Is Black Adam in Shazam 2?

Black Adam and Shazam are inexplicably linked in the comics, so does Dwayne Johnson play his character in new movie Shazam! Fury of the Gods?

Black Adam and Shazam have history in the comics dating back years, with the anti-hero and superhero both teaming up and falling out repeatedly.

They have celluloid history too, also dating back years. That’s because when Dwayne Johnson first signed on to make a DC movie, he was offered a choice – play Black Adam or Shazam.

After serious consideration, Johnson chose Black Adam, and eventually got that film over the line and into cinemas in 2021. But he’s also always talked up the character’s connection to Shazam, laying the groundwork for a big-screen collaboration.

Why Dwayne Johnson didn’t appear in the first Shazam

The original plan was to have both characters appear in the first Shazam movie in 2019. But during an interview with Vanity Fair, Dwayne Johnson explained why he felt that was a bad idea.

“When the first draft of the movie came to us, it was a combination of Black Adam and Shazam: two origin stories in one movie,” Johnson told VF. “Now that was the goal – so it wasn’t a complete surprise.

“But when I read that, I just knew in my gut, ‘We can’t make this movie like this. We would be doing Black Adam an incredible disservice.’ It would’ve been fine for Shazam having two origin stories converge in one movie, but not good for Black Adam.”

Is Black Adam in Shazam 2?

No, Black Adam isn’t in Shazam 2. Dwayne Johnson does not appear in Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

We’ve seen the movie – you can read our 3/5 review here – and Black Adam is nowhere to be seen.

There weren’t any post-credit scenes on the prints shown to critics – with those sequences being added for when the film goes on general release.

But Uproxx asked director David F Sandberg if any of those scenes would feature Dwayne Johnson, and he responded with a definitive: “No. They’re mostly just fun little scenes. It’s not like, ‘Here’s the new Superman.’ I can’t spoil too much, but you get to see some characters that are fun to see.”

With Johnson confirming that his character won’t be part of the rebooted DC Universe, his standalone movie may well be the last that we see of his Black Adam on the big-screen.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods hits cinemas on March 17, while you can read more of our Shazam coverage below…

Shazam 2 Review | Zachary Levi interview | Easter Eggs | Daughters of Atlas explained | Post-credits scene | Does Wonder Woman appear? | Superman v Shazam | Rachel Zegler’s Anthea explained | Does Black Adam appear? | Shazam x Wonder Woman | Does Shazam die? | Streaming details | Shazam 3 |