The original Shazam! (2019) was a wonderfully pleasant surprise for DC Comics fans everywhere. The critically acclaimed origin story of the boy turned superhero, Billy Batson, was a marvelous adaptation and introduced some much-needed levity to the often grim and dark DCEU. Though the future of DC's flagship cinematic universe is in a somewhat uncertain place at the moment, with DC Films now under the new management of James Gunn and Peter Safran and the two now constructing a new multi-year plan for the future of DC's iconic pantheon of characters, DC still has some pre-established projects in the works. We already were graced by Shazam's historic nemesis in Black Adam (2022), we're set to get our first theatrical film starring The Flash (2023), and of course, there's the sequel starring everyone's favorite hero with the heart and mind of a kid. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) sees Billy and his new family of super siblings take on an all-new threat in the Daughters of Atlas, who seek to (what else?) destroy the world.
Once again directed by David F. Sandberg (Lights Out), the highly anticipated sequel is expected to bring back both familiar friends and new enemies in a story that brings an all-new threat to the DCEU. To find out who exactly is returning and who is joining the "Shazamily" for the latest installment in the franchise, read below for our comprehensive cast and character guide.
Asher Angel and Zachary Levi as Billy Batson/Shazam
Returning to the titular role of Shazam, playing the young half and his older alter ego, are Asher Angel and Zachary Levi respectively. For most of his young life, Billy Batson has been from foster home to foster home after he lost his mother in a crowd at the age of an infant. He's spent most of his time trying to find the mother he lost, but eventually finds himself back in the foster care system, this time in the hands of Rosa (Marta Milans) and Victor Vasquez (Cooper Andrews), who already have five foster children of their own. Billy may be a juvenile delinquent, but he ultimately is pure of heart, quickly forming a bond with his new family, yet eager to find his birth mother. Billy's life is forever changed when a wizard calling himself Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) gives his power to the boy, turning Billy into the powerful (and visibly older) Shazam.
When in his alternate form, Billy has the powers of flight and control over lightning, as well as superhuman strength and speed, making him an easy rival for even Superman himself. In getting his superpowers, Billy is quickly introduced to his first super-villain in Doctor Sivana (Mark Strong), who takes control of the Seven Deadly Sins Demons imprisoned by the Wizard Shazam for centuries. Sivana nearly succeeds in defeating Billy, but what Sivana ultimately lacks is a family, and Billy is able to share his powers with his siblings and create his own super team to take down the mad scientist. In Fury of the Gods, Billy and his family will take on newer and more dangerous threats, including a dragon!
Here's what Zachary Levi told Collider about Shazam's fight with the dragon and how they filmed it:
Well, I first found out I was fighting a dragon when the team pitched me. Before the script was even written they had a treatment for it and I knew that we were gonna go with the Greek goddesses and the dragon, and I was like, “Oh my gosh, this is so cool.” And then, what is it like to actually film fighting a dragon? Lots of blue screen, as one could imagine. Some interesting props, like, you know, there's a scene where I'm pulling on his tail, where we have a big practical dragon tail, but it was connected to nothing, and then the rest of it's all CG’d in, you know? So that's that kind of stuff.
Listen, what's fun about that is, you might not have a real practical thing that you're interacting with, but you get to utilize your imagination on really, really high levels like you did when you were a kid. I mean, you know, you'd run around with nothing in your hands, and me and my buddies would pretend to be X-Men all the time. We had nothing, we didn't have fake claws to be Wolverine, we just pretended to have them, and your imagination is just kicking on a high level, and I love doing that.
Jack Dylan Grazer and Adam Brody as Freddy Freeman
Jack Dylan Grazer proved himself to be a star in the world of child acting with both the original Shazam! and as Eddie in It (2017). So it's great to hear he'll be returning for Fury of the Gods, with his adult super-counterpart played by Adam Brody (Ready or Not), getting a much larger role this time around.
Freddy is Billy's right-hand man in crimefighting, first introduced as a superhero superfan when Billy becomes his new roommate. A proud owner of memorabilia like a Batarang replica and a bullet that bounced off of Superman, Freddy is overjoyed when he finds out his new best friend has become a legit superhero, even showing him the ropes and helping him understand what someone with his powers should and shouldn't do. When Billy gives Freddy and the other foster siblings his powers, each of them gets a specialization, with Freddy's being flight—taking to the skies and living a dream come true. In one of the trailers for Fury of the Gods, Freddy can be seen protecting one of the Daughters of Atlas, Anthea (Rachel Zegler), indicating the two may have a friendship/possible romance in the film.
Grace Caroline Currey as Mary Bromfield
The oldest of the Vasquez children and the only one that doesn't have an older actor portraying her, Grace Caroline Currey (Fall) will once again be playing Mary.
Mary, being the eldest, takes her role as the big sister very seriously. She's both the voice of reason and often the first defender of her siblings. She does also have her own aspirations, including getting into a college of her choice. Mary is also a bit of an outlier among the group in the sense that we don't get a good sense of what her power specialization is when Billy first gives her powers, and that will likely play into the next film. What Mary does have with and without her superhero form is an unparalleled genius intellect, always doing research for the group when a new foe arrives.
Here's what Grace Caroline Currey told Collider about getting to play both the normal and super versions of her character:
It was so sweet. I mean, Mary – I don't know if I can say this, but from the comic books Mary Marvel, you know, she had her comic run. So to get to be in the suit felt really a bit of a dream come true, getting a golden age hero. It was really fun.
Faithe Herman and Meagan Good as Darla Dudley
Faithe Herman (This Is Us) and Meagan Good (Brick) return to portray the innocent, naive, and ultra-fast Darla Dudley.
Where most of the children give Billy his space when he first comes to the Vasquez home, Darla attaches herself to Billy right away, immediately recognizing him as her new big brother. Billy doesn't reciprocate this affection since he initially views this latest bout with foster care as another minor setback that he'll eventually escape from. In the end, not even the pessimistic Billy is able to resist Darla's infectiously positive attitude and she ends up being a driving force, showing Billy that his real family is right in front of him. Darla gains enhanced speed when Billy gives her powers, but she is still just a little kid in the body of an adult woman.
Jovan Armand and D.J. Cotrona as Pedro Peña
Returning to the role of Pedro Peña are Jovan Armand (Snowfall) and D.J. Cotrona (G.I. Joe: Retaliation), the super-strong introvert with a heart of gold.
Pedro often keeps to himself in the Vasquez family, being a young man of few words. Despite this, Pedro still has a great love for the rest of his family and is just as dedicated to helping his siblings as any of them would be for him. One of Pedro's pastimes involves frequently working out, so it makes sense that the power he receives before the final battle with Sivana and the demons is enhanced strength.
Ian Chen and Ross Butler as Eugene Choi
The sixth and final Vasquez foster child is Eugene Choi, the avid gamer with electrifying abilities played by Ian Chen (Fresh Off the Boat) in his younger form and Ross Butler (13 Reasons Why) as his older super form.
Eugene isn't quite as anti-social as Pedro, but still often spends his time playing video games instead of socializing with his family and friends. He's also close to his sister Mary in terms of smarts, particularly on the tech side of things given his love of computers. Being so interested in tech makes the power he got from Billy even more interesting, which is the ability to shoot lightning from his fingertips.
Marta Milans and Cooper Andrews and Rosa and Victor Vasquez
The parents of this closely-knit foster family are Rosa and Victor Vasquez, once again played by Marta Milans (High Maintenance) and Cooper Andrews (The Walking Dead).
In a film series packed to the brim with superheroes, even Rosa and Victor are able to match the heroic deeds of the members of the Justice League, taking in six children without parents and accepting them as their own. They recognize that each of their children is entirely unique and consistently encourage their creativity and ideas. They're delighted to see all of them get along, though, unbeknownst to them, it's partly due to them becoming a new team of superheroes. Their ignorance may not be the case for long, as it appears that the two parents (or at the very least, Rosa) learns of their super secret, being on the same roof with the siblings and the wizards that gave them their powers.
Djimon Hounsou as Wizard Shazam
Djimon Hounsou, who has played two characters in the DCEU (the Wizard in Shazam! and King Ricou in Aquaman), is returning, which is a bit of a surprise given how he disintegrates in the last film.
We finally got a glimpse of the Wizard Shazam's origin in Black Adam, where he and his council of wizards bestow the gifts of Shazam onto a young hero to stand up against the oppressive king of Kahndaq. When the boy sacrifices himself for his father, Teth Adam (Dwayne Johnson), the council finds the titular anti-hero to be vengeful and unworthy of their gift, and Black Adam kills his fellow wizards before being imprisoned by Shazam himself. Since then, the wizard has waited patiently for several centuries to find a more worthy successor, going through many different unworthy candidates, notably the spiteful Dr. Sivana. Eventually, he finds the flawed but ultimately good Billy Batson, and when the boy grabs his staff and says "Shazam", the wizard disintegrates, his work seemingly done.
How the wizard returns in Shazam: Fury of the Gods isn't yet known, but he seems to have a much more active role in assisting the team as they try to stop the Daughters of Atlas.
Helen Mirren as Hespera
It's interesting that Billy mentions to the new villain Hespera that he's seen all the Fast and Furious movies since Hespera does look a lot like a certain Oscar-winning actress who appears in F9: The Fast Saga.
Usually, with a new character like Hespera, this is the part where we would tell you her comic backstory and how she fits into this new story, but interestingly enough, Hespera and her sisters don't have a direct comic counterpart. We do however know that they are the Daughters of Atlas, and Atlas is very much a character in the DC Comics world, being one of the many Titans defeated and imprisoned by Zeus. We know that Zeus, Ares, and the rest of the Greek pantheon exist in the DCEU thanks to the Wonder Woman films, so it's very possible that his daughters (whether that title is metaphorical or literal) are trying to revive or free their father, and he may be a secret antagonist. Whatever their plan is, Hespera is the evil mastermind with her sister Kalypso (Lucy Liu) being her second in command.
Here's how DC has described Hespera in their official character description:
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.
Helen Mirren's and Lucy Liu's casting in the film is certainly one of the most exciting things about Shazam! Fury of the Gods and the film's director has previously spoken about how that happened, saying:
"We said, ‘We should get someone on the level of, like, Helen Mirren.’ And then we tried reaching out to her and she said ‘yes’ straight away. It was like, ‘Holy shit! We actually got Helen Mirren.’ Then we went to Lucy Liu and she said ‘yes’. They bring so much to the parts."
Lucy Liu as Kalypso
Just like Hespera, Charlie's Angels (2000) star Lucy Liu's character does not have a comic book counterpart, being a seemingly completely new addition to DC's rogues gallery.
Kalypso is the middle child of the Daughters of Atlas, siding more with her older sister Hespera than their more troublesome younger one, Anthea. Hespera and Kalypso can be seen in the trailer pulling off some sort of heist to steal a staff, which looks awfully similar to the staff that the Wizard used to hold before Billy destroyed it to weaken Sivana. Kalypso seems to be the main holder of the staff, which contains a litany of incredible abilities such as shooting a bolt of magical energy and summoning a dragon to do her bidding.
Here's Kalypso's character description:
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.
Back in July 2022, we caught up with Lucy Liu at San Diego Comic-Con, where she spoke about what being a part of a superhero movie means to her:
"I think being a part of a superhero movie is a super dream, because I am a super fan of comics and of that time, which is my childhood. So it really is a dream to be a part of something that, at that time, was unattainable and to grow into that space, and to have them grow into that space – for diversity, for women, and empowerment. It's not even just these quotables, it's a real thing and being a part of that is really a dream come true."
Rachel Zegler as Anthea
The third and final Atlas sister is Anthea, brought to life by the breakout star of West Side Story (2021), Rachel Zegler.
Where her two sisters have the end of the world in their sights, Anthea has clearly had a falling out with her siblings. She's rarely seen with the two of them in the trailers and is mostly seen helping the heroes figure out how to stop them. An outcast from her own family, Anthea will very possibly find some solace with this new family of heroes.
Here's Anthea's character description:
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.
Could We See Cameos from Black Adam, Dr. Sivana, or...Sinbad?
Being a superhero movie in a connected universe in the modern era, one has to wonder if we'll see any cameo appearances in the film or in a mid/post-credits scene. The obvious answer for who could appear is Black Adam, who is Shazam's historic arch-nemesis from the comics and someone who has a direct connection to Shazam's origins in the film. He, of course, even has the exact same abilities as Shazam, though with more experience and a bloodthirsty attitude. We know Dwayne Johnson has spent a lot of time hyping up Henry Cavill's return as Superman, but come on. If Shazam and Black Adam don't fight on screen at least once, then that's a bit of a missed opportunity. Though that said, Dwayne Johnson has reportedly declined a cameo in Fury of the Gods, so for now, it doesn't look like it's going to happen.
Another character who could return is Mark Strong's Dr. Sivana, who was a rare case of a villain surviving his film. The last we see of Sivana is him being locked away in a prison cell, before forming an alliance with an unlikely roommate - an evil mastermind caterpillar named Mister Mind, voiced by David F. Sandberg. Mister Mind is an extremely unusual yet classic foe of Shazam's, and him and Sivana teaming up can only mean dastardly things.
It would be great to see those two characters return, but strangely enough, many wish to see famed stand-up comedian Sinbad make his way to Fury of the Gods. The unusual and hilarious reason comes from an internet conspiracy theory that Sinbad starred in a genie movie called Shazaam, a movie that has never and probably will never exist. Sinbad even appeared at the DC Fandome in what appeared to be a joke, but if his appearance signifies anything, it's that Sandberg and DC are well aware of how much people want to see him in the movie.