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Why Henry Cavill's Superman Needs To Fight The Rock's Black Adam
Superman (Henry Cavill) fighting Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) is the DCEU movie showdown that needs to happen. With recent reports that Cavill is negotiating to play Superman once again, the possible return of the Man of Steel opens up a slew of exciting possibilities. One of them has to be the Kryptonian hero taking on the mystical antihero, Black Adam - one of the few DC Comics characters who can physically give Superman a run for his money.
Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, starring Cavill as Superman, kicked off the DC Extended Universe in 2013. In that film, Superman saved the world from General Zod (Michael Shannon) and an army of Kryptonians seeking to terraform the Earth and end all human life. Moreso, Man of Steel established the Kryptonians' awesome power levels; Superman's battle against Zod and Faora (Antje Traue) devastated Smallville and Metropolis. In fact, the catastrophic damage the Kryptonians caused by their powers is what prompted Batman (Ben Affleck) to declare war on Superman in 2016's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson was cast as Black Adam in 2014 and has been waiting to wear the antihero's signature black and gold colors ever since; the Black Adam movie is currently slated for 2021 (it might be pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic), but a superhuman magically powered by the wizard Shazam was introduced in 2019's Shazam starring Zachary Levi.
Cavill's return as Superman may only amount to a cameo in Shazam 2 or another DCEU film but, ideally, the Man of Steel should face Black Adam in a movie because that's the spectacle DCEU fans really want to see. The idea of the mystic antihero waging war against the Man of Steel has already captured many fans' imaginations and fan art depicting the epic clash has proliferated throughout the Internet. Though he's powered by six Egyptian gods as opposed to Shazam's Greek and Roman dieties, Black Adam is Superman's physical match because he possesses earth-shattering super strength, speed, invulnerability, and the ability to fly. Further, Black Adam is powered by the ancient wizard's magic lightning and magic is one of Superman's weaknesses in DC Comics. Although the DCEU's Man of Steel hasn't displayed a vulnerability to magic yet - he was able to withstand Wonder Woman's (Gal Gadot) magic lasso and overwhelm her with brute force in Justice League - it would be fascinating to see Cavill's Superman suddenly realize Black Adam can exploit a weakness he didn't know he has.
Black Adam and Superman have battled in DC Comics and in DC Animated films where they have shown they are evenly matched - although the Man of Steel defeated Black Adam in the Injustice comics. But in the DCEU, Superman is long overdue to fight a foe who is his true physical equal; it's been many years since he snapped Zod's neck and, although Batman used every trick in the book to nearly kill Superman with a Kryptonite spear, they are by no means peers in terms of power levels. Superman's fight with Doomsday wasn't a one-on-one affair, nor were his clashes against the Justice League or Steppenwolf. But Black Adam is the perfect physical challenge for Superman, especially now that he's a more mature hero as opposed to the novice he was against Zod.
It's also an ideal match up since both Dwayne Johnson and Henry Cavill are bona fide action heroes. Along with his legendary WWE career, The Rock has headlined action films like the Fast & Furious saga and its spinoff Hobbs & Shaw. Cavill is no slouch in the action hero department either; he went to toe-to-toe against Tom Cruise as the villain in Mission: Impossible - Fallout and he's slain many monsters in The Witcher. Johnson is 6'5" mountain of muscle but the 6'1" Cavill also exudes strength and physicality. It also helps that Johnson and Cavill are real-life friends who share the same management.
Before Aquaman banked a billion-dollar box office, Batman V Superman was DC Films' biggest hit because it was sold on the Man of Steel fighting the Dark Knight. But Black Adam versus Superman is a DCEU prize fight that would eclipse BvS for pure spectacle, as well as force both superbeings to show what they're really capable of. Henry Cavill's Man of Steel facing The Rock's Black Adam is a genuine clash of titans that would thrill movie fans and could set a new standard for superhero movie smackdowns - which is why it needs to happen.
