Small Details You Missed In The First Shazam! Fury Of The Gods Trailer
2019's "Shazam!" was truly something special. The superhero flick is dramatically different from others in the DC Extended Universe, and its sequel is set to follow suit. "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" arrives on December 21. On Saturday, at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 during Warner Bros. theatrical presentation, we got our first full-length trailer for the "Shazam!" sequel starring Zachary Levi in a red-and-white spandex suit and his Shazam Family.
The trailer has everything you'd expect from this film: fun flying sequences, mythical creatures, hand-to-hand combat, and those corny kinds of jokes that can only fly in the world of Shazam. Levi is back as the titular hero, with his foster family from the original film fully suited up behind him. In their superhero form, Freddy (Adam Brody), Darla (Meagan Good), Eugene (Ross Butler), Mary (Grace Caroline Currey), and Pedro (D.J. Cotrona) are ready to take on villains Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Kalypso (Lucy Liu). There were plenty of homages to the original film and other DCEU flicks, so let's break down all the small details you might have missed in the first "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" trailer.
The Daughters of Atlas have arrived
"Shazam! Fury of the Gods" is upping the ante in terms of adversaries for our titular hero and his family. The movie will see Billy and the gang go toe-to-toe with two godlike siblings in the form of Kalypso and Hespera, who are collectively known as the Daughters of Atlas. In the first official trailer for the DCEU sequel, they transfer powers into their beings by touching a magical staff, and it's clear that they mean business.
The presence of Kalypso and Hespera also raises some interesting questions about "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" and the future direction of the franchise. Could their introduction mean that Atlas will make an appearance as well? The Titan has a longstanding history with Shazam and his Justice League compatriots in the comics, after all, so it's entirely possible that he's in the DCEU's plans. Alternatively, the movie might follow the storyline in which Atlas is murdered by The Wizard (Djimon Hounsou), and the sisters merely want to avenge their old man by causing havoc.
It's also worth noting that Atlas had three daughters in the DC lore, so Liu and Mirren's characters might not be the only sisters to appear in "Shazam! Fury of the Gods."
Fast & Furious franchise connections are everywhere
One of the comedic highlights of the new "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" trailer comes when Shazam invokes the famous "family" motif that is central to the "Fast & Furious" franchise during a botched attempt to summon the rest of his own Shazam Family as he sits down with Hespera over a bite to eat. The reference is a funny one for fans (and it's not the first time a "Fast & Furious" joke has appeared in "Shazam!"), but if you don't know all of the movies, you might have missed that there are at least two strong personnel connections between these two disparate families.
Firstly, Shazam's "family" speech is made to Hespera, who is played by the great Helen Mirren. Mirren, of course, has been a part of the "Fast & Furious" franchise since her cameo in 2017's "The Fate of the Furious." She's made subsequent appearances in her role of matriarch Magdalene "Queenie" Shaw in the "Fast" spin-off "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw," as well as 2021's "F9." That gives Shazam's "Fast & Furious" reference an extra metatextual twist that fans should find amusing.
Fans are also aware that another new member to the "Shazam" world is also a familiar "Fast & Furious" face. Dwayne Johnson, who's set to make his DC Extended Universe debut in October 2022 with "Black Adam," plays the titular role of Shazam's own arch-nemesis in an antihero capacity. Given that both "Black Adam" and "Fury of the Gods" are set in the same sub-franchise of the DCEU, it's not unthinkable that Johnson may some kind of cameo in "Fury of the Gods," which is set to come out about two months before the "Shazam" sequel hits theaters, further cementing the "Shazam"-"Fast & Furious" connection.
Is this the Rock of Eternity?
The "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" trailer doesn't give away too many spoilers. For that, we should be thankful. However, some of the visuals do tease some significant expansions of the "Shazam!" lore in the DCEU. For example, the above image looks an awful lot like the Rock of Eternity, and this is a big deal with a cool backstory.
Basically, the Rock of Eternity is a lair that is created by the original Shazam, who uses rocks taken from Heaven and Hell. In the comics, the mystical refuge was used to imprison formidable creatures, including an entity known as the Three Faces of Evil, which is a tri-headed dragon that made life horrible for the Shazam fam. If this is the Rock of Eternity we're seeing in the "Fury of the Gods" trailer and it does figure into the film, then it's entirely plausible that the aforementioned deadly menace could be lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportune time to plan a prison break.
Of course, the lair also serves as a power hub for anyone who's able to channel the wizard Shazam's extraordinary abilities, so the film might not feature any three-headed monsters. It remains to be seen how the Rock of Eternity will be portrayed in "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," but its inclusion will undoubtedly lead to some interesting developments.
Mythical creatures abound in Shazam! Fury of the Gods
The newest trailer for "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" shows our hero — Zachary Levi's Shazam — as he takes on Kalypso and Hespera. After Ares, the God of War, came after Diana (Gal Gadot) in 2017's "Wonder Woman," this would be the second instance of our heroes facing off with the immortals. Fans will notice a little help comes for the villains in the form of a dragon that emerges from the ground, looking as fierce as anything from "Game of Thrones." This is probably the DC Comics version of Ladon, the hundred-headed dragon Atlas sent to guard the apples of the Hesperides (via Greek Mythology). While missing all of its heads, Ladon's CGI is top-notch, with the dragon looking like a formidable opponent for the heroes as it spits blue fire.
Besides the dragon, viewers will notice another mythical creature arrive on the scene. Near the end of the scene, Billy Batson's siblings ride black unicorns down the street. While they're all in their human forms, the Shazam Family appears determined, as if they're going into battle. The moment seems very reminiscent of TRINITY #18 (via Twitter), where Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman are seen riding unicorns on the lost world, Skartaris. We can't wait to see what other mythical creatures will be part of "Shazam: Fury of the Gods."