Dwayne Johnson’s Ego Sabotaged DC’s Big Plan: The Black Adam Disaster That Almost Ruined a Franchise

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has built a career on charisma, brand power, and box office clout. For years, he’s been Hollywood’s undisputed king of the action blockbuster, routinely topping lists of the world’s highest-paid actors. But while Johnson’s ability to “put butts in seats” is undeniable, his larger-than-life ego has occasionally caused more harm than good—and nowhere was that more apparent than with Black Adam.

Long before Black Adam hit screens in 2022, it had been a passion project for Johnson, who spent more than a decade championing the antihero’s solo debut. When the film finally arrived, Johnson wasn’t just the star; he was the producer and the creative engine behind the project. That control, however, came with significant consequences for the broader DC Universe Warner Bros. had been painstakingly trying to build.

According to executives speaking to The Wrap, Johnson’s approach became a liability. “Dwayne tries to sell himself as bigger than the movie,” one executive explained. “He’s one of the few people who always thinks he’s the most important person in any situation or room.” While that confidence can be an asset, it also led Johnson to push for decisions that prioritized his brand over the long-term health of the DC franchise.

Instead of integrating Black Adam organically into the existing DC world—a universe that had been anchored by heroes like Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman—Johnson pushed to refocus everything around himself. He famously lobbied for the return of Henry Cavill’s Superman, not as part of a larger interconnected story but to set up a sequel built around a clash between their two muscle-bound icons.

“Instead of making a movie, he wants to extend his brand and make a brand centered on himself,” another executive said. Even in DC League of Super-Pets, Johnson used his star power to elevate his animated character’s prominence, echoing his broader strategy.

The result? According to insiders, Johnson “systematically crippled two franchises and harmed DC in the process” by alienating the properties and characters that Black Adam was originally tied to. His refusal to integrate with the wider DC ensemble led to a fragmented vision that left audiences—and the studio—unimpressed.

While Black Adam wasn’t a catastrophic flop, it fell far short of the billion-dollar juggernaut Johnson and Warner Bros. had hoped for. Compounding the fallout, the arrival of James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-CEOs of DC Studios led to a sweeping reboot of the entire cinematic universe. Cavill’s Superman was benched, Black Adam was shelved, and Johnson’s grand plans were unceremoniously scrapped.

In the end, Johnson’s attempt to reshape DC around his star power backfired spectacularly. Instead of launching a new era, Black Adam became a cautionary tale: proof that even the biggest stars can’t always bend entire cinematic universes to their will.