The DCU’s current slate proves that the Rock’s plan to change DC’s hierarchy of power with Black Adam worked, but only with a different character. James Gunn’s DCU is rebooting the whole DC franchise in 2024, starting with the DCU Gods and Monsters chapter’s first installment, the upcoming Creature Commandos. Still, certain DCEU characters introduced will return in the DCU’s new continuity, including Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller and John Cena’s Peacemaker. However, this doesn’t mean that other DCEU characters and storylines will return in any form.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson heavily marketed 2022’s Black Adam by promising that “the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe” was going to change courtesy of his portrayal of Teth-Adam. Instead of a simple origin story starring Black Adam and Sabbac or an adaptation of DC’s lifelong Black Adam vs Shazam feud, Black Adam also featured powerful heroes such as Doctor Fate, Hawkman, Atom Smasher, and Cyclone. The Rock’s plans went a step further, as Black Adam’s post-credits scene set up a battle between Black Adam and a returning Henry Cavill’s Superman, which could have been the main conflict of a Black Adam sequel.
John Cena’s Peacemaker Is A More Important DC Character Than Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam
Peacemaker Already Has A Well-Received Character Arc And A Promising DCU Future
Unfortunately for Dwayne Johnson’s DC plans, Black Adam didn’t meet critical and box office expectations, and the DCEU soon came to an end, making Henry Cavill’s Black Adam cameo the actor’s final appearance as Superman in the DCEU. After James Gunn took over and announced his DCU reboot, all plans involving Johnson’s Black Adam were scrapped. However, Peacemaker season 2 survived cancelation, and unlike Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, John Cena’s Peacemaker became an official part of James Gunn’s DCU.
Cena’s Peacemaker didn’t receive the same amount of precursory marketing as Johnson’s Black Adam. Christopher Smith a.k.a. Peacemaker debuted in The Suicide Squad as one of Task Force X’s members and turned into the movie’s twist villain. The Suicide Squad’s reveal that Christopher Smith survived led to his own series, and James Gunn’s Peacemaker show was so well received that the character became one of the DCEU’s most popular characters, earning him a spot in the new DCU.
Peacemaker’s Feats Of Power Are More Impressive Than Black Adam’s
Peacemaker’s Victories Are Proportionately Bigger Than Black Adam’s
Dwayne Johnson’s “hierarchy of power” promise suggested that Black Adam would cement himself as the DCEU’s most powerful character in his solo movie. While Johnson’s Black Adam fought the whole Justice Society and defeated Sabbac, it took him a great deal of effort, and Doctor Fate’s sacrifice was essential in the Kahndaqi demon’s defeat. A battle between Black Adam and Superman might have proved Black Adam’s true power, but as it stands following the DCEU’s conclusion, Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam is hardly as powerful as DCEU characters such as Darkseid, Doomsday, Zeus, and the Flash.
Thanks to his physical prowess, leadership, and gadgets, Peacemaker ended up humiliating the Justice League
Peacemaker is nowhere nearly as powerful as Black Adam, but his feats of power have been more impressive in relation to his human nature. John Cena’s Peacemaker killed Task Force X’s leader Rick Flag Jr. in hand-to-hand combat, survived a shot in the neck from Bloodsport, and fought Butterfly-infected enemies by himself, including Charlie the Gorilla. Thanks to his physical prowess, leadership, and gadgets, Peacemaker ended up humiliating the Justice League, who arrived too late to help stop the Butterfly invasion in the Peacemaker finale.
Why Expectations Killed Black Adam’s DC Prospects
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Raised The Bar Too High For Black Adam
Peacemaker’s thrilling action chops and humorous personality turned him into a breakout DCEU character with a promising DCU future, whereas Black Adam’s failure to meet Dwayne Johnson’s predictions cast a shadow over an otherwise exciting take on a famous DC character. Besides his unimpressive debut movie, the fact that Black Adam’s DCEU introduction was so highly anticipated made it so anything less than a stellar reception came off as a disappointment. Dwayne Johnson’s promotion raised the bar too high for a then-untested character who was also making his DCEU debut separately from his famous archnemesis Billy Batson a.k.a. Shazam.
Proof of Black Adam’s disproportionately high expectations is the movie’s budget. Black Adam’s production budget ranged between $190 million and $260 million, which means that it needed around $100 extra million to market, and at least $600 million worldwide to break even. Subsequent DCEU releases like Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash were objectively bigger box office bombs, but their high budgets were warranted due to the already established popularity of their main characters. Had Black Adam debuted as an antagonist or a supporting character before getting his own spinoff, perhaps he could have had a chance to make a better impression.
