For months, the DC drama has taken up center stage in the unfolding saga between the CBM franchise and the people who constitute its fandom. However, what has since constituted one of the most divisive battles was James Gunn’s back and forth with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the time succeeding the former’s appointment as the CEO of the new DC Studios.
Now, with Henry Cavill’s Superman gone, the fandom seeks a reasonable answer as to why The Rock’s film would lead to the fandom witnessing the complete annihilation of the SnyderVerse in the hands of DCU Chief, James Gunn.
James Gunn
The Crash and Burn of The Rock and Henry Cavill in DCU
With The Rock making a bid to get big box office numbers with his DCU stint as the anti-villain, Black Adam, the new chief of the DC Universe has seamlessly booted the promised hierarchy that was delivered by the actor with his film’s mid-credits scene.
Henry Cavill’s Superman breathes his last at DC
Like alphas marking their territory, the Cold War that since ensued between a few elemental remnants of the past DC universe and the new DCU boss, James Gunn, has led to a direct, head-on collision. In the aftermath, when the dust settled and the haze cleared, the month that followed saw the exit of the people’s beloved Superman, Henry Cavill, in permanence from the mainstream DC continuity. Looking for someone to blame, the collective scrutiny fell on the closest edifice aka the Black Adam star, Dwayne Johnson, and his outspoken involvement in securing the return of the prodigal hero.
James Gunn’s DCU Battle of Dominance Against The Rock
A YouTuber has now imagined a possible scenario in which he tries to play out the conversation that could have probably taken place when The Rock waltzed into the office of Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy after stepping over Walter Hamada.
“So The Rock goes like this, ‘How about we put Superman in a mid-credits scene?’ And they go, ‘Okay but we don’t have a Superman.’ And The Rock goes, ‘What do you mean you don’t have a Superman?’ And they go, ‘Well, we had Henry Cavill in the Justice League playing Superman, but we’re done with him.’ And The Rock says, ‘You’re not done with him.’ And then the DCU guy goes, ‘Actually, we are done with him.’ And then The Rock goes, ‘Oh okay I understand. Hey, what was the name of the new Superman?’ And they go, ‘Wha–‘ And then The Rock goes, ‘It doesn’t matter what the name of the new Superman is!’ They go, ‘Oh jeez.’ They made the same face Jericho made on the Millennium Raw.
So then he fights, and he gets DC to bring back Henry Cavill. This teases a Black Adam vs. Superman movie. So they bring in James Gunn to head up the entire DC Cinematic Universe. And The Rock raises the people’s eyebrow. Henry Cavill sends on Instagram, “I will after all not be returning as Superman.” But a lot of people are now thinking that this may be political back and forth between James Gunn and The Rock.”
In the event of such a scenario taking place, it is understandable how The Rock’s powerplay could upset the long-term plans that James Gunn was tasked with creating. If the Black Adam actor was, in fact, ready to go to extraordinary lengths to ensure the success of his film and the future showdown of his character with DC’s most legendary superhero, Superman himself, then the new DCU that is to witness a new dawn would always flail under the overarching shadows of the past.
