Who's who in Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Shazam! was a pleasant surprise for fans — the enrapturing story of Billy Batson (Asher Angel) as he literally transforms from boy to superhero was a refreshing change to the dark and gritty tone of the DCEU at the time.

However, with the studio's reputation for rather lacklustre sequels and its current uncertain future due to its change of management — and Black Adam did not help either — fans are a bit sceptical about the film's sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

The first film introduced us to the Shazam Family or Shazamily after Billy transferred his powers to his foster brothers and sisters (Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), Mary (Grace Caroline Currey), Darla (Faithe Herman), Pedro (Jovan Armand), and Eugene (Ian Chen)) turning each of them into adult superheroes, though only Currey plays both her teen and adult roles.

Aside from Captain Marvel aka Shazam (Zahcery Levi), there's Mary Marvel/Lady Shazam (Michelle Borth in the first film and Currey in this sequel), and Captain Marvel Jr/Shazam Jr (Adam Brody).

And here is where it gets a little confusing. When Eugene, Pedro and Darla receive the powers of Shazam, they turn into adult superheroes but these adult versions have not been given superhero names, even in the comics. Meagan Good plays adult Darla, D.J. Cotrona plays adult Pedro, and Ross Butler is adult Eugene.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIc671o9yCI[/embed]

While not much was shown about the power diversion during the big battle against Doctor Sivana (Mark Strong), it could be theorised that DC will follow the concept of equal sharing, like in Prime Earth, where each of the family retains less power the more family members are transformed — going from having all the power to one sixth of it when all are transformed.

From the trailer, it looks like Marta Milans (Devoured) and Cooper Andrews (The Walking Dead, Aquaman: King of Atlantis) will be reprising their role's as the mystical champions' foster parents Rosa and Victor Vasquez.

Djimon Hounsou (Aquaman, A Quiet Place Part II) is also returning to play the Wizard Shazam which is interesting as the character had disintegrated to dust in the first movie.

A new movie means new problems, including the Shazam family's struggle to balance their dual lives as teenagers and adult superheroes while dealing with new threats at the same time that might lead them to fight a dragon.

Speaking of new threats, with information from trailers and movie posters, let us delve into the who's who of the new faces in Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

1) Hespera (Helen Mirren)

Of all the DC villains that fans could have thought of to battle it out with the Shazam Family, an original character might have been last on their lists, especially since the post-credits from the first movie teased the appearance of classic Captain Marvel criminal worm (yes, you read that right), Mister Mind.

Hespera, is a play on the Hesperides — the nymph daughters of Atlas. This was done deliberately, as the character is the eldest daughter of the titan in the movie. 

In Greek Mythology, Atlas was punished to hold the weight of the world (literally) on his shoulders after standing against Zeus during the Titan War. Thanks to Wonder Woman, we know that the Greek Pantheon exists, though the gods and goddesses themselves are long gone.

Hespera and her sister, Kalyspo, are searching for the staff Billy destroyed in the first movie's final battle, to change the world. This brings us to the possible enmity the sisters might have towards the Shazam Family as they now possess 'The Stamina of Atlas,' explaining why Hespera tells Bily:

"Children who stole the power of all the gods. This is very personal, Billy."

Fans of The Fast and Furious franchise might have caught the little reference during the trailer when Billy tells Hespera that it is "all about family". This is a nod to the actress's role as Magdalene Shaw, a shrewd crime boss in the franchise.

DC's official description of the character puts her up to be a very formidable foe.

"The eldest Daughter of Atlas and Guard of the Tree of Life, Hespera comes to Earth seeking retribution for the death of her father and fellow gods. With the Power of the Elements, Hespera uses her control over the natural world against mortals-including the Shazam Family."

2) Kalypso (Lucy Liu)

Lucy Liu (Charlie's Angels, Kung Fu Panda) 's character, like Hespera, will be an original character not found in the comics.

Kalypso is Atlas's second daughter and middle child, aligning more with her elder sister than her younger sister, Anthea. The character seems to reference Calypso, the daughter of Atlas in Greek Mythology, who was exiled to Ogygia — an island that can never be found by those who search for it — by Zeus for aiding her father during the Titan War. 

This could be an interesting theory if DC decides to stick to the source material as to why it took so long for the sisters to seek out the Wizard Shazam and even the Shazam Family.

From the trailers of the second movie, Kalypso seems to be the main holder of the staff — which contains a whole magic shop of abilities in her hands, from shooting a bolt of magical energy to summoning a dragon to do the wielder's bidding.

DC's official description of Kalypso paints her to be, even though her elder sister is in-charge, the one that the Shazam Family needs to worry about.

"The deadliest of Atlas's Daughters, and Guard of the Tree of Life, Kalypso holds the Power of Chaos. She whispers terrible, maddening, mind-controlling utterances to mortals in her bid to take revenge on the humans who destroyed the gods."

3) Anthea (Rachel Zegler)

The youngest of Atlas's daughters, Anthea, does not seem to align with her sisters' goals and is seen in trailers helping the Shazam Family fight against them. 

The character falls into a close relationship with Freddy after meeting him as the new girl in school, and many wonder if this would spell out to be a romance by the end of the movie.

When it comes to official descriptions, Anthea has the most mysterious one out of all her sisters. This makes you wonder if she will stay on the side of the Shazam Family or will her allegiance change.

"This quiet, mysterious new girl at school who befriends Freddy Freeman is actually the millennia-old goddess Anthea, Daughter of Atlas. With the Power of Axis, Anthea can rotate the Earth beneath her feet, sending all those around her into a spin."

Cameos

When you have a superhero movie in a connected universe such as the DCEU, many fans will wonder if there will be a chance to see their favourite heroes out of their own films. 

There have been reports that Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck were supposed to appear as Superman and Batman, with Cavill reportedly having shot his cameo, before both were removed from the final film.

The only confirmed cameo so far was established during the movie's latest TV spot, revealing the Princess of Themyscira herself (Gal Gadot). 

Given the ties the daughters of Atlas have to the Greek Pantheon, it is no surprise her interest is piqued. The host of greek mythological monsters — such as chimaeras, cyclops, and minotaurs — ramaging the city could also be a reason. However, the significance of her role in the movie is still very much under wraps.

Black Adam also seems to be an obvious choice, seeing that he is — in the comics at least — Shazam's arch-nemesis. However, it has been reported by that Dwayne Johnson (Jumanji: The Next Level, The Fate of the Furious) has declined to do a cameo for this sequel. It looks like the chances of seeing a big fight between the two long-time comic book rivals is pretty slim.

Then there is the post-credits, which sees the return of Mark Strong (Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Cruella) reprising his role as Doctor Sivana, as well as Mister Mind.

After all, the character did survive the last movie and had a somewhat ambiguous ending of being placed in a prison cell with an interesting roommate — the criminal mastermind and worm, Mister Mind (David F. Sandberg).

In the comics, Mister Mind is one of Shazam's greatest foes, the extra-terrestrial larva possessing formidable telepathic powers — being able to take over an individual's mind easily — and psychokinetic abilities strong enough to go toe-to-toe with mystical champions. A team-up between the two would not end well for the Shazam Family. 

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is currently in theatres.

ALSO READ: Review: Shazam! Fury of the Gods is campy but full of heart

This article was first published in Geek Culture.