The future of the DCEU has been called into question, but it may have just gotten the boost it needs. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has released the first official image of himself as DC’s Black Adam on his social media. Within the picture, it is revealed that Black Adam is set to premiere on December 22, 2021.
Also read: ‘Black Adam’ Producer Provides Update On Dwayne Johnson DC Movie
In his post, the star describes the character as “a rebellious, one of a kind superhero, who’ll always do what’s right for the people – but he does it his way.” This is interesting, as the character has predominantly been portrayed as a villain. He has, however, toed the line and acted as a sort of anti-hero, which would align with the description on social media.
Johnson offered more clarification, while still teasing, as he told ComicBook.com, “Black Adam, how he starts, he starts off as a villain. Then he becomes an anti-hero. And then he might become a hero or he might not.” The Rock is obviously under contract not to disclose too much, but this clearly implies an arc for the character.
While this story is a part of the larger DC universe, it will likely be a contained story, now that the writers have stopped playing catch up to Marvel. Johnson served as a producer for Shazam! and Adam is a foe to that character; so if anything, connections will be made there. It’ll be a ton of fun to see Zachary Levi and the former WWE star play off of each other’s energy, but history has shown it’s best to let these characters start with their standalone movies.
Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck may be out, but Dwayne Johnson brings plenty of star power back to the DCEU. Gal Gadot and Jason Mamoa are also still in, and the ever-expanding cast of The Batman demonstrates that DC will easily maintain it’s celebrity appeal.
