MultiVersus, the recently launched free-to-play platform fighter, isn’t shying away from a little friendly fire by poking fun at DC’s characters and actors. In a hilarious nod to DC Comics’ 2022 box office struggles via the film Black Adam, the game playfully throws some shade at Dwayne Johnson’s highly-memed statement – “The hierarchy of power in the DC universe is about to change”.
MultiVersus Pokes Fun at a Certain Dwayne Johnson Statement
In a clip from the game, Joker can be seen interacting with Black Adam and taking a jab at him with the line “Weren’t you supposed to be rearranging the hierarchy or something?”. This is a reference to The Rock’s big push for the character to become a centerpiece of the old DCEU.
MultiVersus was officially released on May 28, 2024, after spending a long time in the alpha and beta stages. It’s a popular crossover fighting game that features characters from various Warner Bros. franchises.
From superheroes to cartoon icons, the game has become a hit for its fun and chaotic battles, especially since fans get to duke it out with their favorite characters that otherwise never interact or crossover in any other medium. Pretty much the same reason why Super Smash Bros has been such a massive hit for over a decade now.
This isn’t the first time Warner Bros. has embraced self-deprecation. In 2017, the company released The Lego Batman Movie, which poked fun at the DC Extended Universe’s overly serious tone and a few different movies and projects, including that time’s most recent Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Of course, this is all in good fun. The developers at Player First Games, the studio behind the game, clearly have a big love for DC Comics. The game boasts a vast roster of characters, from classic DC heroes like Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman to lesser-known ones like Garnet and Marvin the Martian.
2022’s Black Adam was a Critical and Commercial Failure
The movie, released in 2022, was supposed to be a major hit for the DCEU. With Dwayne Johnson leading the charge as the titular anti-hero, expectations were high for DC to have a hit after a string of flops finally. However, the movie didn’t quite hit the mark, both critically and commercially. Despite Johnson’s star power, the film struggled to interest audiences and failed to become the blockbuster success many had anticipated.
Black Adam had been a passion project for Johnson for years before its release in 2022. However, the movie received mixed to negative reviews and was a box-office disappointment. It failed to leave a mark in the pop culture space and was forgotten pretty much soon after release.
The only big talking point of the movie was Henry Cavill’s return as Superman in the post-credits scene, which too led to nothing as the DCEU was ended and rebooted as part of James Gunn’s new DCU, with Cavill being recast. The game takes this narrative and injects it with humor through a unique voice line. It’s a pretty cheeky and meta-reference to what happened back in 2022.
What do you think of the free-to-play game so far? Let us know in the comments below.