Following the break, Layers 1-3 all return with the marking,“Diabolically Huge,” and at a dynamic marking of fff, the loudest moment in the theme thus far. The choirs are wordless at this point, singing on a neutral syllable, and the theme ends with one final flourish to a downbeat, following the familiar four-measure pattern.

Balfe’s theme is far more complex than it may seem: a bass ostinato with multiple layers on top. The melodic and rhythmic components of the layers all have to interact with one another, even if they are separate. This is far more intricate than simple musical stratification, but not quite at the level of interaction of Baroque-era counterpoint. Factors such as harmonic dissonance, metric clarity and timbral separation also must be considered in order to create an effective theme, and Balfe treats all of those components appropriately, creating a strong and powerful theme for the character of Black Adam.

The Justice Society of America Theme
The group of heroes that battle Black Adam gather under the name The Justice Society of America (JSA). The iteration of the group that appears in the film consists of Atom Smasher, Cyclone, Doctor Fate and Hawkman. Hawkman and Doctor Fate provide the obvious links to Black Adam, as Hawkman is Egyptian royalty, continually resurrected throughout the centuries, and Doctor Fate earned his powers through his father opening the Egyptian tomb of Nabu the Wise. It should come as no surprise that the score is marked in places with “Ethnic Quality” to allude to the Egyptian backgrounds of the two characters. 

The JSA Theme features choir throughout its entirety, without any section breaks. The text and translation appear below.

Ego sum princeps animae meae               I am the ruler of my soul
Fatum meum dominus sum                       I am the master of my fate
Praesent non porta quam                          There is no gate 
Ultra locum irae et lachrymae                 Beyond the place of anger and tears
Horror umbrae quam pcenas volume    The horror of the shadows

This text is far more in control than Adam’s text, focusing on the fact that anger will not lead to the appropriate outcome, and that the members of the JSA control and are responsible for their own actions. The sentiment between the two texts could not be more different.

This theme, slightly faster than the Black Adam Theme, opens at q=95, with a marking of “Militant Rock.” The JSA Theme also features a bass ostinato accompaniment that repeats every two measures. Here, the rhythm (in 4/4) appears as 1e&a 2, 3e&a 4, 1e&a 2, 3e& 4e&. Pitchwise, the ostinato remains on G until the final beat of the second measure, when it leaps up to B-flat, marking the home tonality as G minor/G Aeolian. The choir begins at the same time as the ostinato, repeating the line Ego sum princeps animae meae (“I am the ruler of my soul”) every two measures in a chant-like fashion.

The main part of the JSA Theme consists of four four-measure phrases, with each growing and becoming more harmonically interesting. The first phrase begins and ends on D4, sol in G. The harmonic rhythm, one chord per measure, is G major/C minor/C minor/G major. Phrase 2 begins on D4 and ends an octave higher on D5, with the third measure adding a B-flat major triad in its second half. Phrase 3 begins on B3 and ends on E4, working as two two-measure ideas (B3 to G4, A3 to E4), with the harmonic support of G major/E-flat major/F major/C minor, not returning to tonic as before. The fourth and final phrase begins and ends on G4, with E-flat major/D minor/C^sus4/C major providing harmonic support. Balfe is clearly avoiding the dominant harmony of D major in this theme.

The second section of the JSA Theme is organized in two-measure units, with two chords per measure. This part of the score is marked “Epic,” and contains the line Praesent non porta quam over and over. The chords here are repeated: GM (sometimes Gm)/E-flat major/B-flat major/FM. Each two-measure melodic idea is repeated and varied in order to maintain the momentum of the theme. When this section finally concludes, Balfe introduces the dominant chord, D major, for the first time in the theme.

The third and concluding portion of the theme, like the first, operates in four-measure phrases, with the chords G minor/D major/E-flat major/C major looped over and over. Marked “Grandioso,” the melody also repeats itself over the four measures, with the fourth sounding most prominently. Balfe does include one curious melodic idea: The opening pitches—G-D-F#-Eb—all belong to G harmonic minor, with the D and F# sounding above the D major triad, and the Eb sounding above the E-flat major triad. The dominant, D major, resolves deceptively to E-flat major rather than to the expected tonic, G minor. The leading tone, F#, should always resolve up to tonic, G, even in a deceptive resolution. By subverting that expectation, Balfe tells the audience that not everything will go according to plan, and the members of the JSA may not all be left standing at the end of the film. This is an extremely subtle detail, but one that contains a great deal of narrative significance.