Warning: This article discusses potential SPOILERS for Fast X.
Black Adam’s failure is confirmed, as Dwayne Johnson is returning to Fast and Furious. In shocking news, The Rock’s return as Hobbs in Fast X has been confirmed. The reported extent of Johnson’s role in Fast X suggests that Hobbs will also return in Fast X Part 2, meaning that The Rock is officially part of the Fast and Furious family again. Dwayne Johnson’s return to Fast and Furious in Fast X comes seven months after Black Adam premiered, offering an insight into how much of a failure the DC anti-hero film was.
Dwayne Johnson played Luke Hobbs for the first time in Fast Five (2011). Hobbs was introduced as the most formidable adversary Dominic Toretto’s family could face, but the antagonist eventually teamed up with Toretto. Johnson reprised his role as Hobbs in Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7, The Fate of the Furious, and Hobbs & Shaw. After exiting Fast and Furious, The Rock had in Black Adam a potential new franchise.
What Went Wrong With Black Adam
A Black Adam project starring Dwayne Johnson had been in the making since 2007. Between The Rock’s first time discussing the role back then and the release of Black Adam in 2022, DC Films went through multiple, massive changes. Instead of a standalone project in the style of the Batman and Superman films, Black Adam had the chance of being part of a cinematic universe. Interestingly, a Shazam movie had been part of the DCEU’s slate since Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was in the making. Therefore, Black Adam could have joined the DCEU quite early. However, Black Adam premiered in a very different context, promising a new DC franchise.
Despite being part of the DCEU, Black Adam was described by Dwayne Johnson as “phase 1” of a new chapter in the DC Universe. Therefore, Black Adam had the difficult mission of turning an obscure DC villain into the star of a new cinematic franchise. With no direct ties to Shazam!, Black Adam was an anti-hero origin story that set up potential sequels and spinoffs. The result, however, was an ordinary superhero adventure. There was nothing particularly innovative about Black Adam, and the most interesting things about the character were lost to make Black Adam into a superhero. Black Adam’s Rotten Tomatoes score currently stands at 38%.
Black Adam Bombed At The Box Office
Black Adam made $393,3 million at the box office. Reports of Black Adam’s budget were conflicting, but they fell in the $190 – $265 million range. Despite the conflicting reports on whether Black Adam made any profit, the Dwayne Johnson-led superhero film was a massive box-office disappointment. Black Adam was not expected to make a billion, but its $393,3 million box office made any sequels or spinoffs impossible. As a comparison, Shazam! (2019) grossed $367,7 million on a $100 million budget.
Black Adam was also a financial disappointment in terms of Dwayne Johnson’s career. The Rock’s highest-grossing movies include Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious, both of which broke the billion-dollar barrier. Likewise, the two most recent Jumanji films made more than $1.7 billion combined. Other Dwayne Johnson hits include Fast & Furious 6, Hobbs & Shaw, and Moana, all of which grossed more than $600 million at the box office each. As such, both in terms of the DCEU and in terms of The Rock’s career, Black Adam bombed at the box office.
Black Adam Failed To Revive The DCEU & Superman
Black Adam is a Shazam villain, but the Black Adam movie was expected to feature Superman. That is because Dwayne Johnson had been teasing a fight between Black Adam and Superman for years, although a Superman cameo in Black Adam was never officially announced. The Rock was even booed at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 after suggesting that Black Adam could eventually fight a different Superman from Henry Cavill. The inclusion of Henry Cavill’s Superman in Black Adam was turbulent, as confirmed by Dwayne Johnson himself. Still, behind-the-scenes controversies aside, Black Adam failed to revive Henry Cavill’s Superman and the DCEU as a whole.
DC Studios’ New DC Universe Made Black Adam’s Failure Even Worse
The announcement that James Gunn and Peter Safran would build a new DC cinematic universe shortly after Dwayne Johnson described Black Adam as “phase 1” of the DC Universe made things quite complicated. Gunn and Safran’s DC Studios plans seemed to have nothing to do with what Johnson was planning for Black Adam, Superman, and the Justice Society. Gunn’s new DC Universe was rebooting Superman and recasting the role, which only made Black Adam’s failure worse. After promising a new DC Universe and revisiting Henry Cavill’s Superman, Dwayne Johnson had to announce that Black Adam was not part of James Gunn’s DC Universe plans.
The Rock Going Back To Fast and Furious Confirms Black Adam's Failure
The Rock returning to Fast and Furious is surprising, and it confirms how much of a failure Black Adam was. It is very difficult to imagine that, had Black Adam been a hit, Johnson would be interested in returning to the Fast and Furious franchise. The Rock’s final Fast and Furious movie was 2017’s The Fate of the Furious, not considering his return as Hobbs in the spinoff film Hobbs & Shaw. The Rock missed F9, Hobbs & Shaw 2 never happened, and Fast X wrapped filming without any reports of Dwayne Johnson returning as Hobbs.
Dwayne Johnson produced Black Adam and surely had high hopes for the DC film. Essentially, Black Adam’s box office flop and the embarrassing situation involving the return of Henry Cavill as Superman right before a reboot risked affecting The Rock’s career. Other recent Dwayne Johnson-led films had also resulted in underwhelming box office runs, and Black Adam was the chance of giving The Rock a new, massive hit. The Rock’s return to Fast and Furious makes sense from a business standpoint, as Hobbs remains Dwayne Johnson’s highest-grossing character.
Dwayne Johnson vs Vin Diesel Feud Meant Hobbs Leaving Fast & Furious
The timeline of The Rock and Vin Diesel’s feud helps explain why Hobbs left Fast and Furious. Rumors of a feud between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel began in 2016, claiming that the stars clashed during the making of The Fate of Furious. This clash between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel was all but confirmed when the latter suggested that there was some tension in the Fast and Furious family. On November 2016, The Rock confirmed his clash with Vin Diesel, followed by Diesel’s acknowledgment of their feud in April 2017.
The Fate of the Furious went on to become the second highest-grossing Fast and Furious movie of all time, only behind Furious 7. However, a few months after The Fate of the Furious premiered, Dwayne Johnson announced a Fast and Furious spinoff centered on his character, Hobbs, and Jason Statham’s Shaw. Hobbs & Shaw was the first attempt at a Fast and Furious spinoff, adding to the idea that The Rock was exiting the “Fast and Furious family.” Dwayne Johnson would then confirm his absence from F9, which seemed like the end for Hobbs in the main Fast and Furious films.
Hobbs & Shaw Was The Rock's Way Of Continuing Fast & Furious, But Was It Successful?
The Rock was not going to return for F9, but Hobbs & Shaw gave the star a way of continuing Fast and Furious without Vin Diesel. The chemistry between Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs and Jason Statham’s Shaw, which The Fate of the Furious leaned heavily into, was the spinoff’s biggest selling point. Hobbs & Shaw grossed $760,7 million on a $200 million budget, a solid result for a spinoff film. Even still, Hobbs & Shaw made less than Furious 7, The Fate of the Furious, and Fast & Furious 6. A Hobbs & Shaw sequel was never announced, and the ideal timing for Hobbs & Shaw 2 might already have passed.
The Rock Coming Back In Fast X Means Fast & Furious Is His Only Real Franchise
The Rock is one of the world’s biggest action stars, but Hobbs’s return in Fast X means that Fast and Furious is his only real, established franchise. Since his exit from Fast and Furious, The Rock has tried to launch a few different movie IPs. That includes Rampage, Baywatch: S.O.S Malibu, Red Alert, Jungle Cruise, and Black Adam. However, none of those came close to matching Fast and Furious’ success. The only exception is the Jumanji films, The Rock’s two most successful projects after Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious. Even still, more than three years after Jumanji: The Next Level, Jumanji 4 has yet to happen.
What Hobbs' Return In Fast X Means For The Fast and Furious Franchise
Hobb’s return in Fast X means that the Fast and Furious finale can be the epic conclusion Vin Diesel has been teasing for years. Fast and Furious does not need The Rock to work, as F9’s strong box office for a pandemic context showed, but the films feel bigger with Hobbs in it. A Fast and Furious finale without Hobbs would feel incomplete, as The Rock’s character had been part of the franchise since Fast Five. Without Paul Walker’s Brian, the Fast and Furious films became way too focused on Dominic Toretto. The Rock’s return as Hobbs in Fast X solves that issue and teases an ambitious next installment.
Fast X will lead into at least one more Fast and Furious movie, although Vin Diesel recently teased Fast & Furious 12. Either way, the inclusion of Dwayne Johnson in Fast X, regardless of the extent of his role, means that Fast and Furious will go all-in for the finale. Fast X Part 2 could have the biggest ensemble cast in the history of the Fast and Furious franchise, combining classic characters such as Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto and Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs with new additions such as John Cena’s Jakob Toretto and Brie Larson’s Tess.
Does Hobbs’ Return In Fast X Mean The End Of The Rock & Vin Diesel’s Feud?
The circumstances leading up to Dwayne Johnson’s return as Hobbs in Fast X are still unknown. As of the writing of this article, neither The Rock nor Vin Diesel has discussed Hobbs’ return in Fast X. That said, The Rock’s return to the Fast and Furious franchise suggests that he and Vin Diesel are at least up to working together again. The Fate of the Furious kept Hobbs and Dom separate for the most part, so it will be interesting to see how Fast X Part 2 handles The Rock’s return.
Why The Rock’s Hobbs Return In Fast X Is Good For Fast & Furious
The Rock did not save Fast and Furious, but the actor did help improve the franchise. Hobbs debuted in Fast Five, a movie that expanded the scope of the Fast and Furious franchise and turned it into an action saga. Without The Rock’s Hobbs, Fast Five might not have worked as well as it did. Without Fast Five being a hit, the Fast and Furious saga might have never become such a box office titan. Fast and Furious thrives on its large set of fun, entertaining characters, to which The Rock’s Hobbs can only add. Lastly, Hobbs’ return in Fast X after Black Adam makes Fast X Part 2 less predictable and more exciting.
