The Return of The Rock's Black Adam Teased By DC (With A New Name)

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Dwayne The Rock Johnson Close Up as Black Adam

Published Jan 25, 2026, 5:01 AM EST

Andrew Dyce is the Deputy Editor for ScreenRant's coverage of Marvel, DC, and all other comics. Whether superheroes, sci-fi, fantasy, or any other genre, Andrew's decade in the industry and countless hours of analysis on podcasts like the Screen Rant Underground, Total Geekall, The Rings of Power Podcast, Batman v Superman: By The Minute, and more has left its mark.

With over a decade spent at GameRant and ScreenRant, Andrew has made himself known as an outspoken fan and critic of film, television, video games, comics, and more.

Nobody expected the release of Black Adam to change the superhero game more than its star, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, but the commercial and critical reception was more than disappointing. And while the chances of Black Adam 2 seemed gone, DC is teasing the return of Johnson's antihero nonetheless. With a new role, a new name, and a chance to play the god-tier menace many fans wanted.

The Rock's Black Adam Being Teased As The New 'Absolute Shazam'?

First Look at Absolute Superman #18 by Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval

The rock henry cavill black adam superman dc

As the musclebound champion of magic most capable of going toe-to-toe with the Man of Steel, it made perfect sense for Henry Cavill's Superman to face Black Adam in his movie's end credits scene. Making good on a claim famously made by Johnson that with Adam's arrival, "the hierarchy of power in the DC universe is about to change."

As the last appearance for either hero, and James Gunn's DCU performing a hard reset shortly after, fans assumed they had heard the last of that particular boast. That is, until DC released the first tease of a brand new Shazam in its Absolute Universe, coming to take on the newest version of Superman. And dropping a massive wink to superhero fans everywhere in the process:

The Battle of Kansas may have put the Lazarus Corporation into retreat, but it's left behind some terrifying surprises in its hidden caches of weapons and world-ending secrets. The most dangerous of all? The sarcophagus of the legendary King Shazam! Don't miss the start of a new epic that will change the hierarchy of power in the Absolute Universe!

King Shazam Breaks Free in Absolute Superman #18 Cover Art

Fans would have assumed that the Absolute Shazam, like the same variants of Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and more, would be a re-imagined version of Billy Batson. But with so obvious a reference to The Rock's champion, fans can only assume it will be his hero, not Billy's, breaking loose to challenge Kal-El.

King Shazam is The Mega-Villain Fans Wanted From Black Adam

The Return of The 'Evil Shazam' Will Give Superman Hell

Evil Shazam in Batman Superman Comic Cover

With a new incarnation of Shazam comes a new title, as the official plot synopsis also teases the arrival of "King Shazam." Not only a more intimidating, tyrannical name than even the original Teth-Adam would have chosen, but also a name which recently appeared in the pages of DC Comics as another brand of nightmare.

When the Batman Who Laughs managed to infect DC's most innocent and youthful superhero, the "King Shazam" which tore Batman and Superman to pieces was a sight to behold. Has the creative team decided the variant was too good a creation to only appear once? Or did the noticably heroic path for Johnson's take on Adam need a bit more of the villainy many fans wished for?

The mystery will be revealed when Absolute Superman #18 will arrives on April 1, 2026 from DC Comics.