Dwayne Johnson Really Wants A Marvel-DC Crossover, But Could It Actually Happen?

Ever the hype man, Dwayne Johnson is ready to meet speculation about a potential DC-Marvel crossover with open arms. You may remember, as Johnson has often informed us, that "the hierarchy of power in the DC universe is about to change" with "Black Adam." Well, with seemingly every Marvel movie ever made now connected through the multiverse, plans are in motion for DC to do the same — assuming the troubled "Flash" movie starring Ezra Miller does, in fact, finally make it across the finish line to theaters in 2023, as is the plan.

The next logical step from there would be to merge the two multiverses into one big superhero multiverse containing both DC and Marvel, perhaps every comic book movie ever made. If that sounds like a pipe dream, just know that Johnson and "Black Adam" are bent on world domination. On the red carpet for the movie, which has gained positive early buzz, the actor responded to a question from Variety, referencing previous statements he's made about how he's optimistic that DC and Marvel will "cross paths one day" onscreen. With the excitement of the "Black Adam" premiere buzzing all around him, Johnson reiterated:

"Well, I'm always optimistic. I'd like to think that we would see that. My philosophy is anything can get done. Let's start with the end goal. And if the end goal is to have some sort of crossover that can be compelling, smart, cool for the fans, let's get a temperature gauge if they'd like to see something like that. And then if they do, then let's create it. I operate my businesses like that. I truly believe that anything can happen. Anything can happen with the right people and place, and the right leadership, having the right conversations."

DC Comics and Marvel Comics did do an inter-company crossover in the mid-1990s, and at the time, it was quite the event, with issue titles switching off between "DC vs. Marvel" and "Marvel vs. DC," and reader ballots determining the results of fights between fan-favorite superheroes. You could see Superman vs. the Hulk, Batman vs. Captain America, Shazam vs. Thor, and so on. Many of the participating characters have since come to life on the big screen via live-action actors, and it's worth remembering that the whole idea of a shared movie universe like the Marvel Cinematic Universe — which also has its roots in the comic book model — was itself something of a pipe dream once upon a time.

Could a DC-Marvel crossover really happen in Hollywood? Anything is possible, and I think there's enough of a precedent that Johnson isn't completely blowing smoke with the concept. But the actor also recently quashed the idea of DC and Marvel competing, telling The Direct, "Do I think we are going to take any kind of bite out of Marvel? That answer is unequivocally no. Because to me as we build out the DC universe, ushering in a new era of the DC Universe, that to me is not my lead foot."

He elaborated, "We don't want to be Marvel. We want to be DC. And how we do things. So that's what I want. I don't want to take a bite of that apple. I want to grab a new apple. And I want to create from there."

Before we see Black Adam facing off with any Marvel heroes, of course, he may want to fight Superman first. In the meantime, his movie hits theaters on October 21, 2022.