'Black Adam' producer says post-credit scene leak 'frustrating' after maintaining secret for so long

Black Adam is finally in theaters today after a 15-year development journey and a year's worth of promo all leading up to Dwayne Johnson's big-screen debut as the Man in Black. But over the last week, some of the headlines devoted to the film's arrival have shifted a bit to cover something the filmmakers would probably rather have everyone forget: A high-profile leak.

Last week, shortly after Black Adam's world premiere, footage of the film's mid-credits scene leaked online, which led to numerous fans watching that footage and tweeting about it, which led to entertainment outlets covering the news that a key moment from the film had gotten out early. Now, one of the film's producers has opened up about that leak, what it means to the Black Adam team, and the difficulties of trying to tamp down something that spreads online like wildfire.

**Seriously, we're about to talk about the post-credits scene, so if you haven't seen the movie yet and want to remain unspoiled, turn back now.**

As you may have already heard (and already watched, if you were so inclined), Black Adam concluded with a teaser setting up something Johnson has been talking about for a very long time: A showdown with the Man of Steel. Yes, Henry Cavill appeared onscreen in his Superman costume for the first time in quite a while, setting up a confrontation of some kind with Black Adam that could play out in future movies. 

On some level, this couldn't have been much of a surprise. It's the thing Johnson's been openly working toward for some time, it came within days of news that a new Superman movie is on the horizon, and pretty much the moment it became an open secret Johnson himself seemed to shrug the whole thing off. It probably helped that the news has been pretty well-received within DC fandom circles so far, but for Johnson's producing partner Hiram Garcia, the eleventh-hour leak still stings.

"Oh my God, it is so frustrating," Garcia told Slashfilm. "You work so hard, but look, we understand that this ending and this dream, this family dream that we had to bring to life, we knew that it was going to have an effect on the fans that were just like, 'Oh my God!' We heard them begging for it for so long. We've been wanting it for so long. It's disappointing that it leaks. You hope that the fans that are so passionate about it really do their best to block it out so that they can go and get the movie and enjoy it."

Anecdotally, at least, I can say that at my promo screening for the film, held earlier this week with both members of the press and eager members of the public in attendance, the Superman reveal still played very well. Fans in the audience seemed genuinely surprised and cheered when they saw Cavill, which suggests that many would-be Black Adam moviegoers have managed to stay in the dark about the whole thing. Still, Garcia knows that if someone wants to know what's up, they'll have no problem seeking out the footage, because no matter how many takedown notices Warner Bros. drops on uploaders, it's really hard to get that toothpaste back in the tube.

"We've been working with Warner Bros. to try and get some of those things under control, but really, it spreads like wildfire," Garcia said. "It's something you always know you have to deal with when you start testing the movie." 

Now that Black Adam is out in the world, the leak will soon be rendered irrelevant to the film's overall impact, and we'll all start waiting all over again for a new round of secrets in the inevitable DCEU follow-up films. 

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