Dwayne Johnson is in a terrible spot with DC, and it makes sense why his Black Adam universe is no longer moving forward with another movie. Reports have been coming out about Johnson’s ego and how he purposely sabotaged Black Adam by not allowing other DC heroes to appear, which has been corroborated by Zachary Levi.
There are also reports that Johnson leaked fake earnings from Black Adam and was responsible for harassing the DCU brass for including or reinstating Henry Cavill. None of these decisions have gone over well for the movie star.
Black Adam was meant to presumably kick off the grander DCU plan, as it would have brought in Shazam for a big cameo at the movie’s end. The Justice Society of America would have also joined Shazam 2, pulling the universe together, but was all shot down by Johnson.
The Wrap initially posted the story about Johnson’s sabotage of connecting these two movies and preventing both Shazam from appearing in Black Adam and the Justice Society in Shazam 2. This report has now been confirmed by Zachary Levi, who shared the article on his Instagram with a simple caption that reads, “The truth shall set you free.”
Related: ‘Shazam’ Officially Getting the ‘Black Adam’ Treatment at DC
It is a bit strange that Dwayne Johnson wouldn’t want Shazam to be in his Black Adam movie, and the same goes for the Justice Society being barred from appearing in Shazam 2. Having the characters and stories would have made fans feel as though there was some continuity building on the DC side of things
Johnson was lobbying to make the new DCU surround Black Adam and Superman, which has now been entirely shot down. He didn’t realize that two heroes cannot anchor an entire universe. Zachary Levi’s Shazam joining Superman and Black Adam would have been perfect, but now the world will never see that.
Could Black Adam and Shazam Working Together Have Saved Both Movies?
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Black Adam would go on to disappoint at the box office, and the same is happening with Shazam 2. There is no telling if fans would have been more open to seeing these movies if a better plan included big cameos and connections.
However, there is far too much drama now that fans are just begging for this new DCU reset.
We understand Dwayne Johnson wanted to stake his claim in the DC universe, but barring his movie from including some Marvel-like cameos truly hurt its potential. The biggest issue with DC is that there has not been enough continuity that makes sense.
Having Shazam face off with Black Adam should have happened, as they are fierce rivals. It would have also made sense for the Justice Society to recruit Shazam and stop Black Adam.
There is plenty of wasted potential there, and now Dwayne Johnson is at the center of it when he could have just invited Zachary Levi in to help build out his budding franchise.
Could Zachary Levi and Dwayne Johnson have built a better DC universe together? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!