Dwayne Johnson Reportedly Nixed Post-Credits Scenes In ‘Black Adam’ & ‘Shazam 2’ That Would Have Linked The Franchises

Even though it’s only been in theaters for a week, it’s clear from the box office receipts, thus far, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” is not going to be a massive hit during its theatrical run. That marks two DC films in a row that have greatly underperformed at the box office (the other being “Black Adam” back in October of last year). Interestingly, a new report offers a claim that perhaps Dwayne Johnson might have been a deciding factor in a number of things not only related to “Black Adam” but also the new ‘Shazam’ sequel. 

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In an in-depth report from The Wrap, there are claims that Dwayne Johnson, producer and star of “Black Adam,” not only nixed a scene that would have included Shazam in the post-credits of his own film but also vetoed another version of that scene which would have included Justice Society members in the post-credits of ‘Fury of the Gods.’ This furthers the idea that Johnson has utter disdain for the ‘Shazam’ franchise and wanted nothing more but to put as much distance as possible between it and “Black Adam.” 

According to the report, there was a plan for a post-credits scene in “Black Adam” to show Shazam being invited to join the Justice Society (a team of superheroes introduced earlier in the film) and welcomed by Aldis Hodge’s Hawkman. That scene was reportedly killed by Johnson.

READ MORE: ‘Shazam 2’ Post-Credits Scenes Set Up A Sequel, But The Opening Box Office Paints A Grim Future

The report also claims that a new version of that scene was reworked and set to be included in “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” where members of the Justice Society would invite Shazam to join the team. However, once again, Dwayne Johnson vetoed that idea, and in its place, there’s a similar scene but it only includes Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee, who appeared in “The Suicide Squad” and “Peacemaker.” This was seen as confusing to fans, as the characters those actors play aren’t really the ones who would invite anyone to join Justice Society. Alas, that’s the only option the filmmakers had. And now, we know why.

Even without The Wrap claiming multiple sources for both stories, this all makes a ton of sense when you look at the actions taken by Dwayne Johnson in the creation, marketing, and release of “Black Adam.” In the comics, Black Adam and Shazam are intrinsically linked. They’re two sides of the same coin. However, it’s obvious Johnson had no intention of having them linked at all and, apparently, did everything in his power to sever those ties. He allegedly didn’t want to have planned links between “Black Adam” and the “Shazam” film franchise, despite the latter having established success and fans. His goal was to create a feud between Black Adam and Superman, which has really no basis in the comic book lore. The only conceivable reason for that feud to exist in the films is that Johnson believes Black Adam is more important than he really is. 

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What is really a shame about the entire situation is just how Dwayne Johnson hand-picked Black Adam as the superhero character he wanted to play more than anything else. He spent an entire decade or more bringing this character to life. However, he chose a character with deep thematic and historical ties to Shazam, and Johnson clearly didn’t want anything to do with that. So, he sacrificed the very aspects of Black Adam that make him interesting and, well, Black Adam. Ultimately, Dwayne Johnson could have created his own DC character, perhaps called Very Muscly Man Who Doesn’t Play Well With Others, and we would have had the same result. The film would have been the same. It would have had no impact on the future. Instead, Johnson cratered “Black Adam,” and he reportedly hindered the success of “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” That James Gunn/Peter Safran soft reboot of the DCU can’t come soon enough.