'Shazam 2' spoilers! How 'Fury of the Gods' end-credit scenes set up Zachary Levi's DC future
Spoiler alert: The following post discusses the ending of “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” (in theaters now), so beware if you haven’t seen it yet.
Zachary Levi's young-at-heart superhero saved the day again in the sequel “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” But more importantly, the dude finally met his comic-book crush and made some plans for the future.
The DC Universe is preparing for a major reset and the latest “Shazam!” outing sets a foundation for its main character’s return down the line.
Here’s what the “Fury of the Gods” finale and two end-credits scenes tell us about DC’s superhero future.
Surprise! Wonder Woman is back and resurrecting the dead
Teen-turned-superhero Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel as a kid, Levi as the magically transformed buff adult) points out his love for Gal Gadot's Amazon several times in the movie, even dreaming of going out on a dinner date. But he finally gets a chance to meet her after sacrificing himself to save Philadelphia in a climactic finale. When his family holds a memorial service for Billy, Wonder Woman shows up, unleashes the magical power of Zeus, and Billy comes back to life and crawls out of the dirt. He tries to ask her out when she leaves, but gets this snappy response instead: “Stick to saving the world, kid.”
With a third “Wonder Woman” movie scrapped, Henry Cavill's Superman run at a definite end and Ben Affleck’s swan song as Batman assumably in the upcoming “The Flash” movie, DC’s “Justice League” members don’t seem to be a big part of the upcoming rebooted universe (now headed by filmmaker James Gunn and “Shazam!” producer Peter Safran). But Gadot’s appearance potentially nods to a supporting role going forward rather than a featured one, maybe popping up here and there a la Samuel L. Jackson’s Marvel mainstay Nick Fury.
Shazam is recruited to join a new DC superhero team
The first end-credits scene begins with a pair of federal agents from Gunn’s “Peacemaker” series, Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and John Economos (Steve Agee). They’re walking in a forest to a meeting set up by their boss – Amanda Waller, Viola Davis’ character from the “Suicide Squad” movies – when they find Shazam using his powers at an abandoned gas station. The agents have come to offer him a spot in the Justice Society (which had its debut in “Black Adam”), and he’s disappointed that it’s not the Justice League with Wonder Woman. Shazam pulls out a phone to Google better names without the word “Justice” in them and throws out as a possibility “The Avengers Society.” “I like that for some reason,” he says, an obvious nod to the Marvel superteam.
Chances are, DC won’t repeat the “Black Adam” debacle (where Cavill’s Superman showed up in the end credits and then the actor announced his permanent departure a month later). So that’s good news for Shazam’s future, whether Levi gets a third “Shazam!” movie, has a starring role in a Justice Society flick and/or appears in “Waller,” a planned HBO Max series featuring Davis and the “Peacemaker” crew.
Who is the villain in the 'Shazam 2' post-credit scene?
Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong), the villain of the 2019 “Shazam!’ movie, is still in the same prison cell as he was in the last film's end-credit scene, and Sivana is visited again by super-smart wormy supervillain Mister Mind. Now bearded and with a lot more scrawling on his wall, Sivana is ticked the little guy has been missing for two years. “To implement the perfect plan, Doctor, one must have patience,” Mister Mind says. “It takes me a very long time to get places, OK? I don’t have legs, I do not have wings. I just slither around endlessly. But not for long.” He tells Sivana that he has “one more thing to do” and departs again, leaving a cursing Sivana aghast.
This is another sequence that hints to a third “Shazam!” and the possibility of a Monster Society of Evil, which the Mister Mind of the comics heads up. A tiny mastermind like that is the sort of oddball character Gunn adores and he could – ahem – worm his way into a variety of upcoming DC projects, perhaps the “Creature Commandos” TV series.
Read more about DC superhero movies:
'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' review: Zachary Levi's plucky man-child leads joyous superfamily sequel
'Best foot forward': Dwayne Johnson defends 'Black Adam,' talks Henry Cavill's DC exit
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Shazam 2' post credit scenes hint at Zachary Levi's DC future
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