“The hierarchy of power in the DC universe is about to change,” proclaimed Dwayne Johnson early on within the hype-cycle for Black Adam. And between battles with the Justice Society of America and secrets and techniques revealed concerning the DC hero’s personal origins, he wasn’t completely flawed. But because the film’s post-credits scene reveals, the hierarchy of energy within the DC universe, held up by Superman, Batman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman, hasn’t completely modified simply but — which is simply effective with Johnson. He fought tooth and nail to verify DC’s fashionable universe acquired its due earlier than slamming it right into a wall.

[Ed. note: This post contains ending and post-credits scene spoilers for Black Adam.]

In Black Adam’s credit scene, Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller seems to Black Adam in Kahndaq’s historical throne room through drone-mounted hologram to inform him that she expects him to remain in Kahndaq, or else. The hero of Kahndaq replies that there isn’t anybody on Earth who can stand as much as him, so why we’d he hear? Waller snaps again: She is aware of individuals who aren’t from Earth in any respect.

Cue the arrival of Superman, performed by Henry Cavill himself, within the large blue swimsuit for the primary time since 2017’s Justice League (until you depend new footage shot for 2021’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League). In a pleasant tone, he tells Black Adam that it’s been some time since anybody made the world as nervous as he has, and he caps the entire scene off merely and open-endedly: “We should talk.”

While the scene ought to make followers giddy concerning the potentialities of Cavill returning to the function — and up to date information suggests {that a} Man of Steel 2 would possibly lastly be within the works — the reemergence of the Big Blue Boy Scout was no mandate for Johnson and his Black Adam artistic group. This was a fan getting his want.

“For a long time it bugged me that millions of people were vocal and wondering, and asking questions, and no one was addressing the questions,” Johnson says of Superman’s dormancy. “Even if you had answers that maybe people didn’t like, what always bugged me was… Well then, speak up! Someone speak up and talk to the fans, talk to the people, tell them what the plans are. And not only that […] but what bugged us was you have a guy who is a great Superman and a beloved Superman, a guy who loves the mythology and knows the character so deeply, like Henry does Superman, and then on top of that, the most important thing is fans love him as Superman… He’s been on a sideline for five years, and no one’s talking about it!”

Johnson has spent practically 20 years making an attempt to get the Black Adam film rolling, however when the present iteration of the mission took form 5 years in the past, its star was adamant that the motion tie into the bigger DC universe — whilst Warner Bros. Pictures brass was starting to shrink back from the notion of the prolonged “Snyderverse” established by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder.

That led to some battle. Not solely did Johnson need to introduce Black Adam and the Justice Society of America in a single cumbersome debut, he pushed to deliver Cavill again as Superman. According to a current report, that meant going round DC Films head Walter Hamada, who nixed the thought, and campaigning on to WB heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, who warmed to it.

“On top of all [the new introductions], we said, ‘Let’s go get the most powerful and unstoppable force in the entire universe that has been on the sidelines for five years. Let’s go and let’s fight hard to reintroduce him back into the DC universe through Black Adam.’ And that fight? We fought. We fought for a long time on our end at Seven Bucks; we weren’t gonna take no for an answer.”

Image: Warner Bros.

And they didn’t: Eventually, Warner Bros. cleared Cavill to look within the film, and the scene was reportedly shot simply this previous September.

Does the post-credits scene preface an precise change within the hierarchy of energy within the DC universe? That could rely upon how nicely Black Adam does on the field workplace in its opening weekend, and what Warner Bros. seems like within the subsequent few months. Hamada will quickly step down from his place at DC, and rumors counsel De Luca will play a bigger function in creating and increasing the comedian ebook universe. Cavill is likely to be again in a Man of Steel 2, even whereas Ta-Nehisi Coates and J.J. Abrams are at work on a special Superman mission imagined with a Black actor within the lead. There’s additionally The Flash’s multiversal splintering, and in-motion plans for a direct sequel. That’s on high of Aquaman 2, due out in 2023, and the in-development Wonder Woman 3. Plus there’s The Batman 2 and Joker: Folie à Deux, which show the universe is sufficiently big for duplicate heroes.

Black Adam ends with the return of Superman and the phrases “let’s talk.” And it’s all simply speak till somebody asks Cavill to actually swimsuit again up for scenes that play earlier than the credit roll.