You know how bad things are regarding Superman at Warner Bros.? The Man of Steel wasn’t even allowed to be named in Shazam: Fury of the Gods.
Recall how the Shazam! post-credit scene features Shazam having lunch with Freddy at the school cafeteria where Superman appears albeit from the neck down as Henry Cavill didn’t do the cameo.
Well, I saw Fury of the Gods yesterday and noticed Superman was obviously intentionally kept out of the movie.
Note: Spoilers follow.
Shazam is a Superman imposter
The movie opens with Shazam talking with the doctor about all his problems (I hated the scene) where the doctor says he has imposter syndrome.
Shazam says something like that sounds about right as while he can run fast, The Flash runs faster, and that Batman is cooler than him.
The obvious choice of DC character to name that would trigger imposter syndrome is obviously Superman as their powers are nearly identical, have super strength, have capes, and can fly.
No mention of Superman.
Superman was in the Shazam! post-credit scene
The second time happens when Freddy talks to Anna at the school cafeteria where she heard the story of how Freddy had lunch with “superheroes,” again a reference to the post-credit scene from the first movie.
Anna says she wants to see where Freddy sat with the “superheroes” — and she doesn’t say Shazam or Superman, and Freddy doesn’t BRAG that he met Superman, which I found hilarious.
So no mention of the Man of Steel there.
Superman is not human
The third time happens with Hespera and Kalypso on top of the school rooftop (killing the teacher that way was brutal!).
Hespera, Kalypso and Anna are talking and one of them mentions something about the protectors of Earth (Justice League) where, I think it’s Hespera, says the protectors of Earth (or whatever they called them) are all human, so there is nothing to worry about.
I laughed at that, too, because one of them could have easily remarked, “Well, not all of them are human,” and they could have given a look at each other which would have been a funny nod to Superman being from Krypton and not human and that’s he’s really powerful.
Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman is also not entirely human as her father is also a god, Zeus, so using the “not all of them are human” line would have tied nicely and foreshadowed the ending scene (that Wonder Woman Wizard head scene was atrocious).
So that’s three times Superman should have been referenced in Shazam: Fury of the Gods but it’s obvious there was some studio mandate not to mention Superman in the movie. You can’t tell me otherwise.
The movie had refences to Marvel and the MCU, but nope, Superman can’t even be named.
Of course, Cyborg wasn’t mentioned, but that’s a given.
I will say I did like the flick and found it pretty fun, and I also liked the first Shazam!; they’re worth a watch and I wouldn’t mind more.
