Dwayne Johnson’s run as Black Adam in the DC Extended Universe was short-lived as DC Studios wanted nothing to do with him following the release of the film. Black Adam underperformed at the box office, thanks to the film’s shoddy story and screenplay, clunky visual effects and video-game-like dialog.
James Gunn’s current plans for the DCEU do not involve Johnson. However, Gunn did discuss with Johnson plans to work with his production company Seven Bucks and incorporate Black Adam into possible future storylines in the DCEU.
Head honcho of Marvel, Kevin Feige, however, has taken an interest in Johnson and his talent. According to GiantFreakinRobot, Dwayne Johnson is in advanced talks with Marvel Studios to join the MCU.
Kevin Feige is a fan of Dwayne Johnson
Kevin Feige wants to work with The Rock (images via Marvel/WWE)
About a decade ago, in an interview with Collider during the release of Iron Man 3, Kevin Feige said that he was a big fan of Johnson and his work.
“I’m a gigantic fan of [Dwayne Johnson], I think he’s an incredible… He’s awesome in Pain & Gain, he was great in G.I. Joe, he’s really kind of an amazing human being… I would love him to be part of the Marvel universe somewhere, someday.”
Dwayne Johnson has been listening to Feige’s praise of him all along. Not long after, Johnson thanked Feige and told him that he will be ready to join the MCU. The Rock then tweeted a picture of himself alongside Marvel Comics’ Luke Cage.
Johnson would have been a good fit for Cage. However, the role was essayed by Mike Colter in the character’s eponymous Netflix series, as well as in The Defenders. Colter’s performance received praise from both the audience and the critics.
Johnson could portray a Luke Cage variant, however, if at all the character came to the MCU. As seen with Marvel recently, they began diving deep into the Multiverse and introduced the concept of Variants via established characters such as Loki and Spider-Man.
Who can Dwayne Johnson play in the MCU?
The Rock (image via Wallpaperscave)
If Johnson is essaying a character in the MCU, he might want to play a character that is a leading man or falls on the antihero side of things. This is evident from his interest in playing Black Adam because the character was an antihero. Plus, Johnson would want to play a character that he could have creative control over, something Feige is known to give, to an extent.
There aren’t too many roles that could fit Dwayne Johnson’s build and physique plus his interest. However, one character Johnson could portray is Marvel’s god of war, Ares, with his immense physique suiting the character. Johnson could also exude the character’s grim personality, as shown by his performance in Black Adam.
Ares in Marvel Comics (image via Marvel)
In the comics, Ares was a supervillain who clashed with the likes of Thor, Hercules and the Avengers. His influence on earth was also indirect and he used an organization called Warhawks to start wars on earth.
In more recent times, however, since 2006, the character has become an antihero who only lived for battle. He joined the Avengers and became one of their big guns, besides Thor and the Hulk, and had his own sense of “Warrior’s Honor” or moral code as a hero.
Ares also joined Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers for a time. During the events of the Seige storyline, however, Ares was killed by Sentry only to be brought back to life later on.
Another character Johnson could play is Tryco Slatterus a.k.a Champion, who, in the comics, served as one of the Elders of the Universe alongside Grandmaster and Collector. The character is an extremely strong and powerful egomaniac, who traverses universes in search of worthy opponnents.
Nothing is confirmed as of yet regarding Dwayne Johnson joining the MCU. Fans can, however, never know what will happen in the future.
