of Nth metal. This highly advanced and mega-powerful substance also makes up his armor, wings, and mace. The latter object is a huge and devastating creation that transforms into other weapons throughout the film, most notably an axe.

In the comics, Nth metal originates on Thanagar, the planet some iterations of Hawkman come from. This film's Hawkman, whose secret identity is Carter Hall, doesn't appear to be one of the Hawkmen who is actually Thanagarian. But by openly referencing the storied metal, "Black Adam" hints at a cosmic side to the DCEU, which reaches into the far corners of the galaxy. Mentioning Nth metal also brings the darkly magical side of the DC universe to the fore: The fabled substance plays a major role in the 2017 "Dark Nights: Metal" comic event, which introduces the arcane Dark Multiverse. It remains to be seen how the DCEU might incorporate Nth's metal's fascinating history, but this Easter egg definitely whets fans' appetites for more.

"Black Adam" goes out of its way to disassociate itself from the 2019 "Shazam!" film that precedes it. This is likely due to the two outings' diametrically opposed tones: "Shazam!" is light and airy in a way "Black Adam" just can't afford to be. But that doesn't stop the connections between these two movies from bubbling forth. 

In the film's many flashbacks to Adam's origins — meted out over the course of the movie in exponentially more revealing bursts — actor Djimon Hounsou appears as the wizard Shazam. This powerful magic-user plays an important part in "Shazam!": He's the enigmatic figure who gives Billy Batson his superpowers. He doesn't get any dialogue or more than a passing glance in "Black Adam," but his unmistakable visage tethers the film to the larger DCEU, and Adam himself to the universe's most ancient entities.

Adam's flashback sequences also explore the central tragedy of his cinematic origin. He himself was not Shazam's chosen champion — his son was. Knowing he could not kill the boy, the vicious King Anh-Kot slew his family instead. Adam's son gave his father the power of Shazam in an effort to save his life. It worked, which meant Adam was forced to watch the king's men brutally murder his suddenly mortal son. This is a tragic and moving subversion of Black Adam's modern comics origin: There, he killed the boy to seize his powers for himself.

"Black Adam" is a film with loosely anti-colonial themes. It presents the fictional nation of Kahndaq as a Middle Eastern country that has been oppressed and exploited by foreign powers for much of its existence. In the present day, Kahndaq is run by Intergang, who seem to be a tech-obsessed band of mercenaries in search of the Crown of Sabbac. Though they're certainly important, the film shifts gears away from them to primarily focus on Ishmael (Marwan Kenzari) and his connection to the ancient King Anh-Kot.

Uniquely, sharp-eyed fans might recognize Intergang from "Superman: The Animated Series" before they recall the group's comics history. In that cartoon, they're frequently featured as antagonists to the Man of Steel. This animated adaptation keeps them largely in line with the comics, where they're a hugely powerful criminal organization run something like a corporation. They also boast seriously advanced tech and sci-fi weaponry, originating from Apokolips. Though they're a constant thorn in the big blue boy scout's side, Intergang is often presented as something of an appetizer to an inevitable Darkseid appearance.

As the Darkseid-teasing ending of "Zack Snyder's Justice League" isn't treated as DCEU canon, it's unlikely that Intergang is being used in "Black Adam" as a similar indication of upcoming Fourth World adventures. They're pretty much run-of-the-mill boogeymen who become fodder for Adam's vengeful carnage. But who knows? Maybe we'll see more of them in the future, complete with Apokoliptian weaponry.

The DC universe is home to a number of high-security institutions meant to keep the bad guys safely contained. Gotham City has the infamous Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Penitentiary. Metropolis has Stryker's Island. Central City's got Iron Heights. Right outside of St. Roch, Hawkman's stomping grounds, lies Belle Reve, the prison Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) farms future Task Force X operatives from. 

"Black Adam" reveals another one of Waller's high-priced cages. When she tasks the Justice Society with capturing and detaining Adam, Hawkman tells her that if she's got a cell that can hold him, they'll put him there. This cell ends up being an unnamed facility hidden in an underwater base. When Adam eventually makes his way there in his de-powered state, we see that several other high-powered individuals are locked up in close proximity, suggesting this is where Waller stashes the heavy-hitters unsuitable for use as cannon fodder on suicide missions.

Though unnamed, this place feels a lot like the Aquarium, an underwater prison that occasionally shows up in Aquaman-centric comics. It's hard to imagine the Atlanteans of the DCEU working with Waller on this, unless a dramatic change has occurred off-screen. But who knows? Amanda Waller is renowned for her ability to make the impossible into cold, hard reality.