So, who are the ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ villains, the Daughters of Atlas?

The DC Extended Universe marks its return to theaters with the release of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which sees Zachary Levi return in his starring role. After Billy Batson was granted superpowers in 2019’s Shazam!, he partnered with his foster brother Freddie Freeman to best Dr. Sivana and the Seven Deadly Sins. Now, a greater threat awaits them in the form of the Daughters of Atlas.

Here is our overview of the new antagonists for Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Who are the Daughters of Atlas?

The ‘Daughters of Atlas’ are comprised of three antagonists: Hespera, Kalypso, and Anthea. Helen Mirren portrays Hespera, who is the de-facto leader of the trio. She wishes to battle Shazam and his mentor with the hopes of receiving the power that she believes was stolen from the gods. She is seemingly inspired by Hesperides of Greek mythology, the nymphs of dawn and dusk. In the Greek mythos, she guards the golden apple tree and has regularly appeared alongside heroes such as Hercules, Jason, and the Argonauts. Given her backstory of protecting noteworthy power from others in search of it, it's clear to see the parallels in Fury of the Gods.

Kalypso, who will be portrayed by Lucy Liu, has never directly appeared in DC Comics, though her name clearly is derived from Calypso of Greek mythology. In the mythos, she is also one of the nymphs who is a protector of Ogygia island, and in a scene from one of the trailers it appears, she has the ability to create a tree and various plants from beneath the ground. With Liu able to bring her action chops from past roles in Kill Bill and Charlie’s Angels, fans should be in for a treat with her DC debut.

Lastly, Anthea rounds out the three daughters and will be portrayed by Rachel Ziegler. She is the youngest of the Daughters of Atlas and is seemingly inspired by Anthea, the youngest daughter of Atlas in Greek mythology. In Greek mythology, Anthea is the epithet for Hera. While it's clear that all three are seemingly at odds with Shazam, there is the possibility that Anthea will be the one that at least empathizes with Bill Batson and his allies.

Why are they at odds with Shazam?

While it’s clear that the Daughters of Atlas believes that Shazam and his mentor are at fault for wielding their respective power, the specific motivation behind their actions is still up in the air. The first “A” in the ‘Shazam!’ does stand for the name of their father, Atlas. Perhaps their motivations are just slightly more personal, as they believe themselves to be worthy successors of their father’s powers instead of Batson.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods releases worldwide on March 17th, 2023.