Black Adam Credit Scene Explained: We Can't Say Anything Else In This Headline Without Spoilers
Warning: This article will contain spoilers for the mid-credit scene featured in "Black Adam."
Dwayne Johnson, star of Jaume Collet-Serra's new comic book movie "Black Adam," has given multiple interviews with the press, teasing audiences that his new movie features a notable cameo in its mid-credit sequence. Some might find his fixation on the end credits to be mildly suspicious, seeing as the film itself is currently garnering less-than-glowing reviews (and wasn't well-liked by /Film). "Black Adam" is about a superhero who was born in pre-Babylonian times in the fictional kingdom of Kahndaq. A young slave boy was granted powers by a cadre of Shazam wizards, allowing him to fight his oppressors. After a conflagration that leveled a mighty temple, Black Adam was magically imprisoned for millennia. Resurrected in 2022, Black Adam (Johnson) immediately begins laying waste to modern Khandaq's occupying military force. Unlike several notable superheroes, Black Adam has no compunction about killing people. It's only after a run-in with the Justice Society and a few conversations with Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) that Black Adam begins to appreciate heroism over aggressive villainy.
Black Adam is seemingly indestructible, can fly, is super strong, moves at super speeds, and flings lightning bolts at foes. He's essentially Shazam's evil twin, or perhaps a dark mirror to Superman. This was appropriate, as Johnson has admitted that he, like many young people, once longed to be Superman. He also hastened to add that, as a rebellious lad, he began to relate to slightly darker characters. When the time came to play an established comic book superhero Black Adam seemed to fit the bill.
But, not to be outdone, Superman (Henry Cavill) also appears in "Black Adam."
Black Adam vs. Superman
The mid-credit sequence of "Black Adam" features Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), the current Head of Super-Team Assembly, summoning Superman to give Black Adam a talking-to. A superhero as powerful as the Man of Steel has appeared, and it is seemingly going to take more than Hawkman and Dr. Fate to keep him reigned in. Superman, outside of films directed by Zack Snyder, typically isn't a destructive figure, and his unspoken code against killing is something that he and Black Adam could ostensibly debate ... or even come to blows over. In terms of continuing sequels and DC Extended Universe continuity, the appearance of Superman is an invitation for the two titans to fight.
After all, "Who would win in a fight?" remains the central question of just about every mainstream superhero story.
That this is the Superman played by Henry Cavill also links Black Adam to the DCEU at large, potentially involving all the other characters involved to date. Black Adam can now interact with Harley Quinn, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, The Flash, and Peacemaker as well. Although the DCEU has remained far more loosely knit than the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are drawn connections that future filmmakers might exploit should they so choose. If Black Adam and Superman get into an epic midair boxing match, let's hope it's out in space or in a remote desert, lest the two of them recreate the destruction of the 2013 film "Man of Steel."
Also, given that Superman also appeared in a post-credits sequence in "Shazam!," Black Adam could also potentially meet his direct counterpart. How the who Shazams would react to one another has remained in the realm of fan speculation.
What Johnson has been cookin'
Perhaps more notable than any cinematic pugilism between Superman and Black Adam, however, is Johnson's own passions. As mentioned above, Johnson was always an enormous fan of Superman, as well as Black Adam. On /Film, one can find a report from 15 years ago linking Johnson to Black Adam, and how he was eager to hype a Black Adam feature film while on the press tour for the then-upcoming "Get Smart" (2008). This has long been a personal project for Johnson who also serves as producer on "Black Adam." It took a long, long time, and was conceived of before there was an MCU or a DCEU, but Johnson finally got his wish.
Given that he is now playing Black Adam, and was once obsessed with Superman, a team-up and/or confrontation between the two characters would serve as a symbolic clash between the two sides of the star. Finally, Johnson could test his mettle against a childhood favorite, as well as physically size up both characters. Neither Black Adam nor Superman has a reputation for being particularly brainy, but an extended, "Republic"-like ethical debate would also be appropriate in the Johnson conflict. Do superheroes need to abide by traditional human morals if they are literally superior? Is it wise to assume that superheroes are going to be naturally heroic if mass murder — as evidenced in "Black Adam" — is now an option?
In bringing his two halves together, Johnson has invited potential for something interesting. One can only hope that filmmakers are ambitious enough to pursue it.