Warning: SPOILERS for Shazam! are ahead!
It’s been almost two months since Shazam! first hit theaters, which means it’s now winding down its run on the big screen. However, once that’s complete, you’ll be able to pick up the World’s Mightiest Mortal’s first movie on home media, and among the special features that will be included are an alternate opening and an alternate ending.
For those who need a refresher, Shazam! began in 1974, showing how the young Thaddeus Sivana was brought to the Rock of Eternity by The Wizard Shazam, but deemed unworthy to serve as the Wizard’s champion because he was tempted by the Seven Deadly Sins. Right after being sent back Earth, Thaddeus, his father and brother were caught in a car accident that crippled Daddy Sivana.
Here’s what Shazam! director David F. Sandberg had to say about the movie’s alternate opening that will be available to fans on Twitter:
In the original opening an elevator takes Thad to the Rock of Eternity. We did the car crash instead to have a more dramatic opening to the film. Thad also sees a hologram with some Sin backstory, similar to Billy.
While Thaddeus Sivana being brought to the Rock of Eternity via an elevator is reminiscent of how Billy Batson was brought there through a subway train, the car crash was definitely the more jarring approach, as initially it looked like the Sivana family avoided being struck by one car, only to be hit out of nowhere by another. As far as the origins of the Seven Deadly Sins go, the movie provided a reasonable amount of background on them, so throwing in a little extra for the Young Sivana might have been too much.
As for Shazam!’s ending, the main story wrapped up with the Shazam-ified Billy Batson and his new friend Superman having lunch at school with Freddy Freeman and their adoptive siblings. But after that, the mid-credits scene showed the incarcerated Sivana being visited by Mister Mind, who was briefly shown when Sivana visited the Rock of Eternity as a kid, but had been freed by the time Billy Batson was brought to the Wizard’s liar.
On the off chance they weren’t satisfied with the sinister caterpillar’s appearance, David F. Sandberg and his team had a backup plan, with Sandberg revealing:
The alternate ending was a backup we shot in case the cameo at the end didn’t work. The alternate had all the kids transform and fly off to stop a hostage situation.
It’s unclear what David F. Sandberg specifically meant by if Mr. Mind’s cameo “didn’t work,” but regardless, that didn’t end up being a concern. That being said, seeing the Shazam Family foil a crime together would have clarified to those unfamiliar with the comics that Freddy, Mary, Pedro, Eugene and Darla permanently retained their powers, as opposed to their time as superheroes being a one-time thing.
While Shazam! didn’t make nearly as big of a splash at the box office as Aquaman did, it received a lot of positive reviews, and Warner Bros has a sequel in development. While it will be a while until we learn specific plot details concerning Shazam! 2, but it’s a good bet that it will involve Sivana and Mr. Mind getting up to nefarious shenanigans.
You can purchase Shazam! on Digital HD on July 2, and the Blu-ray and DVD copies will hit shelves on July 16. If you’re wondering what the DC Extended Universe has coming up, look through our handy guide.
