Nearly 15 years ago, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson began circling the role of Black Adam. He was even officially signed to play the role in 2014 before the project languished in development hell for a few additional years. But in 2022, Johnson’s wait will be over. At DC FanDome, Johnson proudly introduced the opening scene of Black Adam.
Johnson has often hinted that “the hierarchy of the DC universe is about to change.” That’s because it has always been assumed that Superman is the mightiest hero on DC’s roster, followed closely by Shazam. However, Black Adam may be more powerful than both the Man of Steel and his runner-up. And unlike the heroes, Black Adam has a ruthless streak and he doesn’t hold back.
Within this opening scene, a modern military squad accompanies an expert as she summons Black Adam with the magic word “Shazam.” This is not a coincidence, since Black Adam was the original champion of the wizard Shazam thousands of years ago. The wizard believed that Teth-Adam was the right man to defend his people. And to a certain extent, he was. Unfortunately, Black Adam refused to bow to anyone’s authority, even the wizard’s. That’s why Black Adam was locked away in exile until now.
The troops found out the hard way that Black Adam doesn’t tolerate any interlopers or potential threats. He disintegrated a soldier without breaking a sweat and caught a bullet in the air because it might be the first time that Black Adam has even seen a bullet.
While this is Black Adam’s cinematic debut, he won’t be the only superhuman in the film. The Justice Society of America will be represented by Noah Centineo’s Atom Smasher, as well as Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan). While the JSA and Black Adam may eventually find common ground, they are seriously outmatched by his power.
Sarah Shahi briefly appears in this opening scene as Adrianna Tomaz, a woman who will play a major role in the film. Adrianna’s comic book counterpart was a resistance fighter in Black Adam’s homeland, Kahndaq. She also won Black Adam’s heart and went on to become the heroine known as Isis. Whether Black Adam will share his power with Adrianna in the film remains to be seen.
Black Adam was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra from a script by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani. It will bash its way into theaters on July 29, 2022.
