Is Dwayne Johnson one of the architects rebuilding the DCEU?

Dwayne Johnson just revealed more information about his involvement with the DCEU, but is it more then everyone thought? 

It’s no secret that Shazam has proven yet again that the DCEU is on the right track and chugging along to box office glory. With a large opening weekend and a sequel sure to be fast-tracked Shazam has opened the DCEU universe to a much larger world of magic and mysticism, much like Doctor Strange did for the MCU. Previously the DCEU was helmed by fan-favorite director Zack Snyder who directed and produced Man of Steel, Batman V Superman, Wonder Woman and Justice League (at least part of it).

Due to issues that have been gone over ad nauseam in other articles Zack Snyder is now out as the prime architect of the DCEU, and Warner Bro’s has announced a DCEU that will be director focused and feature more solo and stand-alone films. With this announcement, many assumed that there was not anyone overseeing and building the DCEU anymore now that Snyder was gone.

Then something interesting happened, Dwayne Johnson, who was cast as Shazam baddie Black Adam back in 2014 released an Instagram video over the weekend, overall it was a breezy video thanking the fans for making Shazam a big hit. But Johnson also dropped some major hints that may show us who is pulling strings behind the scenes for the DCEU.

In the above video, Dwayne Johnson who was an executive producer for Shazam reveals that he was much more involved in the development of the Shazam universe than previously thought. As he discusses developing the script for Shazam and having difficulty fitting the origin stories of both Shazam and Black Adam into one film. This led him to call Toby Emmerich at Warner Bros. and convincing him to split the films into two and give Black Adam his own film. As well as making sure Shazam was a fun experience for the audience.

Adding to these interesting details regarding Johnson’s involvement is the fact that talks about his excitement playing Black Adam, and how a “Reckoning is coming”. He then talks about how Black Adam will lay the smack how on the DCEU universe. This is interesting as Johnson’s statements over the years about Black Adam seem to indicate a larger place for him in the overall DCEU then just a big bad for Billy Batson to face.

He has stated multiple time how Black Adam will beat up the Justice League, and be a major threat, what makes these statements so interesting is that it was just dropped that Warner Bros. is interested in developing a Justice Society of America film. Which reportedly will be wrapped into the Black Adam origin movie, add to this the cameo of Superman in Shazam which also hints to the Man of Steel showing up in future Shazam films (Warner Bros. worked hard to get Cavill to appear in the film, which likely means Johnson pushed for it). All of these rumors show that Black Adam seemingly has a role to play in the larger DCEU, with Johnson’s character potentially being set up as a “Big bad” not unlike Thanos in the MCU.

Dwayne Johnson is notoriously controlling of his films (in a good way) as he is devoted to his fans and wants to give them the best possible movie experience. So if the JSA is showing up in Black Adam then it means Dwayne Johnson wants them to, and a larger narrative is being crafted. It would seem that Johnson is acting as a sort of secret architect in the DCEU, with Shazam being a solid hit and Black Adam sure to be a monster one, it is likely his influence over the universe will just grow.