The DCEU faithful have endured some truly tough times over the last few years, and for a while it felt as though the Warner Bros. boardroom were actively going out of their way not to give the fans what they’d been demanding.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League was met with years of resistance before finally being given the okay, only for the executives to try and sweep it under the canonical rug. Similarly, Henry Cavill’s Superman was in danger of being replaced by a faceless body double, Batgirl was ruthlessly placed on the chopping block, and the countless delays have already neutered the impact of Michael Keaton’s return as a veteran Batman. However, one giant-sized human has come along to try and single-handedly save the day.
A lot of jokes have been made at the expense of Dwayne Johnson constantly reiterating that Black Adam would change the hierarchy of power in the DCEU, but given that he’s basically all but confirmed Cavill’s return in the post-credits scene, and gone so far as to name-drop the Justice League when teasing his plans for the future, even the pessimists are slowly getting on board.
Even though he’s arguably the biggest, most popular, and highest-paid movie star in the entire industry, nobody would have banked on The Rock applying his famed “Franchise Viagra” magic to the DCEU just a few short years ago. Should Black Adam live up to expectations, then he’ll have proven his penchant for rejuvenating flagging brands all over again, with the superhero saga facing up to its brightest future in a long time.