It’s safe to say that 2022’s Black Adam was a major disappointment. The film, which was a spin-off to Shazam! (2019), featured Dwayne Johnson as Teth-Adam / Black Adam. It seems like Johnson’s stardom couldn’t save the film as it received poor reviews and became a box-office bomb. Now, it seems like the film got a second chance to prove itself.
The film was released on Netflix in December 2023 and managed to become one of the most popular movies on the platform, so fans are now wondering if this success would convince James Gunn to include Johnson in his DCEU reboot. Black Adam was the 11th film in the DCEU but now, DCEU is officially scrapped and Gunn has big plans for a soft reboot of the franchise.
Black Adam was very popular among viewers on Netflix
Black Adam was released on Netflix in December 2023 with many other Warner Bros. movies like Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman: 1984, and The Suicide Squad, Shazam!, The Batman, and DC League of Super-Pets. As per Dexerto, Black Adam managed to reach Netflix’s top 10 movies chart in the United States. Particularly in December, the film became the most popular option for many viewers on the platform.
Initially, Dwayne Johnson‘s Black Adam was met with criticism and became a massive financial loss for the studios. The film was certainly a massive letdown and was bombed with negative reviews. It managed to gross roughly $393 million worldwide and became a box-office bomb for failing to break even. Fans believed that it was officially the end of the character as DCEU was also being rebooted but will this success help Johnson in finding his place in James Gunn’s DCU?
Will Dwayne Johnson return in James Gunn’s DCU?
Due to the poor reception of several DC Extended Universe movies, James Gunn was tasked with rebooting the franchise. As the co-CEO of DC Studios, Gunn has planned to do a soft reboot of the DCEU, which means that some actors will return while some will not. Since Johnson’s Black Adam was a flop, it was obvious that it was the end of Johnson’s journey but now, things have changed.
Since the movie is finding success on Netflix, Johnson’s fans believe that he deserves a second chance in Gunn’s DCU. In the past, Aquaman star Jason Momoa has also hinted that the franchise “will always” have a place for him, so if Momoa’s return is possible, then why not Johnson? The character had so much more potential and under Gunn’s assistance, Johnson will get another attempt to prove himself.
