Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson receives blame for Shazam! Fury of the Gods' failure after vetoing two ideas that would have connected the two DC franchises together. Shazam and Black Adam were once meant to share the screen in their first live-action movies, but the plan changed in 2017 when The Rock was awarded a Black Adam solo movie and Shazam! was reworked with a new main villain. Fast forward a few years and Black Adam was a box office and critical disappointment, while Shazam! Fury of the Gods failed to recapture the excitement generated by the first movie. The result is both franchises likely not moving forward.
Now, The Wrap puts some of the blame for Shazam 2's failure at Dwayne Johnson's feet, as the Black Adam star reportedly vetoed ideas that would have seen Zachary Levi's Shazam cameo in Black Adam's post-credits scene or Justice Society characters appear in Shazam! Fury of the Gods' post-credits scene. The Rock reportedly wanted the DC Extended Universe to revolve around him and Henry Cavill's Superman, and Shazam was not part of his plan. Shazam 2 producer Peter Safran attempted to reuse the scrapped Black Adam idea only for Johnson to step in and prevent any Justice Society characters from appearing, resulting in Peacemaker characters being used instead.
Will Black Adam & Shazam Meet In James Gunn's New DC Universe?
Dwayne Johnson's repeated actions to keep Black Adam and Shazam's big screen futures separate hurts any chance of them crossing over in the immediate future. The DC Universe is heading for a reboot under James Gunn and Peter Safran that will see multiple characters recast or sidelined entirely. It has already been confirmed that Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam does not fit into the immediate plans for the DC Universe. Shazam! Fury of the Gods' box office failures does not help the argument for these characters to be kept as part of the franchise reset.
With Black Adam known to be left out of the DC Universe's plans, there is no clear path for Black Adam and Shazam's crossover to happen. It is a disappointing endpoint for both characters considering they were originally meant to meet in the original Shazam! That is when The Rock's ideas for separating the two DC characters became clear, and his reported pattern of behavior has only reinforced that desire. Dwayne Johnson stopping Shazam from being in Black Adam or Justice Society characters appearing in Shazam! Fury of the Gods follows his push for a Black Adam solo movie and turning down a Shazam 2 cameo himself.
If Black Adam and Shazam do eventually meet in James Gunn's DC Universe, it most likely will not be Dwayne Johnson and Zachary Levi who make it happen. Levi arguably has a better chance to stay in the role since DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran produced both Shazam movies. Considering how constant The Rock's actions have been about keeping Shazam and Black Adam apart, it might only be after Shazam! Fury of the Gods and recasting Dwayne Johnson's role that the two characters can meet.
Source: The Wrap
