TheShazam!movie isn’t dead, at least not yet. In the years since it was announced thatDwayne “The Rock” Johnsonwill be playing thevillain, or at least who we thought was the villain, Black Adam in the movie, he has only become a much bigger movie star. Recently,Dwayne Johnsonshared some of his thoughts on the character, but it seems like he may not understand that Black Adam isn’t actually a superhero.
During a recent Q&A on hisYouTubechannel,Dwayne Johnsonanswered a fan question about his role as the alleged antagonist inShazam!. The fan asked what made him want to consider taking on the role of Black Adam andThe Rock’s answer was maybe a bit confusing, even concerning to die-hard comic book fans. Here is what he had to say.
“I love that he starts off as a slave, that he felt like he was wronged. I’ve just loved that backstory. I think that Black Adam has always been, to me, the most intriguing superhero.”
Dwayne Johnson’s basic description of Black Adam’s backstory is pretty much accurate, but that whole being “wronged” thing didn’t exactly turn him into a hero in the traditional sense. While he did spend some time with Justice Society, he has spent most of his comic book career being a straight-up bad guy. In fact, he was responsible for starting World War III, which was aDC Comics eventthat took place in the early 2000s. Over the years, he has murdered lots and lots of people, including civilians and heroes. So yeah, not exactly the “superhero” type. In fairness, here is a quote from Black Adam that sort of shows everything is perspective.
“I am not a villain – not in the narrow definition of the word according to the self-named “modern” world. I fought alongside theJustice Societyand for a time, made them my allies… but I never earned their trust.”
In the years sinceDwayne Johnsonwas first announced as Black Adam, no other cast members have been attached to the movie and not only that, but he has truly cemented himself as perhaps the most bankable star on the planet. So maybe in his mind, and maybe this will actually be the case, theShazam!movie will actually focus on Black Adam and he will be the star. Moreso, maybe he will become an actual hero somehow. It is also possible that whenDwayne Johnsonsaid “superhero,” he was really just meaning to saycomic book character.
Things had been very quiet on theShazam!front for a while up until Christmas when Superman himselfHenry Cavillmade a very interesting post to his Instagram. He andThe Rockwere sharing some drinks with one another as DC Comics-based movie co-stars andCavill’s caption gave us some reason to thinkShazam!is really happening and more so, that Black Adam and Superman are going to duke it out at some point. Here is what the caption said that went along with the photo.
“Merry Christmas a Happy New Year fromSupermanand Black Adam @therock . Today we drink like gentleman and come together as friends. We’re excited for what the future brings.. #DangerousGentleman #DCWorldsWillCollide #Superman”
At the moment,Dwayne Johnsonhas plenty to keep him busy, since he is currently shootingJumanjiand has a loaded slate that includesSan Andreas 2,Rampage,Doc SavageandBallersseason 3 on HBO. So he probably won’t have an opening in his schedule to shootShazam!or have a big fight with Superman anytime soon. Still, it very much seems like the movie is on track and at least inDwayne Johnson’s mind, Black Adam is going to be a superhero. We’ll have to see how it all shakes out, but for now,Shazam!is set for an June 25, 2025, release date. You can check out the Q&A Video for yourself below.
