As much fun as people have watching superheroes fight one another, many of us will always want to go back to watching them face the toughest supervillains. This may include Dwayne Johnson, too, whose performance as the titular Shazam antagonist in the upcoming Black Adam will soon take form as the project looks to escape its infamous spot in development hell.
In fact, Johnson posted a long promotional Instagram video the other day where he at one point answered a question about the superpowered villain going toe to toe with Superman with a resounding “maybe down the road.” See for yourself below what he had to say when quizzed about it:
Okay, so that may seem like little cause for excitement, but the film has been confirmed to feature other titans of DC comics lore as well (not the superhero team actually called The Titans, but still), including the avian alien Hawkman and the ankh-bearing arcane master Doctor Fate. Not only are these two of the canon’s most prolific heroes, but they also rank among the founding members of the Justice Society of America, the world’s first superhero team. Though absent from some early stories, Superman also became a member of the group as of All Star Comics #3 with he and Batman retroactively established as founders with DC Special #29.
Could this indicate that Johnson’s “maybe” could really be a “definitely”? And could “down the road” mean that Black Adam will build towards a fight against Superman in the sequel?
It naturally doesn’t prove anything, but the clues all seem to be pointing to an eventual confrontation between the eponymous villain and the Man of Steel, an epic matchup that hasn’t been seen outside comics since the 2010 animated feature Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam. It’s just a shame we’ll have to wait for Black Adam to drop on December 22nd of 2021 to find out.
