Shazam! is a pretty unique superhero story that features children gaining powers and being epic. The comedic focus and having Zachary Levi as the star character made the 2019 film iconic. With that said, the upcoming Shazam! Fury of the Gods is getting fans hyped up. So, before the Shazamily is reintroduced to the big screen, it's important to remember each of the characters and how Shazam! made them so awesome.
It may not be very well-known that Shazam's name is really an acronym that's representative of his powers. He has the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury. These are mythological characters, primarily from the Greek pantheon, except Solomon, a Judeo-Christian king, and Mercury, the Roman counterpart of the Greek god Hermes. The biggest indicator of this is the lighting bolt symbol painted across the improved Shazamily super-suits, as Zeus is the god of the sky and lightning. Each of the other Shazam family members has powers that pull from this, as showcased in 2019's Shazam! and should be explored more in the upcoming sequel.
Billy Batson Is Nearing Adulthood
Billy Batson is the new version of the titular Shazam in the comics and subsequent movies. He's just an ordinary kid before he's chosen by the wizard Shazam to be his last champion. The rest of his childhood is pretty much tainted by his newfound responsibilities to protect the entire world. Luckily, he's pretty ecstatic to be a superhero. Unfortunately, this child is plagued with trauma involving his separation from his mother. Because of this, he's a troublemaker and a cynic, but ultimately, he learns that family is a much bigger strength than a weakness.
As the first movie superhero, Shazam possesses many of the abilities above, like electricity manipulation, super speed, and super strength. He's deemed almost as cool as Superman because of their similar powers. Billy and Shazam are, of course, the focus of the Shazam! films, so fans should expect a lot more of his charming wit and Superman-like awesomeness. He'll also be struggling with his impending transition to adulthood in Shazam 2.
Mary Bromfield Struggles With Superhero-Work-Life Balance
Mary Bromfield was planning a very ordinary post-high-school life at the beginning of Shazam!. She's around 18 years old and got into the high-caliber Caltech college. But then her little brother became a superhero and gave her and their foster siblings superpowers, too. Like Billy, Mary also carries the generalized Shazam powers, though one of the most notable abilities she has is as a sharpshooter, which came in handy when defeating the Sins. Mary is considered to be the more mature member of the Shazam superfamily. Most notably, she's the only Shazam sibling to wear Billy's signature color, red.
Because Mary's the oldest sibling, there's no need for two different actors to play the young version and the superhero version of her in Shazam 2. As such, Grace Fulton is set to play both versions of the character. Just from the first looks of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, fans should be stoked to see her back in action as she aims to find a balance between school, work, and superheroics.
Darla Dudley Runs Circles Around Her Siblings
Darla Dudley is the opposite end of the spectrum from Mary, as she's the youngest of the Shazamily. She's a pretty run-of-the-mill kid due to her energetic nature, bubbly personality, and tendency to talk a lot. In both her kid and superhero form, she's usually faster than all of her siblings. As such, her superpower is the speed of Mercury. Still, her two forms aren't the same, unlike Mary's, so young Darla is played by child actor Faithe Herman, and her superhero form is portrayed by Meagan Good. Shazam! Fury of the Gods will likely feature more of her super-speed and show more of her electric personality.
Eugene Choi Puts His Video Game Skills to Good Use
Eugene Choi is one of the younger siblings in the Shazamily, though he'll be old enough to get his driver's license in Shazam 2. His child form is played by Ian Chen in Shazam!, and Ross Butler plays the grown superhero form. Eugene fits perfectly into the nerd stereotype. He's extremely bookish, though he tends to prefer non-fiction, and he's a model student. On top of this, he's a tech geek and enjoys video games.
So, it's no surprise that he's granted the wisdom of Solomon. His superpowers aren't confined to the Shazam basics, though, as he's also able to manipulate or communicate with technology. Some of his Solomon gifts, as revealed in some of the Shazam media, include clairvoyance, hypnosis, multilingualism, and overall computer-like intellect. Seeing Ross Butler evoke a sci-fi-movie-like power over computers to fight the villains, the Daughters of Atlas, could be a pretty cool addition to Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
Pedro Peña Finds His Voice
Pedro is perhaps the most reserved member of the Shazamily, as he's a pretty shy child. This is presented in his first interaction with Billy, as he's wearing headphones and doesn't speak to him. Unlike Eugene, he's not the best student, but he's pretty perceptive and kind of clever. Pedro, like most of his siblings, has superhuman strength and durability. He's able to hold up a Ferris wheel at the height of the battle with the Seven Deadly Sins in Shazam!. The sequel will showcase Pedro finding new confidence both as a superhero and just himself.
Freddy Freeman Is Living the Dream
Freddy Freeman is easily spotted by his bright blue super-suit in hero form and his physical disability in child form, which comes with a tendency to use his walking crutch as a weapon. Freddy is the closest to Billy and is a comic lover, which made him the perfect person for Billy to confide in when he was bestowed his powers. Freddy did wish that he could also be powerful, and he soon got his wish when he was granted the superhuman strength of Hercules, along with some heightened durability.
Freddy's character is already set to be a troublemaker in Shazam! Fury of the Gods. He will be struggling with his newfound abilities. He'll have some trouble balancing his superhero responsibilities with his life as an ordinary teenager. His teenage boy attitude may even allow Shazam 2 to showcase the hero using his powers to impress his peers. It's been teased that the new film will feature a romance between Freddy and Rachel Zegler's mysterious character. So, the teenage heartthrob may just take over in Freddy's super alter-ego.
Not much has been revealed about the plot of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, aside from the glimpses within the trailer, and that the film is inspired more by Greek mythology than DC's comics. So, there are many possibilities for where these iconic characters may end up. Considering their true abilities had newly blossomed in Shazam!, not much was depicted aside from a few battle scenes. Each sibling has a distinct personality and semi-unique abilities that should definitely be a focus in the upcoming film.
To find out what's in store for the Shazamily, see Shazam! Fury of the Gods in theaters on March 17.