Dwayne Johnson Explains Black Adam’s Motives In Shazam

It looks as though Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is already getting into the spirit of ‘Shazam’… and explains that he can’t wait to play a different kind of villain.

During an interview with HeyUGuys, the 43-year-old wrestler-turned-DC-villain explained why he finds Black Adam so interesting…

“I can’t wait,” said Johnson when asked if he’s looking forward to playing a villain. “He’s a unique type of villain. When you start off as a slave, you’re not in a good mood!”

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Of course, fans of DC’s New 52 will already know his backstory…

It turns out that Black Adam was a slave who was teleported from his prison cell by the wizard Shazam, and was granted superhuman powers – the same powers as the hero, Shazam.

A predecessor to the DC hero, his powers are accessed in much the same way – by uttering the magic word ‘shazam’ to transform himself into Black Adam. But it’s Adam’s origin that seems to interest Johnson the most.

“There’s a heavy wrath that a lot of people have to pay,” he said. “But when it’s fuelled by a righteous anger if you will, like Black Adam, then you open up to what the character can be which I’m really excited about. That’s why he’s not just a straightforward bad guy.”

And there’s been much speculation that Black Adam won’t end up being a bad guy at all.

During numerous interviews, Dwayne Johnson has hinted that Black Adam may eventually turn into more of an antihero… and that’s something that certainly fits with the character’s comic book origins.

“Kneel at his feet or get crushed by his boot,” he said via Twitter. “My honor to become.. #BlackAdam #TheAntiHero #DCComics”

Although originally a straight-forward villain of Shazam, he was eventually developed by Geoff Johns into an antihero who attempting to clear his name – even becoming a member of the Justice Society of America.

Will this version ever make it to the big screen? For now, we’ll have to wait and see. But I get the feeling that Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is going to have a lot of fun with this role.

‘Shazam’ heads to cinemas on 5 April 2019.

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Picture Credit: DC Entertainment/Warner Bros.