‘Shazam! 2’ tells an oddly similar story to another DC superhero film

There might be a reason why Shazam! Fury of the Gods underperformed at the box office. Not because people aren’t fans of Zachary Levi or because they have “superhero fatigue.” But perhaps it’s because we saw this superhero story before in a previous DC superhero film.

According to Reddit user u/2695movie, the Shazam! sequel shared a similar story to Zack Snyder’s Superman. In a post shared on r/DC_Cinematic, OP attached stills of the film’s final moments where Shazam sacrificed himself but was later brought back to life by Wonder Woman. Alongside those images were stills from Batman vs. Superman and Justice League, where Superman sacrificed himself but was brought back to life by the Justice League.

OP also claims that both superheroes died in a similar fashion, where one used a long and pointy, yet powerful, stick to defeat the bad guy. In turn, this led to the hero sacrificing himself. There is a huge family funeral, with a photo left behind on the grave. But the hero’s death was nulled thanks to the Justice League playing god (or in Shazam’s case, Wonder Woman, who is a literal god).

There is debate amongst fans as to whether or not this claim is true, that Shazam! Fury of the Gods copied the controversial Superman death. After all, not everyone was happy at the time that Superman died during Batman vs. Superman. Some claimed that this has to just be a huge coincidence and that Zack Snyder didn’t invent this type of storytelling.

However, a handful of fans believed that this was intentional since DC used a handful of Superman references in the sequel, and the similarities can’t just be a coincidence. Sure, anyone can use the same storytelling method but the way it’s framed looks oddly similar to when it happened to Superman back in 2016.

While people could criticize the uncanny similarities the two films had, one Redditor claimed why it was shot, framed, and told the same way as Superman. According to Reddit user u/CaptainJamaica, they saw the similarities of Shazam doing something at the same level as the Justice League. Throughout the sequel, he questions his worthiness as a superhero and compares himself to the Justice League. So his sacrifice being a close match to what happens to Superman symbolizes that he too is heroic just like the heroes he looks up to.

Shazam’s heroics did pay off since during the sequel’s mid-credits scene, he was invited to join the Justice Society. Sure, it’s not as big as the Justice League, but it’s close. Not to mention, he got to meet Wonder Woman in person who saw him as not only a hero but also a god. Perhaps DC should have shown this message much clearer or the scene might have gone over people’s heads.