What the ‘Black Adam’ Credits Scene Means for the DCEU
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Can you feel that? Yeah, that’s the hierarchy of the DC Extended Universe being upended. At least, according to “Black Adam” star Dwayne Johnson.
This long-in-the-works adaptation of the comic book antihero, who began life as a “Shazam!” spin-off, is finally here, and it’s ushering in (potentially) a new phase of movies based on DC properties. (DC admittedly hasn’t had the easiest go of things.)
In the new movie, Johnson’s character, referred to as Teth-Adam for most of the runtime, is a godlike creature resurrected after 5,000 years of imprisonment in the fictional North African nation of Khandaq. It’s there that he kills many, many people, runs afoul of the Justice Society (led by Aldis Hodge as Hawkman), and gains some of his humanity back after befriending a young widow (Sarah Shahi) and her John Connor-esque son (Bodhi Sabongui).
Together, Teth-Adam, the Justice Society and his new human pals stop a powerful gang member from taking over the world (he finds a magical crown that turns him into the literal devil – what do I have to draw you a diagram?) And then, during the end credits, somebody else shows up …
But in order to discuss this, we must first declare a major spoiler warning. If you haven’t seen “Black Adam” yet or haven’t read an interview Dwayne Johnson has given in the past few weeks, then turn back now. We’ll be here.
What happens during the credits scene?
At the end of “Black Adam,” Teth-Adam has defeated the devil guy and become a self-styled champion of the people of Khandaq. He is still dangerous (he kills the bad guy by ripping him in half) and is still following his own rules, but he’s become a pillar of the community. Even the Justice Society, initially tasked with bringing him in, has accepted his unorthodox approach to hero work.
During the credits we see him in his temple in Khandaq. A drone flies in and projects a hologram. It’s Amanda Waller (played by Oscar-winner Viola Davis), who lays down the law for the DC Extended Universe’s newest (anti) hero.
Wait, Amanda Waller is there?
Yes.
Why?
Well, in the context of “Black Adam,” she was advising and overseeing this incarnation of the Justice Society, who she had tasked with bringing in Teth-Adam.
But isn’t she associated with villains?
Yes, that is true. Previously, Amanda Waller was seen in 2016’s “Suicide Squad,” James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” (from 2021) and the HBO Max series “Peacemaker” (from earlier this year). (Emilia Harcourt, one of Waller’s lackies and played by Jennifer Holland, also makes a brief appearance.) In all instances Waller, was in charge of the Suicide Squad, a band of merry murderers and social misfits who agree to do a go-for-broke mission for Waller, in exchange for time off their sentence. It rarely works in the convicts’ favor, and most of them end up dead.
The Justice Society, or Justice Society of America (oftentimes abbreviated as JSA), debuted in “All-Star Comics” #3 back in 1940. It has always been a consortium of good guys; in “Black Adam,” the team is made up of Hawkman, Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Atom Smasher (Netflix hunk Noah Centineo). Again: all good guys.
Is she like the DCEU’s Nick Fury?
Maybe? It’s pretty unclear. But yes, it doesn’t make much sense why a character previously (and exclusively) associated with villainous characters is now overseeing a group of altruistic superheroes.
OK, what does she say to Black Adam?
She says that she will allow him to live outside of one of her ghastly supermax prisons (Teth-Adam was briefly held captive earlier in the movie) but he has to stay in Kahndaq. That is his prison. He says that there’s nobody on this planet that can stop him. To which she proposes – what about somebody not from this planet?
And then what?
Black Adam uses his electricity powers and blows up the drone. Then, from the shadows and smoke a familiar silhouette emerges, flying toward Teth-Adam (now Black Adam). It’s Superman, played once again by Henry Cavill. He floats up to Black Adam and says: “Black Adam, we should talk.” Cut to black.
What does this mean?
Well, crucially it means that the Superman of the DC Extended Universe is still very much Henry Cavill. There had been some confusion over this; Cavill hasn’t appeared as the character since 2017’s “Justice League.” A proposed cameo for “Shazam!” in 2019 fell through, and he didn’t pop up in “Wonder Woman 1984,” “Birds of Prey” or Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad.” In fact, Cavill’s continued employment with Warner Bros. and DC remained up in the air. His brief cameo in “Black Adam” means that he is still Superman and he’s going to keep an eye on the newest member of the team.
Also Read:
Does ‘Black Adam’ Have a Credits Scene?
What does Dwayne Johnson want to do?
Reports surfaced recently that Johnson very much wants a “Black Adam vs. Superman” movie, in the same way that, for his second outing, Cavill’s Superman battled Ben Affleck’s Batman. Whether or not this comes to pass remains to be seen (and depends largely on the box office/audience response to “Black Adam”). But this is definitely a possibility.
Also a possibility: a proper sequel to 2013’s “Man of Steel.” Superman hasn’t had his own movie in nearly ten years. That is extremely weird and it’s way overdue for another outing with the man who can leap tall buildings in a single bound. (“Mission: Impossible” filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie has been floated as potentially spearheading a new movie.) Until something is officially announced, it’s just nice to know Cavill is still in the mix.
What about the Black Superman movie?
The Black Superman movie is still also very much in development. This new film will be produced by J.J. Abrams (who long ago wrote a Superman script called “Flyby”) and written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and, should it ever see the light of day, will exist outside the mainline DCEU continuity, the way Todd Phillips’ “Joker” and its upcoming sequel or Matt Reeves’ exemplary “The Batman” from earlier this year are. (Yes, Ben Affleck is apparently still the Batman of the mainline DCEU continuum.) Abrams’ Superman project has nothing to do with Cavill’s and the characters will exist on parallel paths. Welcome to the multiverse, baby!
Anything else we should know?
Cavill has a new suit in the scene but he still looks (and more importantly feels) the part. It would be nice to give him another Superman movie if only because, crucially, we haven’t seen him really play Clark Kent. This is what made the Christopher Reeve version of the character so memorable and what made that performance sparkle. Hopefully it happens.
“Black Adam” is in theaters now.
Also Read:
‘Black Adam’ Was Recut to Avoid an R Rating: ‘The Movie Was Just Really Violent’
