Dwayne Johnson Confirms 'Black Adam' Will Reboot The DC Cinematic Universe

Aug 6

Written By Guillermo Gerardo Hernandez Robles

2022 was supposed to be the year that everything gets back on track with the premiere of The Batman, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Shazam! Fury of Gods, Black Adam, and The Flash. At this year's San Diego Comic-Con, Dwayne Johnson promised Black Adam will give rise to a “new era” for the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). During the panel, Johnson posed a question to the audience, “What does it mean to build out the DC universe with the Justice Society as well?”

This has led to interpretations, the most popular being a soft reboot for the entire franchise. Johnson’s words imply Black Adam may be using Justice Society of America as a new brick to build the new DC universe. Noah Centineo, who plays Atom Smasher, even called the film a "resurgence."

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According to producers, Shazam! Fury of Gods, The Flash, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be a part of this upcoming era with a few corrections during production to go with the new plan. It is unclear if Black Adam will be the first in a new series or if it will only tell a new story using a set of characters and actors reprising their previous roles.

Success and failure are familiar to DC comics. In its almost 90-year story, the adventures of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and company are beloved by kids and adults alike. Superhero films and cartoons are an extension of their imagination on the big and small screens. However, a series of successes and failures also follow these characters in the film industry. In 2013, after Man of Steel, Warner Bros. studios intended to build its own cinematic universe to compete with the already successful and growing Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). They tried again with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which featured the Justice League. The film did not perform as expected. It was a critical failure and returned a small profit. History would repeat itself with David Aver’s Suicide Squad. Wonder Woman, which came out in 2017, was a critical and commercial success. This led everyone to believe that everything was in place, and that everything was going to be all right. On the other hand, Joss Whedon’s Justice League was a commercial and critical failure. DC would see success again with Aquaman, Shazam!, and The Joker. James Gunn’s soft reboot of The Suicide Squad was critically acclaimed. News and films come and go, and the DCEU was a blur of ups and downs.