Marvel's WandaVision Episode 5 has introduced an extremely unexpected character into the mix - with potentially major implications for the MCU as a whole. The story beyond this point will contain full spoilers for Marvel's WandaVision Episode 5 - proceed at your own risk! [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/marvels-wandavision-mid-season-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] As Episode 5 draws to a close, WandaVision makes perhaps its most bizarre introduction yet – Pietro Maximoff (aka Quicksilver, aka Wanda's dead brother) shows up at her front door. Except it's not the MCU's Aaron Taylor-Johnson playing the character, it's Evan Peters, who played the character in Fox's X-Men universe. Peters played Quicksilver in X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse, earning plaudits for his performance, even if the movies themselves weren't as well received. And to make absolutely clear this isn't just some regular real-world recasting, Kat Dennings' Darcy confirms that this is some extremely weird in-universe recasting by saying: "She [Wanda] recast Pietro?" This marks the first time one of Fox's X-Men actors has played the same role within an MCU project, and opens some fascinating possibilities for where Marvel's movies and TV shows could go next. While it's been clear for some time that mutants would be coming to the MCU in some form, how that would happen has been the source of speculation. Some theorised that Thanos' blip could have caused mutations in those returned to life, while others have pointed to the upcoming introduction of the multiverse to the MCU as a way in. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/05/marvels-wandavision-just-introduced-the-mcus-strangest-ever-cameo-ign-news"] The latter now feels far more likely. With Wanda explicitly tied to the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it's possible this is our first clue as to her part in crossing the boundaries between realities – perhaps she's pulled a different reality's Quicksilver into her own, after 'her' Pietro was killed in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It must be said, however, that in a series built on illusion, transformation, and deceit, Peters' addition could be a simple nod to a superhero movie fan audience. We'll likely have to wait for next week's episode to get more answers on that. If this is a formal crossing over of the established X-Men universe with the MCU, the implications are fairly huge – could we see Patrick Stewart's Professor X, Ian McKellan's Magneto, or Hugh Jackman's Wolverine enter the newer Marvel movies? It would explain how Deadpool 3 can safely be a canon MCU movie, at the very least. We have even more WandaVision theories for you, if that's what you want – from why a major comic book villain may be behind it all, to the question of how (or if) Vision is even alive. Check out when you can watch Episode 6 for more answers in our WandaVision release schedule. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=wandavision-cast-and-characters&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Marvel's WandaVision Episode 5 has introduced an extremely unexpected character into the mix - with potentially major implications for the MCU as a whole. The story beyond this point will contain full spoilers for Marvel's WandaVision Episode 5 - proceed at your own risk! [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/marvels-wandavision-mid-season-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] As Episode 5 draws to a close, WandaVision makes perhaps its most bizarre introduction yet – Pietro Maximoff (aka Quicksilver, aka Wanda's dead brother) shows up at her front door. Except it's not the MCU's Aaron Taylor-Johnson playing the character, it's Evan Peters, who played the character in Fox's X-Men universe. Peters played Quicksilver in X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse, earning plaudits for his performance, even if the movies themselves weren't as well received. And to make absolutely clear this isn't just some regular real-world recasting, Kat Dennings' Darcy confirms that this is some extremely weird in-universe recasting by saying: "She [Wanda] recast Pietro?" This marks the first time one of Fox's X-Men actors has played the same role within an MCU project, and opens some fascinating possibilities for where Marvel's movies and TV shows could go next. While it's been clear for some time that mutants would be coming to the MCU in some form, how that would happen has been the source of speculation. Some theorised that Thanos' blip could have caused mutations in those returned to life, while others have pointed to the upcoming introduction of the multiverse to the MCU as a way in. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/05/marvels-wandavision-just-introduced-the-mcus-strangest-ever-cameo-ign-newswestview-just-got-even-odder"] The latter now feels far more likely. With Wanda explicitly tied to the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it's possible this is our first clue as to her part in crossing the boundaries between realities – perhaps she's pulled a different reality's Quicksilver into her own, after 'her' Pietro was killed in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It must be said, however, that in a series built on illusion, transformation, and deceit, Peters' addition could be a simple nod to a superhero movie fan audience. We'll likely have to wait for next week's episode to get more answers on that. If this is a formal crossing over of the established X-Men universe with the MCU, the implications are fairly huge – could we see Patrick Stewart's Professor X, Ian McKellan's Magneto, or Hugh Jackman's Wolverine enter the newer Marvel movies? It would explain how Deadpool 3 can safely be a canon MCU movie, at the very least. We have even more WandaVision theories for you, if that's what you want – from why a major comic book villain may be behind it all, to the question of how (or if) Vision is even alive. Check out when you can watch Episode 6 for more answers in our WandaVision release schedule. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=wandavision-cast-and-characters&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Colin Farrell will be playing Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin in Matt Reeves' The Batman, but he will look nothing like himself. The change is so drastic that another cast member mistook him for a random "overconfident" extra on the film's set. As reported by Movieweb, Rupert Penry-Jones, who plays a "mysterious victim" in The Batman, admitted to having no idea he was talking to Farrell when he was in full costume. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/23/the-batman-trailer-dc-fandome-official-footage"] "I arrived on set and there was this guy walking around who was being so over confident," Penry-Jones said. "I had no idea who he was. He was being really friendly, he was telling all these stories, I was like, 'Who is this guy?' I thought he might've been a supporting actor [an extra to you and me]. He kept on talking to me, just really friendly, really nice, and I started noticing things about his costume. He had a brace on his leg and these weird scars on his face, and I thought, 'This is quite a lot of effort they've gone to for a supporting artist...' and suddenly I realized, 'Wait a minute this guy must be playing the Penguin, oh my God that's Colin Farrell!'" We get a glimpse of Farrell's Penguin in The Batman's teaser trailer, and the actor previously discussed how he is excited about his role in the film and how there will be a couple of "tasty scenes." "I had only started it and I can't wait to get back," Farrell said. "The creation of it, the aesthetic of the character, has been fun and I really am so excited to get back and explore it. And I haven't got that much to do. I have a certain amount in the film. I am not all over it by any means. But there are a couple of some tasty scenes I have in it and my creation and I can't wait to get back. Yeah, I totally feel like it is something that I have not had the opportunity to explore before. It feels original and fun. But I am only at the start of the journey so I can't wait to get back and really get into it." For more on The Batman, which will be released in theaters on March 4, 2022, check out everything we know about the DC reboot and how the riddle in the first trailer may have already been solved. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-batman-cast-every-actor-and-character&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Colin Farrell will be playing Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin in Matt Reeves' The Batman, but he will look nothing like himself. The change is so drastic that another cast member mistook him for a random "overconfident" extra on the film's set. As reported by Movieweb, Rupert Penry-Jones, who plays a "mysterious victim" in The Batman, admitted to having no idea he was talking to Farrell when he was in full costume. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/23/the-batman-trailer-dc-fandome-official-footage"] "I arrived on set and there was this guy walking around who was being so over confident," Penry-Jones said. "I had no idea who he was. He was being really friendly, he was telling all these stories, I was like, 'Who is this guy?' I thought he might've been a supporting actor [an extra to you and me]. He kept on talking to me, just really friendly, really nice, and I started noticing things about his costume. He had a brace on his leg and these weird scars on his face, and I thought, 'This is quite a lot of effort they've gone to for a supporting artist...' and suddenly I realized, 'Wait a minute this guy must be playing the Penguin, oh my God that's Colin Farrell!'" We get a glimpse of Farrell's Penguin in The Batman's teaser trailer, and the actor previously discussed how he is excited about his role in the film and how there will be a couple of "tasty scenes." "I had only started it and I can't wait to get back," Farrell said. "The creation of it, the aesthetic of the character, has been fun and I really am so excited to get back and explore it. And I haven't got that much to do. I have a certain amount in the film. I am not all over it by any means. But there are a couple of some tasty scenes I have in it and my creation and I can't wait to get back. Yeah, I totally feel like it is something that I have not had the opportunity to explore before. It feels original and fun. But I am only at the start of the journey so I can't wait to get back and really get into it." For more on The Batman, which will be released in theaters on March 4, 2022, check out everything we know about the DC reboot and how the riddle in the first trailer may have already been solved. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-batman-cast-every-actor-and-character&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Spoilers ahead for Todd Phillips' Joker. Quentin Tarantino recently appeared on a three-hour long episode of The Empire Film Podcast with Edgar Wright and spoke about how the talk show scene in Todd Phillips' Joker is "subversion on a massive level." As reported by The Playlist, Tarantino began by discussing how, while most of the Joker is "fine," the talk show show scene is where it becomes something truly special. "Then it gets to the talk show scene, and you feel the ENTIRE atmosphere in the theater change,” Tarantino says with excitement. “It’s not suspense; they are beyond suspense. They are riveted. Everybody in the audience is completely plugged in. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/31/joker-review"] “The subversion on a massive level, the thing that’s profound is this:  It’s not just suspenseful, it’s not just riveting and exciting, the director subverts the audience because the Joker is a fucking nut,” Tarantino explained. “Robert De Niro’s talk show character is not a movie villain. He seems like an asshole, but he’s not more of an asshole than David Letterman. He’s just an asshole comedian, talk show guy. "He’s not a movie villain. He doesn’t deserve to die. Yet, while the audience is watching the Joker, they want him to kill Robert De Niro; they want him to take that gun, and stick it in his eye and blow his fucking head off. And if the Joker didn’t kill him? You would be pissed off. That is subversion on a massive level! They got the audience to think like a fucking lunatic and to want something [they would never normally want]. And they will lie about it! [“Audiences] will say, ‘no, I didn’t [want that to happen]!,’ and they are fucking liars. They did.” Tarantino also noted that you did yourself a disservice if you didn't see Joker in the theater. In his words, "You got a hand job as opposed to great sex... [or a] three-some." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ranking-the-batman-movie-villains&captions=true"] Throughout the podcast, Tarantino also touches on James Cameron's Aliens, The Terminator, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, and Django Unchained. For more on Joker, check out our thoughts on why, despite Joaquin Phoenix winning the Best Actor Oscar, Joker was never going to win Best Picture, and the full screenplay of the film. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Spoilers ahead for Todd Phillips' Joker. Quentin Tarantino recently appeared on a three-hour long episode of The Empire Film Podcast with Edgar Wright and spoke about how the talk show scene in Todd Phillips' Joker is "subversion on a massive level." As reported by The Playlist, Tarantino began by discussing how, while most of the Joker is "fine," the talk show show scene is where it becomes something truly special. "Then it gets to the talk show scene, and you feel the ENTIRE atmosphere in the theater change,” Tarantino says with excitement. “It’s not suspense; they are beyond suspense. They are riveted. Everybody in the audience is completely plugged in. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/31/joker-review"] “The subversion on a massive level, the thing that’s profound is this:  It’s not just suspenseful, it’s not just riveting and exciting, the director subverts the audience because the Joker is a fucking nut,” Tarantino explained. “Robert De Niro’s talk show character is not a movie villain. He seems like an asshole, but he’s not more of an asshole than David Letterman. He’s just an asshole comedian, talk show guy. "He’s not a movie villain. He doesn’t deserve to die. Yet, while the audience is watching the Joker, they want him to kill Robert De Niro; they want him to take that gun, and stick it in his eye and blow his fucking head off. And if the Joker didn’t kill him? You would be pissed off. That is subversion on a massive level! They got the audience to think like a fucking lunatic and to want something [they would never normally want]. And they will lie about it! [“Audiences] will say, ‘no, I didn’t [want that to happen]!,’ and they are fucking liars. They did.” Tarantino also noted that you did yourself a disservice if you didn't see Joker in the theater. In his words, "You got a hand job as opposed to great sex... [or a] three-some." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ranking-the-batman-movie-villains&captions=true"] Throughout the podcast, Tarantino also touches on James Cameron's Aliens, The Terminator, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, and Django Unchained. For more on Joker, check out our thoughts on why, despite Joaquin Phoenix winning the Best Actor Oscar, Joker was never going to win Best Picture, and the full screenplay of the film. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Update 02/08/2021: Konami has denied that it asked for an interview with Akira Yamaoka to be removed after appearing to tease a new Silent Hill game. In a statement to IGN, a company spokesperson wrote: ""KONAMI did not ask [video uploader] Al Hub to take down the interview." AI Hub (which has not responded to a request for comment) previously wrote that it had been asked to take down the video – in which Silent Hill composer Yamaoka said a game fans were "hoping to hear about" would likely be announced this summer. Many took the removal to have come from Konami, sparking more speculation that it was attempting to plug a leak. However, Konami's denial may instead point to the removal request coming from Yamaoka himself. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Update 02/05/2021: An interview with Akira Yamaoka – which many have taken to be a tease for a new Silent Hill game – has been removed by its original publisher, AIHub. In a statement, AIHub explained that it had been asked to remove the clip (but doesn't specify who asked), and apologised for doing so.

Statement: We thank you for your support which contributed to the spread of the interview that we published yesterday with Akira Yamaoka around the world. We were asked to remove the clip, and it has been removed. We apologize and stay tuned for the next interviews https://t.co/sMuGmf6NIT

— Al Hub - الهَب (@TheHubKW) February 5, 2021

As much as the original statement, the removal has caused speculation, with many assuming this is an attempt to stem the rumours about an upcoming Silent Hill which has yet to be announced. There is, of course, the possibility that Yamaoka was talking about something else, and the removal has been made to stem misinformation. IGN's contacted Silent Hill publisher Konami for comment. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Silent Hill and Contra composer Akira Yamaoka says in a recent interview that he expects to announce a new project this summer and teases that he thinks it’s the one people are “hoping to hear about.” In an interview with the YouTube channel AI Hub, Yamaoka appeared to speak about his latest work as a composer on The Medium. But when asked if there are any other projects he’s working on, Yamaoka responded that an announcement will likely happen this summer. What’s more, it could be a big one for fans. “You’ll probably hear something this summer to be announced,” Yamaoka said via a translator before adding, “And I think it’s the one you’re kinda hoping to hear about.”

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps1-games-ever&captions=true"]

Let’s not mince any words here. Yamaoka is most famous for his work on the Silent Hill series where he was an original member of Konami’s Team Silent dev team. A new Silent Hill game has made its way around the internet rumor mills for years now since the cancellation of Hideo Kojima’s P.T. and is easily the ones fans are most excited to learn more about. In the years since P.T. was shelved, rumors of a new Silent Hill game in development have popped up several times. In 2020 a prominent leaker divulged that two Silent Hill games could be in development, one described as a “soft reboot,” and the other an episodic game similar to Telltale titles. Original Team Silent art director Masahiro Ito also tweeted in 2020 that they were working on a new title “as a core member,” and added, “I hope the title won’t be canceled.” This last line was interpreted as a reference to P.T. which led many to believe Ito was teasing a new Silent Hill game. However, Team Silent director and former Sony Japan member Keiichiro Toyama recently left Sony to start their own company Bokeh Game Studio with Gravity Rush designers Junya Okura and Kazunobu Sato. Toyama’s project is said to be a horror action-adventure title according to an interview with IGN Japan. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/11/first-person-silent-hill-fan-remake-gameplay"] Meanwhile, Konami confirmed that it has not closed its game development operation following a corporate shuffle, and has said in the past it is always evaluating its entire IP portfolio for future game development. Things are very much unconfirmed at this time, so if you want to keep your hope in check, assume Yamaoka is talking about a new ESPN MLS GameNight reboot. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him @lawoftd on Twitter.

Update 02/08/2021: Konami has denied that it asked for an interview with Akira Yamaoka to be removed after appearing to tease a new Silent Hill game. In a statement to IGN, a company spokesperson wrote: ""KONAMI did not ask [video uploader] Al Hub to take down the interview." AI Hub (which has not responded to a request for comment) previously wrote that it had been asked to take down the video – in which Silent Hill composer Yamaoka said a game fans were "hoping to hear about" would likely be announced this summer. Many took the removal to have come from Konami, sparking more speculation that it was attempting to plug a leak. However, Konami's denial may instead point to the removal request coming from Yamaoka himself. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Update 02/05/2021: An interview with Akira Yamaoka – which many have taken to be a tease for a new Silent Hill game – has been removed by its original publisher, AIHub. In a statement, AIHub explained that it had been asked to remove the clip (but doesn't specify who asked), and apologised for doing so.

Statement: We thank you for your support which contributed to the spread of the interview that we published yesterday with Akira Yamaoka around the world. We were asked to remove the clip, and it has been removed. We apologize and stay tuned for the next interviews https://t.co/sMuGmf6NIT

— Al Hub - الهَب (@TheHubKW) February 5, 2021

As much as the original statement, the removal has caused speculation, with many assuming this is an attempt to stem the rumours about an upcoming Silent Hill which has yet to be announced. There is, of course, the possibility that Yamaoka was talking about something else, and the removal has been made to stem misinformation. IGN's contacted Silent Hill publisher Konami for comment. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Silent Hill and Contra composer Akira Yamaoka says in a recent interview that he expects to announce a new project this summer and teases that he thinks it’s the one people are “hoping to hear about.” In an interview with the YouTube channel AI Hub, Yamaoka appeared to speak about his latest work as a composer on The Medium. But when asked if there are any other projects he’s working on, Yamaoka responded that an announcement will likely happen this summer. What’s more, it could be a big one for fans. “You’ll probably hear something this summer to be announced,” Yamaoka said via a translator before adding, “And I think it’s the one you’re kinda hoping to hear about.”

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps1-games-ever&captions=true"]

Let’s not mince any words here. Yamaoka is most famous for his work on the Silent Hill series where he was an original member of Konami’s Team Silent dev team. A new Silent Hill game has made its way around the internet rumor mills for years now since the cancellation of Hideo Kojima’s P.T. and is easily the ones fans are most excited to learn more about. In the years since P.T. was shelved, rumors of a new Silent Hill game in development have popped up several times. In 2020 a prominent leaker divulged that two Silent Hill games could be in development, one described as a “soft reboot,” and the other an episodic game similar to Telltale titles. Original Team Silent art director Masahiro Ito also tweeted in 2020 that they were working on a new title “as a core member,” and added, “I hope the title won’t be canceled.” This last line was interpreted as a reference to P.T. which led many to believe Ito was teasing a new Silent Hill game. However, Team Silent director and former Sony Japan member Keiichiro Toyama recently left Sony to start their own company Bokeh Game Studio with Gravity Rush designers Junya Okura and Kazunobu Sato. Toyama’s project is said to be a horror action-adventure title according to an interview with IGN Japan. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/11/first-person-silent-hill-fan-remake-gameplay"] Meanwhile, Konami confirmed that it has not closed its game development operation following a corporate shuffle, and has said in the past it is always evaluating its entire IP portfolio for future game development. Things are very much unconfirmed at this time, so if you want to keep your hope in check, assume Yamaoka is talking about a new ESPN MLS GameNight reboot. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him @lawoftd on Twitter.

As if 2021 wasn't weird enough already, the Internet is currently abuzz with a rumor suggesting DC is renaming the character Black Adam to Shazadam. IGN can confirm this rumor is not actually true. Shazadam is not happening. The rumor was originally reported by Bleeding Cool, who claim that among the various plot twists introduced in the upcoming comic Infinite Frontier #0, Shazam's nemesis will take on a new name as part of his transition toward becoming a hero. The name change would even seem to suggest Black Adam is reclaiming his old role as the herald of the wizard Shazam, leaving young Billy Batson out of a job. However, sources with direct knowledge of the comic confirm Black Adam will be keeping his regular name in 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/22/black-adam-dc-fandome-official-teaser"] That's not to say fans shouldn't expect a more heroic turn for the man formerly known as Teth-Adam. We recently learned writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist David Marquez (who previously collaborated on Marvel titles like The Invincible Iron Man and The Defenders) will be taking over DC's flagship Justice League comic in March. Black Adam will be a member of the revamped League lineup, which includes both traditional favorites like Batman, Superman and Flash as well as more unusual picks like Queen Hippolyta and Naomi (the same Naomi who's getting her own CW series). Bendis acknowledged the strange Shazadam rumor on Twitter, writing simply, "rumors are stupid." Nor is 2021 an ideal time to be changing Black Adam's name, given that Dwayne Johnson is poised to star in the long-awaited Black Adam movie. The movie will also feature the Justice Society of America, including One Night in Miami's Aldis Hodge as Hawkman. DC offered fans a very early glimpse of Johnson's Black Adam at DC FanDome last year. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dc-extended-universe-every-upcoming-movie&captions=true"] Jaume Collet-Serra directs Black Adam from a screenplay by Rory Haines & Sohrab Noshirvani and Adam Sztykiel. The movie was slated to open December 2021, though its release date has been indefinitely postponed due to the pandemic. Shazadam may have died before he ever lived, but is there a DC hero you'd like to see fused with Shazam? Bat-Shazam? Shazatanna? Sharley Quinnzam? Let us know in the comments. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

As if 2021 wasn't weird enough already, the Internet is currently abuzz with a rumor suggesting DC is renaming the character Black Adam to Shazadam. IGN can confirm this rumor is not actually true. Shazadam is not happening. The rumor was originally reported by Bleeding Cool, who claim that among the various plot twists introduced in the upcoming comic Infinite Frontier #1, Shazam's nemesis will take on a new name as part of his transition toward becoming a hero. The name change would even seem to suggest Black Adam is reclaiming his old role as the herald of the wizard Shazam, leaving young Billy Batson out of a job. However, sources with direct knowledge of the comic confirm Black Adam will be keeping his regular name in 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/22/black-adam-dc-fandome-official-teaser"] That's not to say fans shouldn't expect a more heroic turn for the man formerly known as Teth-Adam. We recently learned writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist David Marquez (who previously collaborated on Marvel titles like The Invincible Iron Man and The Defenders) will be taking over DC's flagship Justice League comic in March. Black Adam will be a member of the revamped League lineup, which includes both traditional favorites like Batman, Superman and Flash as well as more unusual picks like Queen Hippolyta and Naomi (the same Naomi who's getting her own CW series). Bendis acknowledged the strange Shazadam rumor on Twitter, writing simply, "rumors are stupid." Nor is 2021 an ideal time to be changing Black Adam's name, given that Dwayne Johnson is poised to star in the long-awaited Black Adam movie. The movie will also feature the Justice Society of America, including One Night in Miami's Aldis Hodge as Hawkman. DC offered fans a very early glimpse of Johnson's Black Adam at DC FanDome last year. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dc-extended-universe-every-upcoming-movie&captions=true"] Jaume Collet-Serra directs Black Adam from a screenplay by Rory Haines & Sohrab Noshirvani and Adam Sztykiel. The movie was slated to open December 2021, though its release date has been indefinitely postponed due to the pandemic. Shazadam may have died before he ever lived, but is there a DC hero you'd like to see fused with Shazam? Bat-Shazam? Shazatanna? Sharley Quinnzam? Let us know in the comments. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.