Since James Gunn’s takeover of the DC brand in 2022, there have been questions raised about movies and shows carried over from the last regime. Projects with his handprints, like The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, have been preserved for the new DCU. Yet, moments such as the Justice League’s cameo in Peacemaker’s season finale, as well as Emilia Harcourt’s appearances in Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods causes more confusion about canon.

Now, in an interview with Den of Geek hyping Peacemaker Season 2, Gunn gets direct about the events of Black Adam and the Shazam! sequel in one simple statement:

“They’re not canon! I hate it!”

For anyone expecting Billy Batson and Black Adam to join the Justice Society established in the latter’s 2022 film, you’ll sorely be disappointed. It comes as no surprise that these DCEU leftovers are being dismissed from future projects. Despite the critical and commercial underperformance, Black Adam was not only set to be a soft-reboot of DC on film but also Dwayne Johnson’s opportunity to change the “hierarchy of power” with the franchise as a whole.

Recently, it was revealed by Gunn on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that Johnson and his team were already announcing Black Adam sequel plans with Henry Cavill back as Superman on the very same day that he and Peter Safran sealed the deal to take over DC Studios.

Also Check Out: Director James Gunn Explains Change To Kal-El’s Parents In Superman

“And I’m like, ‘What is going on? We know what the plan is. The plan was to come in and do Superman.’ So it was really unfair to [Cavill], it was a total bummer. But it was a vacuum in [DC] at the time, and a lot of people were… I’m trying to be diplomatic as possible. [Other people] wanted to take on what they wanted to do at DC and were trying to force their way in, and it was just never part of the equation for [Warner Bros. Discovery CEO] David Zaslav.”

For now, Peacemaker Season 2 will address how John Cena’s inept anti-hero enters the same universe as David Corenswet’s Superman. The new season kicks off on HBO Max on August 21st.

How do you feel about Black Adam and Shazam! being left out of James Gunn’s DCU? Let us know in the comments.

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