Shazam! Director Confirms Watchmen Easter Egg In Comic-Con Trailer

Screen Rant

By Sean O'Donnell

Published Jul 24, 2018

Director David F. Sandberg confirmed that there was a Watchmen Easter egg in the recently released Shazam! Comic-Con Trailer.

Director David F. Sandberg recently took to Twitter and confirmed that there was Watchmen Easter egg hidden in the recently released Shazam! trailer. Warner Brothers debuted the first trailer for Shazam! at SDCC 2018. The trailer was met with an overwhelmingly positive response and quickly made its way around the internet. The film is set to be a part of the Worlds of DC franchise; however, it looks to bring some much-needed levity and fun to the universe.

The Shazam! Comic-Con trailer introduced fans to Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who gains the ability transform into the powerful superhero named Shazam (Zachary Levi). While the trailer does showcase brand-new characters, it also features many connections to the other Worlds of DC heroes. Fans have already spotted nods to Aquaman, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. There are, however, a few Easter eggs that reference characters outside of the World of DC films. One Easter egg in particular, is a reference to the wildly popular comic and Zack Snyder Directed film, Watchmen.

On Twitter, an eagle-eyed fan recently pointed out a scene where several items blazoned with smiley faces are conveniently positioned on a desk. This may seem like an inconsequential detail; however, the Watchmen character The Comedian uses a similar smiley face as his calling card. Shazam! director David F. Sandberg replied to the tweet and confirmed that the props were indeed a reference to Watchmen:

Sandberg posted an image of the Easter egg, which clearly shows The Comedian’s blood-splattered button alongside the other smiley faces. It’s unclear if the Easter egg has any greater implications, since The Watchmen are not part of the current Worlds of DC universe. It is worth noting, however, that The Watchmen officially joined the greater DC Comics universe during the massive 2017 crossover event, The Button. Prior to the crossover, DC published the Watchmen comics, but the characters didn’t interact with the other DC heroes.

Now, what does this Easter Egg mean for the greater World of DC universe? In reality, it’s mostly likely just a nod to one of the greatest graphic novels of all time. It probably doesn’t mean any of the Watchmen will show up in any future Worlds of DC films. There is always a possibility that they could, but it’s not very likely, especially since Warner Brothers is currently trying to move away from the darker tone of previous Worlds of DC films. Additionally, of all the DC movies in development right now, a new cinematic adaptation of Watchmen isn't one of them, so there doesn't appear to be any larger plan for the graphic novel on the big screen.