Wed Jul 16 06:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Fans Hilariously Thank Dwayne Johnson for “Superman” Success After “Black Adam” Flop

**Los Angeles, CA** – DC fans are taking to social media to playfully thank Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson after James Gunn’s “Superman” soared to box office success with a $22.5 million preview total, the highest of the year. The film, starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, has also garnered positive reviews, boasting an 82% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The irony? Many fans are crediting Johnson’s failed attempt to take control of DC and his poorly received “Black Adam” film as the catalyst for the shift towards Gunn’s vision.

In 2022, Johnson and his production company, Seven Bucks, reportedly met with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav to pitch a plan that would have placed them in charge of DC, replacing then-chief Walter Hamada. The plan included reintroducing Superman into “Black Adam” with Henry Cavill, but ultimately fell apart after the film’s underwhelming performance. Zaslav then hired James Gunn and Peter Safran to lead DC Studios.

Now, with “Superman” exceeding expectations, fans are humorously attributing the success to Johnson’s misstep. Social media is flooded with tongue-in-cheek “thank you” messages to the actor for paving the way for Gunn’s reboot.

“Just saw Superman… First and foremost, I want to say: Thank You Dwayne Johnson,” one X user wrote in a viral post. Others echoed the sentiment, claiming that “Black Adam” was so bad, it ultimately forced Warner Bros. to pursue a better direction for the DC Universe.

“When you think about it, we should all thank Dwayne Johnson,” another fan wrote. “Because if it weren’t for him, we’d be stuck with his DCEU and wouldn’t have James Gunn, the DCU, and David Corenswet as #Superman so thank you Rock. The hierarchy of the DC Universe definitely changed… for the better.”

While the gratitude is clearly sarcastic, the enthusiasm for “Superman” is genuine. The film’s strong opening weekend suggests that Gunn and Safran’s new vision for DC is resonating with audiences, a stark contrast to the previous direction. Only time will tell if the new DCU will continue its momentum.

Read More