Dwayne Johnson’s DCEU career was short, yet in the space of three months, he managed to star in Black Adam and one other DC movie, with both featuring the same post-credits scene. Black Adam was released in October 2022 and featured Johnson in the titular role and as a producer for the movie. The movie came at a pivotal moment for the DCEU – which was floundering at the box office and earning mixed reviews with every release – and introduced several lesser-known characters to the DCEU canon, including the eponymous hero, Hawkman, and Atom Smasher.
This wasn’t the first DC movie that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson starred in, however. Just months prior, an animated comedy existing outside the DCEU timeline was released in the form of DC League of Super-Pets, in which Johnson starred as Krypto, Superman’s Kryptonian dog. This movie did not contribute to the timeline of the DCEU, yet it did feature a very similar post-credits scene to the subsequent DCEU movie.
DC’s Super-Pets Movie Teased A Superman Fight 3 Months Before Black Adam
The post-credits scene for Black Adam sees the anti-hero being dressed down by Amanda Waller, who warns him to remain in Kahndaq. Adam rebuffs her by stating that there is nobody on Earth who could stop him, prompting Waller to send Superman to “talk.” Black Adam’s smile in response suggests that the talking would be brief, overtly setting up a tussle between the two powerhouses before the scene cuts to black.
While it has distinctly more humorous undertones, a similar scene plays out in DC League of Super-Pets post-credits scene. In this scene, Superman’s dog, Krypto, has a run-in with Black Adam’s dog, Anubis, when the latter steals the former’s squeaky Batman toy. When challenged, Anubis announces that his owner is an anti-hero and that nobody can stop him from doing what he wants. He also threatens that Black Adam could destroy Krypto and Superman before Krypto tricks the dog into flying with Black Adam to Pluto.
While the scenes are far from identical (with the DC League of Super-Pets scene being played distinctly for laughs), the similarities are pretty stark. Superman and Black Adam’s rivalry plays out in a scene where Black Adam (and his dog) boast about being unstoppable in the face of Superman (and his dog). This is especially interesting as a Superman Vs. Black Adam fight was being teased twice despite there being no precedent for such a rivalry in DC Comics.
Why Neither Black Adam Vs Superman Tease Ended Up Happening
The apparent shoehorning of a Black Adam Vs. Superman face-off goes some way to explaining why the fight never ended up happening. The future of the DCEU seemingly hinged on whether Black Adam could thrive at the Box Office, which it failed to do. Just days later, James Gunn and Peter Safran were brought in to reboot the DCEU, announcing within a week that the DCU would reinvigorate the franchise with a brand-new slate of movies. This was quickly followed by confirmation that the vast majority of DCEU actors – including Johnson – would not return.
This doomed any possibility that a Black Adam vs. Superman fight would occur, although the deviation from the source material may have had some part to play in the movie’s failures. Johnson’s heavy involvement in Black Adam reportedly saw him pivot from Black Adam’s proximity to Shazam to instead have him stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the DC icon Superman. This vision was intended to reinvigorate the franchise with Black Adam in a more major role – though it evidently failed to stick the landing with fans, leading to a complete overhaul of DC’s cinematic plans.
Why Both Cut Black Adam Vs Superman Fights Are Disappointing
One of the main gripes surrounding Superman concerns how powerful he is compared to most threats, diminishing the stakes unless kryptonite or some other MacGuffin is introduced.
Given the two characters share a similar power level and move set, a rivalry between them would have made for an entertaining watch. One of the main gripes surrounding Superman concerns how powerful he is compared to most threats, diminishing the stakes unless kryptonite or some other MacGuffin is introduced. Instead, Superman vs. Black Adam feels like a fair fight, with neither needing to pull their punches to deliver a significant blow. This seems to be where Johnson intended to steer the DCEU, ensuring that his character could offer a fair fight to the Man of Steel.
With all that being said, the fight would have been too much of a deviation from the source material. The reports surrounding Johnson’s intentions for Black Adam and the DCEU in general sparked accusations that he was championing the character he portrayed at the expense of the overarching narrative. Either way, the Superman vs. Black Adam fight is now decidedly less likely to happen in the DCU – though hope remains for a more comic-accurate depiction of Shazam vs. Black Adam, instead.