Dwayne Johnson Explains How ‘Black Adam’ Will Alter the DCEU’s Hierarchy of Power

You’ve probably heard Dwayne Johnson say it enough times by now: Black Adam will alter the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe, a drum he’s been pounding for what feels like an eternity.

At last weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con, the world’s biggest movie star undoubtedly brought the house down, appearing on stage in full costume to start off the film’s panel. Any social media buzz generated by the new trailer was overshadowed by fans’ disappointment that a reported Henry Cavill appearance did not occur, even if Johnson later teased the franchise’s canonical Kryptonian afterwards.

It’s all fine and dandy to keep preaching that the power hierarchy is in flux, but we won’t know for sure until Black Adam lands on October 21 if it’s really true. In any case, Johnson suggested in an interview with ScreenRant that the new commercial spot has established a foundation on which the end result will be built.

“That footage is a reflection of our tone. That footage is also a reflection of our director’s vision, who wanted to create something that was different; who wanted to create a movie that was disruptive. But also he wanted to create a movie that would start the pendulum swing in the DC universe.

In addition to the hierarchy of power that I’ve been talking about, this pendulum swing [will] usher in a new era of the DC Universe. A new antihero era; a new era of tone, and a new era of story. And also, it’s this incredible opportunity that we have at Seven Bucks Productions for Black Adam‘s storytelling to build out the DC Universe with disruption and with respect. Listening to the fans, because they’ll always guide you.”

That’s essentially a recap of The Rock’s recent assertions, but he’s regarded as one of the best hype men in the business for a reason, so we have every reason to believe that Black Adam will live up to his hype.