Dwayne Johnson has been lined-up to play DC's Black Adam for 15 years, having originally been set to play him in the Shazam flick that was in the works at the time. Zachary Levi's Shazam! eventually came and went in 2019, but there was no sign of Black Adam, who will now finally enter the DCEU in his own solo outing.
Nonetheless, the two are still primed to cross paths eventually. The Shazam! lead himself even shared how he "would love to punch the Rock" and bring their rivalry to screens. The beef between Shazam and Black Adam has long been seeded into their origins as both their powers come from the same wizard.
Now, even with Black Adam finally hitting theaters in a matter of days and Shazam! Fury of the Gods just months away from its March 2023 release, there has been no indication of when the two will meet. However, The Rock has offered clues that a crossover is in the pipeline for a future project.
Shazam and Black Adam Set to Meet
In a recent interview, shared on Twitter by @AjepArts, Dwayne Johnson confirmed Black Adam will eventually crossover with Zachary Levi's Shazam in a future DC project.
Following previous plans for Teth-Adam to debut within the Shazam! franchise, Johnson proposed that in order to "respect" both magical heroes, each needed to be introduced in their own movies before meeting:
"It was just a mosh of 'just put them both together because they're both connected.' So that's when I said 'you can't do it like this, we have to respect Shazam and his origin story, that has to be its own movie. Respect Black Adam, this has to be its own movie. Build them up, and then you can do this.'"
After the interviewer shared their hopes for a crossover between Black Adam and Shazam, Johnson promised "they're going to happen."
Black Adam Set for Epic DC Showdown
So, with Black Adam now poised to fight both Shazam and Superman, one can only wonder how this will all go down in the DCEU. Perhaps the two heroes will unite against the anti-hero, or maybe one will have to wait their turn for the big fight, or there could be something larger at play here.
Black Adam is already pulling in elements of the Justice League, Shazam, and Suicide Squad corners of the DCEU, perhaps teasing the path ahead. Rumors recently spread of a "Black Adam vs. Justice League vs. Suicide Squad" movie being on the cards, which would mark the DCEU's biggest event yet.
The epic showdown could turn Black Adam into the big bad for this current chapter of the DCEU, although he may need some help to take on the many foes at once. But either way, Dwayne Johnson and Black Adam clearly have a major role to play in bringing together the next era of DC on the big screen.
Black Adam hits theaters on Friday, October 21.
