In the new Black Adam movie, something happened that I been eagerly awaiting for awhile-- the introduction of Hawkman. In fact, when I began this blog, I knew that went I got to the DCEU, I was going to suggest giving Hawkman a movie.
And... here's the thing. I haven't read Hawkman since I was a kid, but this new version is not the same.
The version I know is an alien (named Katar Hol, who goes as Carter Hall on Earth) from a planet of winged people. He distrust tech and weapons with moving parts, preferring Medieval weapons like maces and axes. In this, I seem to recall him sharing an interest in antiquities and museum pieces with Wonder Woman.
This Hawkman, in Black Adam, is an amalgam of Ironman and the Falcon. He's human, he's mega-rich, he's all about high-tech-- including mechanical wings-- and he has a jet that resembles the X-Men's. With a front piece that detaches into its own vehicle, they way they can "separate the saucer section" of the Enterprise.
Also, personality-wise, he has a flat affect-- noble, business-like, and... that's it. For all I know, this is what Hawkman has been in the comics in the last several years or decades, but I was disappointed.
So, no... I don't think we can give this version of Hawkman his own movie.
Instead, they should bring in Green Arrow, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter (whose skin is green). The Green Arrow show was a sizable hit, which even spun off the "Arrowverse," which includes at least three other shows-- Supergirl, Flash, and The Legends of Tomorrow (which itself includes Firestorm, Atom, Kid Flash, Steel, Constantine, Hawkman and Hawkgirl... as well as Heatwave, Captain Cold and others).
And yeah, even after so many seasons, it's going to be hard to introduce Green Arrow to today's kids without them thinking that DC ripped off Hawkeye (the opposite is true). But they can do it. Arrow is a very different guy than Hawkeye... and in any case, the Hawkeye we know is retiring.
Martian Manhunter was introduced in the Supergirl show, and they did a very good job of it. He's a round character who expressed conflicted emotions. The fact that he is naturally green but chose to go undercover as a Black man when interacting with most humans means DC can have a Black superhero headline a movie, which is something they have not done yet-- we have seen Cyborg and a Black Hawkman, but they have not been leads.
Canonically, there is a Black man who took up the Green Lantern ring (back in the 1970s!), so if there is still any hesitance to reboot Green Lantern after his poorly received 2011 movie, using the John Stewart version (who is Black) instead of the Hal Jordan version should help. That the comedian Jon Stewart has not helmed The Daily Show for almost 10 years by now means there should be no name confusion either. (Although they could give him the line: "I'm John Stewart-- and no, not the one from The Daily Show.")
After the public misbehavior of the guy they picked to play Flash in the movies, they should also just use the actors who already play Flash, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, and sure, Supergirl on TV. They do a great job, we know them and love them, and they deserve a promotion.
As for Green Lantern, there is a wealth of Black Actors who can pick up the ring and do a great job of it as John Stewart.
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