Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods aims to reach bigger and better heights than its predecessor and for the most part, it succeeds. Billy Batson (Asher Angel) isn't just struggling with his superhero duties - he also is struggling to keep a hold of his family, who's showing an interest in things other than superheroics. And as if that wasn't bad enough, one of his rash actions comes back to haunt him with the Daughters of Atlas Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Kalypso (Lucy Liu) come to Earth. They seek the staff of the Wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) who bestowed Billy with his powers—and when Billy broke the staff in the first Shazam! film, he unintentionally freed the Daughters.
Naturally, Billy and his adoptive siblings have to Shazam up and save the earth from certain destruction. But complicating matters is the complicated relationship between Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) and the third Daughter of Atlas Anthea (Rachel Zegler). There's also the fact that Kalypso aims to destroy mankind by planting a golden apple from the Tree of Life, spawning all matter of horrific monsters. This leads to a final fight that results in moments that are both tragic and heroic.
Shazam Makes The Ultimate Sacrifice
In addition to the horde of monsters storming Philadelphia, Kalypso can also use the Staff of Shazam to absorb magical energy. She uses this to strip Billy's adoptive family of their powers and Anthea when she turns against her. Then for good measure, she has her pet dragon Ladon deal a seemingly fatal wound to Hespera. But Billy manages to use the situation to his advantage. First, he convinces Hespera to shrink a magical dome she had placed over the city so that it covers him, Kalypso, and the tree. Then he takes back the staff and starts firing lightning around the dome, causing it to fly into the staff and overload it. Finally, Billy charges through a stream of Ladon's fire and shouts "Shazam!" one final time - summoning a massive lightning bolt that seemingly destroys Ladon, Kalypso, and the tree.
With the tree dead, all the monsters it spawned fade away. Billy paid a steep price for the victory, as he seemingly died and all the staff's magic is worn out. Heartbroken, his family buries him in the land where the Daughters of Atlas reside. But hope comes from an unexpected source (At least, if you haven't watched any of the TV spots.)
A Wondrous Resurrection
At Billy's grave, none other than Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) shows up, saying that she is able to "jump-start" the magic that lays dormant within Shazam's staff and resurrect Billy. She can do this because she is a daughter of Zeus herself, and the thunder god's power flows through her as well as Billy. Soon enough, Billy is resurrected in superhero form and reunites with his family. He even tries to unsucessfully hit on Wonder Woman, who tells him to stick to the superheroics.
The film ends with Billy and his family enjoying dinner, with a newfound sense of ease. The kids have told their adoptive parents Rosa (Marta Milans) and Victor (Cooper Andrews) about their superhero identities. Anthea, having regained her powers, wants to spend some time among mortals — especially Freddy. And Shazam takes back his staff, intending to travel the world. But before he does, he finally lets Billy know his superhero name...which, surprising no one, is "Shazam." Freddy states that it needs some work, which will more than likely depend on if a third Shazam! film enters production or not.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is now in theaters.