Since DC FanDome in 2020 when Dwayne Johnson started promotingBlack Adam, one expression has become the movie’s unofficial tagline — “The hierarchy of power in the DC Universe will change forever.” Over the course of two years,Black Adamshifted from a simple Dwayne Johnson-led superhero movie to a major aspect of theDCEUthat would kick off a new era of stories for the franchise.
Black Adam’s status as a game changer became all the more important in 2022 after delays movedAquaman: The Lost Kingdom,The Flash, andShazam! Fury of the Godsback to 2023. This leftBlack Adamas the only DCEU movie set to be released in 2022. Then it became the last major release Warner Bros. Discovery would have for the year following major shakeups at the company.
Withthe cancelation ofBatgirland various behind-the-scenes shifts regarding the future of the DCEU with DC Films President Walter Hamada resigning and no clear leadership in place, all eyes were onBlack Adam. Would this be the film that charted a new course for the franchise, or would it be the remnants of an old regime at Warner Bros. that is no longer there that will shift following more announcements? This is a look at whatBlack Adamactually means for the DCEU future.
Black Adam Unites the Various DCEU Corners
TheBlack Adammovie has becomethe unofficial lynchpin of the DCEU, as the events of the film feature four major cameos that connect the film to the various corners of the franchise. The first is the appearance of the Wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) who reprises his role from 2019’sShazam!and will next appear inShazam! Fury of the Gods. AsBlack Adamwas originally introduced as a Shazam villain and his powers are connected to the Wizard, this made sense.
Black Adamalso featuresAmanda Waller (Viola Davis), who has been seen inSuicide Squad,The Suicide Squad, andPeacemaker. Black Adam is even stored in a Task Force X prison, connecting him further to the Suicide Squad and by extension, theBirds of Preyfranchise, given Harley Quinn is in both. The other surprise cameo is agent Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) who appeared in bothThe Suicide SquadandPeacemaker.
The biggest connection comes at the end, as Superman (Henry Cavill) meets with Black Adam face to face. Superman’s presence now connects not only his franchise but also those of his Justice League members like Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash, and Cyborg to Black Adam. This meansBlack Adamconnects to all the corners of the DCEU, uniting the various franchises in a more interconnected way than any previous project had attempted.
Superman Returns in Black Adam
The arrival of Henry Cavill’s Superman was arguably one of the worst-kept secrets in Hollywood next to the inclusion of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield inSpider-Man: No Way Home. Dwayne Johnson has been teasing he wanted Black Adam to fight Superman for years, and the week of the film’s release all but confirmed it to the press.
Cavill’s appearance inBlack Adamwas a big deal. The actor has not reprised his role as Superman since 2017’sJustice League(the actor did not partake in any reshoots for 2021’sZack Snyder’s Justice League). Superman appeared in 2019’sShazam!and recently in the season finale ofPeacemakerbut his face was never shown. The original plan forBlack Adamwas to repeat this trend, with thecameo not showing Cavill’s facebut only the Superman logo.
Related:Why Black Adam’s Post-Credits Scene Has Audiences Hyped for DC
This was reportedly due to a dispute between Cavill and Warner Bros. regarding his contract playing Superman, as the studio did not want to pay him his full price for small cameos.Dwayne Johnson went around DCPresident Walter Hamada to get a Henry Cavill Superman cameo and went to Warner Bros. executives Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy (De Luca and Abdy are currently in charge of DC Films following Hamada’s exit and no new head in place as of this writing). Cavill’s manager is Dany Garcia, who also happens to be Dwayne Johnson’s producing partner for Seven Bucks Productions, helping make his Superman return a reality. The cameo was filmed in September 2022, meaning had the film not been delayed from its original July 13, 2025 release date it would not have happened.
Black Adam Shifted Away From Shazam!
When Dwayne Johnson signed on to play Black Adam back in 2007, the original plan was for him to be the primary villain in aShazam!movie. This was the plan for quite a bit of time until Dwayne Johnson’s star power grew, and the actor reportedly requested a spin-off film to introduce Black Adam as he thought the character deserved to have his story told in his own movie. Many assumed withShazam! Fury of the GodsandBlack Adamso close to each other on the release schedule, and Black Adam’s connection to Shazam already teased in the 2019 film, that the two would cross over in a showdown event film,eitherShazam 3orBlack Adam 2.
However, despite the presence of the Wizard Shazam, no mention is made of the Billy Batson superhero inBlack Adam. Nobody makes a comment about how Black Adam has a similar look and power set to the hero in Philadelphia, including the kid obsessed with superheroes. Instead, Dwayne Johnson and Warner Bros. have now pivoted Black Adam away from being a Shazam villain and instead a foe for Superman. This is similar to how back in 2016 Ben Affleck’s Batman movie was set to feature Deathstroke as the main villain, even though Deathstroke in the comics is primarily a villain of the Teen Titans and Green Arrow. This is possibly a setup forSuperman to appear inBlack Adam 2as a major character, or for Black Adam to be the primarythreat in an upcomingMan of Steelsequel.
Black Adam Retcons DCEU History
Black Adamintroduces theJustice Society to the DCEU, and with it come some major implications for the franchise. The movie implies that the Justice Society has been operating for quite some time and members like Hawkman and Doctor Fate have a long history together. Noah Centieno’s character Al Rothstein is the second Atom Smasher and is the nephew of Al Pratt (Henry Winkler) who originally wore the suit and worked alongside the Justice Society.
Al Rothstein says he used to want to be a superhero as a kid and looked up to his uncle, implying the Justice Society and its members were active members in the world which would contradictMan of SteelandBatman V Superman: Dawn of Justicewhich implied that the arrival of Superman was a universe-altering event that exposed the world to super-powered individuals.
Related:Black Adam: 5 Biggest Unanswered Questions
This is not the first time the DCEU has made major changes to itself.Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justicesaid that Wonder Woman walked away from mankind following the events of her movie, but bothJustice LeagueandWonder Woman 1984retconned that.Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justicealso introduced a Batman that had been operating for over 20 years before Superman showed up. 2016’sSuicide Squadshowed that the government was aware of superpowered individuals like El Diablo, who was in prison likely before Superman showed up. The Justice Society’s introduction may change the entire course of how the DCEU functions moving forward.
Black Adam Teases a Lot, But is it Running in Place
Black Adamteases a lot of major changes to the DCEU. The introduction of Black Adam, a whole new superhero team in the Justice Society, and various factions coming into play would be the sign of building to some grand overarching storyline and that might be the case. Yet behind-the-scenes issues suggestBlack Adam’sstatus quo changes might not last long.
The current state of the DCEU is a tricky one. It appears the studio had big plans for how the franchise would move forward that were thrown into disarray because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Films were delayed, and then the studio was merged with Discovery to become Warner Bros. Discovery. Since then more release date changes have occurred, finished films likeBatgirlwere canceled, and films have had to undergo major changes in reshoots.
Much of DC’s plans were set onThe Flash, which is a multiversal adventure that would see the return of Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman as well as the introduction of Supergirl. The supposed plan wasThe Flashwould rewrite the DCEU and give it a soft reboot, likely bringing in Michael Keaton to replace Ben Affleck as the DCEU Batman and put Supergirl front and center, withKeaton reprising his role inBatgirl, but that was canceled.
However, the release date shifts then meantBen Affleck was brought into reprise his role for a cameo inAquaman and the Lost Kingdombefore that film was delayed again afterThe Flash, leaving his cameo up in the air. With the troubling headlines surrounding star Ezra Miller, the future ofThe Flashremains uncertain. This means that many of the major developments inBlack Adammight actually be retconned in just a few months, leaving it as a film that implies big changes but might merely be forgotten about. Only time will tell in this ever-shifting universe.
