Black Adam deleted a second post-credits scene that indicated there may be more to come for the Justice Society's Doctor Fate in the DCU.
Along with finally introducing Dwayne Johnson's Teth-Adam, Black Adam also launched the Justice Society of America (JSA) into the DCU with Pierce Brosnan's Doctor Fate, Aldis Hodge's Hawkman, and more. But unfortunately, not all of these long-awaited introductions were lucky enough to make it out alive.
During the climactic fight of the flick, Brosnan's Kent Nelson sacrificed himself to help defeat the demonic Sabaac and save Hawkman from his doomed fate. The death of DC's most famous magic user came as a shock and disappointment to many who were hoping to see him take on a bigger role down the line.
Of course, much of the drama of Black Adam was ultimately overshadowed by Henry Cavill's Superman making a shocking comeback in the mid-credits scene. But that almost wasn't the only stinger fans would have been left with after the credits rolled, as another Doctor Fate-centric scene was cut from the movie.
Black Adam's Deleted Post-Credits Scene
According to The Direct's sources, Black Adam filmed and deleted a second post-credits scene that would have teased the future of Doctor Fate in the DCU. This moment would have played in addition to Henry Cavill's Superman return stinger, although the intended order of the two scenes remains unclear.
The brief scrapped sequence takes place during the day in a sandy location. The opening shot slowly pans up from the ground to reveal Doctor Fate's helmet siting atop the sand. A hand then comes into the frame to pick up The Helmet of Fate, although the scene quickly cuts to black before the identity of the mystery individual can be revealed.
Fate's helmet notably disintegrated in Hawkman's hands during the climax of the movie after Pierce Brosnan's hero made the ultimate sacrifice. So, a change in the flick to see the helmet dissolve may have led to the removal of this tag, or perhaps it simply disappeared to arrival before this mystery hand in the sand.
Black Adam director Jaume Collet-Serra and the Doctor Fate actor himself previously suggested "the door is open" for the magical hero to return to the DCU down the line, and “not everything is as it seems.”
What's Next for Doctor Fate in the DCU?
DC was clearly, at least at one point, planning for Doctor Fate to have a future in the franchise, but that may have involved passing the mantle from Pierce Brosnan's Kent Nelson to one of the many other incarnations of the character that have existed over the decades in the comics.
The latest and second-longest-running incarnation of Doctor Fate was Khalid Nassour, the grandnephew of Nelson who was chosen to take on the mantle by Egyptian deities. Perhaps this relative of Brosnan's character was the hand in question who would have been next to take on the mantle.
While this scene certainly pointed toward a passing of the torch, the fact it never made it into the final cut makes things even more confusing. Perhaps DC is now less certain of this plan to hand down the mantle and is considering keeping the former James Bond actor on board for future projects.
Based on Brosnan's own comments, the British star is equally out of the loop as to whether he will be returning to DC, but he's certainly keeping the door open. As the actor has received plenty of praise as one of the strongest elements of Black Adam, the studio may want to keep him around with a resurrection or prequel.
But there's still every chance that the decision to scrap the Doctor Fate tease actually has nothing to do with a change in future plans. Warner Bros. and Dwayne Johnson may have wanted to keep all the post-credits focus on its Henry Cavill surprise to avoid risking detracting attention from either of the major moments.
Looking ahead, there's no telling when Doctor Fate could next surface in the DCU with no obvious places for him to appear on the horizon - except for perhaps the Constantine project on the way. Although there has been talk that Black Adam spin-offs are already in the works, so maybe he could fit into one of those.
Black Adam is playing now in theaters worldwide.
