The Rock Clarifies Superman vs. Black Adam Is Definitely Not the Next Step

By now the whole world knows that Black Adam included the big milestone of bringing Henry Cavill’s Superman back to the DCEU. Cavill’s Superman cameo has been one of the worst-kept secrets of the DC Movies franchise, as even Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson himself was teasing Black Adam and Superman meeting onscreen – back when it was just wishful thinking. Now that The Rock and Cavill are onscreen together, DC fans are wondering if Black Adam v Superman is the next big event in the DCEU. Well, Dwayne Johnson is letting be known that fans shouldn’t think too literally about how Black Adam‘s post-credits scene sets up with Superman: 

(WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW!)

The bulk of Black Adam’s storyline focuses on how Teth-Adam (Rock) is released from magical prison into modern day, and immediately attracts the attention of the metahuman gatekeepers of the world – namely Amanda Waller and A.R.G.U.S., and the heroes of the JSA. By the end of the film, Black Adam proves that while he is definitely a menacing threat in the world, he’s also capable of being one of its most important protectors. That gray area of anti-heroism leads Waller to let Adam roam free – so long as he remains in his homeland of Kahndaq. In order to demonstrate the type of deterrent that’s out there, Waller has Superman pay Black Adam a visit. Kal-El end the scene by inviting Black Adam for a chat, rather than a fight (classic Superman). 

ComicBook.com’s Phase Zero host Brandon Davis got to talk to The Rock at the Black Adam premiere in NYC, where the star first addressed if a Black Adam vs. Superman fight was in the works. At the time, The Rock gave a rather vague response, saying: “I don’t know. I think the question is, ‘Should it be the showdown?’ And I don’t know if that’s the way to go.”

In a follow-up tweet, The Rock added to his own statement, writing: “As always, great chopping up the #Superman vs #BlackAdam with my guy@BrandonDavisBD.That’s definitely not the next step.We have a lot more long-term storytelling to do before that historic DCEU showdown and more new characters to establish.Enjoy the movie #BlackAdam!!”

What’s Next For Superman & Black Adam in the DCEU? 

In The Rock’s longer response to ComicBook.com, the Black Adam star talked about the finer subtleties of the scene between Adam and Superman. As we have now seen, Kal-El definitely approaches Black Adam peacefully, even remarking on their shared experience of having a turbulent introduction to the world and people’s fearful reactions to them both. It seems clear that camaraderie is the goal – at least for now. 

The last few years of DC Comics have set a major precedent for Black Adam to actually join with Superman in a new era of the Justice League. Teth-Adam has largely been retconned from being Shazam’s nemesis to being a genuine anti-hero who is currently an official member of the League (despite some heroes’ reservations). 

It seems like the DCEU is looking to follow suit by making Black Adam an ally of Superman and the Justice League (or JSA, or both) – but that doesn’t mean a fight between The Rock and Cavill’s Superman won’t be in the cards at some point. Whether Black Adam’s allegiances shift, or Superman turns bad (as foreshadowed in the “Snyderverse” DC films), or any of the other classic comic book reasons for the skirmish… you can be sure “Superman fights Black Adam” is an action sequence that’s written in the future DCEU blueprint, somewhere. 

Black Adam is now in theaters.