TheDCEUwas a divisive franchise in superhero cinema and finally concluded withAquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Still, I can’t help but be a little disappointed that one of the best andmost intelligent DCEU villaindeaths in the entire franchise was featured in a film few people saw.While the DCEU showed great promise throughout several of its films, the inconsistency in tone and quality made audiences lose faith in the series.This waning interest was reflected in the franchise’s final years, when they released movies that most people were not interested in going to see.
The DCU is set to reboot the franchise with the upcomingSuperman, and there is hope that the DC brand can again feel vital to moviegoing audiences in the near future.Still, it is worth looking back on some of thebest DCEU films, which were actually released in the later years of the franchise. Movies likeBirds of PreyandThe Flashwere excellent installments in the franchise that were, unfortunately, very underseen. The same could be said about a 2022 film that was hoped to be an enormous hit for Warner Bros. Discovery.
Black Adam’s Sabbac Death Is One Of The Most Brutal In The DCEU
Sabbac Is Ripped In Half During The Film’s Climax
Black Adamsaw the introduction ofSabbac to the DCEU.Named as an acronym for the demons Satan, Aym, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus and Crateis, the demon villain was poised to be a terrifying threat. Sabbac stood up to the JSA and even caused the death of Doctor Fate. However, Black Adam himself was set to usher in a new era of the DCEU, and was able to defeat the villain by the film’s end. This was done in one of the most brutal and violent scenes in the entire franchise.
Especially followingBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which saw great violence and a dark tone,the DCEU made it clear that it was not squeamish with violence and gore.However, the killing inBlack Adamwas on another level entirely. Adam flew into the air with Sabbac, and audiences watched as he ripped the demon character in half. This was an unsettling and gory scene, and I can’t get over how exciting it was to see in a DCEU adventure story.
Black Adam’s Critical & Box Office Results Mean Sabbac’s Death Is Generally Overlooked
The Film Hoped To Be A Home Run For DC, But Was Barely A Base Hit
I had a great time withBlack Adam, but it seems that the film was overlooked by many. TheRotten Tomatoesscore for the Dwayne Johnson movie may have kept audiences away, as it only scored 39% with critics.This resulted in a$393 million box office, which likely rendered the film unprofitable. This is disappointing, because audiences that saw the movie liked it;Black Adamholds an 87% score with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, and was warmly received as a decent superhero blockbuster.
While the film was bigger than some of the biggest DCEU bombs, likely due to the star power of Dwayne Johnson, it was still a lower box office gross than the studio had hoped for.
Unfortunately, how well the movie connects with audiences doesn’t matter much if nobody sees it. While the film was bigger than some of thebiggest DCEU bombs, likely due to the star power of Dwayne Johnson, it was still a lower box office gross than the studio had hoped for. This essentially led to the end of the DCEU, with the long-discussed fight betweenBlack Adam and Supermannever actually making it to the big screen.It is unlikely that audiences will see Johnson in the role again,and therefore revisitingBlack Adamdoes not feel very important.
Black Adamfeatured one of the most brutal and unsettling deaths in the DCEU, and it is disappointing that so few audiences got to see it. While a $393 million box office gross is substantial,giant superhero tentpole films likeBlack Adamset their sights a lot higher than that and, due to inflated budgets, likely did not bring in a profit. Still, it is worth revisitingBlack Adamfor its JSA depiction, as well as for the incredibly violent death that Sabbac experienced at Black Adam’s hand in the film’s climax.
