‘Black Adam‘ was Dwayne Johnson’s passion project and it was supposed to catapult his DCEU journey. Unfortunately, it fell flat on the face and ruined the last chance of DCEU’s revival. Dwayne has been touting the movie as phenomenal, promising it would change the power hierarchy in the DC universe. The former WWE wrestler was cast as DCU’s Black Adam in 2014. He was meant to face Shazam down the line, but in 2017 it was decided Dwayne Johnson would lead his own ‘Black Adam’ movie.
With project greenlit, Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Black Adam‘ was a reimagined story of an enslaved person from a fictional African country finding superpowers and becoming the titular invincible antihero. The film was supposed to come to theatres in December 2021. However, the Covid 19 forced the studios to push the release date. But when it finally came to theatres, it completely bombed.
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Why Is ‘Black Adam’ The Worst DCU Movie?
‘Black Adam‘ stars Dwayne Johnson as Teth-Adam/Black Adam. He’s an ancient superhuman freed by a group of archeologists. Their mission is to free the nation of Kahndaq from the crime syndicate Intergang, whose local leader plans to obtain an ancient relic called the Crown of Sabbac to take control of the country. Black Adam must decide what side of the line he stands on, whether he’s a destroyer or a protector of the world he finds himself in.
Buoyed by the charisma of Dwayne Johnson, ‘Black Adam’ wanted to be a thundering presence in a chaotic DCU. However, it suffers from being an exclusive showcase for its male lead. The most glaring error is The Rock’s lack of expressive performance. Throughout his filmography, the pattern has become apparent. He seems to find his niche playing passive and muscular protagonists.
Dwayne Johnson plays the same character once again. However, it doesn’t yield any returns here. Dwayne Johnson never sells the man transformed by the power of pain, choosing to remain with the same smoldering look we’ve come to expect from him. The Justice Society was a fascinating inclusion. Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate is formidable and probably the best casting in the DCU. But these characters never get their due since it’s all about Dwayne Johnson and the bulk of his muscles.
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Is Dwayne Johnson Also Responsible For The Failure Of The ‘Shazam’ Sequel?
Despite not appearing in ‘Shazam: Fury Of The Gods,’ Dwayne Johnson is facing the heat for the sequel’s failure. Using his influence, he ensured the characters from the Justice Society of America didn’t appear in the post-credits scene of ‘Shazam: Fury Of The Gods.’ DCU co-head Peter Safran was left scrambling for, in the end, going for the characters from the HBO series ‘Peacemaker.’
Dwayne Johnson himself refused a cameo in the ‘Shazam‘ sequel. Recently, Zachary Levi called out Dwayne Johnson for micromanaging the ‘Black Adam‘ and ‘Shazam‘ sequels. The original plan was for Black Adam to appear as the nemesis of Shazam. However, Johnson wanted to build the DCU around him and Henry Cavill.
Dwayne Johnson used all his goodwill to bring Henry Cavill for a Superman cameo. He didn’t just want to sideline Shazam but kick him out of DC. However, Dwayne Johnson and Henry Cavill are no longer employees of DCU, headed by James Gunn and Peter Safran. It doesn’t matter how he presents the events; everyone can smell the lies he’s cooking. ‘Black Adam‘ is outdated, greyed, and the most non-emotive origin story since MCU’s ‘Eternals.’
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