Black Adam credit scene: Delving into that major DC return

Black Adam has now been unleashed in cinemas, and there's absolutely only one thing that DC fans are talking about.

The new movie tells the origin story for Dwayne Johnson's anti-hero Black Adam and the Justice Society, all of them characters we can expect to pop up in future DC movies as they team up to protect Kahndaq.

And there's one more hero that we can add into the mix for future movies who makes an appearance in the one and only credit scene, but this one isn't a new addition – he's a much-welcome return addition.

To delve into the cameo and how it came about, we have to go into some major spoilers so look away now if you haven't seen Black Adam yet.

Black Adam credit scene: Welcome back Superman

The credit scene takes place after Black Adam has taken his place as protector of Kahndaq after stopping Sabbac by ripping him in half, which is definitely one way of stopping an evil villain.

Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) warns Black Adam never to leave Kahndaq or he'll be stopped permanently. He taunts her that nobody can and Waller says they'll get "people not from this planet" to do it, a challenge he welcomes.

We don't have to wait long to find out as through an ominous wall of smoke, Superman (Henry Cavill) arrives as the classic John Williams theme plays in the background.

"It's been a while since anyone's made the world this nervous," he tells him. "Black Adam, we should talk."

And that's it. It's just a teaser for future battles to come, but what a teaser. It marks the first new appearance for Cavill's Superman since 2017's Justice League. (He was seen in Zack Snyder's Justice League, but he didn't film anything new for it.)

If you've been on social media in the past week, this scene might not have come as much of a surprise as Johnson has basically been spoiling it to anybody who will listen.

"We always put the fans first... We've established Black Adam as the most powerful and unstoppable force on our planet. But the fans have been so passionate about, 'Where is the most unstoppable force in the universe? Where is he?," he told Entertainment Tonight.

"Well, we've all been fighting for this moment, so I will say this: Welcome home."

View full post on X

It turned out to not be that tricky of a cameo to sort as Johnson and Cavill are friends in real life.

"My longtime business partner, Dany Garcia, she has been a big advocate for Henry. She's managed Henry's career over the years," Johnson explained. "It came down to, dude, we love Superman."

Before the release of Black Adam, it was confirmed that Man of Steel 2 was still in development with Warner Bros looking for writers currently, so Cavill's return makes even more sense.

It speaks to a more connected DC universe going forward, but it's not yet clear if the next appearance of Superman will be in a crossover movie with Black Adam. They've fought multiple times in the comics, so there's plenty of inspiration to draw from.

One storyline even saw Superman and Shazam team up against Black Adam, although it was a Black Adam from a different universe. It's likely that while the comics might provide some inspiration, whatever story the movies tell will be original to the Worlds of DC.

Shazam already has another movie coming up with Shazam! Fury of the Gods, so it could be that we get a standalone Superman movie with Cavill before a Black Adam sequel turns into the big crossover DC event movie.

If that's the case, let's hope DC avoids another Justice League...

Black Adam is out now in cinemas.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) [DVD] [2020]

£6 at Amazon

Wonder Woman 1984 [DVD] [2020]

£5 at Amazon

Zack Snyder's Justice League [DVD] [2021]

£7 at Amazon

Joker [DVD] [2019]

£6 at Amazon

Shazam! DVD [2019]

£5 at Amazon

Aquaman [Blu-ray] [2018]

£5 at Amazon

DC 5 Film Collection [DVD] [2018]

£8 at Amazon

Wonder Woman [Blu-ray + Digital Download] [2017] [Region Free]

£5 at Amazon

Justice League [4k Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Download] [2017]

£9 at Amazon

The Dark Knight Trilogy [Blu-ray] [2013] [Region Free]

£22 at Amazon

The Superman 5 Film Collection 1978-2006 [Blu-ray] [1978] [Region Free]

Now 20% Off

£20 at Amazon

Superman Animated Movie Collection [DVD] [2013]

£18 at Amazon

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Ultimate Edition

£23 at Amazon

Ian Sandwell

Movies Editor, Digital Spy  Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor.  Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world.   After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.