Dwayne Johnson: what did The Rock say about Henry Cavill returning as Superman in Black Adam movie?

Black Adam introduced Dwayne Johnson’s titular antihero to the DC Extended Universe, and  - in a surprise for fans who hadn’t seen the leaked post-credits scene on Twitter - brought Superman back into the fold.

Despite what Johnson says, the film didn’t exactly light the box office on fire, banking around $375 million so far off an estimated $200 million budget Black Panther: Wakanda Forever brought in nearly double that in half the time. But for a character debut it wasn’t a terrible performance, and has likely done enough to keep hopes for a sequel alive.

The return of Henry Cavill as Superman, who is now expected to have a proper feature-length comeback in a future DC film, was a big moment for fans, but according to Johnson, it almost didn’t happen.

What did Dwayne Johnson say about Henry Cavill?

Johnson shared a video to his Twitter page on 23 November in which he thanked fans for supporting the film, celebrated its position as number one on iTunes, and spoke about how he had to fight for Superman’s return in the movie.

He said: “We established Black Adam around the world as the most powerful and dominant unstoppable force in the universe. We have to bring back the most powerful, unstoppable force of all time in any universe. And you guys know who I’m talking about? Of course, that is Superman. And that’s Henry Cavill.

“The studio [Warner Bros.] was not bringing Henry Cavill back, inexplicably and inexcusably. But we weren’t gonna take no for an answer. This has been years in the making regarding bringing Henry Cavill back and years of strategic conversations.

"There was no way, there’s no viable logical way that you can attempt to build out the DC Universe without the most powerful force and the greatest superhero of all time sitting on the sidelines. It’s impossible to do."

“You have to have Superman in the mix. So that’s why we fought hard to bring Superman back. And there was no other Superman by the way, Henry Cavill is our generation’s Superman, and in my opinion the greatest Superman.”

Teasing Superman’s return ahead of the film’s release last month, Johnson told Entertainment Tonight: “We’ve established Black Adam as the most powerful and unstoppable force on our planet […] Where’s the most unstoppable force in the universe? Where is he? […] We’ve all been fighting for this moment, so I will say this. Welcome home.”

Is Henry Cavill in Black Adam?

Cavill played Clark Kent/ Superman in Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, Justice League, and Zak Snyder’s Justice League. The character died in Batman v Superman but is resurrected in Justice League.

In Black Adam, Cavill makes a brief uncredited appearance in the post-credits scene - he is wearing a red, blue and yellow suit modelled on his classic outfit. Superman tells Black Adam: “It’s been a while since anyone’s made the world this nervous.”

Will Henry Cavill return as Superman?

Superman and Black Adam are expected to take each other on in a future DC film - Dwayne has mentioned several times how the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe has changed, suggesting that Black Adam may supplant the Man of Steel as the most powerful force.

Currently, neither Johnson or Cavill are slated to appear in the four DC films slated for release in 2023 which include Shazam and Aquaman sequels, The Flash, and Blue Beetle. However, sequels for both Man of Steel and Black Adam are both reportedly in development. Given Cavill’s return at the end of Black Adam it is likely that he will return as Superman in the Man of Steel sequel which does not yet have a release date.