DC has created innumerable live-action adaptations over the years with most of them becoming a spectacle among the audience. But a majority of these films and shows often end up focusing only on mainstream superheroes like Batman and Superman. Although these characters are beloved by fans, there happen to be countless other such figures that are colossally underrated. And that is exactly what The Rock wanted, for DC Studios to pave the way for more unknown yet just as brilliant superheroes.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
With Black Adam marking Dwayne Johnson’s DC debut, the actor remarked how valuable this project had been for him, especially since he’d managed to seize the opportunity to depict a character that otherwise hadn’t been played onscreen except for an animated movie. Moreover, the Walking Tall star wanted to encourage more such projects which would cast obscure superheroes like that of Teth Adam.
The Rock on Why DC Should Start Casting More Underrated Heroes
Black Adam might have kickstarted Dwayne Johnson’s debut as a DC superhero, but the former professional wrestler had been working on this film for more than a decade. In fact, Johnson has time and again he himself pointed out just how much this project has meant to him. And yet, it took him almost 15 years to turn it into reality.
A couple of months back when the Skyscraper star appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, he talked about Black Adam and how it had always been a “passion project” of his. Johnson had fought nail and tooth “for this movie to be made” but one of the main reasons why it took so long for it to finally see the light of day was due to DC’s notorious habit of playing favorites.
Dwayne Johnson in and as Black Adam
“So, when we announced that I was gonna play Black Adam, it was just harder for the studio partners to look past the Justice League. They saw Superman and Batman and Wonder Woman and Aquaman and Flash. And I love the Justice League and I love Superman. But I always felt that, you know, if you look past that, there are some really cool characters in the DC Bible.”
One widely appreciated factor about Jaume Collet-Serra’s Black Adam is that it introduced a bunch of new characters through the formidable Justice Society. And fans immediately took a penchant for Pierce Brosnan‘s Doctor Fate. But besides him, there are a plethora of other such characters who continue to remain unrecognized and/or undervalued. Captain Comet, The Question, Miss Martian, the list goes on and on.
Dwayne Johnson’s Vision Behind Black Adam
It’s no secret that Johnson is extremely fond of Superman. Of course, the fact that he reinstated Henry Cavill’s Clark Kent in the DCU (may it be for a fleeting period), speaks volumes about his admiration for Superman. But besides that, The Fate of the Furious actor has also mentioned his attachment to the superhero in various interviews. However, even though Superman was his “favorite” as a child, Johnson knew he was destined to play Black Adam when he first came across the anti-hero in the comics.
Following his previous statement about how there are an array of extraordinary characters that DC has yet to explore, Johnson recalled the sheer joy behind introducing five new superheroes in Black Adam that before this, remained uncredited at large.
The JSA in Black Adam
“And so, the idea was to build out the DC Universe. So, in Black Adam, we introduce five new superheroes, Black Adam and the JSA. And just so you guys know, and many of you probably do know, the JSA pre-dated the Justice League. So, the JSA was the very first superhero group, man, and we stand them on their feet in Black Adam and it is amazing.”
Given the tumultuous condition of the DCU at present, it’s dismaying to learn that there won’t be a Black Adam sequel anytime soon. However, we can still hope that the studio heeds Johnson’s advice and follows up with more such underrated superheroes in upcoming and other future projects.
