Black Adam - the Dwayne The Rock Johnson led DC comic adaption set for cinemas at the end of 2021 - seems a movie perfectly suited to Zack Snyder's darker storytelling hues. Ask DC fans for their thoughts on Snyder and the most common response will no doubt refer to their divisive nature. Whilst some loved his more grounded take on Superman in 2013's Man of Steel, others felt that it was depressing and not a true interpretation of the character. Snyder responded by doubling down on this for the movie's sequel, 2016's Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. This ultimately split audiences further, with the main complaint revolving around how out of character many felt it was to have a usually wholesome figure like Superman appear as anything but.
Unlike Superman, the current version of Black Adam is not a wholesome figure by any stretch of the imagination. He has long been an enemy of Billy Batson's heroic alter ego Shazam, even if he's also occasionally a reluctant anti-hero. Adam started out in ancient Egypt with heroic intentions to free those enslaved by dictators in his home of Kahndaq, but also possessed an undeniable hunger for power that would eventually see him develop into a more villainous role. In most modern iterations, he serves as a "guardian" of Kahndaq, ranging between their god, and yet another despot.
A brooding tyrant with millennia of pent up angst and anger management issues seems far more suited to a darker tale than everyone's favorite “big blue boy scout”. Indeed, those leading Black Adam should look to everything that 2019's Shazam! did, and do the opposite. That movie was filled with fun, providing the perfect tonic for those who felt that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was too gloomy. However, as his arch-nemesis, Black Adam is everything that Shazam isn't. Where Billy Batson has hope, Black Adam brings fear. Where the young hero beats down bad guys with ease, Black Adam won't stop there. Having a Black Adam film be more akin to Zack Snyder's overall film tone than Shazam's could allow for the DCEU to divide their franchise more clearly between darker films and more MCU-esque affairs, satisfying fans of each type of movie.
Amongst those who disliked Man of Steel, their most common complaints revolved around the final 15 minutes of the film. The hero seemingly showed complete disregard for human life as Superman and General Zod proceeded to destroy most of downtown Metropolis before the hero finally snapped Zod's neck in a last-ditch act of desperation. Likewise, the “no killing rule” which Batman tries to follow in the comics was abandoned completely for Dawn of Justice, much to the chagrin of many fans.
Black Adam has none of these hang-ups. He can kill at will, and that makes him the perfect specimen for a darker DC movie, the likes of which Zack Snyder excels in. Though Snyder himself does not, at present, appear to be directly involved in the project, this wouldn't prevent the makers of Black Adam to follow some of his cues. Perhaps how well Snyder's new cut of Justice League is received when it releases in March will inform the direction Black Adam ultimately takes.
