Shazam! looks to be a mostly standalone entry in the DC Extended Universe, but that doesn’t mean it won’t feature a few nods to what’s come before in the franchise. After all, when the main characters are a bunch of superhero-loving kids, there are bound to be easter eggs and references to Superman and the Justice League on display.
Sure enough, a new photo from the movie released by EW gives us a look at Freddy Freeman’s room, which reveals just how much of a Superman obsessive Billy Batson’s best pal is. For one, on the chest of drawers behind the boys, there’s a mock-up Time Magazine cover featuring the Black Zero – General Zod’s spaceship – from Man of Steel and a Daily Planet newspaper with a headline reading “Superman is Back,” referring to the Kryptonian’s resurrection in Justice League. Plus, there’s obviously a Superman cap and a Batman action figure in shot as well.
If you want a closer look at that Time cover, one Twitter user asked Shazam! director David F. Sandberg for a clearer shot of it and the filmmaker was happy to oblige. As you can see in the gallery above, the cover line reads: “An act of war? As Metropolis lies in ruins how shall the world respond? Inside an alien invasion.” Also, the date – June 14, 2013 – is a sly reference to the release date of Man of Steel.
We might even see this easter eggs pay off at some point, as Shazam! producer Peter Safran has teased that Zachary Levi’s hero could join the ranks of the League in a possible Justice League 2. Closer to home, though, rumor has it that Henry Cavill might cameo as Superman in the movie itself, though that’s not confirmed just yet. Perhaps we’ll hear something about it tomorrow at Comic-Con? Fingers crossed, eh?