How Black Adam Differs From Batman & Superman, According to The Rock

Dwayne Johnson explains how Black Adam is different from Batman and Superman. The DCEU is about to get a lot bigger and badder when Johnson’s take on comic book anti-hero Black Adam hits the big screen.

Black Adam of course is typically depicted in DC Comics as an enemy of Shazam. But Zachary Levi’s cinematic Shazam is not expected to show up in the Black Adam movie (outside of a possible post-credits cameo). Instead of battling his most-frequent comic book foe, Johnson’s Black Adam will tangle with DC characters like Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan). And it’s anyone’s guess what other surprise appearances might happen as the film sets up more DCEU action down the road.

Of course Johnson has been quick to point out that his take on Black Adam will take things down a darker and more adult road than the relatively light-hearted and humorous Shazam!. As a preview of just how anti-heroic Black Adam is in the film, Johnson remarked on how his character’s philosophy differs from that of superheroes like Superman and Batman, who themselves attempt to mete out justice without actually ending life. Johnson said to Men’s Journal:

“In the traditional DC Universe, as we all know, if you do something wrong Superman and Batman are gonna try and bring you to justice. If you do something wrong to Black Adam, you’re going to die. It’s that simple. I believe this character is going to bring a unique edge to the superhero genre. We’re gonna be turning preconceived notions on their ear.”

Batman and Superman obviously were taken down somewhat dark roads themselves in previous DCEU films like Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. But Johnson’s point still holds about how the characters have traditionally been depicted in the comic books. Johnson’s Black Adam clearly will not be bound by any kind of Batman-like no-kill policy however, as he arrives on the big screen ready to do harm to all who get in his way.

Such a violent approach to justice interestingly also happens to be a central attribute of another DC character getting a lot of attention right now, namely John Cena’s Peacemaker. Indeed Batman’s no-kill policy has itself come up more than once, in humorous fashion, on James Gunn’s HBO Max show centered on Cena’s paradoxically peace-loving assassin. But while Peacemaker clearly wants to see himself as a cold-hearted killer who unlike Batman is ready to do whatever it takes, the show has actually given him some inner-conflict, showing him to be remorseful about killing Rick Flag in The Suicide Squad.

It remains to be seen if Black Adam will at any point experience any similar qualms about killing when Johnson brings him to life on the big-screen. On the one hand, Johnson playing a truly brutal killer might be an appealing change-of-pace after his many relative nice-guy performances. On the other hand, if DC wants to go ahead with Black Adam as an anti-hero it might not be a bad idea to give him some Peacemaker-like second-thoughts along the way, at least for the sake of character arc. Either way, it seems Black Adam will at least start with its main character as a super-being who doesn’t mind killing, bringing a decidedly dark edge to this particular DCEU property.

Source: Men’s Journal

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