Why the Fortnite Black Adam skin may never return

Black Adam is one of the most exciting crossovers to have occurred in Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4. The in-game cosmetics were added to the Item Shop shortly before the film could premiere worldwide. Given that Dwayne Johnson already plays The Foundation in-game, having another collaboration starring the celebrity was rather exciting.

The moment the cosmetics were leaked online, the community couldn't wait to get a hold of them. While the Outfit was "rad" to say the least, what caught the attention of most was the Teth's Throne emote. With that said, those who managed to buy the Black Adam Set from the Item Shop may have unknowingly become the proud owners of yet another rare in-game skin.

---

Black Adam skin in Fortnite is on its way to becoming "rare"

Some Fortnite skins are rarer than others. Renegade Raider, for instance, hasn't been seen since the early days of the game. While there have been variants of her being added to the Item Shop, the real McCoy has been kept locked away in Epic's vault.

Similarly, after the Astroworld 2021 fiasco, Travis Scott's Icon Series skin has been withheld from the Item Shop ever since. Although circumstances are different, there's one thing that is common, which is, these skins and their respective cosmetics will never be seen in the Item Shop ever again. So what does this have to do with Black Adam?

Well, on December 21, 2022, Dwayne Johnson took to social media to announce that Black Adam will not be featured in DCU until further notice. While the character may be showcased in cameos and snippets, he will not appear in any standalone projects for the time being. Here's what Dwayne Johnson had to say:

Even though the Black Adam skin is part of the DC Series and not the Icon Series, the character model used in Fortnite looks exactly like Dwayne Johnson. In fact, if The Foundation skin is superimposed over Black Adam, the face won't change. This has seemingly led to some problems.

With Black Adam out of the picture in DCU, Epic Games has likely been unable to obtain the rights to distribute the skin again in Fortnite. Furthermore, since it's uncertain if Dwayne Johnson will reprise the role in the future, the Black Adam skin will likely remain vaulted.

This could also explain why the cosmetics were kept in the Item Shop for two weeks straight, from October 21 to November 3, 2022. It's likely that Epic Games was given a heads-up about the situation and they decided to make the most of the timeframe that was available.

---

Will the Black Adam Fortnite skin ever be unvaulted?

Considering how many parameters there are to take into consideration, it's rather difficult to answer this question. On one hand, it hasn't been explicitly stated that Dwayne Johnson will step down from the role of Black Adam. On the other hand, there's no timeline in place to suggest when Black Adam will be showcased in DCU. This leaves the character in a state of limbo for the time being.

With all that said, "if" the Black Adam skin is unvaulted, it will likely occur when Dwayne Johnson is seen on-screen again as Black Adam. However, given that James Gunn has clarified that the character will not be used in their first chapter of storytelling, there's no telling when this will occur. Players interested in obtaining the skin will have to keep their wits about them and hope for the best.