Shazam 2’s Post-Credits Scenes Set Up A Future In The New DC Universe

WARNING: This post contains Shazam! Fury of the Gods SPOILERS!The Shazam! Fury of the Gods end credits scenes set up the eponymous hero's future within the new DC Universe. Young hero Billy Batson's latest big screen outing comes as the newly created DC Studios, led by James Gunn and Peter Safran, looks to revamp the DC Universe across film and television with a new slate of projects and heroes. Shazam! Fury of the Gods was made well before the announcement of DC's new path forward, leaving the future of its characters largely up in the air.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods comes armed with two credits scenes that lay the foundation for additional movies and Billy's continued future within the DC Universe. The first sees Zachary Levi's superhero self get approached by two familiar faces, who recruit him for a major team - though not the one he expects. The second picks up on a thread from 2019's Shazam! and just might reveal who Billy's next opponent will be.

Shazam 2's Mid-Credits Scene: Justice Society Recruitment

The first Shazam! Fury of the Gods credits scene finds two DC Universe alums, Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and John Economos (Steve Agee), tracking down Billy and offering him a spot on a major superhero team. Billy gets excited the minute he hears the word "Justice," but anyone who saw last fall's Black Adam knows it's not the Justice League he's being invited into. Instead, they're recruiting him for the Justice Society of America, DC's other prominent group. As Black Adam ended with the Justice Society down a member, it looks like Harcourt and Economos have been tasked with filling the gap.

How Shazam 2's Credit Scene Sets Up James Gunn's DC Universe

James Gunn in front on Shazam (Zachary Levi), who is holding up a Shaka hand signal

As Harcourt and Economos both originated in Gunn's 2021 DC debut The Suicide Squad and also appeared in his HBO Max series Peacemaker, it's very likely the characters will continue to factor into the updated DC Universe. While not yet confirmed, future installments can bring back the Justice Society and those who help run the team behind the scenes, such as Amanda Waller. Viola Davis' recurring DC character is set to receive her own television show in the coming years, and that can further her work with teams such as the Justice Society and Task Force X.

Perhaps more importantly, this Shazam! Fury of the Gods credits scene opens the door for Billy Batson to be part of Gunn's DC Universe. It's not clear if this scene was put in before or after Gunn and Safran took over the franchise, though it would make sense if it was slipped in to better connect the film to the DC Universe's new future. If Billy does join the Justice Society (and he did say yes to Harcourt's offer), he can then be expected to appear in any future project that involves the team. As it stands at the end of Fury of the Gods, it looks like Billy is sticking around.

This means that, if the franchise intends to continue on with the setup established here, Gunn's DCU will also feature the extended Shazam family. Even though Billy was the only person recruited to the JSA at the end of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, his existence confirms his siblings will still be around as well. There's been some debate over whether Gunn intends to reboot select DC characters, but it seems Levi's iteration of Billy will remain intact. Additionally, the Justice Society will be embarking on new adventures, perhaps in solo projects that further explore their role in the DCU.

How The Justice Society & Justice League Are Different

As Billy points out in the Shazam! Fury of the Gods scene, it's a bit confusing to have two different teams whose names begin with the word "Justice". In the early years of the former DC Extended Universe, the Justice League was the primary team, comprised of well-known characters such as Superman (Henry Cavill) and Batman (Ben Affleck). Recent installments, however, have made their current status unclear. In their place, Black Adam introduced the Justice Society, which has a very different lineup and operates in its own way.

The Justice League came together in a very ragtag way during 2017's DCEU movie of the same name, with Batman and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) enlisting meta-humans they'd taken note of. Their members represent some of the most powerful figures in the DC Universe, and they came together to defeat the world-ending threat of Steppenwolf. Meanwhile, the Justice Society has the backing of Waller's ARGUS and takes on missions they're assigned to. While boasting members such as Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan) and Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), the JSA's power level isn't quite as high as the Justice League's.

Shazam 2's Post-Credits Scene: Mister Mind & Dr Sivana

Mark Strong as Dr. Sivana in Shazam's credits scene

Those who wait until the end of Shazam! Fury of the Gods' credits are treated to another scene, one that harkens back to Billy's first big screen adventure. The scene picks up with Shazam!'s villain Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong), who has been left to rot in prison in the years since his clash with Billy. Sivana is revisited by DC Comics villain Mister Mind, who similarly made his first DC movie appearance in the credits scene of the original film.

Dr. Sivana is eager to move forward with his partnership with Mister Mind and reclaim the power he was previously denied. He even gripes about having to wait so long, seemingly offering a meta take on how Shazam! Fury of the Gods opted to put his story on hold to follow other villains, the Daughters of Atlas. Unfortunately, Sivana is left waiting a bit longer, as Mister Mind states he has one more thing to accomplish before slithering out of the cell once more.

Will Mister Mind Be The Villain Of Shazam 3?

The first Shazam! appeared to position Mister Mind as the villain for its sequel, a tease that made sense considering the worm's history with Billy in the comics. However, one of the Shazam! 2 writers, Henry Gayden, would later reveal it felt too repetitive to have Billy face off with Sivana once again. A different story took place in the sequel instead, but with the second Fury of the Gods credits scene, the stage has (again) been set for Mister Mind to become Billy's latest foe.

Seeing as two Shazam! movies have set up Mister Mind's story, it would make sense if he finally slid into the spotlight in the third movie. There was a time when it seemed like Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam could square off against Billy in Shazam! 3, but the Rock has repeatedly stated his preference for having his anti-hero face Superman first. His future in the franchise is also up in the air currently. With more development in place for Mister Mind and Dr. Sivana's comeback, it seems far more likely that a potential third movie will feature them as the main villains.

Mister Mind will have to come into the forefront at some point if Billy truly is to continue on within the DC Universe. Director David F. Sandberg has now highlighted Mister Mind's existence twice, indicating there are bigger plans ahead. Billy joining the Justice Society would continue one of Shazam! Fury of the Gods' credits scenes; Mister Mind's plot is a lingering thread that needs to be dealt with eventually as well.

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