Even though Dwayne Johnson spent a decade and a half connected to the role of Black Adam, his actual stint as the character only lasted for one movie. After initially being set as the main antagonist of Shazam!, The Rock’s Black Adam instead starred in his own movie and was expected to be a major player in the DC Extended Universe going forward. Obviously that didn’t end up working out, and three years after Black Adam’s release, Johnson reflected on his short DCEU stint and share how he feels about the current DC Universe franchise.
In an extensive interview with THR that also covered his 2025 movie release The Smashing Machine and playing Maui in the Moana movies, Dwayne Johnson was asked if his time playing a heel during his wrestling career aided him in portraying Black Adam. He answered:
Oh, absolutely. I feel like not only my time as a heel in the ring in wrestling, but it was almost like the anti-hero that eventually the Rock became. I loved making Black Adam. We had a great time. Loved creating those characters and introducing other characters, as well, in that universe. Had a great time. Wish that universe well. And on to others.
After several years of being eyed to play Black Adam in the Shazam! movie that was in development in the pre-DCEU days, Dwayne Johnson became officially attached to the role in October 2014. By January 2017, it was decided to have the character star in his own movie, which saw the man once known as Teth-Adam clashing with Justice Society members Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Atom Smasher and Cyclone. Johnson also spent years hyping up how Black Adam and Superman would one day battle, which was teased in the 2022 movie’s end-credits scene.
Unfortunately for him, Black Adam proved to be a critical and commercial disappointment, which was already enough to call into question whether a sequel would be made. By December 2022, around the same time that it was revealed that Henry Cavill would not continue playing Superman after all, James Gunn, who’d recently become the DC Studios co-CEO alongside Peter Safran, shared that Black Adam 2 wasn’t in his immediate plans. The following month, Gunn and Safran announced the opening slate of upcoming DC movies and upcoming DC TV shows for the new DCU continuity.
So Dwayne Johnson’s outing as Black Adam was a one-and-done affair, but at least he doesn’t have any bitter feelings about how it all turned out. He enjoyed making the 11th DCEU movie and is rooting for the DCU’s success. Besides, just because it didn’t work out with Black Adam doesn’t mean Johnson couldn’t return to DC someday. If Jason Momoa can appear as Lobo in Supergirl after previously playing Aquaman, why couldn’t The Rock be cast in a different role for the DCU?
Black Adam can be streamed with an HBO Max subscription, and along with The Smashing Machine being available to purchase and rent on digital, Dwayne Johnson can next be heard voicing Zeke in Zootopia 2, which opens in theaters November 26. After that, he’ll contribute to the 2026 movies schedule by playing Maui on camera for the first time in the live-action Moana remake.
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