Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Black Adam.Black Adam is finally on HBO Max, allowing DC fans to watch, or rewatch, the story of Dwayne Johnson’s brutal antihero, the Champion of Kahndaq. And while the movie focuses on Teth-Adam’s origin story, it also introduces four new superheroes to the DC Extended Universe: Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, and Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher. There are also some familiar faces coming back from previous DCEU projects, as well as fun cameos that honor beloved actors. All these references point out to the bigger DCEU, as Black Adam was supposed to kickstart a new age for DC in theaters. However, since Black Adam has struggled to break even and the new heads of the DC Studios are completely revamping their film strategy, we can't tell how many of these loose threads will be tied in future projects. Still, let's discuss all the movie’s cameos and how they might fit in James Gunn and Peter Safran version of the DCEU.
Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
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The first character returning to Black Adam is Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller. Waller has been part of the DCEU for a long while now, showing up in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad and both James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. At the end of Peacemaker, Waller’s Task Force X was exposed to the public, and we thought her career would suffer for it. However, if Black Adam takes place after Peacemaker, it looks like Waller came out on top as she deals directly with the Society of Justice. Waller is set to come back in her own solo series following the events of Peacemaker, so we’ll know more about the character’s DCEU status sooner rather than later.
Even if Amanda Waller's solo series doesn't come to fruition in the new plan for the DCEU, Gunn already confirmed Season 2 of Peacemaker is moving forward. So, we should know more about the future of Task Force X regardless of how DC Studios' 10-year plan turns out to be.
Henry Winkler as the original Atom Smasher
In Black Adam, Centineo’s Albert Rothstein is not the first person to wear the Atom Smasher uniform. That title belongs to his uncle Al Pratt. While Al Pratt is retired in the movie, we do get a peek at him when he calls his nephew to make sure he doesn’t ruin his old super suit. And to our surprise, Hollywood legend Henry Wrinkler plays Al Pratt. Wrinkler became famous for playing Fonzie in ABC’s Happy Days, one of the most popular sitcoms of the 70s. Currently, he’s also part of the main cast of the phenomenal dark humor series Barry.
Djimon Hounsou as the Wizard Shazam
In 2019’s Shazam!, Djimon Hounsou took up the role of the Wizard Shazam, the last survivor of the Council of the Wizards, who’s searching for a new Champion to bestow the powers of the gods upon. Black Adam explains why the Wizard Shazam is a single survivor: because the whole Council is killed by Teth-Adam once they try to subdue the antihero. Hounsou only shows up in a couple of quick scenes to give some context to Black Adam's story, but it’s still delightful to see him picking up the staff once more. Hounsou will be back as the Wizard Shazam for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, set to be released on March 17, 2023. Shazam! Fury of the Gods is one of the four DC movies developped by the previous direction of DC Studios that still are schedule to be released, together with The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. That doesn't mean Shazam will be canon in the future of the DCEU, as Gunn and Safran have been making moves towards a clean slate, which includes the cancelation of Wonder Woman 3.
Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt
Waller is not the only Task Force X personnel to show up in Black Adam, as Jennifer Holland also returns as Agent Emilia Harcourt. The agent was part of the coup that knocked down Waller and helped the task force in Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, which led her to be punished by Waller and forced to babysit John Cena in Peacemaker. In Black Adam, Harcourt is leading the black site prison where they lock up Teth-Adam, so if this movie is a sequel to Peacemaker, it looks like Waller has forgiven the agent and given her a promotion.
Henry Cavill as Superman
The most shocking cameo of Black Adam comes in the mid-credits scene when Waller sends Henry Cavill’s Superman to have a friendly chat with Teth-Adam. For years we thought Cavill had hung the cape for good, so it was amazing we get to see him back in one of his most iconic roles. The mid-credits scene also teased a future duel between Superman and Black Adam. On top pf all that, the cameo cane just as a sequel to Man of Steel reportedly got in development.
A lot has changed since Black Adam hit theaters, though. Gunn has confirmed DC Studios will indeed make a new Superman movie soon, but this story would focus on a younger version of the hero, played by an announced star. We don't know much more about this young Superman movie, but since Gunn and Safran were hired to tell a cohesive story across film, TV, animation, and video games, we wonder if this new project could be connected to the Legion of Super-Heroes animated series. That would explain why Cavill couldn't be part of the next Superman movie, while still leaving the doors open for him to return in future projects. Unfortunately, after learning Man of Steel 2 wasn't moving forward for the time being, Cavill decided to hang the red cape for good. It's been a chaotic couple of months for DC, and we hope Gunn and Safran tell us about their plan sooner than later. Hopefully, it will be exciting enough for us to put aside our grudges due to Warner Bros. Discovery wave of cancelations.
Black Adam is now available on HBO Max.