The Rock Is The Most Ripped He's Ever Been As He Prepares For Black Adam

It's going on seven years since Dwayne Johnson was announced as the lead character in DC's proposed Black Adam movie back in 2014. Since then, the wrestler-turned-Scorpion-King has been in two Jumanjis, three Fast and Furious sequels, and a Baywatch reboot that is only spoken of in hushed, repentant tones. The point is, seven years is a long time for anyone, even an international movie star and professional Vitruvian ideal, and superhero fans have high standards for the on-screen portrayals of their favorite Fawcett Comics characters, visually speaking. Johnson is 48 years old now. What if he got all doughy in the interim? What if Black Adam has a dad bod now? Nobody wants to watch a movie called Black Dadam.

Perhaps to assuage the concerns of anxious fans, Johnson posted an update to his Instagram page, keeping the world up to date on his physical progress in the pursuit of a safer Kahndaq. Brace yourself for a blow to the old body standards, because he's rocking the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, and the vasculature of a tool shed full of garden hoses.

"Training for BLACK ADAM," Johnson wrote in his Instagram post. "The hierarchy of power in the DC UNIVERSE is about to change."

It's hard to argue with that. Johnson, who goes on in the caption to boast about his "277 lbs of mean and nasty" and thank his personal trainer for the support, looks like his arms caught magic lightning and then stored it in their veins for later. He looks like his torso is made out of that Straining Face Kid meme. If Elon Musk had built the hyperloop using Dwayne Johnson's intravenous network, we'd be able to take day trips to the other side of the U.S. by now.

All of Johnson's work is in the service of a beloved DC Comics antihero, one with 75 years of backstory and reputation to hold up. Black Adam is widely considered to be one of the only characters in the DC universe capable of dropping Superman like a ton of pyramid bricks, so the physical presence that the actor is bringing to the role will be welcome news to fans. Black Adam's 2021 release date might just mark a new era for the DCEU, and for Superman's sense of self esteem.