Dwayne Johnson has been attached to the role of Black Adam since 2014, before Warner Bros. even announced Shazam! as part of what would become known as the DC Extended Universe. However, the already-long path of the DC Comics villain/antihero to the big screen later took a couple of twists, first with news that he'll star in his own solo film, and then with the revelation that Black Adam won't appear in Shazam! at all. So where will Johnson make his eagerly anticipated DCEU debut? Speculation ranged from a Man of Steel sequel to Justice League, but the latest report suggests it could be Suicide Squad 2, which aren't exactly the magic words we were hoping for.

Sure, the rumored premise is solid enough, with the antiheroes of Task Force X assigned to track down a weapon of mass destruction that's revealed to be Black Adam. But that's not the kind of cinematic introduction the character needs, or deserves.

Although fans had long expected to see Black Adam face off against DC Comics' Shazam, there's a good argument to be made for using a solo film to establish the magical corners of the DCEU, the domain of gods, wizards and the Rock of Eternity. In the comics, Black Adam has been frequently depicted as an antihero, especially when it comes to his homeland, the fictional Middle Eastern nation of Kahndaq; he has no problem defending his people with extreme prejudice. Wouldn’t it be great for Black Adam's introduction to be in defense of his own country?

If Warner Bros. wants to utilize Johnson, a superstar in his own right, it would make more sense to build up Black Adam first rather than to shoehorn him into a film already filled with big-name actors and larger-than-life characters, as was done with The Joker in the original Suicide Squad. If Johnson were given the starring role, all eyes would be on him, meaning we’d likely get something far more interesting than a stereotypical villain, or a mere plot device.

Jared Leto as the Joker in Suicide Squad

But let’s roll the clock back. Remember when everyone assumed that because Jared Leto was a huge part of the marketing for Suicide Squad, his version of the Joker was going to be a huge antagonist that would change everything about the DC Universe going forward? There’s the risk that Black Adam could fall the same way. If he’s the MacGuffin that the team have to search for, that means there will easily be 50-60% of the film that doesn’t involve Dwayne Johnson.

And for a role like Teth-Adam, there needs to be a huge amount of screen time given to him so that audiences can be impressed and engage with the villain/anti-hero. Because Johnson is a very commanding actor, his charisma and performing style demands the attention of the viewer constantly. But that makes him perfect for a superhero/villain role, so why squander that ability in a film that needs to pay attention to several other huge characters that do the same thing. Harley Quinn and Deadshot were given huge parts of the first Suicide Squad film, and they’ll likely be given more in the sequel because of their popularity. So that doesn’t actually leave a lot of room for another huge personality like Johnson in the role.

But personality of the actors aside, Black Adam is a bigger villain than the Squad could handle. Sure, that would make a great obstacle for them to overcome across the course of the film, but his powers allow for a wider scope. He’s immortal, can survive in space, run at super speed, has super strength, and he doesn’t even need to eat. So how would the Suicide Squad even begin defeating him? He’s incredibly overpowered compared to them, but if they reduce some of his abilities that takes away some of the best things about Black Adam. The other option is that the Squad brings him onto the team. That's going to bring a very strange dynamic to a group that is already comprised of opposites. The enigmatic Harley Quinn and the devilish Captain Boomerang would undoubtedly annoy Black Adam. Unfortunately we've already seen that relationship with Deadshot and the rest of the team. Suicide Squad 2 needs to learn from its mistakes in the first film and push on into new territory.

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Black Adam shouldn't be a part of Suicide Squad 2. If he’s going to feature in another movie first, pit him against someone who can hit him with earth-shattering force. It should have the potential to be an incredible spectacle. It would be better to introduce Black Adam in his own solo film, because he has such a rich comic book history there's plenty for the film makers to choose from when crafting an origin story. We've already seen that if done well, an origin movie can work brilliantly. Wonder Woman is still making headlines because of the profit it's made. Last year, Deadpool proved that telling a heroic origin story doesn't have to follow the stereotypical narrative. Even though he was popular with comic book fans, Deadpool wasn't a household name but managed to be incredibly successful. If there's any DC character that deserves that kind of rise to prominence, it's Black Adam.

For his New 52 origin story, he was an Egyptian slave that decided to change his own destiny by killing the chosen successor to the power of the six Gods. He wanted revenge on those that would enslave millions of others, and rose up against oppression. Ironically, he did become a violent ruler himself, but he always had the best interests of the Kahndaqi people at heart. One way to ensure Black Adam's film to stand out from the rest, is to retrofit the plot into a specific genre, similar to how Wonder Woman was a war film. Make Teth-Adam's solo outing into a grand swords and sandals 'Epic', similar to Ben-Hur, Gladiator or even 300. A superhero epic that lets Black Adam unleash his powers could be visually fantastic as well as pushing the genre into new territory that hasn't really been explored yet. We got a glimpse of ancient Egypt during X-Men: Apocalypse, but the less we say about that, the better.

Obviously it would make sense for him to be included in the Shazam solo film, but since Geoff Johns has already stated that he’s not going to appear alongside Billy Batson, we give you another option: The Man of Steel sequel. We’ve already seen what Supes can do in a beat-down with a powerful foe -- it pushes him to his very limits. But how would he cope against a villain that has his own country? That could add a whole other political layer into the Superman story. How does Superman beat a villain that legally has diplomatic immunity? And let’s face it, who doesn’t want to see Henry Cavill and Dwayne Johnson duke it out head-to-head in a fist fight. After all, the stars behind the two titans shared a drink together last year, teasing the future of the DC world. It' not difficult to picture Cavill v Johnson in a super powered beatdown. It could take a few years for the Man of Steel sequel to be put in production, but plans for Black Adam have swirled since the early 2000s -- we can wait a little longer for him to make his debut.

Keep Black Adam away from Suicide Squad 2, and give him the time to demand our attention.