Dwayne Johnson is set to enter DC as one of the strongest characters, Black Adam, which not only change the power dynamic on-screen but off-screen as well
The introduction of a character considered to be the World’s Mightiest Mortal could set the stage for a very thrilling power tussle in DC’s superhero hemisphere. Black Adam will be amplified by the reputation and status of Dwayne Johnson. The anti-hero will star in his own movie and perhaps, even make an appearance on Aquaman. These are clear signs that WB intends for the character to play a huge role in the DCEU going forward. This is hardly a surprise, considering how DC likes to put its villains in the spotlight, with Suicide Squad and Gotham City Sirens as clear examples.
After over a decade of subtle discussions and wishful thinking, it finally looks like Warner Bros will be giving Dwayne Johnson his debut on the superhero big screen. The Black Adam movie was set to begin production in the spring of 2020 but the pandemic pretty much put every plan on hold. However, the spare time has given both the studios and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson plenty of time to water the appetite of fans with new information about the upcoming movie.
Black Adam Cast
DC held its first virtual FanDome event back in August 2020 where Johnson hosted a Black Adam session and briefed fans about the upcoming movie. Also appearing on the panel with him was Noah Centineo, the first actor to be cast in the movie alongside The Rock. Centineo is set to play Atom Smasher in the upcoming movie. To All The Boys I Love actor joins the DCEU as a very cool character which would be as exciting as it would be challenging.
Watch: Black Adam – Official Teaser (2021) Dwayne Johnson | DC FanDome
Since then, even more, details have emerged about the upcoming movie. A few weeks ago, Dwayne Johnson took to his social media page to announce the casting of Aldis Hodge (Invisible Man, Hidden Figures) as the titular Hawkman. Later, Hodge posted a comic image of Hawkman on his personal page, expressing his excitement at bagging the role. While the production doesn’t kick off till spring of 2021, fans have been busy creating various art teasers about the path the Black Adam story might take, as well as the characters he would be up against.
Adam’s Origin Story and Powers
The Black Adam story is likely to begin – or flashback – on Kahndaq, where Adam’s origin story begins. He served as a slave on Kahndaq until the wizard Shazam granted him immense power, with the belief that he would use it to do good and defend the helpless. Unfortunately, Black Adam had a different agenda and method to his madness. He instead used his powers to exert revenge on his enemies, while ruling with a brutal and iron fist. He was consequently defeated and trapped but after thousands of years, he returns to wreak havoc on the modern world.
Being a direct arch-nemesis of Shazam, Black Adam’s powers are quite similar to Shazam’s. But while Billy Batson says “Shazam!” and gets powers originating from Greek-Roman gods, Black Adam’s powers are said to come from Egyptian gods. Billy Batson is imbued with the Wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury when he speaks the famed magic word.
Black Adam on the other hand, summons the powers of six Egyptian gods; the Stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru, the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti, the power of Aton, and the courage of Mehen.
While there has been a lot of argument as to which set of gods holds – or donates – more power, it’s safe to say that there are more similarities than there are differences between the two characters. The only significant difference between would be the fact that Black Adam is more of an anti-hero. His knack for doing things in his own brutal way has often had him at loggerheads with both the Justice League Society of America (JSA) and the Justice League.
DC’s Biggest Superhero Adaption
The upcoming Black Adam movie has the potential to be DC’s biggest superhero screen adaptation yet. Partly because they’ve got one of the biggest names in present day entertainment playing the lead role, but also because the movie could introduce some of the biggest characters and teams in the DC universe. Justice Society of America was also teased during the FandDome event.
Apart from Atom Smasher and the recently announced Hawkman, there are reports that Doctor Fate could make his debut in Black Adam. Known for his mastery of ancient and complex magic, Doctor Fate brings a whole new dynamic into the DCEU. His mastery and use of magic would be quite interesting and exciting to behold as it has not been explored yet in the DCEU. With the likes of Superman and Wonder Woman vulnerable to magic, Doctor Fate would prove a very formidable foe for the Justice League.
Other characters expected to appear in the Black Adam movie include Cyclone and Hawkgirl, although casting for the roles have not been done yet.
Star Power of Black Adam
The movie is set to be directed by talented Spanish director, Jaume Collet-Serra. Some notable movies he has directed include House of Wax, Non-Stop and very recently, Disney’s Jungle Cruise where he worked closely with Dwayne Johnson.
Although DC seems to have rolled out their movie slate for the next two years, Black Adam was recently pulled off the slate where it formerly had a new release date set for December, 2021. This comes as no surprise considering how important the movie could be to the DCEU’s future storytelling.
With so much media heavy lifting by The Rock, a plethora of exciting heroes and villains getting ready to feature in the movie. Along with an exciting cast of talented actors, could Black Adam bring the much-needed spark to the DCEU that the Justice League failed to provide? Guess we’ll know soon enough.
