Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Shazam!
The Shazam! movie has injected one of the most heartwarming and child-like superheroes into the DCEU, but it may have also opened the door for a team and film franchise Warner Bros. has struggled to get off the ground: the Justice League Dark.
At one time it seemed that Justice League Dark was a DCEU priority, with rumors even claiming that the studio wanted to anchor the franchise to star Colin Farrell as John Constantine. Those plans fell through when multiple directors left the project, which wasn't all that surprising--how do you introduce magic to a world of Batman and Superman? How do you build a team as weird as Justice League Dark in the 'serious' style in place at the time?
Not only has David F. Sandberg's Shazam! shown the way, but the movie's plot is basically a prequel to a full-blown Justice League Dark movie. Audiences may not have noticed it, but the wizard Shazam giving Billy Batson his powers may be the same moment that new, magical heroes and villains were born across the entire DC movie universe. A new age hinted at in Suicide Squad, now finally under way.
- This Page: Shazam! Explains Why Magic Left The DCEU
- Page 2: How Shazam Begins DC's Age of Magic (in Movies)
Shazam Makes a Key Change to The Rock of Eternity
DC Comic fans knew going into Shazam! that the Rock of Eternity is one of the most important locations among the magical realm of the DC Universe. In the modern comics, the Rock was once a nexus, or gathering place of all magical energy, wizards, sorcerers, and other mystical energy throughout the ancient history of Earth. In the ongoing Shazam! comic series from writer Geoff Johns (who also wrote the New 52 origin comic that Shazam! is based on) the importance of the Rock of Eternity is spelled out clearly.
The history lesson does a great job in explaining why introducing the Rock of Eternity--and selecting Billy as magic's new champion--changes the entire landscape of the DCEU. Read it below:
"Centuries ago, the Rock of Eternity was in view for all to approach. And its doors were open to all in need. Its great halls were overseen by the Council of Seven Wizards and Sorceresses who took a vow to protect all magic! Until the Seven Sins were freed by the Dark Champion... and all but one of the Council were slaughtered. The last wizard chose to seal off the Rock of Eternity. And as the Rock became hidden from the world... so, too, did magic. Until a champion was needed again."
It's these words which open up Shazam! #1, continuing the story of The Shazam Family (Billy, Mary, Freddy, Darla, Eugene, and Pedro) by teasing just how much may have been unlocked thanks to the wizard Shazam. It's too early to say that this story will be the one upon which the Shazam 2 movie is based, but one significant change was made to the comic book mythology in the movie. According to the wizard Shazam, the Rock of Eternity isn't just the crossroads of DC's magic, but "the source of all magic."
A source that has now been unleashed upon the world. Admittedly, that's the kind of twist that would take every DC fan by total surprise... if Suicide Squad hadn't already warned that DC's age of magic was about to begin.
Shazam Returns Magic To The DCEU
When considering all the movies that might seem to share a connection to Shazam! most fans won't put Suicide Squad at the top the list. That's a bit ironic, considering that its villain is one of the most powerful magical beings yet established in the DCEU. Oh, and Shazam! has a direct Suicide Squad Easter Egg of its own. But the most important detail to come out of the rise of Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) is designed to comment on more than just her own film. For the fans who may not recall, Enchantress addresses the magically powered El Diablo by persuading him that a new age is beginning for those attuned as they are:
"It is our time. The sun is setting and the magic rises. The metahumans are a sign of change."
At the time, it seemed to be one theory to explain the sudden emergence of superhumans. Enchantress saw it as magic's return to the world--and now that Shazam! has been released, the accuracy of her words can finally be understood. The Seven Sins claim that that wizard Shazam's powers have been failing for years, finally reaching the breaking point (right around the same time that Enchantress claimed magic was "on the rise" in the overall DCEU movie timeline).
Based purely on the lines spoken by the wizard in Shazam! and the mythology expanded upon in Geoff Johns' comic book sequel, there is no doubt that the selection of a champion and the removal of magic from the world are linked. When Shazam's dark champion a.k.a. Black Adam went bad and wiped out the other wizards, the Rock was locked, magic was denied to the world, and Earth progressed as it has for centuries. Until Billy came along, that is.
The Magic Heroes of DC Are Finally Born?
The New DCEU Needs The Justice League Dark
Unfortunately, the wizards Shazam really should have given Billy some insight into his role as guardian of the Rock of Eternity, and the responsibility of overseeing "the source of all magic." Because the final scene of the movie proves he's more interested in the Rock of Eternity as a superhero "lair" than a gate holding back all of the world's magic. But if the wizard's hold on magic has been weakening for years, then it's possible DC's magical heroes--like those of the Justice League Dark--aren't necessarily born out of the events of Shazam!, but strengthened. That applies to both heroes and villains, of course.
From a storytelling standpoint, Shazam! gives a perfect explanation for a Justice League Dark movie addressing a growing sense of magical unrest, villainy, or simply power entering the world. Characters like John Constantine, Zatanna, Deadman, Swamp Thing, or Etrigan the Demon would all either sense it or be empowered by it, ensuring they're all on the same page.
When the dam bursts (when Billy completely fails to hold back the centuries-old magic) the world would instantly become a place beyond the abilities or even understanding of the Justice League. The DCEU will need a Justice League Dark, with or without Shazam playing a part in the story. Since Constantine stole Billy Batson's Shazam powers in the comics, he may want to sit this one out. But whatever the cast or crossover potential, Shazam! has given all the set-up needed to explore the magical realms of the DC Universe.
There's still a chance that director Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) will return to Justice League Dark, should the opportunity to do something truly 'unconventional' be in the cards. And who know? Perhaps the success of DC Universe's Swamp Thing series convinces the studio that Guillermo del Toro's idea of making the Justice League Dark movie a romance between Swamp Thing and his wife isn't so outlandish after all.
