Dwayne The Rock Johnson requested that an action figure of his Black Adam character was made “more ripped”, according to comic book writer and toy creator Todd McFarlane.
The DC Comics film, released in 2022, stars the 53-year-old as the titular superhero, acting opposite Pierce Brosnan, Noah Centineo, Aldis Hodge, and Quintessa Swindell.
An action figure based on Johnson’s character was released by McFarlane Toys, but the actor and former WWE wrestler, who is known for his athletic physique, did not think his pectoral muscles were sufficiently highlighted in the toy’s design.
“Recently, we had to get approval on Black Adam, and Dwayne Johnson's only comment was, which I think he was right, was, 'Can you make me more ripped?'”McFarlane told Popverse.
“It actually seems like a silly one, but it actually was right, because I think we all in our mind have a romantic version of many people, and the costume itself wasn't showing off his muscles.”
He added: “We were super accurate to the costume. It’s just that the costume wasn't showing it off, so he just wanted us to show it off a bit more. We took a little bit of artistic license to do it. I think it was the right move.”
During a CinemaCon appearance ahead of the film’s release, Johnson told the audience he had spent a decade working on the movie.
“The whole idea was, if we were going to do it, we were going to take our time and do it right,” he said. “It really served us well to wait and hold and watch these other stories and superheroes unfold. Black Adam is one of the things in my life that gets me out of bed.”
Black Adam was critically panned at the time. In a one-star review, The Independent’s chief film critic Clarisse Loughrey wrote: “Black Adam is a bewildering entry in a franchise already falling apart at the seams. It’s therefore a perfect fit for what one day might be described as the ‘chaos era’ of DC Comics’s corporate owners Warner Bros.”
Black Adam follows the story of Johnson’s superhero when he is freed from his earthly tomb nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the powers of Egyptian gods. He is then ready to “unleash his unique form of justice” on the modern world.
