After years of development and shake-ups, Dwayne Johnson finally made his debut as Teth-Adam in the DC Extended Universe film Black Adam — but his return for Black Adam 2 is far from guaranteed. With Black Adam‘s ending leaving a few things open-ended and revealed a major character return, it seems a Black Adam sequel could’ve been on the horizon. However, Black Adam had a notoriously controversial run at the box office, and the recent DCU slate for Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters didn’t include Black Adam sequel, naturally leading to questions regarding the prospective film.

Much has been made about Black Adam, with Johnson hyping up the superhero film as a game-changer for the DC movie franchise moving forward, despite unfavorable reviews. The Black Adam film itself came at a time of uncertainty for DC films, with Discovery acquiring Warner Bros. and causing a few shake-ups internally as well as the end of the DCEU movie timeline, as well as the surprising cancelation of Batgirl. Black Adam was supposed to be a turning point for the franchise, but it doesn’t look as though Black Adam 2 is happening. Here is everything to know about the canceled Black Adam 2.

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The Latest Black Adam 2 News

As of now, Black Adam 2 has not been confirmed, and indeed appears to at best be in a state of limbo, as the sequel did not show up on James Gunn’s revitalized DCU slate for Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. While there were other exciting new announcements, such as a new Superman and a new Batman, these new revelations also add another problem for Black Adam 2: Henry Cavill is not returning as Superman. While the Black Adam post-credits scene obviously teased this, the actor officially will not be returning for the role, with a new Superman actor set to be cast for Superman: Legacy. Therefore, a Superman vs. Black Adam fight doesn’t look like it’s in the cards.

To add to this, more recent DCU reports have stated that no member of the DCEU Justice League will be reprising their roles within the DCU, which is notable in that it underlines the new era of the franchise attempting to push away from the old by replacing its big superhero castings. This suggests the Rock’s Black Adam casting could also be subject to changes, as it’s impossible for audiences to avoid associating this iteration of the character with his initial DCEU movie role.

Black Adam 2 being snubbed in the Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters slate isn’t the only troubling update for the future of the superhero. Dwayne Johnson released a tweet that commented on the fact that Black Adam 2 was excluded from the upcoming DC movies slate, but also said “However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.” What this assuredly means is that Black Adam 2 definitively isn’t in the cards, but it doesn’t mean actor Dwayne Johnson won’t appear as the character in other DC properties.

On the plus side, James Gunn replied to Johnson’s tweet, saying “Love @TheRock & I’m always excited to see what he & Seven Bucks do next. Can’t wait to collaborate soon.” This at least suggests Gunn isn’t completely done with Black Adam yet. Given Black Adam‘s post-credits close with the titular character encountering Amanda Waller, it’s possible this might allow Johnson to reprise his role in either Waller’s own series, or Peacemaker season 2. In the meantime, rather than focus on Black Adam 2 the DCU could benefit from exploring other popular characters from the film, such as the Justice Society heroes Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Atom Smasher, and Cyclone.

Is Black Adam 2 Happening?

Black Adam 2 has not officially been confirmed by Warner Bros. Considering the DCU Chapter 1 plan goes out past 2026, it’s possible fans might have to wait a while longer before hearing about a potential sequel – and inversely, if the series did finish with its first and only movie, it’ll take some more time for this to become explicitly clear. There had been speculation that Black Adam could cross over to other DCU films, possibly interacting with Shazam, one of the antihero’s nemeses in the comics. However, Black Adam‘s box office numbers weren’t all that great, meaning it appears Gunn and Safran don’t want to move forward with another solo Black Adam movie.

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Black Adam 2 Cast

If Black Adam 2 were to happen, Dwayne Johnson would assuredly reprise his role as the titular antihero, given how much he has personally put into the film. It’s possible that Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) could return for another installment. Unfortunately, Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan) bit the dust during Black Adam, so he won’t be back for the sequel. Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) could also make a return after helping save the world, along with her brother Karim (Mohammed Ahmer).

Black Adam 2 Story Details

What the Black Adam 2 story could have been remains a mystery, as the sequel has been seemingly scrapped according to Dwayne Johnson’s Twitter statement. Black Adam‘s ending saw the fall of Sabbac thanks to the eponymous hero and the Justice Society. Therefore, the next possible avenue for the superhero’s story lies in other DCU projects. Since Superman was teased in the Black Adam post-credits scene, it’s possible that the antihero could show up in Superman: Legacy, though this may not be viable this is given the scale of other DC movie hero recastings to build a fresh slate for the impending movie.

Since Amanda Waller appears in Black Adam‘s post-credits, he could appear in Waller, or Peacemaker season 2 – which would make sense, as Black Adam was in the Suicide Squad comic roster briefly, and Gunn’s approval of the casting could mean a reconfiguration of this storyline lives on. This is a route that holds a lot of promise – and would potentially reunite Johnson and John Cena, who are both wrestling icons – but could be made unlikely by the budget these shows would have, as Johnson’s most recent movie roles have had a salary of several millions. The only near-certainty about where the character could appear next is that it won’t be in Black Adam 2 anytime soon.