So far the result of Shazam! hitting the theaters seems to indicate that Black Adam might not even need to be in an anticipated sequel at all as Scott Mendelson from Forbes indicates. This is kind of interesting to hear since to be honest we’ve been hearing more rumors about the darkly-clad villain that seems to give Shazam so much more trouble than anyone in the comics. In fact it’s safe to say that we’ve heard more about him than the titular hero in the past couple of years since the rumors have been flying pretty heavily. According to Josh Weiss from SyFy, Dwayne Johnson has been heard to say that shooting on Black Adam will be starting as of next year, meaning that we might see it in 2021. That seems like it might set up Black Adam to be more of a standalone movie and possibly JUST that since quite honestly it would seem that Shazam! is standing on its own feet and doesn’t need the extra star power. It’s fair to say that Dwayne Johnson can still pull down a bigger audience than Zachary Levi when it comes to the average action film, but it’s also fair to say that the movie will make a good push forward towards a sequel without needing the powerful villain.
Here are a few reasons why Black Adam might not be able to compete with Shazam!.
10. This would almost beg for another crossover film.
If you’ve ever seen Shazam fighting Black Adam then you’d know that despite being insanely powerful, Billy Batson’s intellect is still not quite up to accepting just how ruthless Black Adam can be. If you want a good example of that take a look at this clip that Superhero Movie Clip posted. Yes it’s a cartoon but it speaks volumes to the difference between the two. The experience of Black Adam would be too much for Shazam and would likely call for another hero to intervene. That might make the movie just another Batman vs. Superman, unfortunately.
9. Remember Doom?
This seems like a low blow to Dwayne Johnson, but that movie was bad, horrible, and didn’t have a lot of redeeming value other than that he and Karl Urban were in it. But Dwayne as the bad guy is feasible, so long as he gets to play someone that’s believable. That’s why Black Adam doesn’t seem to be quite right for him.
8. A villain getting their own show hasn’t really been seen to work as well so far.
People would likely argue with this one but the funny thing is that a lot of them would lose. Suicide Squad was a train wreck, so trying to use that as a defense is a no-go. Apart from that we’ll have to wait and see how Joker does.
7. There’s a concern that Dwayne might need to pass the torch a bit.
This glimpse of The Rundown from The Planet Clips might make this point a little more concrete since when you think about it Dwayne has been in show business for a while now. It’s true that his WWE background kind of groomed him for this, but at this point it might be time to start thinking about passing the torch now and again.
6. It’s not exactly a typical role for Dwayne Johnson.
A lot of times when you see Dwayne in a movie he’ll be the hero, the badass, or even the villain that you still want to root for since he’s got a reason for being that way, as he did in Faster. But being a souped-up baddie that’s out for conquest and destruction hearkens back to the Scorpion King, AFTER Rick and Imhotep wake him up. Yeah, bad CGI flashbacks, I know.
5. He has serious anger issues.
As experienced as the villain is he definitely gets angry quick and tends to lose control a time or two. This seems to mean that he can be caught unawares a little too easily, meaning that even a superhero with the mind of a 15-year old could take him down. People might have an issue with that.
4. Black Adam seems very overpowered.
DC loves granting their characters the kind of power that makes them world breakers in their own right. Marvel does the same on occasion but all too often it seems that the heroes and villains in DC are able to annihilate life on a humongous scale, which gets a little, well, boring.
3. There are a lot of other well-known super villains that might be better as a main enemy.
It’s hard to really say this because Black Adam does seem like a fairly cool villain to bring out, and someone that could do more than just hold his own against a superhero that can do so much.
2. Shazam! did well enough during its opening to rise or fall without the need of this villain.
To be honest Black Adam was originally supposed to be in the movie as Matt Joseph of We’ve Got This Covered writes, but he was taken out since this was supposed to be Shazam’s story and no one else’s.
1. As a villain he’s not as well known as others.
It’s true to be honest, people hear the Joker, Catwoman, even General Zod, and they know who you’re talking about. They hear Black Adam, and if they’re not a DC fan then the chances are good they might not know anything about him.
So far Black Adam might need to stand alone.
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