Dwayne Johnson's upcoming DCEU movie Black Adam could have some big ramifications for the whole DC franchise, including Superman. As his first major foray into superhero movies, Black Adam has been one of Johnson's longest gestating projects, and he continues to drive a lot of hype for it. A brief teaser at 2020's DC FanDome showcased the anti-hero in action, positioning the vengeful former slave from Kahndaq as the man to shift the power scales of DC, as Johnson has consistently teased. However, Black Adam's release could go a lot further than simply introducing a new character, potentially even impacting on the future of Henry Cavill's role as Superman

Beyond promising a dangerous new presence within the DCEU, Johnson has also teased other ramifications for introducing the character, especially as he has had his sights set on the movie's title character going up against Henry Cavill's Superman for several years. With both Black Adam and Superman being such powerful characters and Cavill having established his bankability outside of portraying the Kryptonian hero in Mission: Impossible - Fallout and The Witcher, it seems like too good an opportunity to pass up. Nonetheless, Cavill's Superman future has had a lot of uncertainty after 2017's Justice League disaster and the movie's 2021 partial redemption, Zack Snyder's Justice League.

RELATED: How Powerful Is The Rock's Black Adam Compared To Superman & Shazam?

Cavill remains committed to continuing as Superman, frequently expressing his desire to channel the Man of Steel's heroism in interviews, but so far, the green light for his return hasn't been given yet. This is where Black Adam comes in. The success or failure of the movie could be the key to finally guaranteeing Cavill's return, and the impact it could have on the DCEU could go significantly further still. Here's how Black Adam might end up determining a great deal about the DCEU's future.

Dwayne Johnson Wants To See Black Adam Fight Henry Cavill's Superman

Black Adam Producer Throws Shade At Superman

As previously mentioned, a battle of superpowered demi-gods between Black Adam and Superman is something Dwayne Johnson has had his eye on for years. Black Adam could even reasonably be theorized as making some kind of tease or set up for that happening. However, Johnson's comment of not knowing who will play the Superman that Black Adam fights could indicate some hesitation on Warner Bros. part for Cavill to continue playing the character.

Whether this is a byproduct of WB's desire to sever ties with Zack Snyder's DCEU movies or something else, the studio and Johnson seem to be of two different minds about Cavill donning the suit again to face Black Adam. Assuming whispers of Cavill having secretly filmed a cameo for Black Adam are true, WB might also lack Johnson's eagerness in proceeding ahead with his idea until the film has been released and its success can be determined.

If Black Adam Is A Success, It Could Give Johnson Leverage

black adam dark knight similarities

Though Black Adam is a more widely recognizable DC character in the mainstream in recent years, he's still not at Superman-levels of being a household name. Johnson's involvement in Black Adam as both leading man and co-producer are likely major factors in the movie happening, and with the film to introduce the Justice Society of America, he clearly has plenty of confidence in it. It's not a new concept for an adapted movie deriving from a B-level or not widely known source material to use one or more A-listers as its hook to pull audiences in, and with Black Adam having the star power of The Rock on its side, it likely has a pretty good shot at commercial success.

Should Black Adam become a sizeable hit of the 2022 summer movie season, that could give Johnson just the pull he needs to finally make the Black Adam vs. Superman showdown he's long advocated actually happen. Indeed, Johnson being able to follow up a strong performance by Black Adam with the news that the superhero event he's kept the torch burning for is officially on would be the perfect victory lap for the film. Moreover, Cavill returning as a result of Black Adam's success could just be the beginning.

RELATED: Black Adam Can Fix A Mistake From The Rock's First Movie Role

Cavill Returning As Superman Could Open The Door For Others To Return

The 2017 version of Justice League wasn't simply a commercial failure, but sent the DCEU into total chaos with Ben Affleck departing as Batman, Henry Cavill being left in limbo as Superman, and many other side effects. The release of Justice League's Snyder Cut went a long way towards reversing much of that damage, with Affleck returning for The Flash and was once rumored to appear in Batgirl (though that gig seems to have been taken by Michael Keaton). Prospects for Cavill to return as Superman also brightened greatly, but still haven't completely solidified, and Black Adam's success might be the final hurdle to overcome for Cavill's Man of Steel.

If Cavill were to return, him being one of the cast members of Snyder's movies opens the door for others to do the same. Though Affleck's Batman future remains dicey after comments he's made on wanting to explore roles outside of "IP movies", Cavill returning in the capacity needed for Superman to face Black Adam could theoretically lead to Affleck doing the same if he chooses. Ray Fisher's conflict with Warner Bros., one of numerous similar controversies for WB, makes his situation the most complicated, but with Fisher having set an apology from DC Films president Walter Hamada as the condition for him to return wouldn't be a high bar to meet. In any case, with the Snyder Cut having cleaned up a lot of the mess of the Justice League reshoots, Black Adam being a hit and leading to Cavill's return could do the job of fixing the remaining damage that was done.

Few modern stars are as adept at marketing and driving audience excitement as Dwayne Johnson, and he's been anything but secretive in wanting to make the Black Adam-Superman mega-battle become a reality. Even if Cavill does make some kind of minor appearance in Black Adam, that still won't be the focus of the movie, but a hint of the story heading down that road coupled with the movie itself being a hit could steer things in that direction as Johnson clearly hopes for. Moreover, a return of Henry Cavill's Superman brought about by a successful release of Black Adam could also set the table for new possibilities for other DC actors and story elements with a connection to him.

NEXT: Why Black Adam Kills In His Trailer (Is He A Villain?)

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