When Will Superman Fight Black Adam (Since It’s Not Black Adam 2)?
WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Black Adam.
A Superman vs. Black Adam fight is “definitely not the next step” according to The Rock (via Twitter), which raises the question of when will Superman fight Black Adam if not in the Black Adam sequel. Given how much Dwayne Johnson teased the prospect of Black Adam meeting Superman in the DCEU, having Henry Cavill returning as Superman in Black Adam’s post-credits scene was a relief. Still, more than a little nod to the fact Black Adam and Superman exist in the same universe, an actual Superman vs. Black Adam fight has to happen to pay off Dwayne Johnson’s “change in the hierarchy of power” teases.
Considering that Dwayne Johnson spent more than 15 years trying to get Black Adam made, plus how much the producer had to fight to get Superman in Black Adam, it makes sense that The Rock is now being careful regarding what’s next for Superman and Black Adam in the DCEU. Still, after Henry Cavill’s surprising return to the role of Superman in Black Adam, it may be difficult for audiences to temper their expectation as Dwayne Johnson wants them to. If the Superman vs. Black Adam fight is not the next step, then this long-teased battle for the title of DCEU’s most powerful character might only happen after Black Adam 2, which by itself will take from two to three years to happen. This suggests that the answer to when Superman will fight Black Adam could be several years away, much to the disappointment of DC audiences.
Perhaps the quickest way for Superman and Black Adam to meet again in the DCEU would be Man of Steel 2. While a Man of Steel sequel starring Henry Cavill hasn’t been officially announced, Cavill’s official DCEU return opens the door for another solo Superman movie. A Henry Cavill Superman sequel should not take as long as Black Adam 3, meaning it could feature the Superman vs. Black Adam fight in a much near future. If it begins development soon, a potential Man of Steel 2 could happen in two or three years. That said, having Superman fight Black Adam in Man of Steel 2 would require Dwayne Johnson’s character to be a full villain in his next DCEU appearance – which is a problem.
The Black Adam movie goes all the way to establish Black Adam as a reluctant anti-hero rather than as a villain. Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, while not a hero as many feared he would be, is not the ruthless, cold-hearted villain from the comics. Making Black Adam Man of Steel 2’s villain would revert the character’s development, and it would make the Black Adam movie lose a lot of its meaning. Therefore, a more reasonable way to have Superman fight Black Adam would be in a crossover movie event in a similar vein to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
A Superman and Black Adam crossover movie in a near future does not seem to be in the cards going by Dwayne Johnson’s comment, and that is a problem. Now that audiences have been reacting so positively to Henry Cavill’s Superman return in Black Adam, losing that momentum by postponing the Black Adam vs. Superman fight is a mistake. The Rock has acknowledged how the characters and the worlds have to be set up, and while that is a valid argument, there is not much setup left for Black Adam and Superman to have a reason to fight in the DCEU. Black Adam already introduced its titular character to audiences all over the world, and Henry Cavill’s Superman has already been at the center of three DCEU movies.
Black Adam’s post-credits scene establishes that Black Adam can still be a threat to the world and that Superman is ready to stop the fallen Shazam warrior if necessary. The DCEU can obviously continue the stories of Superman and Black Adam separately, but there is no need to postpone the crossover until after Man of Steel 2 or Black Adam 2. In fact, in terms of box office potential, a Superman vs. Black Adam crossover movie in the near future could benefit both the Superman and Black Adam franchises in the long term.
One safe prediction as to who will win the Superman vs. Black Adam fight is that it will end in a draw – similar to what Batman v Superman did. That said, the trope of having major characters fight at first only to team up later is already becoming tiresome, and the DCEU itself has already done it both in Batman v Superman and Black Adam. Therefore, having Superman fight Black Adam only for them to team up against a greater evil would repeat Batman v Superman’s Doomsday twist and Black Adam’s Justice Society storyline. As such, the Superman vs. Black Adam DCEU fight must have a clear winner. Given how long Superman has stayed out of the spotlight, plus how Black Adam is still essentially a villain, Superman is the most likely to win the fight.
