Dwayne Johnson Reportedly Nixed Shazam Cameo in ‘Black Adam’

The next submit accommodates minor spoilers for Shazam! Fury of the Gods. 

There at the moment are three films starring Shazam and Black Adam, and the 2 characters have interacted onscreen a sum complete of zero instances. Any longtime DC Comics reader will inform you: That doesn’t actually make a lot sense.

Black Adam was created as a Shazam (or actually Captain Marvel) antagonist, and for many of his historical past, that’s primarily what he was. It’s solely within the final decade or two that the character’s position within the DC universe has expanded, turning into part of the Justice Society library of characters, and enjoying extra of an antihero position in numerous DC storylines.

The authentic plan for Shazam! was to have Black Adam because the villain of that film, however at a sure level after Dwayne Johnson was solid as Black Adam the choice was made to separate him off into his personal movie. Then Black Adam arrive in theaters final fall, and Shazam by no means confirmed up in it anyplace, even in a cameo position. And vice versa is true of the brand new Shazam! Fury of the Gods. 

In accordance with a brand new report in TheWrap, a few of the blame belongs to Dwayne Johnson himself; they declare that there was a plan in place for Shazam to look in a cameo within the Black Adam post-credits scene, which might have seen “Shazam recruited by Aldis Hodge’s Hawkman, and different costumed heroes, into the Justice Society of America.” As an alternative, Johnson had that concept nixed in order that he may usher in Henry Cavill to reprise his position as Superman, and arrange a possible Black Adam versus Superman film down the road.

READ MORE: Each DC Comics Film, Ranked From Worst to Greatest

There is a post-credits scene on the finish of Fury of the Gods the place Shazam is recruited into the Justice Society, however moderately than function Hawkman or different members of the Justice Society, it stars actors from the Peacemaker TV collection.

TheWrap claims Johnson’s strikes behind the scenes “kneecapped” Shazam!, however even when all of their reporting is 100% correct, Fury of the Gods has a lot greater issues past the dearth of a Dwayne Johnson cameo. Perhaps a Shazam look in Black Adam might need whetted the viewers’s urge for food for his personal film. However until Black Adam was going to point out up there as properly, what would have been the purpose? Heck, Fury of the Gods featured a Surprise Girl cameo that the film marketed in its TV advertisements, and it didn’t assist its field workplace one bit. (Shazam! star Zachary Levi tweeted that the most important drawback is the film’s advertising has not conveyed that it’s an incredible selection for households don’t notice it’s an incredible household movie, though that’s debatable.) It appears extra correct to say that there’s quite a lot of blame to unfold round for the present state of DC’s films.