For the past month or two, Black Adam has been the subject of debates on the internet about how much money it is losing and how much money Dwayne Johnson promises it will make. It raises the question of whether Black Adam merits a sequel or if it would have earned one had things stayed the same after realising that the DC Universe will undergo significant upheaval. It’s difficult to respond to that because the DC camp is set to undergo profound transformation. It appears that a sequel to this film is no longer planned, although whether or not it merits one depends on your perspective. It is simple to assert that a majority of fans would likely respond favourably if asked if it would be justified. Although a sequel may be required or perhaps warranted, it seems like it would be a risky undertaking because it would be difficult to predict which actors will return for the second instalment. Additionally, the fact that the movie is being made available on a streaming service so soon after its initial premiere isn’t encouraging for the narrative in general.
The sequel could further cement Black Adam’s place in the DCU.
The film wasn’t bad because it was a good action movie, but Dwayne Johnson needs to have a little more personality if he wants to be elevated any higher. While Black Adam is rather annoying, it seems from reading the comics and watching the animated films that he is still more expressive than Johnson was able to be in the film. Since it doesn’t feel like he did much more than act like a man with serious anger issues who didn’t care so much about his country or anything else and was more focused on trying not to crack his customary smile, it makes one wonder if the praise for his acting in this movie is more about who he is off-screen than who he portrayed. You can defend this character all you want, and you wouldn’t be entirely wrong, but I still think the primary character in this movie could have used a bit more feeling.
If he’s brought back, it could be reworked to set Black Adam against Shazam
Since things seem to be in flux right now, it’s unclear if Black Adam is in plans to return to the DC Universe. Johnson isn’t getting any younger, so if he is brought back, it could need to happen swiftly in order to secure anyone who might be cast with him and start production on the film. Given that this was the first time the JSA had been introduced on screen, the first feature felt a little bit unfinished, thus it still feels like the second film might need a little bit more of a tale than the first one. The sudden introduction of so many additional characters was destined to feel hurried and prevented from giving each character enough of a backstory. This is one of the problems with comic book movies, though, as it takes time to accurately capture each character’s past. It is frequently best to take things slowly and give each character their own movie to develop and expand before introducing anyone else. Given that Shazam has already proven himself in his film, it could be appropriate to include Black Adam once more in a subsequent Shazam film to see how things turn out.