Aldis Hodge, who plays Justice Society’s Hawkman in Black Adam, reveals that he wasn’t told about Superman’s return until shortly before the premiere.


Black Adam star Aldis Hodge reveals that he didn’t know about Henry Cavill’s return as Superman until shortly before the premiere. The film, which is the latest in the DC Universe, introduced Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam, a former slave from Kahndaq who was given the powers of Shazam and then imprisoned for 5,000 years. When he is released in the modern day, he squares off against the Justice Society, a group of heroes led by Hawkman (Hodge), who try to convince Black Adam to stand down and stop using his powers for destruction.

Although the movie leaves Black Adam’s morality in question as he weighs whether or not he truly wants to be heroic, the mid-credits sequence of the film teases a much more overtly villainous turn. This comes when his character meets Superman, played by Cavill as he properly returns to the role for the first time in the five years after 2017’s Justice League. This is cuing up an eventual fight between the two characters that is reported to last over the course of multiple films.


Recently, THR sat down with Hodge to discuss his role in Black Adam. They couldn’t resist asking him about that buzzy Superman cameo, and the star made a surprising revelation. The filmmakers kept the Cavill cameo so tightly under wraps that Hodge didn’t even know until a day or two before the premiere of the film. He shared that “I love it that we got to experience it together with the audience.” Read his full quote below:

The System (2022)


[I learned about Superman’s cameo] pretty close to the premiere. They kept that all the way under wraps, and I didn’t know until maybe a day or two before the premiere. So they kept it that close.

[I was not aware of their plans] at all. There was no talk of bringing back Superman and any of that. They’ve got to keep those things in a super vault, so all you can do is focus on trying to make Black Adam the best it can be. So you do hear things and you get ideas, but nothing is ever confirmed or really fully said. And honestly, I dig that because it was a huge surprise for me, and I love it that we got to experience it together with the audience. The fans have been trying to get Henry Cavill back in the red and blue for a minute, and D.J. was the perfect person to bring him back. It just doesn’t get any better.
Does Superman Have a DCU Future Outside of Black Adam?

So far, there have been many uncertainties around Cavill’s Superman return. In addition to the reveal that Superman and Black Adam’s conflict will take place over several movies, Cavill has expressed his interest in remaining in the role for “many years to come.” However, there have been no firm commitments as to what future titles the character will be appearing in, though the rumor mill has now been swirling more than ever before. With DC Studios now under new management thanks to James Gunn and Peter Safran, the franchise is setting its sights on a long-form story, and all signs so far point to Cavill’s Superman being involved somehow.

There is one telling clue that Cavill’s Superman future may extend beyond the Black Adam films and into a potential Man of Steel 2 or further. The fact that Liam Hemsworth is replacing Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher season 4 would seem to imply that Cavill has signed a contract to remain with the DCU for the long haul. While that news has largely upset fans of The Witcher, DCU lovers will almost definitely want to rejoice at the possibilities it allows.