Shazam Can Redeem Zack Snyder's DC Movies

Youth is king in Shazam!, and the bright, electric superhero fantasy could finally change people's negative opinions of the DC films directed by Zack Snyder, starting with Man of Steel. In Shazam!, fans will see the Worlds of DC through the lens of teenagers for the first time, as young Billy Batson (Asher Angel) gains the power to say the magic word and transform into the World's Mightiest Mortal (Zachary Levi). This is a critical perspective because it will spark a new side of the political and social debate about the value of superheroes that began in Batman v Superman.

Shazam! takes place in the post-Justice League world, and things have changed significantly after Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and The Flash (Ezra Miller) resurrected Superman (Henry Cavill) and saved the world from Steppenwolf. Justice League ushered in a brighter, more optimistic time than what was presented by Zack Snyder, and Shazam! will carry on that lighter touch. But with the Justice League now welcomed by the world as their shining heroes, has the debate about the dangers of superheroes and their place in the world ended?

Shazam! is poised to deliver some answers on how the people of the world see their superheroes. The young characters the film centers around grew up in this reality, witnessed both the destruction caused and the heroism displayed by the colorful defenders of justice, and they still admire their superheroes. Here's how the way Billy and his friends view Superman, Batman, and the Justice League could help reframe how fans in the real world see them - as well as put the controversial prior films in a new perspective.

This Page: The DCEU's In-Universe Debates About Superman Matches Real-Life Criticisms
Page 2: Shazam! Could Make Fan's Defenses Of The DCEU Canon

The DCEU's In-Universe Debates About Superman Matches Real-Life Criticisms

The real-life detractors of Man of Steel and Batman v Superman cite how dark and violent those films are. Zack Snyder's singular stylistic vision didn't sit right with many fans who bemoaned a Superman who says little, hovers menacingly in the sky and killed Zod (Michael Shannon) by snapping his neck. Batman was even more violent, going to extremes by branding his enemies with his bat symbol and spending a fortune plotting to stab Superman to death with a Kryptonite spear. Compared to the mega-popular Marvel Cinematic Universe, Snyder's DC was a foreboding world where superheroes didn't offer any "fun" at all.

Snyder actually addressed this controversy and wove it into the text of Batman v Superman while pushing his vision even further. After the Kryptonian invasion that destroyed Metropolis and other parts of the world in 2013, Superman's presence and the potential danger he poses to the world had been a topic of endless debate. The media and lawmakers roundly criticized the Man of Steel and fear of Superman is what prompted Batman to declare him his enemy, with Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) secretly pulling the strings from the shadows. All of this mirrored real-life fans debating about the classical ideal of Superman versus the more "modern" version Snyder believed in - though many fans have certainly embraced Snyder's vision as well.

Regardless, Batman v Superman sparked a backlash that stunned Warner Bros. and the studio attempted a sudden course-correction: they cut Snyder's original plan for a two-part Justice League saga into one movie before firing the director altogether and replacing him with Joss Whedon, who oversaw extensive reshoots to lighten up the team-up film. The goal with Justice League became to shift the overall tone of the DCU into a brighter, more optimistic universe, something that - underwhelming box office and critical response aside - it kind of succeeded at. This is now something the more humorous tone of Shazam! will carry forward and revel in as it's essentially a child's wish-fulfillment power fantasy. While this does alienate the fans who loved Snyder's vision and want to see it continue (or at least completed by a Snyder Cut of Justice League), the ongoing debate could become one Shazam! directly addresses.

Because the film is seen through the eyes of kids who grew up in the gritty Zack Snyder-led universe, Shazam! is set to look at the Justice League and the controversies Batman and Superman caused from the inside, while still carrying the flag for supporting the superheroes, despite the mistakes they've made.

Page 2: Shazam! Could Make Fan's Defenses Of The DCEU Canon

Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman Are Big Superman Supporters

Is Superman really a hero? The debate in Batman v Superman dissipated in Justice League; the Man of Steel was retconned from a symbol of controversy to a noble protector of mankind beloved by a world who desperately needed him back - and now he has returned, brighter and more admirable than ever, with a similarly redeemed Batman and entire League of heroes by their side.

Now, imagine being 14 years old like Billy Batson and growing up in the DCEU where the Black Zero event happened when you were eight, Superman died fighting the Kryptonian monster Doomsday, and then he came back to life to join other superheroes to ward off an alien invasion - all before you've finished middle school. This is the unique POV Shazam! offers, and it's telling that Billy and his friends came out of the last few years still big supporters of Superman and his friends.

When Billy gets his powers from the Wizard Shazam and can now inhabit a muscular adult body with powers similar to Superman, he tries to get a handle on his newfound abilities. Luckily, he has an ace-in-the-hole: his foster brother Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer). Though Freddy is disabled, he's a huge fanboy of the Man of Steel and his super friends. Freddy even has a catalog of Justice League merch he's collected to show off his devotion, just like any real-life fan. Together, Billy and Freddy will work out what exactly Billy can do and how he should behave as when he's the Big Red Cheese.

Of course, they have a natural superhero role model: the Man of Steel, himself. It's no surprise Freddy demands to know if Billy can fly like Superman, because "heroes can fly!" Their perception of Superman is clearly the resurrected and "new" version of Superman who stands for truth and justice (it's even possible that Billy or Freddy met Superman before he died and Shazam! could redeem Justice League's worst scene). However, this isn't to say Billy and Freddy ignore the controversies Superman and Batman sparked - they are schooled in the Black Zero event and all the damage the heroes caused in the past. But as kids, they wouldn't share in the cynicism; they'd see Superman as the hero he really is.

Shazam Could Make DCEU Defenses Actual Canon

It says something important that the kids in Shazam! look beyond past mistakes and sees the superheroes both for what they are and for the best of what they could be. In this way, the film suggests that maybe fans should do the same about the Worlds of DC's future as the shared universe tries to forge ahead. There's no doubt Superman and Batman have made very public mistakes; so has Wonder Woman for hiding herself from the world, Aquaman for not embracing his destiny as ruler of Atlantis (something his solo film will address), and the Flash for not living up to his potential until Batman came calling. The Justice League and the DCEU as a whole come from a dark, controversial past, but they're poised to move forward into a more hopeful tomorrow.

By arguing in favor of Superman and Batman as heroes within the context of the movie, Shazam! turns the debate into in-universe canon. Billy and Freddy would look at the Black Zero event for what it was: a Kryptonian invasion began by Zod, which Superman fought against and stopped. Yes, there was colossal damage done to Metropolis, but the kids would argue that Superman was brand-new at the "caped crusader stuff" and he did his best; and even though he killed Zod, he must have had no choice. Adults may still mistrust the Batman and Superman for their past violence, but that also isn't to say there aren't people who avidly support the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel. And the Justice League saved the world from another alien invasion full-stop. Arguing for the superheroes' best intentions would also be a meta way to defend Man of Steel and Batman v Superman; it's true that terrible things happened, but good also came out of it winning in the end.

Even as Shazam! will help to usher in the more optimistic DC universe, the kids in the movie are actually avatars for the fans who love and support Zack Snyder's vision. Freddy and Billy are growing up in a world where Man of Steel and Batman v Superman happened, but the mistakes and virtues of both films are the blueprints and the fuel for how Billy Batson will find his own path as "the next evolution" of a superhero.