Shazam Movie's Biggest Unanswered Questions

Warning: SPOILERS for Shazam!

Here are our biggest unanswered questions from Shazam! The new superhero film by director David F. Sandberg is a joyful and colorful DCEU coming-of-age story about teenage Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who gains the magical powers to transform into the adult superhero Shazam (Zachary Levi).

Shazam! successfully continues the DCEU's transformation into a brighter and more fun superhero universe, which began with Wonder Woman and was then taken to billion-dollar profitability by Aquaman. Set after the events of Justice League, superheroes are now an accepted and popular fact of life in the DCEU, with the League itself being merchandized into toys and apparel, much of it owned by Billy's foster brother Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer). When the evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) gains the power of the Seven Deadly Sins, the dying Wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) transfers his magical powers to Billy, who must now figure out how to be a superhero and stop Sivana. In the end, Billy wins by unlocking Shazam's greatest power and transferring his magic to his foster brothers and sisters, creating the Shazam Family.

Shazam! is a self-contained and tidy adventure that cleverly weaves in connections to the greater DCEU without distracting from its primary story. That story rater faithfully adapts the 2012 DC Comics reboot by writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank, but there are lots of callbacks to the earlier comics and other source material as well. While Shazam! efficiently and entertainingly tells the viewer everything they need to know about the superhero, his powers, and his world, here are the biggest questions we have that the movie left unanswered:

This Page: Questions About The Wizard And The Rock of Eternity
Page 2: Questions About Shazam's Powers And The Shazam Family

Why Are There Seven Thrones In The Rock of Eternity But Only Six Shazams?

When Thaddeus Sivana and later Billy Batson arrive at the Rock of Eternity, there are noticeably seven thrones, six of which are empty. Shazam explained that the thrones were once occupied by the Council of Wizards but the other six were killed over the years by the Seven Deadly Sins so that Shazam was the only Wizard left. Shazam's explanation to Billy was rather slight - his main focus was to get Billy to say his name so his magical powers could be transferred to his new champion - he did make clear that Billy's greatest power was the ability to transfer his magic to others.

Billy eventually did transfer his magic to this foster family, Freddy, Darla, Mary, Eugene, and Pedro and turned them into the Shazam Family. Later, the Family claimed the Rock of Eternity as their new lair. But there are only six of them and the seventh throne remains unoccupied. Is Billy also supposed to create a seventh Shazam (and he just doesn't know it)? Or does the seventh already exist, in the form of Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson), who was teased early in Shazam ahead of his own solo movie and eventual sequel appearance?

Did Shazam and His Council Join The Fight Against Steppenwolf's First Invasion?

Anti-Life Equation In Justice League Flashback History Lesson

The Rock of Eternity is the source of all magic so it logically predates even the Earth itself, and the Council had also existed for countless millennia. But they don't appear to have been present during one of the most pivotal battles in Earth's ancient history: when Steppenwolf led an invasion of Parademons and they were repelled by an alliance of Amazons, Atlanteans, and humans (along with a Green Lantern) as seen in Justice League? The Greek gods like Zeus and other immortal warriors like Hercules (two of the sources of Shazam's power) were also present at the battle, so why didn't the Council lend their magic to the cause?

Obviously, the Justice League movie predated Shazam's production, so there may not have been time or consideration to include the Wizard (the film was also undergoing substantial reshoots directed by Joss Whedon). Even if it was a conscious decision to save the first appearance Shazam's characters for their own film, their absence in the epic battle is still glaring in hindsight.

Where Do The Doors In The Rock Of Eternity Lead To?

The magic and creatures in Shazam! bring a bit of a Harry Potter feel to the DCEU, with a grandly designed Rock of Eternity that even evokes some famous Wizarding World locations like Hogwarts. And, like Hogwarts, in Shazam! it looks like we've only just scratched the surface of the world if the many doors in the Rock of Eternity are to be believed.

One door opened to Crocodile Men playing cards, which could be a set up to a sequel and the inclusion of the Monster Society of Evil, a villainous group from the Shazam comics. Other doors teased violent creatures and many more remained closed. Hopefully, the Shazam Family will further explore their new lair in Shazam 2.

What's The Deal With Mister Mind?

Shazam! Comic Mr. Mind Ploting With Dr. Sivana

For casual moviegoers and non-comics fans, the inclusion of the talking worm wearing eyeglasses and a voice box who schemed with an imprisoned Dr. Sivana in Shazam's mid-credits scene is especially puzzling. This is Mister Mind, one of Shazam's oldest enemies from the comics. Mister Mind is an alien worm from Venus with vast mental powers and the founder of the Monster Society of Evil (which, originally formed in 1943, has the distinction of being the very first super-villain team in comics).

Of course, none of this is made clear in the film, and fans are left wondering what that worm was and how it got in the glass cage at the Rock of Eternity in the first place. Clearly, Mister Mind recruiting Sivana is an obvious setup for Shazam 2, which also foretells the arrival of the Monster Society to battle the Shazam Family. Above all, that means the next Shazam! movie is bound to get really, really weird.

Page 2 of 2: Questions About Shazam's Powers And The Shazam Family

Can Shazam Only Teleport To And From The Rock of Eternity?

Billy and Freddy's numerous YouTube videos testing Shazam's powers get a lot of comedic mileage and one of the hilarious bits is Shazam failing his teleportation test (though he passes Freddy's secret fire immunity test). But it turns out teleportation actually is one of Shazam's many superpowers: he is able to teleport his entire family out of the Rock of Eternity (and into a strip club). Billy had no time to explore this new ability, but given the previous failure, it's unclear if this is only a one-route power.

In the comics, Shazam doesn't have limits to his teleportation, so it would make sense for the same to be true in the DCEU movies. If this power is indeed unlimited, then coupled with his power to fly, there's no limit to where Shazam can go - if he knows how.

When Did Billy Use The Wisdom of Solomon?

Shazam showcases each of the superpowers he gained from the six Immortal Elders throughout the film: he uses the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the lightning of Zeus (his favorite ability), the courage of Achilles (eventually when he finally heroically faces Sivana in the final battle), and the speed of Mercury. But when, exactly, did he use his first ability, the wisdom of Solomon? After all, despite his perfect adult physique, Shazam still has the mind, desires, and flaws of 14-year-old Billy Batson - and, as a result, he makes a ton of mistakes and errors in judgment.

But Shazam does benefit from the wisdom of Solomon at a pivotal moment during the climactic carnival battle with Sivana and the Seven Deadly Sins. Billy realizes he can't beat all of his enemies alone and remembers the Wizard's dying words: "Use your heart to unlock your greatest power!" Billy then knew the answer was to give his power to Mary, Freddy, Darla, Pedro, and Eugene to create the Shazam Family - that's the wisdom of Solomon in action, although it's easy to not realize it as such.

What Is The Status of the Justice League And Who Is Profiting From Their Merch?

Shazam! takes place in a post-Justice League world and, since they defeated Steppenwolf, the JLA heroes have apparently become a merchandising machine. Justice League toys are now stocked just in time for Christmas (with plenty of Batman merch especially) - but who is benefiting from all of this profit? It's possible Bruce Wayne set up a corporation to license Justice League merch to the consumer, but things have certainly changed in the few years since Batman v Superman. After all, back then the Batman was an ultraviolent vigilante who was considered an urban myth - not someone parents would buy action figures of for their children to play with.

Of course, Superman appears at the very end and Shazam's credits are a hilarious cartoon set to The Ramones' "I Don't Want To Grow Up" where the DCEU's newest hero hangs with the Justice League (and steals the Batmobile). Sadly, this animation may be the closest fans get to seeing Shazam properly in the Justice League, at least for the next few years.

Why Was Mary's Shazam Recast?

Billy, Freddy, Darla, Pedro, Eugene, and Mary all become superheroes at the conclusion of Shazam! and all of them are recast by different actors to play their adult super-selves: Zachary Levi plays superhero Billy, Adam Brody is Freddy, Meagan Good is Darla, D.J. Cotrona is Pedro, Ross Butler is Eugene, and Michelle Borth is Mary. But why did they recast Mary Shazam at all? Grace Fulton, who plays Mary at 17, is 22 in real life and is clearly older than her foster siblings - Fulton is perfectly capable of playing the adult Mary Shazam and already looked the part.

It's likely the filmmakers felt the need to recast everyone for the sake of consistency, especially as almost every actor playing the Shazam Family is in their late 30s/early 40s and so much more clearly adult. That said, Ross Butler is actually in his late 20s, just a few years older than Fulton. It's jarring to see Mary Marvel recast when the actress playing Mary Bromfield is already an adult.

What Will The Shazam Family Call Themselves?

Shazam's superhero name problems are another great running joke in the film, with Freddy coming up with lots of terrible names for Philadelphia's newest superhero. Despite this, Billy never actually gets a proper superhero name in Shazam! - the closest to him accepting the Wizard's name as his codename is when he asks his family to "Say my name!" to turn them all into superheroes like him. But now that the Shazam Family has arrived, what will they be called individually? Will they all just go by their first names with the surname Shazam, similar to how in the comics they adopt Marvel? Because if so, it's a dead giveaway to their secret identities. This is going to be a creative challenge for the filmmakers to solve in Shazam 2.

Next: Shazam's Ending Sets Up A Very Different DCEU Future