Warning: This article contains spoilers for Black Adam.
At the end of the new DC movie, Black Adam, there is a post credits scene, as you would expect in modern superhero movies. This scene is a blast, and sure to excite fans of a certain DC icon, so let’s break down what happens in the scene and explain how it affects the future of the DCEU.
The end of Black Adam and the post-credits scene
The film ends with Black Adam (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) coming to some sort of deal with the Justice Society and Adrianna (Sarah Shahi) that will remain in Khandaq not as its ruler but as its protector. However, the mid-credits scene shows that someone else wants to weigh in on the matter.
In the opening scene, we see a drone fly up to Black Adam in Kahndaq and project a hologram of Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), leader of Task Force X, also known as the Suicide Squad. Waller’s job is to keep an eye on superhuman threats, and earlier in the movie, she’s the one who consulted Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) about Black Adam’s awakening in the present, and of course it was his hidden superhuman prison where Black Adam was locked up after surrendering. In the 2016 Suicide Squad movie, Waller got the green light to start Task Force X by pitching it as the answer to the next Superman-level threat. As well, Now that threat has arrived, and it’s Black Adam..
Throughout the film, Black Adam has proven without a doubt that he is a being with considerable destructive power, but he has a soft spot for his home country and its people, so Waller uses it to his advantage. He dictates the terms to Black Adam, giving him free rein to his homeland, but warns him that he must never go beyond the borders of Kahndaq. To back up his words, he threatens that if he has to, will ask for a favor to be taken care of by someone of his power level.
Naturally, Black Adam is not intimidated in the least, and responds by saying that there is no one else at his power level and destroys the drone in an explosion, ending the conversation. But the scene does not end there… A figure descends from the sky, lands in the cloud of smoke and emerges from the mist to reveal that is none other than superman (Henry Cavill).
It’s clear that Waller knew that Black Adam wouldn’t respond well to his terms and already had Superman on hold. Why the Man of Steel owes Waller a favor is a question for another time.
Superman approaches Black Adam and mentions that he can’t remember the last time the planet was so nervous about the arrival of a super being, and that they need to talk. Black Adam’s expression changes to show a look of intrigue on his face, but the scene ends before we hear his response. Considering that Black Adam turned Hawkman into a punching bag throughout the movie, and even that the final villain Sabbacc was dispatched without too much effort, he’s probably excited to finally meet someone who is a worthy opponent.
When will Black Adam fight Superman?
Now, this post-credits scene won’t come as a surprise to anyone who paid attention to Johnson’s pre-release promotion of the film, in which he pretty much confirms the buildup to a fight between Black Adam and Superman. In fact, years ago Johnson commissioned an artwork from BossLogic showing Black Adam fighting Superman, so it’s something he’s been working on for a long time. And now it seems that it may come true.
As to where can we see this fight between Black Adam and Superman, is currently unknown. The most natural place for it to happen would be Black Adam 2, but a sequel has yet to be announced. A recent article from The Hollywood Reporter said that the studio is actively developing a Man of Steel sequel starring Cavill, so maybe Black Adam is the villain of that film. The future of the DCEU is murky at best, with no clear roadmap and big changes happening from one moment to the next (Rest in peace, Batgirl), so we’ll have to wait to see when that will be revealed. face these two titans.
Interestingly, the Black Adam movie does not explicitly acknowledge that the character is related to Zachary Levi’s Shazam, aside from showing that they both got their powers from the Wizard (Djimon Hounsou) at the Rock of Eternity. It’s an odd choice, as Black Adam has long been Shazam’s nemesis in the comics and they have a common origin and powers. We’d certainly expect Waller and the Justice Society to be aware of Shazam following the events of his 2019 film, so it’s odd that they don’t go to him and Waller instead chooses Superman to face him. That can end up backfiring because in the comics Superman is just as weak to magic as he is to kryptonite.
Even more curious is the fact that Black Adam and Superman have only fought a handful of times in the comics, and they don’t have any kind of personal rivalry. Bearing this in mind, it almost seems strange that Johnson so strongly wants the two characters to fight. Of course, Johnson is likely less concerned with the details and more interested in his DC character taking on the biggest character in the DC Universe so he can enjoy all the hype and prestige that he brings.
In 2010 there was an animated film titled Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam, in which Shazam and Superman teamed up to fight Black Adam. That’s a potential route the DCEU could take, as it would not only throw Shazam into the mix, but show that Black Adam is so powerful that it takes two supermen to match his strength.
You can take a look at our Black Adam review.