Small Details You Missed In The Second Trailer For Shazam! Fury Of The Gods
2023 is a big year for DC superheroes with lightning-themed logos. Before "The Flash" finally enters the movie theaters this summer, we'll be reintroduced to a whole family of Shazams, led by Billy Batson's (Asher Angel) mystically-powered superhero form (Zachary Levi). "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" is set to premiere on March 17, so expect the near future to be quite full of the film's promotional material.
Speaking of which, the second trailer for "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" is officially here, and if it's any indication, the sequel will take everything that made "Shazam!" so much fun and turn it all up to 11.
The first "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" trailer was packed with small details that Looper was happy to figure out for you. The same applies to this second one, so without further ado, here's a closer look at the tiny clues it's hiding, and the not-so-tiny questions it raises. Let's go!
Who is the actual big bad?
This is the biggie, and therein lies the question. Just going by the cast list, it's easy to assume that Helen Mirren's Hespera is the film's main villain, because who has the capacity to be a bigger threat than Helen Mirren with divine superpowers? Still, looking at the trailer, Hespera's role kind of seems closer to a DCU equivalent to the MCU's Odin (Anthony Hopkins) — a powerful figure who's done a bunch of awful stuff, and can absolutely kick your behind, but prefers talking things out to crushing helmets these days.
Lucy Liu's Kalypso, on the other hand, is another thing entirely. She's the one who makes the best ominous poses and demolishes sportsball stadiums with magical foliage. And that's not even to mention the fact that she's the one with the cool, dark costume. It appears that she's most actively involved in the big-budget battle scenes against the main character. Oh, and she's riding an actual dragon.
It's been a while since Liu played a major villain, which is a shame since she's pretty great at it. Considering all the visual clues the trailer is throwing at the viewer, and assuming that "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" isn't setting up the swerve of the century, Kalypso might very well turn out to be the true big bad of the movie.
Shazam's staff has seemingly been stolen
One of the most eye-catching visual elements of the new "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" trailer comes in the form of a magical staff brimming with blue energy. At different points in the trailer, viewers can see both the villains of "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" and the movie's titular hero all using the staff during various big blowout battles. However, it seems that none of these characters are actually the true owner of the weapon.
By all accounts, the person to whom the weapon belongs is ironically one of the characters who isn't seen wielding it in the trailer: Djimon Hounsou's Shazam aka The Wizard. Viewers of the original "Shazam!" may recall that The Wizard uses what is presumably the exact same staff to grant Billy his powers. He also happens to be curiously missing it in each of his scenes in the new trailer. This suggests that the Daughters of Atlas steal the staff from The Wizard at some point and use it to carry out their villainous plan before Billy eventually manages to get it back.
Whoever's staff it is, it looks like it can take back the powers of Shazam
And speaking of the staff ...
From the second trailer, it's clear that Kalypso and Hespera are out to reclaim the powers that once belonged to their father. As Shazam himself puts so plainly, "The Daughters of Atlas are coming to hunt us," and they seem to have the perfect weapon to do so.
Around the 1:40 timestamp of the trailer, fans can see Mary (Grace Fulton) flying high in the skies doing superhero things. Unfortunately for the members of the Shazam family, Kalypso — on dragon back — is right behind her, wielding the powerful staff that everyone seems to be fighting over. She shoots the heroine with a lightning-bolt-looking spell, and Mary instantly transforms back into her mortal form, plummeting down to Earth. Shazam saves her before it's too late, but the scene proves he's up against some serious competition with the Daughters.
While the idea of superheroes losing their powers isn't necessarily novel, it'll be interesting to see how the Shazam family takes on this adversity. Both trailers show that everyone is having a great time with their new abilities, so losing the powers they've come to rely on might be a big wake-up call for the characters. Whether the rest of the family gets their powers back before the movie rolls credits is still up in the air, but given that "Shazam!" puts a massive focus on family, there's a pretty good chance someone uses the staff to return their powers.
A possible extended role for Djimon Hounsou's The Wizard
While it certainly looks like the battle of good and evil will be had between Billy's family and scorned sisters, bets are that The Wizard will be on the sidelines advising in a more prominent role than before. Initially giving the powers of a champion to young Billy Batson in the previous film, the new preview hints that the sisters might not necessarily be after the Big Red Cheese but also his mentor as well.
Early in the trailer, Helen Mirren's Hespera is seen cursing Batson and his friends from one side of a prison door. "Children stole the power of the gods. You ripped it from our father's core," she laments. While we don't see who she's talking to, there's a high chance that it's The Wizard, who is later seen blowing gold dust out of a window while seemingly trapped in a cell. Are the sins of Hounsou's wise elder returning to haunt him, and will he have enough power to help his champion? Maybe not, especially given that his trusty staff is being passed around like a hot, mystical potato. We're no magicians, folks, but we're pretty sure this spells nothing but trouble.
Dragons and unicorns and chimeras, Oh My!
We know from a previous teaser that there will be some new mythical creatures introduced to Billy Batson's world during "Shazam! Fury of the Gods." A herd of black unicorns and a craggy-looking dragon that breathes blue fire were the two types of beasties on display in our first look at the upcoming movie. But the film's second trailer adds more creatures to the mix. There appears to be a chimera — a hybrid animal from Greek mythology that combines a lion, goat, and a dragon — tearing apart Philadelphia during one of the teaser's most heart-stopping moments. Also briefly visible: a black minotaur-like figure sporting bull's horns that jumps onto the windshield of a speeding van and roars in fury only to be thrown off as it peels away.
While the dragons appear to be under the full command of Kalypso and Hespera and the unicorns seem to have been tamed by Billy and his siblings, there's no word as to how the chimera and the minotaur might figure into the movie's plot. Still, it definitely appears that "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" is going to have fun with the mythological aspect of Billy's roots.