If A-list megastar, leading man, producer, and would-be hierarchical power-changer Dwayne Johnson wasn’t safe from the axe – a sentiment that also extended to the DCU’s canonical Superman Henry Cavill – then it stands to reason that anybody who appeared in Black Adam won’t be welcomed back into James Gunn’s overhaul with open arms.
The freshly-installed co-CEO wasted no time making his mark on the mythology by casting The Rock and Cavill aside, which generated a furious reaction from the fandom in the process. That being said, the Justice Society were one of the few bright spots of an otherwise-turgid box office disappointment, so maybe the door can be deemed as ever so slightly ajar.
Either way, Aldis Hodge is remaining optimistic, after he outlined in an interview with ComicBook that he’s ready, willing, and able to step back into the armor of Hawkman should Gunn and Peter Safran ever decide to give him a call.
“I ain’t got the James Gunn yet. I ain’t got the James yet, but you know, we’ll see. I mean, if they get back around to it, I’m ready, James.”
It’s an admirably sentiment to have – and you can make a strong argument for Hodge’s Hawkman being worthy of further exploration after his planned spin-off and sequel appearances turned to dust – but if Batman and Superman aren’t safe, then maybe a lesser-known superhero doesn’t really have a leg to stand on.
Then again, stranger things are always capable of happening in the comic book universe, so maybe we’ll see him fly back into battle after all.