Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson wants a DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) crossover.
In an interview with Total Film Magazine, the actor claimed that both superhero universes should ‘cross paths’ one day and is optimistic that it could happen.
“I am optimistic,” Johnson said with a smile. “Just my nature is optimistic. And especially when it comes to [creativity]. Especially when it comes to movies. And especially when it comes to the pantheon of DC superheroes and supervillains. Across the street, we have the pantheon of superheroes and supervillains of Marvel. To me, they can not only exist, but they should, in my mind, cross paths one day.”
A DC and Marvel crossover is not unheard of, especially in the comic book world. The first crossover was Superman vs The Amazing Spider-Man, published in 1976. Superman also had a long-running beef with The Incredible Hulk whereas Marvel’s Daredevil and The Punisher have taken on Batman a couple of times too.
While crossovers have happened in the pages of comic books, it’s not yet been adapted to film. It would be cool to see ‘one day’ as Johnson wished, but such a thing will take a lot of planning.
The recent Warner Bros Discovery merger shook plans for the DCEU. Several movies were cancelled after the merge, including the high-profile Batgirl movie and The Wonder Twins, leaving the fate of other DC projects such as The Green Lantern Series, and Blue Beetle amongst many others up in the air. The shake-up and abrupt cancellations also impacted DC Films President Walter Hamada who was reportedly on the brink of quitting but has agreed to stay with the studio until the release of Black Adam.
Warner Bros Discovery has also announced a 10-year plan for DC films, similar to what Kevin Feige and Disney have done for Marvel, but what that entails is still unclear at this point. Meanwhile, Marvel Studios has got their work cut out for them. At the San Diego Comic Convention last month, the studio revealed its upcoming titles for Marvel Phase 5 and teased upcoming movies in Phase 6 too. Recently, the studio released its new Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and is gearing up toward its upcoming Black Panther sequel this November.
Johnson has been saying that Black Adam will disrupt the hierarchy of the DC universe. What that would look like remains to be seen when his solo movie releases on 21 October, but the actor believes it will serve as a segway to expand the DCEU even more and introduce more comic book heroes to viewers.
“The goal is to really expand the universe, and introduce new characters, and spin-off, and be really strategic about the plan,” said Johnson.
“We have a few ideas of what characters people are really going to respond to in Black Adam, and so we’re already thinking ahead to: ‘Let’s start thinking about that movie, and what that movie looks like for them.'”
Johnson wants to usher in a new era for DC and hopes the movie will be a start of a very long storytelling road for his character. It’s safe to say that Black Adam may go toe-to-toe with Shazam in the future, but Johnson really wants to fight Superman further down the line too.
Black Adam hits theatres on 21 October 2022.
Don’t judge a book by its cover, for behind all this makeup, is a geek just like you. To simply put it, superheroes, Star Wars, Harry Potter and all things gore and creepy makes this girly girl swoon.
Natalie
