Dwayne Johnson continues teasing his epic training regiment for Warner Bros. and DC Films’ Black Adam movie but he’s got something else up his (obvious metaphorical) sleeve. Johnson has been attached to the part for years at this point, and the project is finally moving along with production set to begin this summer ahead of its 2021 release date. The wrestler-turned-actor has made a routine of his workout photos online, and has posted more than expected regarding his Black Adam training already; but if you thought The Rock was ripped before, check out his latest photo below which comes with a major tease for his place in the DC Universe.
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“The hierarchy of power in the #DCUniverse is about to change,” Johnson wrote on his training post. Johnson also added the hashtags “#ManOfThePeople” and “#Ruthless.” The reactions to Johnson’s latest photo pointed out one key difference between he and other superheroes on the big screen with Johnson’s personal trainer Dave Rienz commenting: “Definitely no padded superhero suit needed here!”
Though there’s little doubt that Johnson’s character will be a force to be reckoned with in his own movie, he’ll likely be going up against other newcomers to the DC Universe on film as the Justice Society of America will make their film debut in Black Adam. The new film will reportedly not feature Zachary Levi’s hero Shazam though, but will definitely be laying the groundwork for their eventual meeting, something Levi says may not happen until Shazam! 3.
Black Adam is expected to fill fans in on the backstory of Teth-Adam, who was entrusted with the power of Shazam long before Billy Batson, but who was corrupted by the power, turning on the Council of Wizards and dispensing a brutal idea of justice. In Shazam!, the wizard made a passing reference to a corrupted warrior generally understood to have been Black Adam, although he did not name the character. Johnson has previously alluded to this as the appeal for the character for him.
“Like most kids growing up, I dreamed about being a superhero,” Johnson previously said. “As a kid, Superman was the hero I always wanted to be. But, a few years into my fantasy, I realized that Superman was the hero, I could never be. I was too rebellious. Too rambunctious. Too resistant to convention and authority.”
“Despite my troubles, I was still a good kid with a good heart – I just liked to do things my way. Now, years later as a man, with the same DNA I had as a kid – my superhero dreams have come true. I’m honored to join the iconic #DCUniverse and it’s a true pleasure to become, BLACK ADAM. BLACK ADAM is blessed by magic with the powers equal to SUPERMAN, but the difference is he doesn’t toe the mark or walk the line. He’s a rebellious, one of a kind superhero, who’ll always do what’s right for the people – but he does it his way. Truth and justice – the BLACK ADAM way.”
Black Adam hits theaters on December 22, 2021. Shazam! 2 will arrive in theaters four months later in in April of 2022.
