Shazam 2 keeps Wonder Woman, Batman out of the picture in a clever way

You can always find the mentions at Shazam! Fury for the Gods director David F. Sandberg, there are about eight to 10 people wondering why Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman aren’t showing up to help Shazam in the DC movie.

“Where was Justice League when all this happened???” one inquiring mind will yell after Sandberg shares an innocuous image of a dragon lighting Philadelphia on fire. The director is able to answer every question.

When the Justice League is alive, they are not dead. Fury at the Gods picks back up with Billy Batson and his Shazamily (and if you have seen a recent spoilery TV spot, you know there’s room for a cameo or two). It can seem like it, though, when the Daughters of Atlas take flight to retrieve their powers from Billy (and his orphan brothers), it’s almost as if it was. Sandberg’s sequel is a movie all about Shazam (played in grown-up form by Zachary Levi) figuring out who he is in the grand pantheon of superheroes, and what happens when he doesn’t have a Superman — or in this case, his dorky brother Freddy souped up with Superman-like powers — by his side. Sandberg and Chris Morgan, writers Henry Gayden & Chris Morgan came up with a simple solution to allow for emotional incubation.

“Marvel gets this too,” Sandberg laments to Polygon with a laugh. “Why aren’t the Avengers here? Why isn’t the Justice League here?It is possible! can’t have the Justice League, even if that would be cool, but that was something we talked about — and that’s kind of why we have the dome over Philadelphia, a forcefield that keeps people out.”

Warner Bros. Pictures

Although the original ShazamBilly made do with his superpowers at street level while he learned how to harness them. Fury at the GodsIt gets bigger. Since the daughters — Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu), and Anthea (Rachel Zegler) — are in pursuit of the Shazamily, the sequel is still uniquely set just within the confines of Philadelphia, though the city’s never felt bigger as three god-powered beings wreak havoc. The magic of the three daughters eventually encapsulates the city, preventing any interference from outside, leaving Shazam as the only hope for redemption. Which is tough for Billy when the audience picks back up with him — not only does he want his brothers and sisters to use their powers responsibly, but he wants them working as a team 24/7.

“[The dome] is a whole natural extension of him holding on too strong at the beginning,” Gayden says. “We always knew that it was going to be him having to let go. […] Then we have these daughters who’ve lost their father because of Shazam’s powers, and could tell a story about loss, confronting a literal superhero with impostor syndrome, and the reality that he doesn’t deserve his powers.”

“I really appreciated the pressure cooker of it,” Morgan adds. “I think in an early draft the dome comes in early, and then it got pushed back a little bit, kind of toward the end of the second act. But it’s cool, because you see the effect it’s having on the city — it’s a way to ramp up the tension and then ultimately isolate Shazam from the family.”

Warner Bros. Pictures

Sandberg claims that there was some discussion about playing with fan expectations that a DC superhero could come by to help, but it didn’t take root. “I thought maybe we should have just at least a news report on TV or something where you see Superman outside the dome, or Batman, trying to get in,” he says. “But we never really went down that path because that opens up a whole can of worms!”

Despite the fact that there is still much to be done in development Fury at the GodsAlthough filming began immediately following the movie’s success, the COVID-19 virus pandemic disrupted plans and delayed production. DC is now experiencing major changes after it was given the green light. While Sandberg and his writer colleagues were brainstorming, Walter Hamada (DC Films president) and Geoff Johns (DC Films co-chairman) were there. The movie will open on March 17, to a brand new DC Entertainment led by Peter Safran and James Gunn. movies). The Justice League of the DCEU, who would in theory be the ones trying to crack the dome, are not part of Gunn and Safran’s announced plans for the DC slate (nor is Shazam’s usual antagonist, Black Adam). Sandberg views the blurred lines between the expanded universe, franchise, and the DCEU as a privilege.

“Shazam has been off, sort of, in his own corner,” Sandberg says. “The stories in these movies haven’tIt had a positive impact on the DC Universe. Because now, what they’ve told me, is that there’s nothing in the Shazam movies that contradict their plans for the future of DC. So it’s like, you could make more movies or be a part of it because there’s nothing that contradicts it.”

This is how the dome becomes a sandbox.

“This one is much bigger,” Sandberg says. “There’s so much going on. And I like getting to play with new toys.”