It’s been 15 long years since Dwayne Johnson expressed interest in playing Black Adam, a classic DC Comics supervillain from the 1940s. The project has been stuck in development hell for years, but the movie finally hits theaters this fall. And now we have the first trailer for Black Adam, giving us a look at the character’s origin story and his inevitable encounter with the Justice League of America (JLA).

The character made an appearance as a villain in the first issue of The Marvel Family comic book in 1945. Canonically, he is an ancient Egyptian named Teth-Adam, whom the wizard Shazam chooses to be his successor. last. Teth-Adam was presumed to be pure of heart, but once empowered with the powers of Shazam, he became corrupted, killed the ruling pharaoh, and took the Egyptian throne. Shazam was unable to revoke these powers, so he exiled Teth-Adam to the most distant star in the universe.

It took Teth-Adam 5,000 years to return to Earth – it was the 1940s, after all – at which point he met the Marvel Family. Eventually, a family member tricks him into repeating “Shazam”, and Teth-Adam reverts to his human form, aging 5,000 years instantly. Here’s the story depicted in 2019 ‘s Shazam, when the wizard explains what happened to young Billy Batson. (In this movie’s version, Teth-Adam, aka Black Adam, unleashed the Seven Deadly Sins on Earth and wiped out entire civilizations.)

DC Comics acquired the rights to Black Adam in the 1970s, and he became a recurring character in their Shazam Family comic book. Initial interest in making a film centered around the character dates back to the early 2000s, with Johnson in the title role, but New Line Cinema put development on hold in 2009. In 2014, Warner Bros. took over the project, intending to make Black Adam part of the DCEU. Originally, Johnson’s Black Adam was supposed to appear as a villain in Shazam, but by then he was a massive, bankable movie star, and the studio decided to give him a standalone movie. (He briefly appears as a hologram when the Wizard tells the story to Billy.)

Black Adam reunites Johnson with Jungle Cruise director Jaume Collet-Serra. The premise of the film is that an exiled Black Adam reappears some 5,000 years after his banishment and is propelled into the modern world, where his ruthless approach to fighting evildoers doesn’t quite mesh with mainstream cultural mores.

Black Adam will also introduce the JSA to the DCEU. Pierce Brosnan plays Kent Nelson, aka Doctor Fate, a JSA member who wields a magical helmet. Noah Centineo plays Atom Smasher, a member of the JSA who can manipulate his molecular structure to change his size and strength. Aldis Hodge plays Hawkman, an archaeologist and the reincarnation of an Egyptian prince. Its characteristic wings give it the power to fly. And Quintessa Swindell plays Cyclone, the Red Tornado’s granddaughter, who controls the wind and can generate sound.

The cast also includes Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz, a college professor and resistance fighter in the fictional nation of Kahndaq, Black Adam’s original homeland. She’s a love interest in the comics, and it seems likely she’ll fill a similar role in the movie. We also know that the criminal group Intergang will appear in the film.

The trailer hints at the character’s origin story, as we see Teth-Adam as a slave in ancient Egypt who loses his son and is granted godlike powers quite similar to Shazam’s. But we don’t learn much about the plot. It’s apparently on purpose, according to producer Hiram Garcia, who told io9 recently that this first trailer is meant to be more of a teaser. There are glimpses of Atom Smasher, Cyclone, and Doctor Fate, who tells Black Adam he can choose to be a villain or a savior of this world. There is also a telling interaction with Hawkman, who is perhaps positioned as Black Adam’s antihero moral foil. Hawkman insists superheroes don’t kill people. “Well, I do,” Black Adam replies. And of course, we get snippets of Johnson’s signature dry wit.

Black Adam hits theaters on October 21, 2022.