It hasn’t been an easy time for DCEU fans over the last few years, with the decision-makers at Warner Bros. apparently doing everything in their power to give the franchise’s longtime supporters the exact opposite of what they want.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League finally came to fruition after years of demands and campaigns, but the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad is still nowhere to be seen. Henry Cavill looked to be on the out as Superman, Ben Affleck was being phased out as Batman in favor of the unexpected Michael Keaton comeback, while The Wonder Twins were on their way to the joy of maybe a handful.
However, all it took was one big, bald, jacked actor and producer with the power to change the hierarchy of power, and Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam is poised to not do just that – but so much more. He’s already scored a coup by bringing the Man of Steel back into the fold, and he revealed to ComicBook that the next stage of the DCEU’s expansion is all about listening and rewarding.
“This new era in the DC universe is we listen, man. We listen to the fans. We may not be able to do every single thing that they want, but they’re going to know that they’re not ignored because they’ve been ignored for so long. But we’re going to listen to them, man. So in presenting that to Henry, he also… Man, when it comes to Superman, I don’t know if there’s any other person on the planet who loves and embodies the mythology, the ethos, and everything of Superman than Henry. And so I’m so happy that it all came together. I’m so happy the fans are losing their minds over it. And I’m so happy that there is a new shift in this DC universe. And Superman is back.”
The hype train for Black Adam has pulled out of the station, with the response to Cavill’s post-credits cameo proving to be exactly what The Rock and Warner Bros. were hoping it would be, but the real test is still to come. The DCEU is still a large, unwieldy beast that’s being splintered in perhaps one too many directions, but putting the fans first is a long-overdue call.
