5 moments in 'Black Adam' that feel ripped straight from other superhero movies

Yes, the Flash and other heroes have given us slowed-down moments in superhero films to show how the world looks according to them, but "X-Men: Days of Future Past" set the bar for a slow-mo hero scene.

In the 2014 film, Quicksilver hilariously put on headphones and sped around a room in the Pentagon to save a young Magneto, Charles Xavier, and Wolverine from a spray of bullets.

In under two minutes, Quicksilver gently knocked each bullet out of the way and had fun with security guards by setting them up to punch each other or knock themselves out. When he finished his shenanigans and time returned to normal, everyone instantly fell to the ground.

It's not only the best scene in that film, it's also one of the best scenes in any superhero movie.

So it was a bit tired to see one of the best scenes in "Black Adam" execute a similar slow-mo sequence, but with a more villainous spin. Early in the film, the antihero gets a chance to show off how fast he moves in a slowed-down sequence set to the tune of "Paint It Black."

Instead of using his powers to simply mess around with some mercenary baddies, he uses them to deliberately kill his rivals. He even places a grenade in one of their mouths. When the slow-motion scene finishes playing out, we watch a number of mercenaries get killed.

While enjoyable, it would've been cooler if the scene didn't feel like a remixed version of an "X-Men" movie that did it better.

A scene shown in "Black Adam" trailers shows Hawkman's ship rising out of the ground of his Louisiana estate. It easily looks like a scene that could be substituted with the X-Jet taking off from Xavier's school.

Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) sends a ragtag group to stop a powerful entity that threatens to destroy the world.

That sentence could describe either "Black Adam" or James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad."

In Gunn's 2021 film, the same exact character, Waller, sends a different group — the aforementioned Suicide Squad — to a South American nation to selfishly protect US interests under the guise of saving the world.

In "Black Adam," the Justice Society of America is sent to the fictional city of Khandaq to apprehend the titular character simply because she claims he's a danger. Hawkman really believes his group is helping to maintain global stability, but those who know Waller know she only sends out other groups to interfere with global politics when the US is in harm's way.

Hawkman starts to get a whiff of reality when he's asked by a Khandaq citizen where the US and their superhero groups have been for the past 27 years as they've been under military occupation. Caught off guard, he simply has no response and never asks Waller about it.

That subplot falls by the wayside as "Black Adam" gets sidetracked by a huge CGI villain in its third act.

The message landed clearer in "The Suicide Squad" because, in that film, the squad did question Waller's authority and turned on her after realizing the US was using them to do their dirty work.

Both Peter and Amon meet their idols in their bedrooms and awkward first encounters ensue.

The dynamic between Black Adam and Amon feels like an echo of the relationship Mr. Stark grew to have with Peter. Whereas Tony instantly empathizes with Peter once he learns his motivations and living situation, Black Adam doesn't learn anything about the kid who's obsessed with heroes. Instead, he wrecks his home by busting through the walls Kool-Aid Man style.

In both "Black Adam" and "Avengers: Infinity War"/"Avengers: Endgame" a sorcerer tells the team leader that when it's his time to die, he'll let him know.

In "Avengers: Infinity War," after seeing over 14 million possible outcomes for how the Avengers might defeat Thanos, Strange gives the tyrant the time stone. Strange apologizes to Stark by vaguely saying there was no other way, alluding to the fact that they only have one chance to save the world and it will eventually involve Stark's death.

In the next film, "Endgame," during the film's big hero battle with Thanos, Strange merely signals to Stark with a finger that this is their one shot and Iron Man silently understands that he needs to die to save everyone. Strange never tells Tony he is going to die. It's just inherently understood.

In "Black Adam," Fate also has the ability to see into the future. Unlike Strange/Tony, Fate straight-up tells Hawkman, the Justice Society leader, he's seen his death and says, "When it's time for you and I to say goodbye, you'll know."

The main difference is that Fate decides to find another solution to save his dear friend, and the world, from a demon. Strange, a narcissist who barely knows Tony, allows Iron Man to sacrifice his life to save the world.