DC Just Resurrected The Rock's DC Dream In The Last Way He Expected

Published Jul 18, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT

Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows.

Four years later, Dwayne The Rock Johnson’s plans to create the biggest battle the DC Universe has seen finally materialize, only not in the way he originally thought. The DC Extended Universe explored surprisingly deep corners of comic-book lore, and at the same time, it left many obvious storylines untouched. On one hand, the franchise introduced live-action versions of characters and concepts that had rarely, if ever, appeared on the big screen, including Darkseid, the Justice Society, the Suicide Squad, and the first big-screen adaptations of Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash. Yet, Martian Manhunter received only a brief appearance and the Green Lanterns were barely addressed.

No missed opportunities illustrate the DCEU’s contradictions more clearly than the franchise’s handling of Shazam and Black Adam. The Shazam movies teased Mister Mind twice, once in each of their post-credits scenes, and yet, the talking alien worm never became an actual villain. Meanwhile, Black Adam explicitly teased a confrontation between Teth-Adam and Superman through Henry Cavill’s highly publicized return, but the DCEU was canceled altogether soon afterward, leaving Black Adam without fighting Superman and not even meeting Billy Batson for the first time.

Considering Nicolas Cage’s Superman made his movie debut in The Flash twenty-five years after Tim Burton’s canceled Superman Lives, there will always be a small chance the Rock’s Black Adam will eventually fight Henry Cavill’s Superman in live-action. Before that, the only way to witness this match may be through DC’s Absolute Universe.

Absolute Superman’s conclusion to King Shazam’s battle with the titular Kryptonian provides a satisfying climax to Teth-Adam’s Absolute introduction. In issue #21, a desperate Kal-El only manages to overpower the Ancient Egyptian villain by smashing him into the moon and beating him to a pulp using Steel’s hammer as a last-resort strategy. Teth-Adam’s defeat completes Superman’s King Shazam arc, presenting an exciting, large-scale version of the crossover event movie that The Rock’s Black Adam sequel plans had been teasing before the DCEU came to an abrupt end.

The Absolute Universe is free from the many creative and commercial constraints that limited the DCEU. Dwayne Johnson’s Teth-Adam was introduced as an antihero-turned-hero, a decision that made it difficult for the Black Adam to suffer a decisive defeat in a subsequent crossover. Meanwhile, a one-sided or excessively destructive fight could have reignited debates surrounding Superman’s portrayal after the controversial dark tone of Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, regardless of the outcome. The *Absolute *line embraces a harsher world with more visceral combat, which easily allows Superman and Teth-Adam to unleash the full extent of their power.

DC’s Absolute Superman bears an unexpected resemblance to the DCEU. Both interpretations present Clark Kent as a more reserved and introspective figure, whose immense power carries an enormous emotional burden that initially keeps him from being DC’s classic lighthearted beacon of hope. Both universes devote considerable attention to the difficult choices and isolation that comes with Superman’s godlike power, as well as the challenge of preserving hope in a world that often fears him. Yet, Superman and Teth-Adam’s teased encounter exemplified the DCEU’s lack of structure, while their battle in Absolute Superman successfully culminated a chapter in the Man of Steel’s *Absolute *story.

The difference is that the DCEU never set up Kal-El and Teth-Adam’s clash beyond Black Adam’s post-credits scene, whereas DC’s Absolute Universe presents King Shazam as a natural evolution of Superman’s trials. By this point, Absolute Superman has already pushed himself to the limit fighting threats like the Peacemakers, Ra’s Al Ghul, Brainiac, and Parasite. Superman and Black Adam’s cinematic battle feels out of place in the DCEU, but that’s mostly because neither character has built an organic path toward their clash by the time they meet. If Teth-Adam fought Shazam and Superman cemented himself as a seasoned hero beforehand, their battle could have been highly anticipated.

Would you have liked to see Henry Cavill’s Superman fight The Rock’s Black Adam?

Absolute Superman #21 is available July 22 from DC Comics

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Jaume Collet-Serra

Dwayne Johnson

An ancient champion is freed after nearly 5,000 years and drops into the modern world with a brutal idea of justice. Back in the nation of Kahndaq, his return sparks hope for some and fear for others, especially when his power level draws the Justice Society of America into the fight. As Black Adam clashes with Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Atom Smasher, and Cyclone, the question becomes whether he serves as savior or a catastrophic catalyst.