SDCC: DC Universe teases Black Adam and Shazam, but, uh, not much else
Needless to say, fans expecting Henry Cavill to crash the con were disappointed
Members of the Justice Society and the Shazam-ily descended upon San Diego Comic-Con 2022, as Warner Bros. presented previews for a theatrical slate that includes (and was, in fact, mostly limited to) Black Adam and Shazam! Fury Of The Gods. Between deafening footage for the upcoming superheroic features and vocal DC Comics fans in attendance, Hall H on Saturday morning may have registered on the Richter scale.
But it may not have been enough to distract from the fact that fans will be kept waiting for any news of other features on Warner Bros’ plate—including Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom, Dune Part II, and (the much beleaguered) The Flash. It doesn’t help that a rumored appearance from Henry Cavill, or, in fact, any news about his Superman, failed to materialize.
Zachary Levi appeared to join moderator Tiffany Smith and tease more about the Shazam sequel to come December 21, including glimpses—truly just glimpses—of never-before-seen footage. Following the trailer presentation, a staff-wielding Lucy Liu emerged to tease her role as Kalypso, calling it “probably the most exciting thing in my career. I grew up reading those comic books… It was an honor to be a part of something this special. We all want to belong. So this feels like a place where I’m home.” Liu also magic-summoned a virtual message from Helen Mirren and Rachel Zegler. Mirren dubbed her character Hespera “a delightful baddy and badass,” adding with characteristic wit, “I had a lovely time kicking the shit out of [Levi].”
Dwayne Johnson then kicked the proceedings into high gear with an entrance worthy of Michael Jackson, in full costume as Black Adam—and in character, if his silent glowering is anything to go by. He was joined by fellow superheroic cast members Aldis Hodge (Hawkman), Noah Centineo (Atom Smasher), and Quintessa Swindell (Cyclone). Black Adam director Jaume Collet-Serra provided tantalizing, if scant, details about what to expect ahead of its October 21 release: “I like movies with characters that operate in the gray area, with their own sense of justice and morality. This seems to me like a movie in the ’70s, with a Dirty Harry-type character. When the system is broken and corrupt and you’re not able to protect the innocent, you need a character who will break the system.”
The above sneak peek—featuring Black Adam throwing a helicopter into another helicopter, then, to really drive home the point, throwing a plane into another plane—confirmed that promise of a darker, more morally complicated direction for DC. “It’s been easily over 10 years… a long journey, one that has been filled with passion and grit,” said Johnson of the film. He also reiterated in no uncertain terms his goal, as both producer and star, is to “usher in a new era of the DC Universe.”
And when asked whether Black Adam could take on Superman in battle, Johnson gave a similarly complicated answer: “It depends on who’s playing Superman.” What does this mean, particularly given the apparently unfounded rumor about Cavill’s Comic-Con appearance? Gray areas are all very well and good for heroes, villains, and everyone in between. For a major film studio still trying to establish a strategy for a coherent cinematic universe, not so much.