Villains often transcend their roles to become fan-favorite characters, often completely eclipsing the popularity of the hero they battle against. A good antagonist can make a fantastic protagonist in the right story, but casting the villain as the hero can be a very tricky proposition.
Loki broke new ground for the MCU, by focusing one of its countless projects almost entirely on a reformed villain, while pitting them against a new foe that recontextualized their role. This worked for a number of reasons, but a villain-led story could be more difficult without the history and context that Loki served as a culmination to.
The DCEU's upcoming Black Adam will be the first onscreen appearance of the titular supervillain, portrayed by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Johnson has been set to portray this character since at least 2014, with over a decade of false starts and lost potential leading up to the 2022 release of the film. Upon its release, the film will be the first piece of the DCEU to focus on a supervillain rather than a superhero. As a character, Adam is set to be portrayed as more of an anti-hero, taking the common route of villain-led stories to shift them from evil to chaotic good. In an inversion of the format exemplified by Loki, Black Adam will be introduced in his own solo film before appearing in his traditional villain role. Despite this inversion, Black Adam serves a similar role in the DCEU that Loki served in the MCU.
Fans of Black Adam saw the first preview of the character and film just a few days ago. This small vignette featured Adam, wielding his powers to destroy a couple of innocent civilians. This scene is the first introduction of the character to the DCEU, and the dark tone of this moment sells something very different than the rest of the franchise. Much of the presentation of this film is pretty different from its peers in the DCEU, borrowing tricks from horror films to sell Black Adam as the massive threat he is. In many ways, this is the opposite of the approach favored by Marvel's Loki.
Loki was the tale of the titular god of mischief, a character who had undergone a long path to change throughout his appearances in the MCU. Introduced as the main villain of 2011's Thor, Loki gets to play a reluctant hero in both of the sequels, always switching back to his old tricks throughout. This means that the series is the destination of Loki's arc, shifting from villain to deuteragonist to primary lead over the course of four MCU projects. Loki became a fan favorite early on, popular enough to be the catalyst that brought the team together in The Avengers. A Loki solo project became inevitable through sheer force of will, but, in many ways, Black Adam is a beneficiary of a similar effect.
Black Adam will be Dwayne Johnson's grand entrance into one of the superhero universes that are the main force in modern film. Johnson is an iconic performer, the second most highly paid actor in the United States, and his introduction to this cultural phenomenon is hotly anticipated. Though Black Adam will be a brand new character to many moviegoers, Dwayne Johnson has kept audiences waiting with bated breath to see his villainous turn. Johnson has very rarely portrayed the villain in his many great films, and he has never portrayed a character quite as imperious as Teth-Adam.
Rather than building up a character over hours of great previous films, Black Adam has built up massive hype for its big reveal. The announcement, though now many years old, of Johnson's casting in the role was enough to get fans excited and compel new audiences to learn all about the character. This may not have the impact of Loki's journey as a character, but it will mitigate the possible difficulties of expecting an audience to sympathize with a villain. Stories led by bad people, or even morally ambiguous anti-heroes, run the risk of failing to get the audience onto their side. A film with an unlikeable protagonist is not necessarily bad, but it can make a superpowered action movie a bit less impactful if fans are actively rooting against the lead.
Villains are often the make-or-break aspect of a superhero story, Marvel has received a ton of criticism for weak antagonists in many of its projects. Loki is a standout exception, and his solo project was subsequently both hotly anticipated and hugely well received. The DCEU's cast of villains has not been stellar either. From Zod to Doomsday to Cheetah, many of this franchise's antagonists have been either dull or insufferable. Loki proved that a great villain can make a fantastic anti-hero. Black Adam is DC's chance to fix two of its problems with one great film, pull off a villain-led film and introduce the franchise's first truly great villain. All that and more could be accomplished, if Black Adam lives up to the hype next year.