Black Adam’s post-credits Superman cameo was a big fight, says The Rock

“The hierarchy of power in the DC universe is about to change,” proclaimed Dwayne Johnson early on in the hype-cycle for Black Adam. And between battles with the Justice Society of America and secrets revealed about the DC hero’s own origins, he wasn’t totally wrong. But as the movie’s post-credits scene reveals, the hierarchy of power in the DC universe, held up by Superman, Batman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman, hasn’t totally changed just yet — which is just fine with Johnson. He fought tooth and nail to make sure DC’s modern universe got its due before slamming it into a wall.

[Ed. note: This post contains ending and post-credits scene spoilers for Black Adam.]

Black Adam’s credits scene, Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller appears to Black Adam in Kahndaq’s ancient throne room via drone-mounted hologram to tell him that she expects him to stay in Kahndaq, or else. The hero of Kahndaq replies that there isn’t anyone on Earth who can stand up to him, so why we would he listen? Waller snaps back: She knows people who aren’t from Earth at all.

Cue the arrival of Superman, played by Henry Cavill himself, in the big blue suit for the first time since 2017’s Justice League (unless you count new footage shot for 2021’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League). In a friendly tone, he tells Black Adam that it’s been a while since anyone made the world as nervous as he has, and he caps the whole scene off simply and open-endedly: “We should talk.”

While the scene should make fans giddy about the possibilities of Cavill returning to the role — and recent news suggests that a Man of Steel 2. might finally be in the works — the reemergence of the Big Blue Boy Scout was no mandate for Johnson and his Black Adam Creative team. It was the fan’s wish.

“For a long time it bugged me that millions of people were vocal and wondering, and asking questions, and no one was addressing the questions,” Johnson says of Superman’s dormancy. “Even if you had answers that maybe people didn’t like, what always bugged me was… Well then, speak up! Talk to your fans and tell them the plans. Not only that […] but what bugged us was you have a guy who is a great Superman and a beloved Superman, a guy who loves the mythology and knows the character so deeply, like Henry does Superman, and then on top of that, the most important thing is fans love him as Superman… He’s been on a sideline for five years, and no one’s talking about it!”

Johnson has spent nearly 20 years trying to get the Black Adam movie rolling, but when the current iteration of the project took shape five years ago, its star was adamant that the action tie into the larger DC universe — even as Warner Bros. Pictures brass was beginning to shy away from the notion of the extended “Snyderverse” established by Batman v Superman – Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder.

It led to some controversy. Johnson wanted to make a big splash by introducing Black Adam as well as the Justice Society of America. Cavill was also in favor of being recast as Superman. A recent report claims that this meant campaigning to WB head Michael De Luca (who resisted the idea) and Pam Abdy (who supported it).

“On top of all [the new introductions], we said, ‘Let’s go get the most powerful and unstoppable force in the entire universe that has been on the sidelines for five years. Let’s go and let’s fight hard to reintroduce him back into the DC universe through Black Adam.’ And that fight? We fought. We fought for a long time on our end at Seven Bucks; we weren’t gonna take no for an answer.”

Warner Bros.

And they didn’t: Eventually, Warner Bros. cleared Cavill to appear in the movie, and the scene was reportedly shot just this past September.

Is the scene in the after-credits prefacing a change in power hierarchy in DC Universe? It may all depend on how much you do. Black Adam What Warner Bros. will look like over the coming months, as well as how it did at the box-office in its first weekend. Rumours suggest that De Luca may play a greater role in the development and expansion of the comic book universe. Hamada is expected to step down soon from his DC position. Cavill could be returning in the future Man of Steel 2.The Superman movie is being made, even though Ta-NehisiCoates and J.J. Abrams continue to work on a Superman film with a Black actor as the lead. There’s also The Flash’s multiversal splintering, and in-motion plans for a direct sequel. That’s on top of Aquaman 2Due out 2023 and in-development Wonder Woman 3. Plus there’s The Batman 2.And Joker: Folie à DeuxThese are proof that there is enough space in the universe to support multiple heroes.

Black Adam ends with the return of Superman and the words “let’s talk.” And it’s all just talk until someone asks Cavill to truly suit back up for scenes that play BeforeThe credits are rolled.