WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Shazam #11 by Geoff Johns and Marco Santucci, in stores now.

Director David F. Sandberg's 2019 film Shazam! was the seventh film in Warner Bros.' so-called DC Extended Universe. The movie told the tale of how Billy Batson was given magical abilities by the Rock of Eternity's Wizard to transform into the superhero Shazam. It offered a perfect blend of humor, wonder and superhero action, and it proved so popular that a sequel was rapidly given the green light. Shazam! 2 is now set to shoot very soon, a production that may overlap with Dwayne Johnson's long-gestating Black Adam film.

Now, fans might wonder which direction Shazam! 2 will take Billy and the rest of the Shazam Family. The answer, as it turns out, might be unfolding in the comics at this very moment. In fact, the current Shazam! comic series' story is tailor-made for a sequel -- and that might not be a coincidence.

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The first Shazam! movie was based on Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's New 52 comic series of the same name. While there were differences and story additions in the film, most of the major beats came from the comics, such as Billy's visit to the Rock of Eternity through a train, the inclusion of the Seven Deadly Sins, the holiday setting and the creation of the Shazam Family. However, since Black Adam was being saved for his solo film, the character of Doctor Sivana was shifted from secondary to primary antagonist.

Still, the comic and the movie left things at the same place: with Billy now accepting his foster family as his own, and the Shazam Family ready to start their superhero careers.

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This is perhaps why the new volume of the Shazam! comic series is already the perfect launching point for the sequel. After all, the new comic, which launched in 2019, is once again written by Geoff Johns, who is picking up the Shazam Family exactly where he left off in the New 52. In "Shazam and the Seven Magiclands," which is currently at issue #11, Billy and his foster brothers and sisters, after recently coming into their powers, discover a secret train station inside the Rock of Eternity that leads to the Seven Magiclands. These Magiclands are other realities they can visit, and they include such colorful worlds as the Gamelands and the Wildlands.

As the Shazam Family discover these new worlds, Doctor Sivana and Mister Mind continue to pose a great threat, as the alien worm starts assembling a new version of the Monster Society of Evil. What's more, Black Adam is also involved, but to a lesser degree. And all the while, Billy's emotional story arc continues, as his real father C.C. Batson comes back into his life, looking to put his family back together. Eventually, Billy shares his powers with his father, naming him the seventh champion of his family. However, that decision ends up being a mistake, given that C.C. is actually under the control of Mr. Mind.

Now, the Shazam! movie's mid-credits scene teased the alliance of Doctor Sivana and Mister Mind, which already makes "Shazam and the Seven Magiclands" a likely source of inspiration for the sequel. What's more, the first film may have already shown us a glimpse of the other Magiclands. In fact, when Billy and his family find themselves in the Rock of Eternity, they find numerous doors that lead to other worlds -- one of which looks a lot like the comics' Wildlands.

Of course, we can only theorize where the next movie will go, but the inclusion of Mister Mind, Sivana and the return of Billy's father would all make for a natural progression of the story. What's more, Black Adam's smaller role in the comic could easily be written out of the movie, and C.C. Batson's superpowered champion would make for an interesting villain with a close personal connection to Billy.

One can easily see how all of this would make for an eventful and engaging cinematic sequel. With Johns at the helm of both stories, it's possible he intended, from the start, to write the blueprints for Shazam! 2.

Now available on Digital HD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD, director David F. Sandberg's Shazam! stars Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Zachary Levi as Shazam, Mark Strong as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, Djimon Hounsou as the ancient wizard Shazam, Grace Fulton as Mary Bromfield, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman, Ian Chen as Eugene Choi, Jovan Armand as Pedro Peña, Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley, Cooper Andrews as Victor Vásquez and Marta Milans as Rosa Vásquez. Shazam! 2 soars into theaters April 1, 2022.

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