Nipping at the heels of this morning’s image dump is a brand new teaser trailer for Shazam!, in which the evil Doctor Sivana (Mark Strong) begins plotting Billy Batson’s downfall.
If you’re not familiar with the DC source material, you should know that Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana is a crooked wannabe. So convinced is he that Shazam chose poorly when selecting the young Billy Batson as his new champion that he’s spent his entire life as a bitter scientist hoping to channel the ancient magic of Captain Marvel’s elders – namely Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury.
It’s a pursuit that’s turned Sivana into a power-hungry maniac, and today’s new Shazam! footage drives home the point that young Billy Batson will be up against it come 2019.
At only 61 seconds in length, this is a delightfully short teaser for Warner’s other major 2019 superhero movie – the first being Wonder Woman 1984 – which ought to please those worried about the potential onset of story spoilers. Especially when there are still more than six months to go before release…
Moreover, it’s looking increasingly likely that Shazam! will be a standalone adventure first and foremost, with only subtle references to the wider DCEU universe in which it takes place. If true, it’ll certainly align with Warner’s reconfiguration of its fledgling superhero franchise, which will supposedly lead to more character-driven solo movies and fewer ensemble pieces in the vein of Justice League. And after Zack Snyder’s critical dud, that can only be a good thing for the series.
Filled with more heart and humor than the last four DCEU movies combined, Shazam! is due to light up theaters on April 5th, 2019. But first comes a deep dive into the lush underwater world of Atlantis…