The following article contains spoilers for Black Adam’s mid-credits scene.
Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam opened in theaters last weekend amid much fanfare and hype. But, even before audiences were able to watch the latest antihero to join the DC Extended Universe on the big screen, the mid-credits scene from the film had leaked online and was being circulated on social media. Was it a mere coincidence, or a marketing tactic? While that question might never get answered, it does highlight the studio’s possible lack of confidence in the film.
Johnson has never been one to shy away from speaking his mind, and he has been quite vocal about his opinion on the recasting of Superman in the DCEU. When Black Adam was first announced, many fans asked whether Johnson would be able to bring Henry Cavill back as the Man of Steel. However, Warner Bros. was entirely against the idea, and there were talks of recasting the hero. But, Johnson won the battle eventually, and while he managed to bring Cavill back into the DCEU fold, it makes one wonder whether he, and the studio, was worried that audiences wouldn’t want to watch the film without the promise of a more popular character.
In the Black Adam comics published by DC, the character is the archnemesis of Shazam and even goes up against Superman. There was always a possibility that one of the two characters from the DCEU would make an appearance in Johnson’s latest flick. However, with Warner Bros. repeatedly denying that Cavill’s tenure as Superman would continue, the hopes of his return in Black Adam were dwindling. But, Johnson didn’t let go.
In almost every interview to promote Black Adam, Johnson was asked about the possibility of Cavill’s return and his thoughts about the future of the DCEU. While Johnson never admitted to having filmed the mid-credits scene with Cavill, he always praised the actor for his performance as the hero. Cavill “embodies Superman,” and “is the Superman of our generation,” are just some of the things that Johnson has said about him in the past few months. It became obvious to fans that Johnson was in favor of bringing him back, and so they turned their pleas towards the actor.
For years, fans of the DCEU have asked Warner Bros. to restore the Snyderverse. It is a reference to the vision of the DCEU that was initiated by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder. While he was a part of the universe, Cavill was Superman, Ben Affleck was Batman, Gal Gadot was Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa was Aquaman, and Ezra Miller was The Flash. The three latter actors were still on board, and getting their individual standalone films, whereas Affleck’s return as the Caped Crusader was promised as part of the upcoming The Flash movie and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Cavill, on the other hand, had been removed from the equation. Until now.
When the Black Adam mid-credits scene leaked, the media obviously turned to Johnson for answers. The cat was already out of the bag, and Johnson had nothing left to hide. In his interviews following the leak, Johnson openly admitted to having brought Cavill back as Superman. It wasn’t clear at first how the scene came to being, but Johnson was glad to have been a part of it. The pleas of thousands of fans around the world were heard, and they all now looked to Johnson as the next potential head of the DCEU.
All of this comes on the heels of massive changes at Warner Bros. and DC. After the formation of Warner Bros Discovery, the release dates of several films were changed, the Batgirl film was entirely canceled, and the president of DC films Walter Hamada decided to quit after 15 years at Warner Bros. Hamada was among the list of executives who were against Cavill’s return. With the actor’s reveal in Black Adam, it is natural for fans to wonder whether Johnson would be the perfect replacement as the head of DC, considering he has been listening to them all along. He has publicly shared his vision for a Black Adam vs. Superman film, and has now proven that he can get fans what they want, so what’s stopping them from voting him in.
While it is great that Cavill has returned, and Warner Bros. is now considering a Man of Steel 2 film with him in the lead, it does raise the question about how or why the studio agreed after all this time. After repeatedly denying Cavill’s return as Superman, and refusing to reinstate the so-called Synderverse, why is it that the studio executives finally gave in when Johnson asked. Is it because they weren’t ready to make Black Adam without the actor, considering his condition to join was Cavill’s return? Or were they concerned that audiences wouldn’t appreciate an antihero flick?
Prior to the leaked video appearing on social media, the hype for Black Adam did exist. However, following the confirmation that Cavill was in fact going to be a part of the film, much to the executives' frustration, the conversations on social media changed course, and the film was trending on Twitter for days. Superman is evidently a more popular, and well established character in the DCEU. Could it be that the studio decided to bring Cavill back to not only increase the fanfare surrounding the film, but also to ensure that audiences actually watch the film in theaters? Johnson is a giant name in Hollywood, but Cavill’s Superman has been in demand for the past five years.
A week after the mid-credits scene leaked, Black Adam opened in theaters and had a soaring first weekend. It exceeded expectations, and opened to a whopping $67 million at the domestic box office, and $140 million globally. While his Fast and Furious films earned more, Black Adam is the biggest opening weekend for any standalone film that Johnson has starred in. People are referring to it as a career-changing film, but many still raise the question whether the same would have been possible had there been no confirmation of Cavill’s presence in the film. While there is no clear answer to that question, it has raised concern in the minds of some DCEU fans that the leak might have been a marketing gimmick all along.
Black Adam is now showing in theaters internationally.
