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Why Black Adam's Hawkman Looks So Familiar

The Justice Society of America has found its leader in Aldis Hodge's Hawkman. The legendary DC comic book character will play a pivotal role in the Dwayne Johnson-led film Black Adam, as he attempts to keep the movie's titular antihero in check, while also running an entire team of heroes. Johnson announced the news of Hodge's casting himself via Instagram. The Jumanji star wrote, "HAWKMAN is a critical leading role for our movie, as he is the fiery leader of the JSA (Justice Society of America) and one of the most beloved and legendary characters in the DC UNIVERSE."

Details about the movie's plot remain scarce, but fans can expect to see Black Adam escaping imprisonment after 5,000 years and entering into the modern day DC universe timeline. Like Shazam, Black Adam's powers are a gift from the gods, and in the city of Kahndaq, he uses his abilities to break free from his life of slavery and liberate his people. However, after years of mistreatment, he has no patience for any kind of injustice.

With Black Adam free and ready to dole out his own brand of justice, he'll be placed in conflict with Hawkman and his team, which includes Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) as well as the yet-to-be-cast Doctor Fate and Cyclone. Thankfully, Hodge has plenty of experience working as part of a cinematic team. Even though you may not immediately recognize his name, rest assured you've surely seen him before.

Aldis Hodge created a dilemma for Coach Taylor on Friday Night Lights

In season one of NBC's emotional football drama Friday Night Lights, Hodge starred as Ray "Voodoo" Tatum, a displaced student from Louisiana who briefly joins the Dillon Panthers as quarterback after Jason Street's (Scott Porter) horrific injury. Ray is a naturally gifted football player, but he's resentful about the move to Texas (instigated by Hurricane Katrina) and disregards Coach Taylor's (Kyle Chandler) game plan to follow his own strategy. His freelancing on the field and general bad attitude bring him into conflict with coach and his fellow teammates. 

Ray is swiftly dismissed from the team, but he still makes a final appearance in the episode "State" to try and persuade Smash (Gaius Charles) to come play with him in college at TCU. Despite only lasting a handful of episodes, the role of Voodoo put Hodge on everyone's TV watch list, and led to guest appearances in a variety of other hit shows like Castle and Supernatural. It wasn't long after his exit from Friday Night Lights that he landed his most famous role to date on the TNT drama Leverage.

Aldis Hodge gained leverage for geeks everywhere in the role of Hardison

Leverage, which aired from 2008-2012, is a crime procedural with a twist. The show's protagonists are also grifters and criminals who form a team in order to take down the rich, greedy, and corrupt. Hodge is an integral part of that team as expert hacker and all-around tech guy Hardison. Over the course of five seasons, Hardison devises a vast array of gadgets that help the team crack their cases, and he has sizzling chemistry with resident thief Parker (Beth Riesgraf).

While Leverage was never a huge show during its time on air, it was a cult favorite with a passionate fanbase. As a result, Hodge is perhaps still best known for playing a funny and brilliant hacker even though he has gone on to star in a number of higher profile projects, including Hidden Figures and Straight Outta Compton. In fact, if his schedule permits, he's expected to appear in the upcoming Leverage reboot on a recurring basis, as reported by Deadline.

Aldis Hodge stars opposite Kevin Bacon on City on the Hill

Following Leverage, Hodge landed lead roles on two more series, Underground and TURN: Washington's Spies, but it's his current role on Showtime's City on the Hill that has earned him the most buzz. The series is set in '90s Boston, and chronicles the real-life "Boston Miracle," which led to a drastic decrease in corruption and violence in the city. Hodge finds himself right at the center of the story as District Attorney Decourcy Ward.

After moving from Brooklyn, Ward is determined to make Boston a safer place by fighting against corrupt cops and crime leaders. In order to get the job done, he enlists the help of shady, disgraced FBI agent Jackie Rohr (Kevin Bacon). Together, they take on a case involving a family of armored car robbers that will go on to change Boston's criminal justice system from the inside out.

Hodge is Elisabeth Moss' supportive pal in The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man holds the distinction of being one of the last movies to premiere in a theater before the ongoing coronavirus pandemic forced Hollywood into a shutdown, and Hodge plays a pivotal role in the creative horror film. The movie centers around Elisabeth Moss' Cecilia, who escapes her abusive marriage to a tech genius only to discover he has a suit that allows him to make himself invisible.

After Cecilia leaves her husband, her old friend James (Hodge) invites her to stay with him and his daughter (Storm Reid). As a result, James is there as Cecelia processes the trauma of her abuse. While Moss does all of the heavy lifting in the twisty psychological film, there's no denying that Hodge's calming presence is a highlight of the 2020 thriller.

The Invisible Man also made it clear that Hodge is a blockbuster star in the making, and thanks to his crucial role in Black Adam, we have a feeling it won't be long before DC puts a solo Hawkman movie in the works.