Dwayne Johnson: Black Adam's independent film is the result of my strong request

Black Adam and Shazam were originally supposed to debut in the DC movie universe together as a super villain and a hero, but it was Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, the star of the upcoming Black Adam movie, who made the two debut separately.

"When we first got the first draft of the movie, it was a combination of Black Adam and Shazam: two origin stories in one movie," Johnson told Vanity Fair. "That was the intention of the movie, so it wasn't particularly surprising to me. But when I read the script, my gut feeling was, 'We can't do this movie like this. We're going to do a huge disservice to the character of Black Adam.' It would be great for Shazam to have two origin stories in one movie, but it wouldn't be great for Black Adam."

The character of Black Adam first appeared in Fawcett Comics' Marvel Family #1 in 1945 as a one-time villain. After DC purchased several of Fawcett's characters, Black Adam became the number one enemy of the heroic character Shazam. Although it makes sense to put the two characters in the same film, considering that Black Adam is not a complete villain and has a very complicated backstory, telling the origins of the two characters together may lead to a very confusing movie.

"What's different about Black Adam is that he has his own creed," Johnson said in the latest Total Film "Black Adam" cover album. "If you try to hurt his people, his family, his country or himself, he will tear you in half."

Black Adam is set to be released on October 21, 2022.