Even though audiences loved the movie, one of the major bones of contention critics had with Netflix’s smash hit Red Notice is that stars Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds played exactly the same archetypal characters they always do, without even trying to deviate from their well-worn personas.
Hell, Johnson even ended up taking yet another trip to the jungle, which has got to be some sort of Seven Bucks in-joke at this point based on the sheer number of times it’s happened throughout his career. However, upcoming DCEU blockbuster Black Adam promises to be an entirely different type of role for the leading man and producer, not to mention the superhero genre as a whole.
Speaking to Men’s Journal, the A-list megastar revealed that the titular antihero has a huge chip on his shoulder, with the project seeking to actively turn the expected tropes of the medium on their head.
“Superheroes live by a code of ethics and a line of integrity. But with Black Adam, depending on how you look at him, he has the ability to be a hero, an antihero, and a villain. One of the things that drew me to Black Adam is his origin. He started out enslaved. Any time you have a character, or any human being, who has wrongfully been held down by others, it means so much more when they begin to rise up.
Black Adam rises with a big f*cking chip on his shoulder-and an edge. In the traditional DC Universe, as we all know, if you do something wrong Superman and Batman are gonna try and bring you to justice. If you do something wrong to Black Adam, you’re going to die. It’s that simple. I believe this character is going to bring a unique edge to the superhero genre. We’re gonna be turning preconceived notions on their ear.”
Everyone involved in Black Adam is saying all the right things, so fans won’t be going in expecting standard cookie cutter fare, which potentially heaps even more pressure on the film to deliver. It’s been a long time since Johnson strayed outside of his comfort zone, and suiting up for his debut in a big budget comic book adaptation is definitely one way to freshen things up.