Only a DC hero is safe from the annihilation of the superhero universe

When we talk about the DC successes of the last few years, titles like Joker, The Batman or Aquaman usually come up. In the shadow of these big names, a hero toils away who could point the way to the ailing comic book film empire. Because while the stars are falling from the superhero sky to the right and left, Shazam! the be the only DC warrior spared from the reorganization of the universe. There are several reasons for this.

Why Shazam has a better chance than Dwayne Johnson and Henry Cavill

In the last few days, Henry Cavill and Dwayne Johnson had to say goodbye to their DC roles Superman and Black Adam for the time being. They no longer fit into the plan that the new creative minds, Peter Safran and James Gunn, are hatching. That’s why Shazam fans were concerned that leading actor Zachary Levi would be recast. On Twitter he contradicted these rumors yesterday. One should not believe everything one reads on the Internet, he wrote there.

But why is the inconspicuous joker with the lightning bolt on his chest safe when a super(man)star like Henry Cavill failed?

Reason 1: Shazam has a direct relationship with the new DC leadership

Shazam is what has come to be known as the Nepo Baby, which means he benefits from his good family connections in reorganizing the universe.

Both the first film and the upcoming Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods were Produced by Peter Safran and that Peter Safran was appointed as CEO of DC Studios along with James Gunn. That’s a bit like getting everyone fired except the CEO’s son.

Reason 2: Shazam is a DC success story

Gunn and Safran’s decisions so far are understandable. Black Adam turned out to be a financial disappointment, that’s why part 2 isn’t coming. Henry Cavill’s Superman was not a completely convincing checkout magnet, otherwise Batman would not have been placed alongside him in the second film. To continue making films with these two stars would have been a risk. Shazam, on the other hand, is anything but risk.

The story of the 14-year-old who can transform into a super-sparkler was produced on a manageable budget of $85 million and grossed four times that worldwide.

According to Rolling Stone, the second part will cost around 125 million dollars, which is why this film also has a good chance of breaking into the black. Unlike the $200+ million Black Adam, the investments at Shazam seem reasonable for a cinema hero that hardly anyone knows. The DC youngster has one task: to rake in a lot of money with a small budget. So far he has mastered it.

Reason 3: Shazam is the Marvel movie of DC adventures

Of all the DC theatrical films to date, Shazam resembles that Audio of the Marvel Cinematic Universe most. The heartwarming coming-of-age and family story stands in stark contrast to the epic, sometimes dark stories of Superman, Batman and even Wonder Woman. Added to this is the gentle meta-humor with digs at the superhuman heroes of the universe.

Shazam could therefore die Blueprint for the new DC Universe form, at least when it comes to the basic mood. If you look at the DC vita of Peter Safran and James Gunn, i.e. the Safran-produced Shazam and Aquaman as well as The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, then one thought prevails compared to the Zack Snyder era before: fun.

Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods launches on March 16, 2023 in German cinemas.

Podcast: The 11 best streaming films of 2022 on Netflix, Amazon and Co.

The streaming services released numerous film originals again in 2022. You can find out which of these are the best of the year in the new episode of Streamgegefuehl.

In the podcast we go through the favorites and justify our choice – of course without spoilers. At the end we also give our top 5 lists again if you want to reserve a title.