The DC Universe now appears to have the perfect Justice League 2 villain, thanks to Black Adam. Dwayne Johnson officially joined the DC franchise in 2022 after spending more than a decade developing plans for Black Adam's debut. Now that his anti-hero is part of the DC Universe, Black Adam's ending indicates that he will remain an essential character moving forward. Johnson has hopes of fighting Henry Cavill's Superman after the post-credits tease. He has even teased interest in potentially fighting the entire Justice League team after proving Black Adam could beat the Justice Society and Sabbac.
The Justice League's future in the DC Universe looks brighter than before thanks to Henry Cavill's Superman return and DC Studios' creative overhaul that put James Gunn and Peter Safran in charge. There is no official movement on Justice League 2, as plans for a sequel halted once Zack Snyder exited the franchise. However, reintroducing the Justice League to the DC Universe should be a high priority for the franchise moving forward. When it happens, following Snyder's plan and using Darkseid as the villain seems unlikely. The good news is that DC appears to have Justice League 2's perfect villain already thanks to Black Adam.
Black Adam Is Strong Enough To Fight The Justice League Himself
When it comes time to make Justice League 2, the biggest challenge will be finding a powerful villain to stand up to the entire team by themselves. Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam has only made one appearance so far, but he is certainly strong enough to fight the team by himself. Black Adam's powers include super strength, flight, near-invulnerability, and lightning blasts that become more powerful the angrier he gets. Black Adam's edge over most of the Justice League members is that he also has magical powers, and he can share his powers with those he desires, just like Shazam.
Black Adam makes no mistake in showing that Dwayne Johnson's DC character is among the most powerful the DC Universe has featured. He repeatedly proves that the Justice Society can not stop him even when they use their powers collectively. Black Adam does introduce a weakness for the anti-hero in the form of Eternium (Black Adam's version of Kryptonite), so the Justice League could hope to leverage that weakness against him. Still, Black Adam is strong enough to fight each Justice League member individually and potentially defeat the entire team.
Black Adam being Justice League 2's villain would be DC's opportunity to redo the Superman vs Justice League fight from Justice League on a grander scale. Black Adam's speed can negate The Flash's powers, while his strength would mean he can defeat Wonder Woman, Aquaman, or Superman in combat. Batman would similarly be left in a position of trying to defeat Black Adam from a distance, as Teth-Adam would quickly defeat Bruce Wayne otherwise. Even if Shazam, Green Lantern, Hawkman, or others are part of a Justice League 2 team, Black Adam could still theoretically be strong enough to fight them all.
The Rock As Justice League 2’s Villain Works With DC’s Plans
As mentioned, Black Adam being Justice League 2's villain is a better fit for DC's current plans. The Darkseid setup for Justice League's sequel does not seem to match where DC is going. Now that Peter Safran and James Gunn are in charge of DC Studios, they will be responsible for beginning the new 10-year plan Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav wants. Gunn and Safran are committed to creating an interconnected franchise that uses DC's most prominent characters. Black Adam's box office and audience reviews should mean that Dwayne Johnson is a big part of what comes next, and keeping him heavily involved should be a top priority.
It would be a natural evolution for Black Adam to be Justice League 2's villain then. Black Adam and Superman have already crossed paths, while Black Adam proved the Justice Society is not strong enough to defeat him. Since it does not seem like Dwayne Johnson's character has any intention of remaining in Kahndaq full-time, him continuing to brutally enforce his will around the world would get the Justice League's attention. But, DC would need to commit to Black Adam as the villain and not include a bigger threat at the end to bring the Justice League and Black Adam together. That would feel like a cheap move even if Black Adam fights the Justice League.
Justice League vs Black Adam Can Tease A Real Superman Fight
The DC Universe having Black Adam fight the Justice League could also be another step toward the Black Adam and Superman fight. Now that Black Adam's post-credits scene brought Black Adam and Superman face-to-face, they could cross paths again in Justice League 2. This would be a chance for the DC Universe to subvert expectations a bit by having Superman fight Black Adam with the help of the Justice League. The two powerhouse characters would trade punches during such a brawl, but the group context of the fight would prevent Justice League 2 from directly answering who is stronger.
With audiences seeing a glimpse of what a Superman and Black Adam fight could look like in Justice League 2, the movie would be able to hype up their next encounter further. The circumstances of the rematch would be heightened if Justice League 2 broke The Rock's fight rule and had Black Adam lose. This would undoubtedly put Black Adam in a position where he would have extra motivation to defeat Superman. Meanwhile, Superman's experience fighting Black Adam in Justice League 2 could leave him with the opinion that the rest of his teammates would not be much help in a future fight. That could then explain the other members not helping Superman in the future.
Will The Rock’s Black Adam Return For Justice League 2?
Black Adam might be the perfect villain for DC's Justice League sequel, but whether he returns for the movie is still very much undetermined. DC Studios has not even begun developing the sequel in any meaningful way, so there is no way to know if Black Adam will appear. However, it would make a lot of sense for Dwayne Johnson to be in Justice League 2 in some capacity. The Rock is a significant box office draw, so his involvement could help ensure that the sequel does not disappoint financially. Even if it is just a cameo for Black Adam in Justice League 2, the appearance would further entrench him as a focal point of the franchise's future.
