Is Henry Cavill Really In Black Adam?

The DC Comics Extended Universe (DCEU) is seemingly back in full swing with the recent release of the Dwayne Johnson-starrer Black Adam. The film had been years in the making with Warner Bros. execs initially thinking about introducing the DC anti-hero alongside Shazam at one point.

Now, Johnson has made no secret about much he loves DC Comics and more importantly, how he would love to bring its characters together. More importantly, the star has also teased about seeing Henry Cavill back as Superman even after reports that he is done playing the Man of Steel after donning the cape briefly for Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Warning, there are some spoilers ahead.

Does Henry Cavill Appear In Black Adam?

Yes, he does. Cavill may not part of the film’s main cast, but he does show up as the Man of Steel in the movie’s post-credits sequence. In that scene, Johnson’s Black Adam is cocky as ever, even as Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) warns him that stepping out of Kahndaq from now on would have some serious consequences.

“You will not live to regret it,” she even says.

In response, the antihero points out that “no one on this planet” is capable of stopping him. In response, she reminds him, “I can call in a favor and send people who aren’t from this planet.”

Black Adam then seemingly decides to call her bluff (or perhaps, he just doesn’t care), urging her to “send them all.”

At that moment, Amanda doesn’t send them all. But she does send one and that is essentially Henry Cavill’s cue to emerge from the shadows. Superman tells Black Adam, “It’s been a while since anyone’s made the world this nervous.” In response, Black Adam offers a smirk, possibly teasing what’s is to come in the DCEU.

Putting Black Adam And Superman Onscreen Together Was ‘A Vision For Many Years’

It seems that ever since Johnson decided to take on the Black Adam project, he’s always envisioned that Superman would appear in the film in some capacity. Their onscreen presence together made a lot of sense after all.

“We knew we wanted to have a killer coda sequence in the film. And when we were talking about the coda, where were like, well, the only way to really deliver that to the fans is if it’s Black Adam and Superman — it’s the granddaddy of them all,” Beau Flynn, one of the film’s producers explained.

“And so that set us on a two-year mission to make it happen.”

At the same time, it also seemed that Black Adam’s story arc rightfully leads to a confrontation with Superman.

“It was a vision for many years. If we do this right, and we set up [Black Adam] as someone who is going to come and adjust the hierarchy over there, you’d probably get the attention of the other most powerful person in that universe,” producer Hiram Garcia, who is also the president of Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions, added.

“We always had a dream that we would end the movie like this … it was a challenge to make happen, but we got there. It was definitely a highlight of our careers to pull it off.”

“New Regime” At Warner Bros. Paved The Way For Henry Cavill Cameo

And while everyone on Johnson’s team was convinced that Superman should appear in Black Adam, rumors had been rampant that former Warner Bros. executive Walter Hamada didn’t share the same vision. “It was a battle to make it happen,” Garcia recalled.

“What I appreciate is that the new regime, and our partner at New Line, Richard Brenner, who’s always had our back, understood and supported our vision,” he said.

Flynn also explained, “Once the studio also really understood what the vision was there, then they really could finally get their arms around it and embrace it.”

How Did Dwayne Johnson Get Henry Cavill For Black Adam?

Perhaps, many don’t realize how connected Johnson is with Cavill. As it turns out, Dany Garcia, Hiram’s sister (and Johnson’s ex-wife), also happens to be Cavill’s manager. And since they started thinking about getting the actor for Black Adam, negotiations behind the scenes have been taking place.

“She works very closely with Henry and the way we all tagged teamed on this between Beau, Dany, Dwayne, and myself — it’s a moment that we’d like to pat ourselves on the back because it was hard to achieve and we’re really proud to have pulled it off and can’t wait for the fans to see it because we know the fans have been wanting it for ages,” Hiram said.

Meanwhile, even before Cavill agreed to do the cameo, the team also tested the idea of having Superman in the post-credits sequence using a body double. At a test screening, they only showed the Superman emblem on the chest and the audience went wild. “Then it was like, ‘Now we got to get Henry,’” Lawrence Sher, the film’s cinematographer, recalled.

Fortunately, Cavill said yes, and Dany even flew to London to watch him tape his part of the scene. “We were able to pull it off, and he was so excited,” she recalled.

Recently, Cavill also confirmed that he’s back in the DCEU. On social media, he wrote, « I wanted to make it official: I am back as Superman…Thank you for your support and thank you for your patience. »

Everyone thank @TheRock for bringing back #HenryCavill as #Superman in #BlackAdamRock was the key force in bringing Henry back & he is assuring a long journey \ud83d\udc4d pic.twitter.com/lhwVEhAY3L— DC World Telugu (@DCWorldTelugu) October 21, 2022