DC’s cinematic arc from the point where mainstream SnyderVerse ends and DCU begins has been a chaotic mix of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Among them rests two major contenders: Shazam and Black Adam. And John Cena was almost a part of the unholy duo. The rivalry which was only limited to within the rings of the grandest stage was destined to spill over onto the silver screen as both The Cenation Leader and the People’s Champion found their way to spearhead DC’s two largest properties (after the Seven, of course). However, destiny played its hand and ruled in favor of Cena who went on to find unrelenting and unprecedented success as Peacemaker.
John Cena Almost Stole Shazam From Zachary Levi
The fate of the DCEU has been an object of horror and fascination for the past half a decade. With three of its main IPs retired and the rest well on their way there, the clock was already ticking for the remainder of the superheroes and anti-heroes that were planning to debut in the fatalistic franchise. As such, the announcement and confirmation of The Rock’s Black Adam casting, no matter how big a cause for celebration at the time, also held a foreboding aura as far as its future was concerned. At the same time, the heralding of the second-most powerful demigod after Superman brought with it an incredible surplus of potential for DC.
Shazam, the immediate next subject that found itself rolling out its casting carpet presented a spot that was then vehemently fought over. The final roster came down to John Cena, the WWE favorite, the golden ticket for easy fame, and the promise of an on-screen showdown between Cena’s Shazam and The Rock’s Black Adam, and for once, art would imitate life instead. Recalling the odds stacked against him, Zachary Levi, the other contender for the role of Shazam, recalled:
“I’m still shocked I got the job honestly. I knew that The Rock was playing Black Adam, who in the comic books is basically like the twin of Shazam. Like the bizarro version. I was like, ‘I’m not getting this job.’”
Levi did go on to helm two successful runs in DCEU as the lightning wielder with his first film, Shazam! being a critical and commercial success, while the sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods opened to a much less enthusiastic critical response.
John Cena: Is He Better Off as Peacemaker?
The fate of Shazam, no matter how glorious in the comics, did not leave much room for improvement in the cinematic adaptation. And considering how the superhero only had two feature films to showcase his incredible potential, the build-up, and hype deserving of a hero of that caliber felt not only missing but underwhelming and bordering on negligible. That being said, it is a tragedy that (for reasons more than one) The Rock’s Black Adam and John Cena’s Shazam couldn’t pull off a grandiose showdown since the prospect of the WWE superstars with a history between them would make for a cinematic spectacle.
But CGI sparks flying or not, John Cena’s recruitment to Task Force X as a B-grade anti-villain was a better opportunity than playing the far better-known DC character, Shazam. Even though Cena had famously whined in the aftermath of Levi’s casting and claimed he could portray Shazam better because “I think like a child,” he couldn’t be more proud of his run as the psychopathic patriot on James Gunn’s show. The antagonist from The Suicide Squad now not only enjoys his own highly successful spin-off but also revels in the character of Peacemaker that, Cena claims, has been modeled majorly after his WWE persona. Art imitates life, after all.
Peacemaker and Black Adam are now streaming on HBO Max.
Source: The Late Late Show With James Corden
