Not even Dwayne Johnson’s tried-and-tested star power and commercial viability could gird Black Adam against middling reviews and less-than-stellar box office numbers when it opened last fall. And things only got worse from there. In the wake of the film’s release, reports alleged that Johnson wore out his welcome with DC and Warner Bros. executives by going over their heads and pushing for a shared cinematic universe revolving mainly around his character, a considerably lesser-known antihero among viewers. These claims almost certainly caused Johnson’s public image to take a hit, at least among DC fans. But now, a new round of allegations is taking aim at Johnson. And if the reports are accurate, they won’t be winning Johnson any more points with the franchise’s core fanbase.
It’s no secret that Johnson had his heart set on fighting Henry Cavill’s Superman in a future DC movie, regardless of the fact that Black Adam is Shazam’s ultimate nemesis in the comics. However, a new report from The Wrap indicates just how little Johnson seemed to care about the source material. According to “high-level Hollywood insiders,” one of Black Adam’s post-credits tags was supposed to include Zachary Levi’s Shazam. In this version, the surviving members of the Justice Society would enlist the hero to join their ranks, presumably setting the stage for Levi and Johnson to duke it out onscreen like their comic book counterparts.
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Such a move would have gone a long way toward generating excitement for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which finally premiered in theaters last week. Unfortunately, Johnson shot this idea down, which may have caused a domino effect throughout the larger DC Universe. The Wrap speculates that Johnson’s actions might be partly to blame for Shazam! 2’s underwhelming box office performance. One source even remarked, ”Dwayne tries to sell himself as bigger than the movie. He’s one of the few people who always thinks he’s the most important person in any situation or room.” In the end, it was Cavill’s Man of Steel who showed up in Black Adam’s mid-credits scene. But his appearance is going absolutely nowhere, as James Gunn is rebooting the Superman franchise in 2025.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is now playing in theaters everywhere. You can also find Black Adam on home video and streaming on HBO Max.
What do you think of these latest claims against Johnson? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Shazam: The World’s Mightiest Vol. 1
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