Black Adam Producer Addresses DC Universe Ties, Shazam Crossovers

In comic book movie franchises, fans are often eager to see their favorite characters interact. This means characters from one movie appear in another or everyone comes together for a big ensemble. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has kept everything tightly knit, the DC franchises have seen success recently in making more isolated efforts. Going forward, both franchises will exploit possibilities presented by multiverse stories, like DC keeping The Batman in a separate canon from the likes of Henry Cavill’s Superman, Zachary Levi’s Shazam!, and Dwayne Johnson‘s Black Adam. However, with Black Adam set to make a debut late next year, Johnson’s character might have some crossovers coming up in the future.

Black Adam producer Hiram Garcia was asked if Black Adam will exist in the universe referred to as the DCEU, the cinematic canon which launched with Man of Steel in 2013 and has included all DC Comics movies since then, save for Joker.

“There’s been multiple ongoing conversations on how everything will roll out and it’s very exciting for myself as a filmmaker but even more so as a fan,” Garcia tells Collider. “Unfortunately, I can’t speak to that too much because it is still in the works, but I can say that on our end we’re very focused on building out this world we’re creating with Black Adam and the JSA. Obviously Shazam exists in that universe along with many many other heroes and believe me when I say we have very big ambitions for all these characters and the story lines we want to take them through.”

Johnson did tease an eventual Superman interaction for his character and he has never been known to underdeliver. Still, Black Adam will have an ensemble of its own.

“We are so excited to introduce the Justice Society, especially Hawkman who’s such a beloved character and one of those heroes who’s always meant so much to the DC universe,” Garcia says. “Having them play in the same sandbox as Black Adam is going to be fantastic, and for the already established fans of these characters I think they are going to be really excited to see what elements from classic story lines we take inspiration from as we bring these characters together. When you take a powerhouse like Black Adam and inject him into this DC cinematic universe you want to make sure you are putting characters around him that can really up the stakes. As DJ likes to say the hierarchy of power in the DC universe really is going to change so Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher and Cyclone will have their hands full no matter how we choose to have them interact with Black Adam.”

It’s a safe bet Black Adam will loosely connect to the larger DCEU while isolating itself to a story which can avoid restrictions from the established canon. The people want Black Adam and Shazam!, and the People’s Champ will probably give that to them. Are you excited for Black Adam? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Instagram!

Black Adam is currently set for release on December 22, 2021.