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The DC Studios film slate is a bit messy in the near future, but that shouldn't stop fans from heading to theaters to watch Shazam! Fury of the Gods on March 17, 2023. The upcoming film, which marks the 12th installment of the soon-to-be-defunct DC Extended Universe, serves as the long-awaited sequel to 2019’s Shazam!.
Shazam! was a box office success for Warner Bros. Pictures and was also generally well received by critics and fans alike, with praise being given for Zachary Levi in the titular role as well as the light and fun tone of the movie. Still, it’s been more than a minute since the first film arrived in theaters, which is why we’re here to break down what you should watch ahead of the sequel’s release.
What should you watch before Shazam! Fury of the Gods?
Given that it’s been more than a few years since we last saw Billy Batson and his crew, it won’t hurt to get a refresher on his origin story through his solo film. Shazam! released back in 2019, and follows Batson as he is chosen by the ancient wizard Shazam to be his new champion. With his newfound powers, Batson and his foster brother Freddy Freeman must work together to stop the film’s villain, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, and the Seven Deadly Sins.
While the future of the DC Extended Universe will inevitably be short-lived, fans can still enlighten themselves on the larger lore of Shazam and what would have been one of his future adversaries. Black Adam, which was released in 2022 and starred Dwayne Johnson in the titular role, is a spin-off of 2019’s Shazam! that focuses on the popular DC anti-hero. Black Adam is a longstanding archenemy of Shazam, and before the significant overhaul of DC Studios, it was widely expected that these two foes would eventually go head-to-head in a theatrical film.
With the current revamp of the DC film slate under James Gunn and Peter Safran moving ahead at full steam, it’s safe to say that those expectations can be put to bed. Still, fans can enjoy one last bit of “what if?” by watching Black Adam ahead of Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ release comes on March 17.