As a film, Black Adam evokes the very philosophy of the antihero. By the time the credits roll, he refuses to see himself as a ruler or savior for the people of Kahndaq; instead, he’s their protector. That is because as a product, Black Adam is the very embodiment of its protagonist. It’s brash, inelegant, aggressive, and unrefined. Yet, it gets the job done, and most crucially it captures everyone’s attention, even Superman’s.
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The Superman Dilemma
Perhaps there’s no greater evidence of the role Warner Bros. imagined for Black Adam than the studio’s own management of Superman ever since Man of Steel came out. That also saw fans and critics go their separate ways, and yes, Zack Snyder’s DC debut was far from perfect. However, it was “good enough,” and judging from fans’ unrelenting stance on Henry Cavill, it at least gave them the Superman they wanted.
Cavill is an incredibly popular actor, enough so to step in the boots of Geralt of Rivia to portray the leading figure of another highly beloved piece of work, Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher. He has also turned out to be one of the better villains opposite Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible. While his career may span further than action-oriented productions, the man definitely can draw a crowd.
In that sense, he’s similar to Johnson, who for all intents and purposes might just be the most popular actor on the planet. Still, Cavill hasn’t quite reached the heights of the former wrestler. Johnson has built his entire career on sheer charisma. By now, his paychecks alone should make it obvious that the public is willing to go see his movies, regardless of their imperfections. For the DCEU, he’s like Cavill after Man of Steel.
The DCEU’s problems are not Cavill’s fault, nor Jason Momoa’s. Instead, it’s the studio’s inability to stick to a single vision the way Marvel has with Kevin Feige. Black Adam was never supposed to be an Avengers type of film. It may as well be one of the early Thor entries, because the real payoff for the character will always be his eventual clash with Superman, not Teth Adam squaring off against a generic CGI villain with the charm of the Asgardian Destroyer.
Dwayne Johnson Understood The Assignment
Even the worst Black Adam reviews offer some praise for Johnson’s efforts in the movie, which is hardly a surprise because the actor is perfect for the part. In addition to his personal involvement with the character, Johnson has become the perfect no-nonsense action protagonist. That was always going to be the kind of performance needed from whoever played Black Adam. On top of that, Johnson’s towering presence makes him a natural. He’s practically the closest thing Hollywood to a living superhero.
Compare the amount of dialogue each character has in Black Adam and Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Adrianna or Amon might come pretty close to the titular antihero. However, none of that matters with Johnson’s screen presence. At times, Black Adam feels like a pointless showcase of hard-hitting action and CGI effects. Nevertheless, it does come off as something set in a comic world. It isn’t too dissonant from either the SnyderVerse or James Gunn’s recent productions and upcoming DC movie. Much like Tom Hardy’s Venom, Johnson’s work may be brought down by a far-from-perfect movie (although that doesn’t mean fans wouldn’t love to see a Spider-Man film deal with a symbiote problem). The only difference is that DC is playing a different kind of long game, making sure that the audience leaves exactly with what they want: the promise of Black Adam vs. Superman.
It’s safe to say the DCEU has struggled to come up with convincing villains. Marvel also suffers from this issue at times. But in spite of that, the former can now call on Black Adam. Johnson plays the character perfectly. He’s a powerful and unstoppable force, but he’s not particularly likable.
If Johnson was what DC needed to convince Henry Cavill to suit up as Superman again, then it’s all for the better because their star power can certainly produce a better crossover. If the DCEU is currently rebuilding then, like any sports team, it needs the right pieces to make up its squad’s core, its franchise players. The fact that Johnson’s name is appealing enough for Black Adam to be profitable along the way is a huge bonus.
Dwayne Johnson and Cavill are those piece that will rebuild the franchise. Although DC may still have a huge Ezra Miller-shaped problem on its hands, the two’s joint potential partly frees The Flash from having be the saving grace of the DCEU. As if that wasn’t enough, Black Adam also comes bundled with Shazam, potentially DC’s most eloquent superhero and the perfect contrast for this version of Black Adam. Black Adam won’t save DC the same way Teth Adam couldn’t hope to save Earth on his own. However, having Johnson on its team translates to it staying alive until backup arrives, and Cavill is a reinforcement for the future.
Black Adam is currently playing in theaters.
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