WARNING: This article includes MAJOR spoilers from Black Adam.Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson tempers the expectations for the inevitable Black Adam vs. Superman showdown in the DCEU. After years of being stuck in development hell, Black Adam has finally been released in theaters and brought Johnson into the larger DCEU. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Black Adam chronicles Teth-Adam's dark backstory and how he became one of the most powerful beings on the planet. Not only did the DCEU picture also introduce the Justice Society of America, but it also saw the return of Henry Cavill's Superman, who hasn't been seen in the franchise since 2017's Justice League.
Despite the post-credits scene already leaking before Black Adam's global release, the DCEU movie garnered a lot of attention for Cavill's Superman cameo as he emerged at the very end of the film to confront Johnson's character. While a last-minute addition, Johnson had gone above now-former DC Films boss Walter Hamada's head and convinced the heads of Warner Bros. Pictures to incorporate Cavill's Superman in a Black Adam cameo appearance. Prior to and following Black Adam's worldwide opening, Johnson had continued to hype the idea of his titular character and Superman clashing as part of his quest to change "the hierarchy of power" in the DCEU.
While the DCEU will certainly see Black Adam and Superman eventually duking it out, Johnson stresses that it won't happen right away. Johnson shares on Twitter that while he plans for the DC characters to face off on the big screen, it is "not the next step." Instead, there needs to be a great deal of storytelling put in place beforehand.
How Will DC Build Up The Black Adam/Superman Fight?
What's important to remember about Cavill's Superman is that even though his Black Adam cameo set up an eventual war, this is the first time the British actor has donned the suit in a long time. Despite Superman's Shazam! and Peacemaker cameos - which weren't even played by Cavill himself - the franchise hasn't kept up with Clark Kent for the last few years. That is probably why Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Films are reportedly developing Man of Steel 2, as they likely want to let Cavill's character get re-established in the DCEU before rushing him into a showdown against Black Adam. Once Johnson's character has gone even further in Black Adam 2 and potentially Shazam 3, those films could slowly help build up a reason for why Black Adam and Superman would be on opposite sides.
Not wanting to execute that showdown right away is understandable, especially as it would be a massive deal for the DCEU if Superman and Black Adam were to go up against each other. One of the Black Adam producers has also stressed that they envision their clash as a long-form story, which makes perfect sense, especially after Cavill's Superman has had some time to rebuild his foundation. While Black Adam has seeded the idea of Johnson eventually battling Superman, it might be a little longer until that actually happens.
Source: Dwayne Johnson/Twitter
