Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam (2023) is under fire. But first, a history lesson.
Credit: Warner Bros./ D.C
Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow (2021) marked a huge moment for Kevin Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe as fans of the MCU finally returned to the movie theater to see the first film in Phase Four.
However, Black Widow did not hit a home run and was seen as a lukewarm entry into the live-action canon. It wasn’t terrible, that’s for sure, but one Marvel actor chose to go all in on his despair at the superhero genre. And almost two years later, he has done it again.
Black Widow‘s theatrical run was marred by The Walt Disney Company’s decision to release the movie simultaneously on Disney+’s Disney Premier Access paid service. The now obsolete offering allowed users of the streaming service to pay a fee to gain access to the movie and watch in the comfort of their own home.
Credit: Marvel Studios
This was at a time when many COVID-19 safety protocols were still in place and movie theaters were seeing a decline in attendance because of the pandemic. One major issue that hit the movies released with this method was that they were being pirated and shared online. Black Widow came crashing down at the global box office and as a result, Scarlett Johansson, who reprised her role as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, sued The Walt Disney Company for breach of contract.
The issue eventually ironed itself out with Johansson’s team and then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek himself weighing in on the court battle. During this time, one actor came out with his own rather aggressive views on the superhero genre, using Black Widow‘s limelight to propel his argument.
Stephen Dorff, known for his role as the villain Deacon Frost in Blade (1998), spoke to The Independent back in 2021 and said how “[his] business” was becoming a “big game show” with actors and directors not knowing what they are doing and performers ending up in “little boxes” on various streaming services.
The actor went on to deliver his tirade on the superhero genre:
“I still hunt out the good [stuff] because I don’t want to be in Black Widow. It looks like garbage to me. It looks like a bad video game. I’m embarrassed for those people. I’m embarrassed for Scarlett! I’m sure she got paid five, seven million bucks, but I’m embarrassed for her. I don’t want to be in those movies. I really don’t. I’ll find that kid director that’s gonna be the next Kubrick and I’ll act for him instead.”
Credit: New Line Cinema
Now, almost two years after blasting Black Widow and the MCU, Dorff has revealed his sentiments on the blockbuster genres have not changed, angling his views towards Dwayne Johnson and his box office miss, Black Adam.
Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam was meant to save the DC Extended Universe (now just simply the DC Universe, or DCU). Johnson’s movie saw the wrestler-turned-actor take on the eponymous role but despite the star power behind Jaume Collet-Serra’s movie, as well as the post-credits scene featuring Henry Cavill’s Superman, Black Adam failed to ignite the already lackluster DCU and landed well below expectations at the box office.
Credit: Warner Bros.
On Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, Dorff revealed his savage thoughts while speaking to The Daily Beast about his new movie Divinity (2023). He said (via Comic Book Movie):
“I think Divinity should be bought by the majors, and if the majors were smart—if DC or any of these companies were doing cool things—they would look for the next Eddie Alcazar, because that’s the future. Not making Black Adam and worthless garbage over and over again [laughs].”
Credit: Warner Bros.
The actor continued by saying that he wished the comic book movie genre was more like Blade or Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, ending his harsh critique by attacking Johnson’s DC movie — a movie he starred in, championed, and produced:
“…But all this other garbage is just embarrassing, you know what I mean? I mean, God bless them, they’re making a bunch of money, but their movies suck [laughs]. And nobody’s going to remember them. Nobody’s remembering Black Adam at the end of the day. I didn’t even see that movie, it looked so bad.”
Credit: DC / Warner Bros.
Related: James Gunn Confirms Reboot of ‘Batman’ In DCU With ‘The Brave and the Bold’ Movie
It will be interesting to see how the DCU develops now that co-CEOs of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran, have divulged the first part of their projected 8-10 year plan of projects under Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. “Chapter 1”, titled Gods and Monsters, will feature a new Superman movie from Gunn, called Superman: Legacy (2025), a Batman reboot based on “The Brave and the Bold”, and TV shows like Lanterns, Paradise Lost, and Waller.
It is a wonder if Stephen Dorff will continue blasting “garbage” superhero movies or if the actor will finally warm to the blockbuster genre. Based on his comments here, it will likely be the former.
Do you agree with Stephen Dorff’s comments on superhero movies? Let us know in the comments down below!
