In DC Comics, Black Adam has been Shazam/Captain Marvel’s archenemy for years. But a new rumor suggests that Warner Bros. may be considering him as a Superman nemesis in the DC Extended Universe.
According to a Reddit post, Dwayne The Rock Johnson's character would actually be the big baddie in Man of Steel 2 (Johnson often refers to Black Adam as a superhero). While the initial plans were to provide Black Adam with a role in the sequel, even if it's a cameo, it could evolve into a more major role.
The post states that the studio wasn't thrilled with the early drafts of Shazam, and they felt that someone of The Rock's stature (and pay rate) "deserved a bigger project". Due to their lack of confidence, Billy Batson’s standalone movie is likely to be scrapped, but the character could still show up in another DCEU project.
According to the post, X-Men: First Class and Kingsman: The Secret Service director Matthew Vaughn is still in contention for taking the helm of Man of Steel 2. Warner Bros. is meeting with other directors, as well, which is apparently a tactic to "increase pressure on Vaughn's agent".
Well, Reddit posts don’t make for very reliable sources, so every bit of information offered should be taken with a grain of salt. Considering the fact that The Rock has teased a confrontation between the Kahndaqian and the Kryptonian in the DCEU again and again and again over the last couple of years, his character as a villain in the second standalone movie for Henry Cavill's character would make sense.
It's also understandable that the studio is making big plans for the wrestler-turned-actor, since they already have a Black Adam standalone movie in the works. We should also note that Black Adam and Superman have already crossed paths, not only in the comics, but also in the animated short Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam.
But the section of the post that says Shazam is off the table seems quite weird. Just a couple of months ago, some of the Hollywood Bibles reported that Lights Out director David F. Sandberg was in negotiation to helm the project. We don’t think the studio would suddenly just give up on the project.
