After decades of reliance on Batman and Superman, DC movies have come a long way in recent years as far as introducing different live-action heroes to audiences, and David F. Sandberg’s Shazam! is a wonderful part of that initiative. It’s not only a movie that has a special tone and unique cast of characters, but is also a wonderful launching point for a potential whole series of films featuring a wide variety of protagonists and antagonists who have never before graced the big screen. That vision is getting realer by the day, with both Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam film and Shazam! 2 starting to gather steam – but in the case of the latter, there’s still a lot that we don’t know.
Based on the post-credits of Shazam!, it would appear that Shazam! 2 is going to see the continuing adventures of Mark Strong’s Dr. Sivana and the alien worm Mister Mind as they collaborate in aim of dominating the seven realms in the Magiclands. Beyond that, however, the movie is a total mystery, as we have no idea who else will be a part of the cast beyond the two villains and the family of superheroes we previously met. It’s that particular mystery that we are here to speculate about today, as we have a list of six characters we’d like to see be introduced in the developing sequel.
Tawky Tawny
You don’t really notice it unless you’re looking for it, but the first Shazam! movie features a surprising number of references to tigers, from the stuffed one that young Billy wants to win from the carnival in the flashback, to the patch he sports on his backpack, to the visage on the pair of clips that keep the central hero’s cape on his costume. Hopefully it turns out that it was all subtle setup for Shazam! 2 and the introduction of Tawky Tawny – an anthropomorphic tiger that has been a friend of the central hero’s going back to the 1940s.
The character’s story has changed a lot over the years, but it would be a cinch to adapt his most recent incarnation from the comics where he originates from one of the seven realms, and it would simply be amazing to have a blockbuster movie where one of the protagonist’s best friends is a big cat with an appreciation for nice suits.
Hoppy The Marvel Bunny
The goofiness of Shazam! is one of the key reasons the film works as well as it does, and provided that Shazam! 2 is willing to take that tone even further, we’re hoping that the sequel is open to the idea of multiple talking animal characters. Hence why we’re also including Hoppy The Marvel Bunny on this list – who was first introduced in the comics as a cartoon rabbit who possesses the powers of Captain Marvel. There are multiple ways of going about introducing him (as he can be from one of the Magiclands, or, as seen in the New 52 comics, a pet of Mary and Darla’s who gets transformed by Shazam! lightning), and including the character would allow for some silly fun in the follow-up.
Captain Nazi
With Mister Mind, Doctor Sivana, and Black Adam all looking to have interesting futures on the big screen in the near future, there is a great deal of speculation among fans that developments will lead to the formation of the first live-action Monster Society of Evil (the nefarious organization bent on dominance created by Mister Mind) – but if that’s the case, the villains are going to have to increase their numbers. Enter Captain Nazi, a genetically altered human created by Adolf Hitler who has been going toe-to-toe with Captain Marvel since the 1940s, and was an early part of the Monster Society’s machinations. Admittedly he hasn’t had much action in recent comics, but he has been featured in live-action before, specifically in the second season of the Legends Of Tomorrow television series.
Ibac
To keep the Monster Society of Evil train going, Ibac is another key member of the villainous group who could wind up with some kind of introduction in Shazam! 2. The character is, in many ways, the opposite of Billy Batson, as he is an elderly crook who makes a deal with the devil to become enhanced with special powers originating from various acronym-based sources – namely “I” for the terror of Ivan the Terrible, “B” for the cunning of Cesare Borgia, “A” for the Fierceness of Attila the Hun, “C” for the Cruelty of Caligula. He could make for an interesting heavy that sticks around for multiple features.
King Kull
In the years ahead, the DC Extended Universe will be introducing us to Black Adam – a Captain Marvel foe whose origins take place in ancient Egypt – but Shazam! 2 would actually give the franchise a chance to dig even further into history should it make the move to include King Kull. Another key member of the Monster Society of Evil, the villain was first introduced to comics as a prehistoric warlord from a surprisingly technologically advanced race of Beast-Men who managed to stay alive into the 20th century after putting himself in suspended animation. In the more modern run of the comics he has been retconned to come from the Earthlands realm, and as Sivana and Mister Mind tour the seven realms in the sequel, it would be great to see them recruit King Kull’s help.
Mister Atom
Thus far in this feature we’ve discussed multiple anthropomorphic animals, fascist supermen, and an advanced protohuman, so why not throw a giant radioactive robot in for good measure as well? As tall as a skyscraper, able to fly, and being practically invulnerable he’s a threatening addition to the legion of evil-doers assembled by Mister Mind and Doctor Sivana, and with retconned origins in the Gamelands realm in recent DC Comics, he could likely fit smoothly into any plans Shazam! 2 is currently conjuring.
Will we get to actually see any or all of these heroes and villains get their chance to move into the live-action realm with the release of Shazam! 2? We’ll just have to wait and find out as the movie continues to move through development. The film is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 4, 2022.
