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Dwayne Johnson a.k.a. The Rock isn't having the best time at the moment, given just poorly the live-action version of Disney's Moana has performed, and this latest news regarding Black Adam probably won't make him any happier. After all, Johnson very nearly saw his dream of Black Adam facing off with Superman come to fruition — close, but no cigar.
That is until now. Johnson threw his weight around to not only deliver a Black Adam film, in 2022, that had to be to his specific liking, but also one that forced Warner Bros. to make up with Henry Cavill (Man of Steel) to set up a looming cinematic clash between the two superheroes.
Cavill's cameo was followed by Warner Bros. (and an incoming James Gunn) pushing him out to sea again, and permanently, and Black Adam remains one of the most hated DCEU films by critics on Rotten Tomatoes (39% approval), though audiences wildly disagree (87% approval), as far as ratings go.
It was all very messy for DC Studios and Warner Bros., but DC Comics is giving fans what Johnson and Warner Bros. never did: Black Adam versus Superman in Absolute Superman #21.
- Writer: Jason Aaron
- Artist: Rafa Sandoval
- Colorist: Ulises Arreola
- Cover date: Sept. 2026
- Length: 32 pages
- Price: $4.99 US
- UPC: 76194138585302111
Black Adam Faces Superman In the Absolute Universe
Per the official Absolute Superman #21 synopsis: "THE UNBELIEVABLE FINALE OF REIGN OF THE SUPERMAN! The final battle with King Shazam. Reign of the Superman begins here. But which Superman will it be?"
The clash was one that rocked the planet, as expected, and our good friends at ScreenRant agree.
"Absolute Superman's conclusion to King Shazam's battle with the titular Kryptonian provides a satisfying climax to Teth-Adam's Absolute introduction," wrote Nicholas Ayala in his review. "In issue #21, a desperate Kal-El only manages to overpower the Ancient Egyptian villain by smashing him into the moon and beating him to a pulp using Steel's hammer as a last-resort strategy."
He continued: "Teth-Adam's defeat completes Superman's King Shazam arc, presenting an exciting, large-scale version of the crossover event movie that The Rock's Black Adam sequel plans had been teasing before the DCEU came to an abrupt end."
The Rock, DC Studios Might Not Be Done?
To put it plainly: The Rock's journey to getting Black Adam to audiences reads like a real-life mafia movie.
There are reports that he "bent DC Studios to his will" and of secret meetings in backrooms, and the toxicity was so poignant that one could easily argue the direction of Black Adam also helped to tank Zachary Levi's Shazam! sequel/franchise — seeing as The Rock had zero interest in having Black Adam face his most immediate and well-known rival, Shazam.
Despite it all, there have been a crop of new rumors that suggest The Rock might be given another shot by DC Studios, in a different role, though those have not been substantiated at this time. Those rumors have received instant and passionate backlash from fans, so if they're somehow the studio's way of using social media as an under-the-table focus group, the results are clear: fans aren't exactly clamoring for The Rock to get another shot in DC lore.
But, as far as DC Comics goes — not beholden to actors or DCEU studio rights — there's no need to swim in that water. As they've proven in Absolute Superman #21, all you ever need is a pen and some paper to make the greatest battles happen.
