Those who have been following the Black Adam promotional tour will know that Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has been dropping some pretty strong hints towards the return of a DC Comics favourite.

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The latest entry in the shared cinematic universe, last visited in The Suicide Squad and its spin-off Peacemaker, follows the title character as he is reborn and fights for the freedom of his occupied home nation, Kahndaq.

In doing so, he attracts the attention of the wider superhero community, most notably Amanda Waller's Justice Society of America comprised of Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), all of whom are new to the big screen.

But there's a more established hero who also crosses paths with Black Adam in a post-credits scene, which is sure to prove a crowd pleaser after years of fan demands. Read on for spoiler-filled details.

Black Adam post-credits scene explained

After vanquishing the demonic Sabbac and the forces of Intergang, Black Adam takes his place as the de facto leader of Kahndaq; a position reluctantly conceded to him by the defeated JSA.

However, there are terms and conditions. In the post-credits sting, fierce US government official Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) makes contact with Black Adam via a digital link-up and issues a stern warning.

She warns him that Kahndaq is now his "prison" and that setting just one foot out of its borders would result in aggressive retaliation – although Black Adam remains unfazed to begin with.

"There is no one on this planet who can stop me," he responds.

Dwayne Johnson in Black Adam
Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam in Black Adam. DC Films

Waller replies: "I can call in a favour from people who aren't on this planet."

As Black Adam remains defiant, she does just that. A mysterious figure drops out of the sky with great force, landing just metres away from Kahndaq's saviour.

Emerging from the darkness, it is revealed to be none other than Henry Cavill's Superman, who hasn't been seen on the big screen since 2016's Justice League (although he did make a streaming appearance in Zack Snyder's re-release last year).

"It’s been a while since anyone’s made the world this nervous," says Superman. "Black Adam: we should talk."

When will Superman appear next in the DCEU?

Henry Cavill plays Superman in Man of Steel
Henry Cavill plays Superman in Man of Steel SEAC

Fans have long called for Henry Cavill don the red and blue again, so this return is likely to generate a lot of conversation on social media – but what specifically is it setting up?

One possibility is that Superman will be an adversary to Black Adam in his second solo adventure, as Dwayne Johnson has made repeated references to a desire to see the two mega-powerful characters fight in live-action.

However, Black Adam 2 has not yet been confirmed by Warner Bros, so the fate of that projects rests solely on the blockbuster's performance at the global box office (it carries a hefty $200 million budget before advertising costs).

If the film doesn't connect with audiences, Cavill's Superman could still return, with a recent piece by The Hollywood Reporter on the future of DC revealing that the studio is also in the early stages of developing Man of Steel 2.

Now is not the time to get overexcited, as the belated sequel doesn't even have a writer attached at present, but it is a promising step in the right direction after Superman seemed to fall off Hollywood's radar for half a decade.

Black Adam is now playing in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.

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Authors

David Craig
David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

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