After literally more than a decade of Dwayne Johnson being attached to play Black Adam, we’re mere months away from him finally debuting as the DC Comics character. Black Adam will see the eponymous protagonist going up against the Justice Society of America, a superhero team this character has ties with in the comics. But Black Adam is also connected to Shazam (formerly known as Captain Marvel) and Superman, so is there a chance we could see one of them cameo in the upcoming DC movie?
That question was posed to Black Adam director Jaume Collet-Serra, who is attending San Diego Comic-Con with Dwayne Johnson, as Black Adam will be among the movie’s spotlighted at Warner Bros.’ Hall H panel on Saturday. Well, sorry for those of you who were entertaining the prospect of seeing either the Man of Steel or the World’s Mightiest Mortal, as Collet-Serra said the following to Deadline:
Our movie is an original story. By the time the movie ends, he doesn’t know who Shazam or Superman is.
So there you have it, neither Superman nor Shazam will be popping up during the events of Black Adam. The good news is that this doesn’t necessarily mean we won’t ever see the DC Extended Universe’s version of Black Adam cross paths with these characters in a sequel or another corner of this universe. After all, Dwayne Johnson has talked for years about how he wants to see Black Adam and Superman fight on the big screen, and I imagine The Rock doing everything he can to make that a reality. As for Shazam, although Black Adam is depicted as an antihero these days rather than a straight-up supervillain, he’s still known to frequently fight the superpowered Billy Batson. Between that and their powers originating from The Wizard (also named Shazam), it’s a good bet a clash between these two is more of a ‘when’ scenario rather than ‘if.’
It’s also worth remembering that Shazam! Fury of the Gods comes out a couple months after Black Adam’s release. So even though Shazam won’t cameo in Black Adam, perhaps we might be treated to a quick appearance from the latter in the former’s sequel, which some fans thought Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg was teasing last year. Meanwhile, Superman’s film future is still shrouded in uncertainty, although Henry Cavill is rumored to be stopping by Warner Bros.’ Hall H presentation to talk about the Kryptonian superhero.
In any case, Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam will have his hands full dealing with the Justice Society, which consists of Aldis Hodge’s Hawkman, Noah Centineo’s Atom Smasher, Quintessa Swindell’s Cyclone and Pierce Brosnan’s Doctor Fate. Black Adam’s cast also includes Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz and Bodhi Sabongui as Amon, and the criminal organization Intergang will cause trouble in the story. Jaume Collet-Serra helmed the feature off the script written by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani.
Black Adam hits theaters on October 21, with Shazam! Fury of the Gods following on December 21. Looking to next year, DC’s confirmed film releases include Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, The Flash and Blue Beetle.
