We're used to seeing padding in superhero costumes, and while it's often hidden well, there are occasions where it sticks out like a sore thumb. A good example of that would be 2019's Shazam!, and Zachary Levi's blown up physique was widely criticised and made fun of online prior to his DCEU debut.
The actor got into amazing shape to play the superhero, so hiding that beneath an overly padded costume was an odd creative decision. Luckily, set photos for Shazam! Fury of the Gods have confirmed that's not a mistake Warner Bros. plans to repeat with the sequel. As for Black Adam, it's no secret that Dwayne Johnson didn't need padding, but an earlier iteration of the suit still included it.
Talking to promote his new movie Jungle Cruise, the actor explained that his costume had to be redesigned after he donned a "terrible" version with "fake padding" lining the inside.
"I wanted to come in in the best shape of my life. I wanted to raise the bar. When we first - and I sent [Emily Blunt] pictures - it was funny when we first tried on the first costume that they had made for me. It was padded," Johnson explained. "Like all the superhero costumes are padded. But when you have padding, it actually takes away from your real body so all this went away."
"It had this fake padding. It looked so terrible," he admitted. "So we removed all the padding, redesigned the costume." The end result still hasn't been revealed, but it's clear Johnson gave his all to Black Adam, right down to what the anti-hero will wear when we see him make his big screen debut.
Check out the full interview with Johnson, and Emily Blunt, below: