The DC extended universe is due to get a little bigger this year with the introduction of Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam. The role marks Johnson’s first real experience in a super-hero role, surprising based on the fact that he has been one of the world’s biggest action stars for several years now. Johnson has appeared in action franchises such as Fast and Furious and Jumanji, along with countless others. The actor has said he’s been quietly waiting to take on Black Adam.
In an interview with Men’s Journal, the actor said, “The training we did for this movie was the most arduous I’ve ever done in my life. I promise you this: The hierarchy of power in the DC universe is about to change.” Johnson revealed that his goal was to surpass the almost unreal physique illustrated in the comic in an effort to “do right” by the fans. The idea that the actor’s workouts were more strenuous than ever before is astounding considering the former professional wrestler is known for spending several hours at the gym daily, often waking up long before the sun rises to begin pumping that iron.
When asked about how long Johnson has been preparing for Black Adam the actor said, “I started training for Black Adam when I came out of the womb. I believe I was born to play this character. But in all honesty, this project has been with me for 10 ten years now. The process began when we started to stand the material up and really developed it into what it is present day.” Adding, “I wanted to come into this in the best shape of my career.”
For those unfamiliar with Black Adam, Johnson spoke on the character saying, “Superheroes live by a code of ethics and a line of integrity. But with Black Adam, depending on how you look at him, he has the ability to be a hero, an antihero, and a villain. One of the things that drew me to Black Adam is his origin. He started out enslaved. Any time you have a character, or any human being, who has wrongfully been held down by others, it means so much more when they begin to rise up. Black Adam rises with a big fucking chip on his shoulder—and an edge.” Johnson went on to elaborate on that edge by saying, “If you do something wrong to Black Adam, you’re going to die. It’s that simple.”
It certainly appears that Dwayne Johnson is giving Black Adam everything he’s got. Let’s hope that effort translates to the big screen. Black Adam is due to release this summer on July 29, 2022.
