Dwayne Johnson Confirms No Black Adam in James Gunn’s Initial DCU

Another domino in the new DCU has fallen, with Dwayne Johnson confirming that Black Adam will “not be in the first chapter of storytelling” for the reboot currently being developed by James Gunn and Peter Safran.

Johnson shared the news in a social media post released Tuesday, where he also confirmed that DC and Seven Bucks would “continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.”

“James and I have known each for years and have always rooted for each other to succeed. It’s no different now, and I will always root for DC (and Marvel) to win and WIN BIG,” Johnson wrote.

He went on to say that he was “very proud” of the film released in October while paying tribute to the fans, saying he would “always listen” to them.

Black Adam’s exit is part of a series of wholesale shifts that have included Henry Cavill confirming his return as Superman only to depart again weeks later. Gunn recently responded to some of the backlash that some of the moves have generated, saying “we were aware there would be a period of turbulence.”

Speculation continues to run rampant over who will return and who will be recast, including rumors that Jason Momoa will return but as a different character.

Black Adam itself has generally underperformed in the box office since release, though it still has a chance to at least break even. In our review we wrote that, “Black Adam overindulges to the point where it’s hard to enjoy the DC anti-hero’s debut.”

As for the DCU as a whole, the box office doesn’t lie.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.