There's a lot of growing anticipation for the release of Black Adam, with the much-hyped movie promising to change things forever in the DC Extended Universe. One future event that it supposedly teases is a showdown between Black Adam and Superman, though just as many are ready for the former to fight legendary rival Shazam. But while both make sense to some extent, another match-up might be even more profitable.
Black Adam and Aquaman have never interacted much in the comics, but their potentially fighting each other in the DCEU could be a huge win for the shared universe. Pitting its newest star against its most profitable hero, the DCEU could truly have a must-see even by making Black Adam take on the King of the Seven Seas. Here's why this unlikely fight could work for the best.
Aquaman Needs to Fight Black Adam
It's no mystery that the troubled DCEU has had a rough go of things compared to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bereft of consistent success due to controversy and criticism, the DCEU simply hasn't gone the way many anticipated. But one of the most unexpected developments -- in this case, a positive one -- was the success of the 2018 movie Aquaman. Turning the once-maligned superhero into a smash hit, the James Wan film is the only DCEU flick to make $1 billion at the box office.
Though arguably much different from interpretations in the comics sans Peter David's version, the movie Aquaman himself is very popular. Most importantly, the character and the actor portraying him are not controversial or disliked by fans. For instance, Henry Cavill's Superman was held back in the eyes of many due to being in such controversial movies. Likewise, both the on-screen portrayal and the actual actor for The Flash are easily some of the lowest points of the DCEU. Comparatively, Jason Momoa as a whole is much more well-liked, and when put alongside the star power of The Rock, sparks are sure to fly. Thus, Aquaman makes the most sense to be set against Black Adam from both a popularity and a commercial standpoint.
To be fair, for as powerful as Aquaman is, especially in the DCEU, he likely wouldn't be as much of a threat to Black Adam as Superman, Shazam or even Wonder Woman. At the same time, however, his having the kingdom of Atlantis fighting alongside him would easily balance the scales of power. In fact, this offers an easy segue into a storyline in which Black Adam and Aquaman fight each other, with Black Adam perhaps seeing the Atlanteans as a threat to Kahndaq. Whatever the story is, it would be able to be fleshed out quicker than some other fights.
Superman & Shazam Shouldn't Fight Black Adam - Yet
One issue with Superman fighting Black Adam is that Superman's current status quo in the DCEU is rather dubious. Thus, it would be best to further flesh him out in another solo film for the Man of Tomorrow and have him fight an actual Superman-related villain (besides Luthor or Zod) before doing any sort of crossover. Sure, he might show up by the end of the Black Adam movie and establish his presence, but the actual clash should be saved for a later date.
In terms of Shazam fighting Black Adam, the so-called World's Mightiest Mortal would likely be destroyed if he currently went against Teth-Adam. Black Adam has no qualms about killing at the drop of a hat, and even with their similar power levels, the inexperienced and jokey Billy Batson would quickly get brutalized. In fact, his jokey nature would only further draw the ire of Black Adam, resulting in a quick and disappointing "fight."
There's at least a story reason for Shazam and Black Adam fighting, as the latter is the former's second main villain after Dr. Sivana. However, a feud with Superman is more of an impressive fight for a fight's sake. Aquaman could be given a much more interesting reason to fight Black Adam, and it would also offer a battle that wasn't just two flying bricks going at each other. Before the hierarchy of power officially changes in the DCEU, perhaps Black Adam should be challenged by the film universe's most popular and successful hero.
To see how strong The Rock's antihero really is, see Black Adam in theaters Oct. 21.