Is Henry Cavill’s Superman in Black Adam?

Sam Comrie
An image of Henry Cavill's Superman and The Rock's Black Adam

Is Henry Cavill finally returning as Superman in Black Adam? The Man of Steel’s return has been eagerly anticipated since Zack Snyder’s Justice League and now, The Rock may make our dreams a reality. Here’s everything we know about Superman’s return to the DCEU.

Look, we know it’s no secret that Warner Brothers’ efforts to kickstart the DC Extended Universe have been shaky, to say the least. Despite several misfires, the divisive cinematic universe still has people in fiery debates over Batman v Superman to this day.

Henry Cavill’s depiction of Superman has been a beacon of hope, though he has largely remained absent aside from his resurrection in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Now, with Black Adam on the horizon, years of rumors could pay off as all signs are pointing toward Kal-El’s return to the big screen.

Has Dwayne Johnson pulled off the impossible? Is Henry Cavill in Black Adam? Here’s what we know so far.

Potential Black Adam spoilers head…

Where has Henry Cavill’s Superman been?

Debuting in 2013, we’ve seen Henry Cavill’s Superman go on quite a journey. Man of Steel introduced the Kryptonian to the world, culminating in a devastating battle against General Zod.

Batman V Superman dealt with the aftermath of this fight, as Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne sought out justice amid a devilish web of lies spun by Lex Luthor (Jessie Eisenberg).

an image of superman in zack snyder's justice league
Superman wore the iconic black resurrection suit in Zack Snyder’s version.

With Superman sacrificing himself to defeat Doomsday, Batman and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) were left to assemble a team of heroes to defend Earth from a larger threat in either version of Justice League.

Since Cavill’s last appearance was filmed between April and October 2016, it has been six years since he donned the cape.

Initial Shazam! cameo rumors and Black Adam face off

It’s been a decade-long goal for Dwayne Johnson to bring Black Adam to the big screen. He’s made it clear that he’s a huge fan of Cavill’s Superman too, with their friendship stemming all the way back to 2016. Two years later, initial rumors of Cavill’s appearance in Shazam! spread like wildfire but this led to nothing more than a headless cameo with no Cavill in sight.

Fuel continued to be added to the rumor mill fire amid Cavill’s commitments to The Witcher. It was speculated that multiple deals have been discussed with Warner Brothers but Cavill’s commitments to the show were a huge obstacle. Other rumors claimed Cavill was dissatisfied with the direction of the character and yearned for more control.

Within the chaos of Superman’s return, Johnson has been fixated on delivering what fans want to see. Speaking with Total Film magazine in 2021 (via Digital Spy), Johnson claimed: “There’s a battle that’s going to go down one day, between Black Adam and Superman. I don’t know who that Superman is going to be, and I don’t know who’s going to play him. That’s OK. I don’t need to know right now.”

Radio silence fell once more regarding Cavill’s return… until recently.

Will Henry Cavill return as Superman in Black Adam?

Appearing at San Diego Comic Con 2022, Dwayne Johnson was asked again whether Superman would join the likes of the J.S.A to battle Black Adam.

Johnson said to ComicBook: “Henry’s a buddy and he is a phenomenal Superman and Henry Cavill is the Superman of our generation, with respect to the other Superman’s in the past.”

Johnson added that “you gotta lot of people who advocate on Henry’s behalf and root for him to win.”

He also mentioned Black Adam producer Dany Garcia, who happens to be Johnson’s ex-wife and Cavill’s agent as someone integral to his portrayal of the famed red and blue Boy Scout.

Now, it appears Johnson is done with cryptic clues and platitudes. Johnson delved deeper into the journey of Black Adam’s live-action debut with Reel Blend’s Jake Hamilton.

“I was also listening to the fans at the same time, where you have Black Adam… we will create Black Adam for him to be the most powerful and unstoppable force on this planet.

“The most powerful and unstoppable in the universe has been on the sidelines for too long,” Johnson remarked. Crucially, industry insiders have allegedly attended screenings of Black Adam ahead of its October 21 release.

Is Henry Cavill back as Superman in Black Adam?

Yes, Henry Cavill’s Superman returns in Black Adam in a post-credits scene. The scene in question sees Suicide Squad’s Amanda Waller threaten Black Adam if he decides to leave Kahndaq.

Confident there isn’t anyone that can stop him, Waller calls his bluff as Superman arrives. Superman claims the world is nervous due to Black Adam’s power and suggests they should talk. Fans of Cavill’s Superman will note an updated version of the Man of Steel-era costume

So there you have it – that’s everything we know so far about Henry Cavill’s DCEU return.

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About The Author

Sam Comrie is a former Dexerto journalist based in South Yorkshire, UK. He has an MA in Multimedia Journalism and joined Dexerto in 2021 after producing content for NME and Red Bull Gaming.