Ever since we learned that Dwayne Johnson would be playing Black Adam in the DC Extended Universe, there has been the lingering question regarding where exactly he would fit in. While it seemed logical that the character would fit into the upcoming Shazam movie, that theory was shut down at San Diego Comic-Con this past year. Now it seems that a new avenue has opened up for the character, and that avenue is Suicide Squad 2.
The Wrap is reporting word from sources behind the scenes at the DC Extended Universe that Dwayne Johnson will be making his franchise debut in the developing Suicide Squad 2, which will be written and directed by Gavin O'Connor. Perhaps more importantly, he would be positioned as an integral part of the story, with the titular team on the look for him as their mission because the Kahndaqian powerhouse is considered a weapon of mass destruction. Johnson teased earlier this year that there was a "cool surprise" in store for Black Adam's introduction to the DCEU, and assuming this report is true, facing off against the Suicide Squad certainly can be classified as "cool."
It would seem that even after everything that went down with Enchantress and Incubus in the first Suicide Squad movie, Amanda Waller is still dead set on sending her team of super villains out on missions where the fate of the world is at stake rather than smaller operations. If the Squad will be battling Black Adam in the near future, some much-needed muscle will need to be added to the lineup. And no, Killer Croc doesn't count. Black Adam's power is on par with Superman, so Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang and the rest of the gang won't be enough to take him down. In any case, if this information is legitimate, we now know that Black Adam is still kicking around in the present day DCEU, although if Suicide Squad 2 follows the comics relatively faithfully, then no doubt he has been awakened rather than just been hanging out in the thousands of years since he first obtained his powers.
While Suicide Squad 2 doesn't have a release date nailed down yet, it's expected to be one of the prioritized DCEU projects, with production reportedly beginning in October 2018. Dwayne Johnson has a packed schedule with projects like Ballers, Jungle Cruise and his Fast and the Furious spinoff movie, but supposedly the actor's part won't take long to shoot. Before Suicide Squad 2, though, moviegoers will be introduced to Black Adam's corner of the DC universe through Shazam. Although Black Adam was originally intended to be Shazam's main antagonist, now the World's Mightiest Mortal (who will be played by Asher Angel when Billy Batson and Zachary Levi when in his mighty adult form) will instead reportedly face off against Doctor Sivana. However, it's possible we could see Shazam somehow set the stage for Black Adam's appearance in Suicide Squad 2, and that sequel would subsequently pave the way for Black Adam's own movie, whether that's a prequel origin story or a direct follow-up to his debut.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on how Suicide Squad 2, Black Adam and the rest of the DCEU is coming along. In the meantime, this franchise will continue on November 17 with the release of Justice League.
