There were a lot of great new trailers released at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, but none made quite as much of an impact as the first look at Shazam. The new movie starring Zachary Levi as Shazam set to come out in April of 2019 is noticeably brighter than recent DC Comics movies with a much more comedic tone as well. It appears to tell the origin story of Billy Batson, a young orphan who is granted the power of seven gods in order to become the adult-sized superhero Shazam.
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In addition to setting up the basics for this new origin story, the trailer also made it clear that the movie would not be avoiding the rest of current DC film continuity. It was packed with a variety of Easter eggs that show off both events from prior films and the existence of other superheroes. We’ve picked out as many of these Easter eggs as we can, so be sure to keep reading to discover any you may have missed.
Superman Makes Headlines
Billy Batson’s foster brother Freddy Freeman is a big fan of superheroes in the trailer for Shazam. In his bedroom he has a variety of memorabilia collected, including some newspaper headlines. These include references to Superman’s return in Justice League and his battle with Zod in Man of Steel. There are additional references to Batman and Wonder battling Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, pulling together almost all of the major DC movies in a single front page.
The Council of Eternity
When the wizard Shazam appears in the trailer, he sits in the middle of seven chairs with the rest remaining empty. This appears to be a reference to the recent Shazam origin written by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank in which the wizard is a member of the Council of Eternity, a group slowly eroded by Shazam’s enemy Black Adam. It appears that this plot point from the comics will be making its way to the film as well.
Wonder Woman “Appears”
Freddy Freeman’s superhero fandom isn’t limited solely to the walls of his bedroom. When he is escorting Shazam through a train station in the trailer, audiences can see he is wearing a T-shirt featuring the modern Wonder Woman emblem from the most recent DC movie. It’s easy to miss as Shazam uses his lightning to recharge (and explode) the phones of passersby.
Aquaman Also “Appears”
Wonder Woman’s isn’t the only logo featured on a Freddy Freeman T-shirt. In the scene where he is first introduced, he can be seen sporting an Aquaman T-shirt while he explains the rules of Billy Batson’s new foster home to the future superhero.
Arion Graffiti
When Shazam is testing out his powers with Freddy they go to a skate park to attempt flying. On a halfpipe there is graffiti of the word Arion. This is the name of an ancient Atlantean sorcerer. While it’s unclear whether this obscure magic user is part of the new Council of Eternity, part of the Aquaman movie, or something else, it’s probably no accident that it appeared in the Shazam trailer.
More to Watch For
Shazam director David F. Sandberg has also confirmed there will be references to his two prior films, Annabelle: Creation and Lights Out, suggesting that eagle-eyed fans could not make a shared universe between Shazam and these horror films.
It’s apparent from the first trailer alone that Shazam is bound to be a lot of fun, both for general audiences and those of us that love to spot the tiniest, geekiest details. Be sure to keep an eye out for future references and Easter eggs, and we’ll continue to share all of the fun things we discover here.
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