WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Black Adam.DC fans briefly booed The Rock at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, and that may have changed Black Adam’s Superman plans. While Dwayne Johnson had been teasing a Superman and Black Adam crossover for years, the actor and producer had never actually said that Black Adam would feature Superman. Still, the idea that Black Adam would “change the hierarchy of power in the DC universe” led many to assume that Superman would indeed be in Black Adam, which is why The Rock’s dubious answer at Hall H sounded so frustrating. Fortunately, Henry Cavill did appear as Superman in Black Adam, but it seems like it was not easy for The Rock to pull off the Man of Steel cameo.
While it was always the intent for Black Adam to feature a Superman cameo, Henry Cavill reportedly only shot the scene in mid-September after a series of negotiations between Dwayne Johnson and Warner Bros took place before Labor Day. The Rock himself revealed that he had to fight to have Superman in the movie, as the studio’s previous regime was not on board with the idea. According to Black Adam cinematographer Lawrence Sher, Black Adam’s post-credits scene originally revealed only Superman’s chest emblem, and the character’s actual face would not appear. Going by the timeline of events leading to Henry Cavill actually shooting the Superman scene, it seems fans booing The Rock at SDCC likely did play a part in Dwayne Johnson’s push for the Superman cameo.
The Rock Being Booed Proved Henry Cavill's Superman Had To Return
Dwayne Johnson’s career is defined by delivering what audiences want – from the “People’s Champion” in WWE to Fast and Furious and DC. Given how charismatic and full of energy The Rock is in events like Comic-Con, it was shocking to hear his presentation at Hall H being booed – even if it was for a brief moment. After being asked who would win in a fight between Black Adam and Superman, The Rock answered that it depended on who was playing Superman. Such an ambiguous answer put the future of Henry Cavill as Superman in the DCEU in check, and it is what led to The Rock being booed at Hall H.
An obviously embarrassing moment, The Rock being booed at San Diego Comic-Con made it clear why Henry Cavill’s Superman had to return. After five years of no updates regarding Henry Cavill’s Superman in the DCEU, not only long-time DCEU fans but also casual audiences had become tired of such uncertainty surrounding DC’s most important character. While movies like Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had been divisive, it seems like the studio had received the wrong message and decided to sideline Superman. Henry Cavill’s Superman was never the problem in the DCEU, and as proved by DC's SDCC 2022 panel, the franchise needed Superman’s return to start rebuilding.
How The Rock Got Henry Cavill To Return As Superman
The Rock’s long-time business partner, Dany Garcia also manages Henry Cavill’s career. Such a direct link between Dwayne Johnson and Henry Cavill was the first thing to sparkle expectations for a Black Adam and Superman crossover in the future. Still, despite Black Adam being in development for years, no official announcement regarding Henry Cavill being in the movie was ever made. Now that The Rock has offered more insight into how Superman’s cameo in Black Adam came to be, the cryptic answers regarding Superman’s role in the film make sense. DC Films’ former president Walter Hamada reportedly rejected Dwayne Johnson’s idea for a Superman cameo in Black Adam, yet The Rock was able to gain the support of Warner Bros. Pictures’ new head executives Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy to finally add Cavill’s Superman cameo.
What's The Future For The Rock's Black Adam & Henry Cavill's Superman?
Despite such a long journey to have Superman appear in Black Adam, the Superman vs. Black Adam fight is “definitely not the next step” according to Dwayne Johnson. The Superman cameo in Black Adam is being treated as a new beginning for the character, and while no other Superman project has been officially announced, Henry Cavill’s return to the role five years after Justice League opens the doors for more Superman stories in the DCEU. In an Instagram post celebrating his Superman return, Henry Cavill revealed that the Black Adam post-credits scene is just a small part of what is to come – meaning that a Man of Steel may finally happen.
It's difficult to say, however, when the long-awaited Black Adam vs. Superman fight will happen. If the Black Adam and Superman crossover is not the next step as revealed by The Rock, then a fight between Superman and Black Adam might only happen after a Black Adam sequel. The Rock’s Black Adam could also be the villain in a potential Man of Steel sequel or even in a Justice League sequel, although that will likely depend on what the DCEU’s new head executive James Gunn is planning for the franchise. After many years of uncertainty, the future of both The Rock’s Black Adam and Henry Cavill’s Superman is exciting.
