We’ll never get to see the Rock beat up ‌Superman

Since beginning the long, unnecessary journey of bringing Black Adam to the silver screen, Dwanye “The Rock” Johnson has made his intentions clear: He wants fans to see him kick the shit out of Superman. Nothing would cement his legacy as the all-time candy-ass kicker and jabroni stomper better than an Instagram post of the Rock laying the smackdown on big blue. However, it looks like that image will only exist on the Instagram feed of the mind. Unfortunately, Black Adam changed the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe so thoroughly that Black Adam is no longer a part of the hierarchy.

After weeks of trying to convince people that Black Adam wasn’t a flop and that Henry Cavill was returning as Superman, Johnson conceded on Twitter earlier today that Black Adam would not be returning any time soon. “James Gunn and I connected, and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling,” he wrote. “However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.”

“James and I have known each other for years and have always rooted for each other to succeed. It’s no different now, and I will always root for DC (and Marvel) to win and win big.”

Reading too much into Johnson’s impeccable P.R. speak—all sincere thank yous end with a plug for tequila—Black Adam might appear in a DC video game, a theoretical Flash sequel, or an animated special sometime in the future. Also, he’d like to be in a Marvel movie. Other than that, it sounds like spending $400 million on a Black Adam movie might not have been a sound business decision. Maybe it’s time to cut back on the Teremana during work hours.