Does Black Adam Deserve a Sequel?

credit: Black Adam

Opinions about Black Adam have been running around the internet for the past month or so regarding how it’s losing money and how Dwayne Johnson assures it will make money. In the wake of learning that the DCU will change in a big way, it begs the question of whether Black Adam deserves a sequel or if it would have gotten one had things remained the same. That’s tough to answer since things are about to change fundamentally in the DC camp. It sounds like a sequel to this movie isn’t in the cards any longer, but whether or not it deserves one is a matter of opinion. It feels easy to state that many fans might answer positively when thinking of whether or not it would be warranted. There are reasons why a sequel might be needed or even deserved, but it does feel like it would be a touch-and-go type of project since trying to decide who would show up for the second movie would be a delicate matter. Plus, the fact that the movie is being delivered to a streaming site so quickly after its release doesn’t bode well for the overall story.  

credit: Black Adam

The sequel could further cement Black Adam’s place in the DCU. 

The movie wasn’t terrible, as it was a fun action flick that could elevate Dwayne Johnson even further, save for the fact that he needs to show a little more personality. Reading the comics and paying attention to the animated features make it appear that while Black Adam is kind of a pain in the neck, he’s still more expressive than Johnson managed to be in the movie. The fact that so many people are praising his acting in this movie makes one think that it’s more about who he is off-screen than who he portrayed since, in all honesty, it doesn’t feel as though he did much more than act like a guy with serious anger issues that didn’t care so much about his nation or anything else, and was more focused on trying not to crack his customary smile. People can defend this character all they want, and they wouldn’t be entirely wrong, but it still feels as though this movie could have done with a little more emotion on the part of the main character. 

If he’s brought back, it could be reworked to set Black Adam against Shazam

There’s no idea if Black Adam is in the works to be brought back to the DCU since things appear to be in flux at the moment. But if he is brought back, it might need to happen soon since Johnson isn’t getting any younger, and anyone that might be cast along with him would need to be secured quickly to get the movie underway. It still feels as though the movie might need a bit more of a story than the first one since the initial feature felt a bit incomplete, given that this was the first time that the JSA had been introduced on screen. The introduction of so many new characters at once was bound to feel rushed, and wasn’t allowed to give enough of a backstory to each character. This is one of the issues with comic book movies, though, since trying to nail the backstory for each individual takes time and is often best accomplished by taking things slow and giving each character their movie in which to develop and expand before bringing anyone else in. Since Shazam has already been established in his movie, it might be best to bring Black Adam back in a new Shazam movie and see how things work out. 

credit: Black Adam

The appearance of Superman might be enough to bring Black Adam back, but perhaps not in a sequel

At this point, it does feel as though bringing Black Adam back to the new DCU would be best if it were done in a fashion that allowed him to be a major or supporting character in the movie of another hero that people already know plenty about. Bringing him into a Superman or Shazam movie sounds like a great idea, but it’s been established that Dwayne might not want to appear in a Shazam movie, which would put a severe damper on that idea given that Dwayne tends to get what he wants a lot of the time. 

So far, he’s not a strong enough presence to demand the sequel treatment

People can argue all they want on this matter, but the fact is that Black Adam just reached the big screen after being stuck in development hell for so long. He doesn’t have the clout yet, even if Dwayne Johnson does, and he’ll have to do a lot more than take on the JSA and one villain before he’s ready for another movie.