Black Adam’s Hawkman Actor Addresses Potential James Gunn DCU Return

While the movie’s sequel plans were shelved, Black Adam star Aldis Hodge is hopeful to return for James Gunn’s DC Universe. Hodge starred in the 2022 movie as Carter Hall, the leader of the Justice Society and the hero known as Hawkman who is a close friend with Pierce Brosnan’s Doctor Fate and frequently clashed with Dwayne Johnson’s titular character. Johnson had indicated around the movie’s release that there were plans for a Black Adam sequel pitting him against Henry Cavill’s Superman, though Gunn’s franchise reboot plans saw these put to bed.

During a recent interview with Screen Rant for the heist comedy Marmalade, Hodge was asked about having any discussions with Gunn to return for the DCU. The Black Adam star stated that he couldn’t “really speak to that“, citing it as being “above my paygrade“, but expressed an openness to having a conversation with the new DC Studios co-CEO and his hopes to continue the prior plans for Hawkman’s story. Check out what Hodge shared below:

I can’t really speak to that. [Chuckles] You’re gonna have to talk to James about it. But yeah, I don’t know really what’s in store for Hawkman. I will say that I would like to finish out the plans that we had for Hawkman, and sort of revisit them, because there’s such a body of depth when it comes to his whole storyline, and all that kind of stuff. So, if that’s something they’re interested in, my door’s always open for that. But, I know they want to build out a very different world. I can’t speak to whether I’m going to be part of that world, as that’s above my paygrade, but if they want to pick up the phone, I’m always here.

How Hodge Could Return For Gunn’s DCU

When Gunn first began assembling his plans for the DCU, Johnson had indicated that the two were discussing ways to continue Black Adam’s story in “future DC multiverse chapters“, even as the sequel was scrapped. Though Johnson has since indicated that part of this stemmed from a change in leadership at Warner Bros. Discovery more than DC, he and Gunn remained open to working with one another on other projects in the franchise. Hodge himself expressed confidence in Gunn’s vision for the future of the franchise while acknowledging at the time not having any conversations about his own future in it.

Given Gunn has confirmed that there will be DC Elseworlds projects running alongside the DCU, including the likes of Joker: Folie à Deux and The Batman — Part II, it’s entirely possible that Hodge’s Hawkman could return. The Justice Society essentially just began their renewed tenure with the introduction of Noah Centineo’s Atom Smasher and Quintessa Swindell’s Cyclone on the team. Additionally, the Shazam! Fury of the Gods post-credits set up Zachary Levi’s hero joining the team on invitation from Jennifer Holland’s Harcourt and Steve Agee’s Economos, who are returning for Peacemaker season 2 set in Gunn’s DCU.

The other possibility for Hodge to return in Gunn’s DCU outside of a Black Adam follow-up would be playing an entirely new character. Rumors have swirled for months about Jason Momoa playing Lobo in the new franchise as his Aquaman tenure seemingly came to a close with The Lost Kingdom, indicating that the creative is open to working with prior DC actors. With Hodge’s Hawkman being one of the better received elements of Black Adam, and Isabela Merced playing a version of Hawkgirl in Gunn’s Superman: Legacy, there’s a variety of options for Hodge’s DCU future.