According to a recent report, Zachary Levi’s Shazam was supposed to first make an appearance in Black Adam before Dwayne Johnson was against the inclusion.

This article contains minor spoilers for Shazam! Fury of the Gods is currently in theaters

Black Adam Star Dwayne John has reportedly fought the inclusion of Zachary Levi’s Shazam in one of the 2022 post-credits sequences.

According to The Wrap Two top Hollywood insiders have revealed that Johnson personally vetoed a proposed post-credits scene from Black Adam, which would have had Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) as well as the remainder of the Justice Society offers Levi’s Shazam an opportunity to join the superhero team. While it was cut from the film in 2022 The scene was later repurposed for the scene that ended in mid-credits in Shazam! Fury of Gods. Instead of the Justice Society, Peacemaker characters Emilia Harcourt, John Economos, and Amanda Waller were shown trying to recruit Billy into their Justice Society.

According to The Hollywood Reporter Shazam! The Wrap reported that Fury of the Gods Star Zachary Levi responded via Instagram to the news report. On March 21, Levi shared a post that referenced The Wrap’s story and included in the caption: “The truth shall set you free.” The initial report about Johnson’s involvement in Fury of the Gods the post-credit scene isn’t confirmed by the official sources.

Related: Black Adam Seems to Have Retconned Major Shazam! Plot Point

Insiders at The Wrap also noted that Johnson did not know about Shazam’s involvement in Black Adam! Fury of the Gods was a box-office failure. They claimed that Johnson was a prolific worker in undermining the Shazam! franchise publicly, mostly through teasing a future clash with Superman and Black Adam despite the latter being Shazam’s arch-nemesis. The scene in the middle of the credits that Johnson did not approve of for Black Adam featured the titular superhero meeting Superman which was performed for the final time by Henry Cavill.

Black Adam Is Not Part of James Gunn’s Initial DCU Plans

Johnson often expressed an interest in seeing the Black Adam’s DC Universe journey culminate with a Black Adam vs. Superman film. Johnson revealed that any future DCU plans involving Black Adam were put on hold as Gunn, Safran, and their 10-year plan for the shared universe. “James Gunn and I met and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling,” he revealed in December 2022. “However, DC and Seven Bucks have committed to investigating the most beneficial ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse stories.”

RELATED: Dwayne John Angrily Disappointed WB Execs By Going Over Their heads to the CEO

What is the future for Shazam?

Shazam! Fury of the Gods released before the beginning of Gunn and Safran’s rebooted DCU many fans have been wondering whether Levi will continue to portray Shazam, the movie’s main character, or if the Shazam franchise may also be placed on hold. Although there is no information currently regarding the casting of the film continuing in the new timeline of Gunn, Levi previously stated that strong performances at the box office would show DC Studios that there is an ongoing interest in the Shazam family. Fury of the Gods is doing poorly at the box office. Its opening was lower than its predecessor, Shazam! The upcoming The Flash is scheduled to restart the timeline of the shared universe the fans could have seen the last of Levi’s Shazam in the DCU.

Black Adam is available to stream on HBO Max while Shazam! Fury of the Gods currently is in cinemas.