Dwayne Johnson booed by fans at SDCC as he says Black Adam could beat Superman. Watch

The San Diego International Comic Con (SDCC) is underway in the US this weekend. And already, the pop culture mega festival has given film buffs enough to binge on in terms of announcements and trailers. One of the most talked-about trailers launched at SDCC this weekend has been of the Dwayne Johnson-starrer superhero film Black Adam. Although there had been teasers and first looks of the film earlier, the SDCC sneak peek gave a better look at the popular DC antihero’s live-action debut. And fans have promptly begun asking for a Superman crossover, something that has caught Dwayne’s notice as well. But his response for what would happen in such a scenario hasn’t gone down too well with some fans.

Black Adam stars Dwayne as well as a strong ensemble cast including Pierce Brosnan, Aldis Hodge, Sarah Shahi, Noah Centino, Quintessa Swindell, and Marwan Kenzari. The film releases on October 21. In the comics, Black Adam is a magical being often clashing with Shazam. In animated films and comics, Shazam has often teamed up with Superman to beat Black Adam. Given that Superman had a cameo in the first Shazam (2019), many fans want the three characters to meet in live-action films too.

While presenting the film’s clip at SDCC on Saturday, Dwayne was asked about the possible crossover and who he thinks would win in a fight between Black Adam and Superman. The actor responded, “That’s a great question..don't threaten me with a good time, cause I'm going to answer that question," Johnson said. "Well, I will say, as you guys know, because we're all in deep with this mythology, and it's been an age-old question of who would win a fight between Black Adam and Superman. Pound for pound, they're pretty close. I guess it probably all depends on who is playing Superman; I'm just going to say that. I'll leave it at that.”

The response drew unexpected boos from the audience for a number of reasons. The first is that it implies that fan-favourite Henry Cavill, who has played Superman since 2013, may not be returning to the role. The other reason, of course, is that the all-powerful Superman is considered unbeatable by most DC fans.

However, Dwayne was quick to correct himself later in an interaction with IGN. Talking about the "hierarchy of power" in the DC Universe, he said, “The one who sits at the top of the DC Universe is Superman. The one who is scratching at his back is Black Adam. And I always do like reminding people is that Superman has two weaknesses: Kryptonite and magic. Black Adam, one of his anchoring powers is magic.”

Apart from Henry, Superman has also been played by Brandon Routh, George Reeves, and most memorably Christopher Reeve in films. However, there doesn’t seem to be any upcoming appearances of the character in DC films. Despite this, rumours continue to swirl about Henry cameoing in Black Adam. Whether that’s true or not, only the film’s October release will tell.