After a disappointing showing at the box office, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has confirmed that Black Adam will not be returning to the new DC universe under James Gunn.
The hierarchy of power in the DCEU has changed, just as The Rock promised. Unfortunately, it’s not changing in the way that the Black Adam actor envisioned.
With James Gunn and Peter Safran taking over the reigns of the DC cinematic universe, there have already been massive changes, including Henry Cavill departing as Superman with other members of the Justice League presumed to be close behind.
But it will come as a shock to many DC fans that the world’s newest anti-hero has been confirmed to be exiting under the new leadership. At least for now.
The Rock confirms that Black Adam will not return soon
On Twitter, the movie star said: “James Gunn and I have connected and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling.”
Although it seems like that is the end of the road, The Rock did leave open the possibility that his character could return by saying that DC will “continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.”
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In short, it seems unlikely that Black Adam will be appearing in any DC features in the near future as Gunn and Safran begin the process of fixing an already-fractured universe. The Rock’s exit, along with Cavill’s departure, also lends credence to fan rumors that DC is planning a wholesale reboot of their universe.
It’s certainly disappointing for The Rock, who has been attached a Black Adam project for a decade and clearly has a lot of passion for the character.
However, given the movie’s tepid release and the need for DC to recover from an uneven path for the DCEU, it makes sense that the studio would not invest more in the character.
Although Gunn took to Twitter as well, assuring fans that not all the core Justice League characters would be recast. For now, though, fans are awaiting word on what direction the universe might move in next.