The Rock Teases Black Adam vs. Superman
What happens when the most powerful and unstoppable force on this planet meets the most powerful and unstoppable force in the universe? Before Black Adam hits theaters on October 21st, pitting the godlike DC anti-hero against the superheroes of the Justice Society, star and producer Dwayne Johnson is already plotting his next heavyweight bout: against the Man of Steel. The wrestler-turned-actor is teasing a hard-hitting showdown with Superman, the not-of-this-planet Kryptonian played by Henry Cavill in Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League.
"I think Black Adam lands the first punch. Now, I don't know if Black Adam lands the last punch," Johnson, who voiced Superman's dog Krypto in the animated DC League of Super-Pets, told Jake's Takes. "Because Superman — I grew up a DC boy. I love Superman. I loved Superman and I still do, clearly (laughs)."
Asked if he can visualize Black Adam versus Superman on the big screen, Johnson said, "I can see things so clearly on how that scene looks like, what that scene looks like, what the film looks like, what the next three films look like. Now, whether or not that comes to fruition, that always helps when you have that kind of clarity."
According to Johnson, fan demand will determine whether Black Adam meets Superman as his next challenger in his hierarchy shake-up of the DC Extended Universe.
"Here's what I do know: listening to the fans when I was wrestling always led and guided me, just like now," he said. "So for the past 10 years as I was pushing Black Adam up this hill to get made — for the past five, six, seven years, I was also listening to the fans at the same time. We will create Black Adam for him to be the most powerful and unstoppable force on this planet."
Johnson added: "The most powerful and unstoppable force in the entire universe has been on the sidelines for too long."
Johnson has long hinted at a crossover with Cavill's Superman. In 2016, he shared an image of the Enola Holmes star on Instagram, including the hashtag: "#DCWorldsWillCollide."
But unlike Superman — who stands for truth, justice, and a better tomorrow — the once-enslaved Teth Adam fights for "truth, justice, and the Black Adam way."
"As a kid, Superman was the hero I always wanted to be. But, a few years into my fantasy, I realized that Superman was the hero I could never be," Johnson wrote when revealing the first look at his Black Adam on social media in 2019. "I'm honored to join the iconic #DCUniverse and it's a true pleasure to become BLACK ADAM. BLACK ADAM is blessed by magic with the powers equal to SUPERMAN, but the difference is he doesn't toe the mark or walk the line. He's a rebellious, one of a kind superhero, who'll always do what's right for the people – but he does it his way. Truth and justice – the BLACK ADAM way."
Should Superman fly by the Black Adam corner of the DCEU, Johnson has hinted it will be Cavill in the role.
"I will say this. I will say that Henry is a buddy and he is a phenomenal Superman," Johnson exclusively told ComicBook at San Diego Comic-Con. "He is a phenomenal Superman and Henry Cavill is the Superman of our generation, with respect to the other Supermans of the past."
"Every time I see him, we have some tequila, and I say, 'This guy is Superman,'" Johnson added. "My longtime business partner Dany Garcia has been a passionate advocate for Henry Cavill and his career for a very, very, very long time."
Starring Dwayne Johnson as Teth Adam/Black Adam, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, Sarah Shahi as Isis, Marwan Kenzari as Sabbac, and Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, DC's Black Adam opens in theaters October 21st.