HITC explains the Justice Society reference in Shazam! Fury Of The Gods.
Heading out to theaters is always exciting but it’s arguably that little bit more special when a superhero blockbuster is gracing the screen.
Fortunately, Shazam! Fury Of The Gods is in theaters from Friday, March 17th 2023 and audiences are invited to reunite with the titular caped hero, played to perfection by Zachary Levi.
Directed by David F Sandberg, it’s both the 12th installment of the DCEU and a direct sequel to 2019’s Shazam.
This time around, we follow Billy Batson and his foster siblings attempting to save the world from the Daughters of Atlas, which brings Helen Mirren, Rachel Zegler, and Lucy Liu in for their franchise debuts.
Although there’s a lot to digest across the film’s runtime, it’s the mid-credits scene that will have audiences desperate for some clarity. So, let’s get the Justice Society in Shazam! Fury Of The Gods explained.
WARNING: SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS SPOILERS
Justice Society in Shazam! Fury Of The Gods explained
The first of two post-credits scenes comes midway into the credits and shows Billy being approached by two familiar figures. Indeed, those who have seen the Peacemaker series focusing on John Cena’s titular Suicide Squad antihero will recognize them as Emilia Harcourt and John Economos.
They inform Billy that they’ve been sent by Amanda Waller to recruit him for the Justice Society. What follows is a gag in which Billy runs off other names that could have been used for the society instead, playfully noting that he likes the sound of “Avengers” instead; he initially thought they were asking him to join the Justice League.
While the scene is sure to get some laughs, it’s important because the Justice Society is already established within the DCEU.
The Justice Society refers to a team of superheroes that featured in DC Comics, appearing as early as 1940 in All Star Comics #3. However, they weren’t inducted into the DCEU until Black Adam starring Dwayne Johnson as the titular Shazam foe.
It’s established that Hawkman (played by Aldis Hodge), Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) make up the team, with the Fury Of The Gods post-credits scene suggesting that Shazam has a future in the team too.
With Peter Safran and James Gunn now the co-CEOs of DC Studios, it remains to be seen how or if the Justice Society will fit into the forthcoming slate of DCU projects.
Fans react to Justice Society reference
A handful of audiences have already reacted to the mid-credits scene on Twitter, with some skeptical and fearful of the franchise’s future.
Check out a selection of tweets:
‘There could be more Shazam’
The film’s director was recently asked during an interview with The Playlist if he knows what will happen with Shazam now that James Gunn is overseeing DC movies:
“I don’t know about the full-scale plans, but they keep telling me that there’s nothing in Shazam that conflicts with what they’ve got in mind for the future. So maybe, yeah, there could be more Shazam.”
He added: “But as for me? I just did two of these in a row, so I need a little break. But if they want to do more, I’m more than happy to talk.”
Shazam! Fury Of The Gods is now in theaters.
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