Dwayne Johnson’s hierarchy-changing promises and all those interviews about Henry Cavill coming back as Superman is still ringing fresh in our ears as we stand before a situation where Cavill isn’t in DC anymore. Despite The Rock’s repeated efforts, Cavill’s Superman didn’t fit in James Gunn’s grand future plan and reportedly this is the reason, Johnson also dropped out of Shazam 2. Some latest report state that The Rock was offered a cameo in the upcoming Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
With the current future of Dwayne Johnson in DCU still in doubt, the fans are widely disappointed after it was reported that he turned down Shazam 2. The fans are not happy with the reports as they think the actor was so hellbent on fighting Superman, he forgot his original rival was Shazam.
Dwayne Johnson reportedly turned down Shazam 2
While the fans were hyped up to spot Henry Cavill in the mid-credits scene of Black Adam, many were also expecting eagerly for the character to come face to face with Zachary Levi‘s Shazam in the upcoming installments. It must be remembered that his original arch nemesis is Shazam and not Superman as a result of which the avid comic book fans were eagerly waiting for their on-screen showoff.
The news was first reported by The Wrap’s Umberto Gonzalez who revealed that Dwayne Johnson turned down the cameo in Shazam 2 and sparked quite a debate on the internet.
Rock passed on doing a cameo in Shazam 2 when he was asked.
— Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) December 15, 2022
This news came amidst a situation where Henry Cavill’s Superman is no longer a part of the DCU and the future of numerous other characters is in jeopardy. Following the succession of the throne by James Gunn and Peter Safran, the franchise is reportedly going through a complete reboot. And after the box office disappointment of Black Adam, the fans don’t think The Rock did it right to refuse the cameo as it now presents a bigger question mark on the future of the character.
Although nobody is aware of the reason for Dwayne Johnson’s denial to star in the 2023 movie, some think that it is a revenge move on Gunn. This is because he removed The Witcher star to go for a younger version of Superman just a few weeks after Cavill announced his official return. On the other hand, many also think that The Rock hates the first Shazam movie thereby bringing up the old rumors. But as of now, the Rampage actor and the studio both are silent on this matter.
The fans are extremely unhappy with the latest reports
After the news emerged, Twitter was set on fire by the fandom who accused The Rock of being too egoistic. A major complaint that dominated was Johnson’s repeated attempts made on Superman’s return and complete ignoring of the fact that he is originally a Shazam antagonist.
Take a look at some of the tweets:
Johnson turned down the chance to cameo in Shazam 2. He clearly wasn’t interested in this rivalry. Hopefully in the eventual reboot, they’ll get a talented Egyptian actor with a smaller ego to play Black Adam. https://t.co/1kDBt0nGIN
— Amy 🏳️⚧️ (@comicsAmy) December 17, 2022
Bro wanted to be Superman’s rival so fuckin badly.
— Purple (@purplemambaa) December 17, 2022
I liked the movie but bro was so hellbent on running dc and being Superman’s main villain that he completely lost track of who his character really is.
— Frosty (@Frosty_1u1) December 17, 2022
Shazam was Black Adam's rival not Superman. Dude really wanted Superman to be the rival lmao💀
— Buffer (@Buffer06128121) December 17, 2022
I never understood that. Like, bruh, Black Adam is one of Shazam's main villains. It's like playing Dr Doom and refusing to crossover with the Fantastic 4
see my homepage plz— HILDEGARD OCONNOR (@HILDEGARDOCON18) December 17, 2022
Rock thinks black adam is a superman villan
— Pcorreia (@Pauloco49103858) December 18, 2022
With Dwayne Johnson’s rejection of the cameo, his relationship with the studio is surely strained. Moreover, as stated by The Suicide Squad director earlier, they are going for a complete makeover of DCU, and with the additional box office failure of Black Adam, his future looks quite debatable. But on the other hand, Gunn is about to reveal official updates about the DCU’s plans at the beginning of the upcoming year where we can finally get a clear view of the future of each character.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods will release on March 17, 2023, while Black Adam can be streamed on HBO Max.
