The following contains spoilers for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, now playing in theaters.
With the cinematic landscape of the DC Universe in a state of flux, there are many questions to be answered about the future of the franchise. This includes the projected futures of characters like the Shazam family, who take center stage for potentially the last time in Shazam! Fury of the Gods. But given the film's post-credits scenes, there's a hint that another corner of the DCU could be set to include Shazam going forward.
The first post-credits scene of Shazam! Fury of the Gods reveals that Shazam has been formally approached about joining a superhero team outside of his family. Although he's initially excited to join the Justice League, it turns out it's the Justice Society that wants to add him to its ranks. While it's played for laughs in the film, this actually has some comic book precedent that could suggest Shazam's future on the big screen belongs with the team.
How Shazam! Fury of the Gods Sets Up a JSA Future
After successfully reviving Shazam following his apparent mortal sacrifice against Kalypso, Wonder Woman seems to have left an even greater impression on the young man than before (which is saying something). Shazam 2's first post-credits scene features the hero taking pot-shots at cans with his powers in the middle of the woods. He's approached by Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and John Economos (Steve Agee), who seems to have been sent there by Amanda Waller to recruit him for his power levels. Upon hearing the word "justice," Shazam takes it to mean the Justice League and quickly volunteers himself for its roster -- only for the deflated Harcourt to reveal they're actually there to recruit him to the Justice Society.
Introduced on screen in Black Adam, the Justice Society is a superhero team seemingly more aligned with the interests of Amanda Waller and the United States government -- which played into the tension between the team and Black Adam when they found him in Kahndaq. Shazam's indifference to the team (and preference for the name "Avenger Society," a gag that closes out the sequence) is a funny punchline in Shazam 2, leaving Harcourt mentally exhausted as she trudges back to the car. But if Shazam were to make an appearance alongside the other members of the Justice Society, it would actually have comics precedent.
How Shazam's Team-Up With the JSA Went
When Shazam -- then known as Captain Marvel -- became a more prominent figure in DC comics following the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, so did his supporting cast and rogues gallery. But Black Adam went a unique path all his own, attempting to escape his villainous past by joining the Justice Society. In JSA #37 (by David Goyer, Geoff Johns, Leonard Kirk, Keith Champagne, John Kalisz, and Ken Lopez), Captain Marvel decided to accept an invitation to join the team -- in part to keep an eye on Black Adam. While there, Captain Marvel fought plenty of foes and even developed a romance with Stargirl (which, due to their apparent age difference, rubbed members of the team the wrong way). After being confronted by Jay Garrick over the relationship and content with the team's handling of Black Adam, Batson decided to resolve both issues by leaving the team and ending his romance with Stargirl -- breaking the hero's heart in the process.
Shazam being offered a place in the DC Extended Universe's Justice Society is likely a throwaway gag in Shazam 2, given the in-universe reaction of the character. But given the possibility that the JSA might still have a future in the James Gunn-helmed DCU, it wouldn't be totally out of the range of possibility for Shazam to follow in his comics counterpart's footsteps and join the team. It would be a fun dynamic to see Billy Batson -- especially after his tenure as the leader of the Shazam family -- readjust to being the rookie of a team. It would help cement Shazam as a part of the greater DC Universe. It could even be the best way for the cinematic Shazam to meet Black Adam. While the two are closely tied together in the comics, and their cinematic versions have a clear connection, it hasn't been explored at all on the big screen. While Shazam's cinematic future may be somewhat up in the air, the post-credits scene could tease his eventual path forward.
To see how it sets up Billy's potential future, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is now in theaters.