Shazam! Fury of the Godsdirector David F. Sandberg has finally spoken on whether or not the hero’s popular antithesis, Black Adam, would finally make an appearance in the sequel. Fans have been eagerly waiting to see these two titans throw hands on the big screen just like in the comics and tv shows. The director’s comments come off the heels of the recent teases and leaks for Dwayne Johnson’s upcomingBlack Adamsolo film, as well as therecent tease of Shazam’s new costume.
Shazam! Fury of the Godshas recently started production but not much is known about the superhero sequel film or its plot. Sandberg did a Q&A on Instagram and when asked aboutBlack Adam’s potential role in theShazamsequel, the director responded (translated from Swedish) “No, he has his own movie.” TheShazamsequel will obviously take place after the first and continue the original DC “cinematic universe” started by Zack Snyder.
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Shazamdid a good job of establishing its own world despite the film sharing the same universe as the one established in Snyder’s trilogy of DC superhero films (Man of Steel,Batman v Superman, andJustice League). The post-credit scene ofShazam!shows Superman make a quick appearance, donning the costume very reminiscent of the Snyder films. With The Rock previously teasing that Black Adam will fight Superman, many are waiting to see whether these hopes and dreams will come to fruition. DC’s higher-ups appear to be delaying what fans have been asking for while they figure out how to continue the overarching universe’s story in the meantime. No one knows if they will take a different route than marvel or continue what Snyder started
Keep in mind the Sandberg’s comments can potentially be used to throw off fans' expectations so they can come into the film surprised about the way the focus is on the other characterssuch as Lucy Liu’s Kalypsoinstead of the attention solely going to Black Adam. With the hype building up, this would be a good way to lower expectations. Let’s say that Black Adam does appear in the film with a very small cameo and the director confirmed it this early on, fans would be disappointed to see that he only appears for a minute instead of getting a full-out fight with Shazam. Whether he’s in the film or not, saying “no” is the safest route to go to avoid fan hype, expectations, as well as disappointment. As of now, it’s safe to take the director at face value and just enjoy the story that will be told in this sequel.
For a lot of fans, it’s been way too long since they’ve seen a DC crossover with another DC property. Meanwhile, Marvel trades heroes like Pokemon cards. Fans are long overdue for something worth watching on the big screen in terms of seeing these characters interact with each other. The characters' personalities and adventures are too big to not have them come in contact with each other or have them be unaware and affected by each other’s existence.
At the same time, there’s something to be said aboutShazamtaking its timeto get into the bigger plots because if it started out with the heavy hitters, then the franchisewould have nothing to go back to in terms of storytelling. These smaller stories help build up the character and bring us more into the world in order to establish a connection. After all, the biggest complaint fans had with Joss Whedon’sJustice Leaguewhen it was initially released was that it doesn’t take its time with establishing its characters.
Shazam! Fury of the Godsis currently in production with a slated August 08, 2025, release date.
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