Black Adam star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson reveals that his original costume for the titular anti-hero had him looking closer to being a part of an SNL sketch rather than one of DC Comics' most powerful characters. Johnson has risen from an early career as a wrestler in the world of WWE to absolute Hollywood super-stardom in the last decade, his catalog of acting performances ranging from action hero to comedic buddy cop. Now taking up the role of Black Adam, his popularity continues to grow as he is set to appear in perhaps the most prolific of today's genres: the comic book movie.
From early trailers and footage of the upcoming film, Black Adam looks as though it may change the character's backstory from the comics slightly. It has been teased that Johnson's iteration of the character will start off as a victim of slavery before being imbued with the powers of a god and becoming the immortal being fans are excited to see. Black Adam's magic powers grant him superhuman endurance and make him completely self-sustainable, with no need for human sustenance. The sources of these powers, in the comics and likely translating to the screen, come from the stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru, the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti, the power of Aton, and the courage of Mehen.
Regardless of a character's power, Black Adam is synonymous with his trademark costume, but Johnson explains on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the team's first shot at the movie's version gave off the right impression. Suits usually use muscle padding to help the actor look superhuman, but putting that on Johnson's massive physique ended up more funny than intimidating. See what the star had to say below:
With the superhero costumes… like Marvel and DC, they all have these muscle paddings in them, which is just what you do. So, you can imagine that muscle suit, Black Adam muscle suit, with muscle padding on top of my body. It looked like [Jimmy Fallon] and I were going back to SNL to do a sketch. It was, like, ridiculous. So I asked them to remove the muscle padding. I wanted to work hard. I wanted to be in the best shape of my life because I feel like Black Adam just commanded that kind of performance.
The Rock Wasn't Alone In His Black Adam Wardrobe Troubles
The thought of putting muscle padding in a costume for a star the size of Johnson, whose physical prowess has shaped a significant portion of his career, is a humorous one. On a deeper level, however, it does highlight Johnson's dedication to his roles and his discipline in ensuring he looks the part. Where many people may be satisfied with the illusion of physicality, The Rock continues to provide a sense of genuine strength and size when it comes to his appearances on-screen, all the more important when attempting to properly introduce a character as menacing as Black Adam.
Funnily enough, it is not only Johnson that has spoken about how ridiculous he first felt on the set of Black Adam. His co-star Pierce Brosnan, who plays the sorcerer Dr. Fate, also commented on his initial embarrassment at wearing the motion-capture suit and blinding helmet his own role required. Despite both stars having their concerns surrounding the costuming, the characters of Black Adam and Dr. Fate look incredibly striking in all the footage released for the film so far. At two opposite sides of the spectrum - Johnson with his focus on physicality, and the VFX team working around Brosnan's movements virtually - the team behind Black Adam have seemingly come together to create comic-accurate, visually distinctive looks for the characters. If Johnson's dedication to the role and the overall ability of the team behind the scenes to overcome issues are anything to go by, then DC fans will likely be able to rejoice at Black Adam's introduction to the DCEU. If nothing else, the cast will have some pretty great, albeit embarrassing, stories to tell.
Source: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon/YouTube