The Rock’s DCEU Tease Means Black Adam vs Cavill’s Superman Must Happen

Black Adam‘s Dwayne Johnson continues to tease a showdown between his anti-hero and Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel, and with the amount of hype he’s put behind it, it simply needs to happen now. The Rock has been developing Black Adam since 2008, and the movie is finally set to hit theaters on July 29, 2022. The first tease of Black Adam was also shown for 2021’s DC FanDome, showing a glimpse at both the scope of Adam’s powers and the ruthlessness with which he dispatches his version of justice.

One thing Johnson has also consistently spoken of is Black Adam going head-to-head with Superman, with Johnson’s teases literally going back several years. Most recently in an Esquire interview, Johnson contrasted Superman and Black Adam’s extremely divergent views of justice. Johnson further stated that “I think fans can anticipate it“, and that “I will continue to do the most that we can to try and make that happen.” With this being just the latest in Johnson’s many teases of Black Adam and Superman facing off, it’s something that the DCEU can’t afford to not follow through with.

To begin with, Johnson’s description of Black Adam and Superman as heroes from the opposite ends of the spectrum is very on point. After the loss of his family and years of enslavement in Kahndaq before being bestowed with his powers, Adam has a much more brutal perspective on justice than the Man of Steel but still sees himself as fighting for good. With Black Adam comparable to the Injustice Superman, showing them as adversaries with Superman opposed to Adam’s methods and Adam viewing Superman’s methods as too weak could position them in a hero vs. anti-hero conflict.

Black Adam is also one of the few DC characters to be on Superman’s level in terms of strength and power. As Johnson also points out, Adam’s powers having a more magical basis makes him an opponent who could truly hold his own and then some with Superman in a fight. As opposites in their views of justice and equals in the demi-god powers they possess, Black Adam vs. Superman would have both thematic strength for both of them as characters, and serious potential for an awe-inspiring superhero battle.

Henry Cavill has also re-iterated his eagerness to continue as Superman, and his appearance in Zack Snyder’s Justice League showed him at perhaps his most powerful ever. To not go through with he and Black Adam as metahuman opponents would be a major missed opportunity, not to mention quite anti-climactic after the lengths to which Johnson has gone to drive excitement for it. Superman may or may not make a cameo in Black Adam when the film arrives in theaters, but for the DCEU’s future plans for Kahndaq’s anti-hero after that, Black Adam vs. Superman is a DCEU must.

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Brad Curran
(717 Articles Published)

Growing up, Brad developed an innate love of movies and storytelling, and was instantly enamored with the world of adventure while following the exploits of Indiana Jones, Japanese kaiju, and superheroes. Today, Brad channels his thoughts on all manner of movies, from comic book films, sci-fi thrillers, comedies, and everything in between through his writings on Screen Rant. Brad also offers philosophical musings on martial arts and the filmographies of everyone from Jackie Chan to Donnie Yen on Kung Fu Kingdom, where he’s also had the privilege of interviewing many of the world’s great stunt professionals, and hearing plenty of gripping stories on injuries incurred in their line of work and the intricacies of designing the acts of death defiance he first thrilled to as a youngster. When he’s not writing, Brad enjoys going on a ride with the latest action hit or Netflix original, though he’s also known to just pop in “The Room” from time to time. Follow Brad on Twitter @BradCurran.

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