Black Adam star reveals a villain group will be in the DC movie

(Image credit: Warner Bros./DC)

Black Adam will feature the villain group Intergang, Sarah Shahi has revealed.

"I play a character named Adrianna, and she's a freedom fighter that's leading this big resistance against an evil, malicious group called Intergang," Shahi told The Hollywood Reporter.

Shahi added: "In this day and age, to be a woman and to play a role that's not the finger-shaking girlfriend or the secretary is essential. And knowing that I can play a character like Adrianna – who's incredibly tough, who's a badass, who's human but goes head to head with superheroes – is pretty important. And I think it sets a really great precedent, especially for the younger generation."

In the comics, Adrianna is the real name of the superhero Isis, who gets her powers from a special amulet. From Shahi's comments, it seems Adrianna won't be powered up in Black Adam, though that doesn't necessarily mean she won't gain her abilities eventually.

Shahi also spoke about the importance of representation in the movie. "I'm Middle Eastern; I'm Persian," the actor said. "And there's not a lot of Middle Eastern representation out there, so being in a movie like this really helps make a statement for my culture and where I come from. There are other Middle Eastern actors that I know who are either getting cast in terrorist roles or they're really being stereotyped by how they look. So I'm hoping that, on some level, Black Adam will help break open that stereotype."

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.