Dwayne Johnson makes dramatic Comic-Con entrance, then throws shade at Superman

Dwanye Johnson appeared at Comic-Con today to present brand-new footage from his eagerly anticipated DC debut, Black Adam. And he showed up in full costume!

Johnson took to the stage with his Black Adam co-stars Aldis Hodge (Hawkman), Noah Centineo (Atom Smasher), and Quintessa Swindell (Cyclone) to present the film’s newest trailer…

Fans of the DC Comics know that a couple of those characters feature in the Justice Society of America, and Johnson recently spoke of his eagerness to introduce the team.

“I love that there was no reference for this – we have a chance to start from scratch,” Johnson previously told Den of Geek. “It’s rare to have an opportunity to introduce something that is beloved, that’s extremely well known, respected, honored, and embraced by comics fans that a large majority of the world does not know.”

Dwayne Johnson makes epic entrance dressed as Black Adam

Comic-Con’s Hall H was plunged into darkness and smoke filled the stage at the start of the presentation. Then Johnson rose from the ground, seemingly into the air, dressed head-to-toe in his Black Adam costume.

Black Adam soon left the stage, the rest of the cast was introduced, then Dwanye came back out in his civilian clothes to start the panel proper.

Soon after, Aldus Hodge said getting the call to be in the movie, from Johnson himself, “was one of the best moments in my entire career.” Once he’d confirmed he wasn’t being pranked.

Of Atom Smasher, Noah Centineo said the character has “a complicated past and he wants to prove himself as a hero. A young kid who wants to find his way in life.”

Black Adam could take Superman, maybe

During the panel, Johnson was asked who would win in a fight between Black Adam and Superman. The star grinned, then diplomatically said: “It depends on who’s playing Superman.”

Director Juame Collet-Sera then compared Black Adam to another movie icon: “This seemed like a Dirty Harry-type of character. When the system is broken and when the system is corrupt, you need someone to break the system down. I gravitated towards that.”

While Johnson said of the movie: “Our goal is to usher in a new era of the DC universe. What does that mean? What does the character mean? And what does it mean to build out the DC universe with the Justice Society as well?”

Johnson didn’t answer that question, but hopefully his movie will when Black Adam hits screens on October 21.