Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is fast approaching his live-action DC debut with the imminent arrival of his decade-long pet project Black Adam, set to debut on October 21. And even outside of Johnson's unique ability to bring a great deal of hype for his own projects, plenty of anticipation is building amongst fans to see what this new era of the DC Universe has in store, some of which is based on rumors to come from Black Adam's post-credits scenes.
Reports have hinted that this movie will bring back Henry Cavill's Superman, a character that Johnson has wanted to have Black Adam fight on screen for a long time. But on top of that, the film will reportedly see a record-breaking death toll and potentially even more DC cameos than just the Man of Steel, setting fans up for quite the adventure in the first solo movie for Teth-Adam.
And now, with fans starting to theorize about what this new movie's post-credits sequence will offer, Johnson has taken a moment to further tease what viewers should expect to see in the coming days.
Dwayne Johnson on Black Adam Post-Credits Scene
Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson teased what fans should look out for in his DC debut, seemingly dancing around the topic of spoilers at every opportunity.
He explained how this movie brings plenty of Easter eggs while fans "get introduced to a lot of characters," but he admitted that his biggest goal for this movie was to "really listen to the fans." Johnson proceeded to tease that the movie's post-credits scene has those fans "losing their minds," which is what he wanted to see:
"Yes, yes, yes, absolutely. So, in Black Adam, you’ll see some Easter eggs, you’ll get introduced to a lot of characters. But what we wanted to do, and what was so incredibly important to us, to me, to us at Seven Bucks. So I’ve been saying this thing for almost a year now, which is…there is a new era in the DC Universe, and it begins now, and it begins with Black Adam. Yes, introduce new characters, but the new era, Michelle, to me means listen to the fans. Really listen to the fans, not say you do, but we really listen to the fans and that will inform and guide you on what your next move is. So what you saw at the end of the movie that everyone is, early now, losing their minds over, that’s a reflection of listening to the fans, and that’s also a reflection of building to something big."
He went on to express his goals to "continue to build out the DC Universe" with new characters and veteran heroes alike. While he admits that "the box office will drive everything," he's always looking a few steps ahead for what could happen in this universe as well:
Johnson: "I will say this, the goal is…we want to continue to build out the DC Universe because there are so many places to go with Black Adam, with the JSA, the Justice League, new characters that are in the DC bible that haven’t been introduced yet, and it’s really up to the fans. So, when you talk about box office and what this could potentially be, the box office will drive everything, but that is the overarching goal, because I like to try and think five, six, ten steps ahead."
ET: "I know you do!"
Johnson: "So, that’s the goal."
Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Johnson was asked about certain spoilers that will supposedly make fans “freak out.”
Johnson addressed these spoilers head-on, acknowledging how some viewers have been "upset" with the way certain aspects of the DCEU have been handled and how Black Adam intends to fix that:
“When you guys see the movie, you see Black Adam, what you’re gonna see -- Like I said, we want to build out the DC Universe, introduce Black Adam, introduce other characters, as well, in the JSA. I have been saying this is a new era in the DC Universe that I love, that we love. It’s a new era. Yes, we’re going to introduce new characters. But, also, the new era means listen to the fans. You’ve got to listen to the fans. And for a very long time, for years, you guys know, fans have been screaming. They’ve been upset, like, ‘Hey!’ We established Black Adam as the most powerful and unstoppable force on this planet. The most powerful and unstoppable force in the entire universe has been on the sidelines for too long. So, myself, Seven Bucks, Danny Garcia, Hiram Garcia, we fought, and we weren’t gonna take no for an answer. We were gonna deliver it to the fans. And then, at the end, um... Welcome home.”
Johnson also spoke with CinemaBlend's Sean O'Connell, sharing how much he wants to bring "a brand new character" into the DC Universe rather than "a sequel (or) an existing IP." And through this experience, he reiterated the idea of "listening to the fans," making sure that they're heard and that the story progresses the way diehards want to see:
“Absolutely. That is the whole point of this, man. Thank you for asking that. And I have been saying for some time, there’s a new era in the DC Universe that’s about to begin. And what I meant by that was introducing a brand new character. It’s not a sequel, not an existing IP. It was...you know, Black Adam! Two years ago the world had no idea who he was. We did, but not, you know, the rest of the mass out there. Introducing the JSA, introducing that new era of the DC universe. But also what I really meant by, ‘This is a new era in the DC Universe,’ is listening to the fans. Listening to the fans. And doing our best to give the fans what they want. And maybe, sometime down the road — and I went through this in pro wrestling — is you can’t always give them what you want. But you’ll always know that we’re listening. And in this case, with what you and I are talking about, I have been listening and I’ve been wanting to address fans for years. Because I’ve been waiting for someone to step up and address the fans and say, ‘Hey, we hear you.’ So finally, after many months turned into many years, we ended up with what we ended up at. And the whole goal and intention now is to this new era, new time. Now let’s build out.”
Johnson Ready for Fans' Post-Credits Experience
Dwayne Johnson is arguably the best in the business at building excitement for his own movies, which is particularly the case now with how long Black Adam has been in development. And with a whole lot hinging on the success of this movie with regard to the DCEU's future, it's no surprise that he's front and center yet again letting fans know that there is plenty to be excited for.
Outside of his own appearance and that of the Justice Society of America, rumors about Henry Cavill's Superman returning after a five-year absence from the canon story has the fandom buzzing with anticipation. While there's no telling if he'll be the post-credits surprise or not, he would certainly have fans talking should he suit up as the Man of Steel in the DCEU again.
Regardless of how everything works out, Johnson will remain at the front of this effort over the next couple of weeks as Black Adam gets set to make its mark all over the world. The post-credits scene will be just one of many moments that have fans talking, and hopefully, it will help put the DCEU in the spotlight in a more positive fashion.
Black Adam will debut in theaters on Friday, October 21.
