Shazam 2's Wonder Woman Cameo Joke Means He Must Join The Justice League
New footage of Shazam: Fury of the Gods shown off at CinemaCon features a cameo from Wonder Woman - meaning that Shazam now needs to join the Justice League. Although the cameo is clearly a joke, it's not the first time Shazam has had a comedic meeting with a big-time hero after meeting Superman in the first Shazam! movie. Yet while these random appearances at first translate as superhero spoofs and jokes, having Shazam actually join the Justice League in the future would be the perfect payoff to these cameos.
Shazam 2 follows the titular hero as he teams up with his now-superpowered siblings and takes on the villainous Daughters of Atlas. Shazam 2's new Wonder Woman footage is described as a dream sequence where Shazam is on a date with Wonder Woman. She stops and turns around as she begins to walk away, revealing that she is not Gal Gadot but actually the wizard Merlin. While the context of this footage isn't entirely clear, a cameo from Wonder Woman and the debut of Merlin nonetheless proves how much bigger Shazam 2 will be compared to its predecessor.
With Wonder Woman appearing in Shazam 2 and Superman having appeared in Shazam, cameos from Justice League members may become a recurring joke in the series. While this is great in its own right, the DCEU can further pay off these jokes in an even more substantial way by having Shazam join the Justice League. Shazam has been a longtime member of the Justice League in the original DC comics, so having him join the DCEU's team wouldn't be a stretch by any means. In addition, Shazam has connections with Superman and Wonder Woman, and since he is one of the DCEU's most powerful heroes, he would fit right in. Rather than adding new heroes to the DCEU, the Justice League should therefore employ Shazam, paying off these cameos by connecting Shazam to the broader universe.
With the futures of the DCEU's Superman, Batman, and Cyborg up in the air, the Justice League will soon be looking to recruit new heroes. Zachary Levi's Shazam is a well-loved contemporary superhero, and while he may not have fit in with Snyder's more broody Justice League aesthetic, he meshes perfectly with the new direction that the DCEU is taking. Furthermore, Shazam 2 will feature Shazam leading his family's own super team, giving him the canonical experience required to join the Justice League. Although, in reality, Shazam is still a kid, his power level, experience, and connections with the team make him the perfect candidate for the Justice League's newest member.
One of the biggest issues that the DCEU has struggled with to date is narrative cohesion. There have been multiple superhero setups that were never paid off, crossover opportunities that have been missed, and characters that have been seemingly forgotten as DCEU projects changed hands. As a result, using these Superman and Wonder Woman cameos to actually make Shazam join the Justice League would be a big win for the universe. Not only would this connect Shazam to the broader DCEU, but it also proves that the Justice League is still being set up and that the DCEU is once again headed somewhere big. The DCEU, therefore, must take the opportunity that Wonder Woman's Shazam: Fury of the Gods cameo is presenting and make Shazam the Justice League's newest member.