Black Adammay not be the superhero that theDC Universewants right now, but he’s unquestionably the one that it needs. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s portrayal of the titular anti-hero has been met with positive reactions from fans, many of whom can feel the pendulum slightly swinging towardsDC Universe, and away from theMarvel Cinematic Universethat has been such a powerhouse for so long now. TheMCUhas lost momentum with its recent releases following the emotionally draining climax of itsInfinity Wararc, andDCwill be keen to capitalize on this.Black Adamis as dark as many would expect, but the PG-13 rating ensures things don’t get too violent. If the character of Black Adam ventures into the world of video games, an R-rated game would allow him to unleash his full, unadulterated rage.
Thanks to the incredible popularity of theMCU, theDC Universehas come under intense scrutiny over the last decade, and many of its movies have received lukewarm receptions. On paper,Black Adamhasn’t exactly gone against the grain in this regard, with critics divided in their opinions of the movie. Fan reaction, however, has been overwhelmingly positive, with the film’s $67 million domestic box office opening weekend serving as proof of this.Dwayne Johnson has stated thatBlack Adamis set to play a key rolein upcoming DC movies, and as the character’s popularity grows, the appetite for a video game based on him will surely grow too.
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Black Adam’s Rage Knows No Bounds
Johnson’s movie adaptation of the character ofBlack Adamis born out of rage. Over the years since his debut in 1945, there have been many versions of the characterBlack Adamin the comics. The movie adaptation differs from his comic book personas in a couple of key ways though. Rather than himself being imbued withpowers given to him by the wizard Shazam, as is explained in the comics, the big-screen version ofBlack Adamactually received the powers from his son. In order to save his father’s life, Adam’s son transfers his own powers to his father, losing his life in the process.
This tragic loss subsequently seesBlack Adamfly into a fit of wild rage, destroying a temple before being buried underneath it by the very wizards who granted his son powers to begin with. 5000 years of slumber have done nothing to quell his rage though, and after he is woken up, he spends the remainder of the film violently and aggressively crushing those who try to oppose him. This aggression is displayed viscerally, with several limbs removed from his victims as well as the main protagonist’s head literally being torn into two.
Despite this though, both Dwayne Johnson and the filmmakers stated that their desire was for the movie to be R-rated, in order to properly honorBlack Adam’s gritty origin story with the appropriate levels of violence and aggression. In fact,Black Adamwas originally R-ratedbefore it underwent several cuts to make the PG-13 rating it was finally given. A solo video game for the character presents the perfect opportunity for his character to be brought to life as was originally intended, and there are various ways that this could work.
Any new project wouldn’t be the character’s first foray into the world of video games.Black Adamwas a playable character inInjustice, and its sequelInjustice 2. As a franchise renowned for its pop-culture crossovers,Fortnitehas also recently addedBlack Adamas a playable skin. WB’sMultiversushas also confirmed the character will shortly be joining the game’s roster. It seems, right now, everyone wants a piece of Black Adam, and future video game projects certainly seem feasible.
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Black Adam’s Character Seems a Good Fit for His Own Video Game
Given the versatility ofBlack Adam’s powers, from his superhuman strength and speed, to his flight and the ability to shoot lightning from his hands, the first and most obviousvideo game series that springs to mind isInfamous. Traversing an open-world environment and causing chaos and destruction with a range of superpowers, as players do in theInfamousseries, feels like it could’ve been plucked directly from the movie.
The games, which follow the adventures of numerous conduits who possess superpowers, also allow the player to decide whether to use these powers for good or evil, with either side presenting unique gameplay possibilities. It’s easy to see a similar structure like this working for aBlack Adamgame, as the character himself walks a fine line between good and evil. This ambiguity should make for an enjoyable experience, with players switching sides at will, and tapping into the darker side of the character as they see fit.
There are, of course, elements of uncertainty to consider, such asBlack Adam’s ability to fly presenting a possible issue. Whether players would bother to explore an open-world environment on foot, when they can simply fly over it at will, remains to be seen. This would not be the only project to face such a problem though, with thenewIron Mangamelikely facing a similar dilemma, and it certainly isn’t one that couldn’t be overcome by using a smart narrative. PerhapsBlack Adamloses his powers and has to gain them back slowly, with flight being one of the last to return to him.
Whatever the future holds forBlack Adam, it’s a safe bet to assume he will become a central part of theDC Universefor the next few years, and this will likely result in more commercial opportunities. This means that there’s a good chance future video game projects will be proposed, and with more and moresuperhero video games such asMarvel’s Spider-Manbeginning to hit the mark, there’s no reason why a gritty, violentBlack Adamgame couldn’t be something special.
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