One of the great things about the Shazam! trailer was that it promised a much more lighthearted DC movie than we’ve been used to of late, but it also proved that the film will still embrace the history of the DC Extended Universe – or should that be Worlds of DC? As seen in some recent photos, it’s full of easter eggs and connections to what’s come before, but here’s one that you’d need Superman’s micro-vision to spot.
You may well’ve noticed that one of the Man of Steel mementos belonging to Freddy Freeman, Billy Batson’s superhero-loving pal, is a Daily Planet newspaper with the headline: “Superman Is Back.” That’s a cool reference to his resurrection in Justice League on its own, of course, but it’s the text lower down on this mocked-up front page that carries an even more interesting nod to the movie.
ScreenRant has pointed out the importance of the column on the bottom left beginning with “Alien Attack on the World” and “Russia Cleans Up,” referring to the big third act battle between the League and Steppenwolf and his Parademon army at the end of JL. Underneath that, the copy reads: “The Top Suspect: As a worldwide search begins for those responsible, specialists say early signs point to Lex Luthor and his associates.”
Apparently, the world – or at least star reporter Lois Lane – believes that Luthor is behind Steppenwolf’s attack. Not only that, but “his associates” has to be a reference to the Injustice League, which the bald billionaire was beginning to form in Justice League‘s post-credits scene, when he was seen recruiting Deathstroke to his villainous cause. It’s interesting that the group is public knowledge, as you’d think Luthor would be keeping his machinations on the down-low.
We don’t yet know when we might see the Injustice League team-up properly, so this easily-missed nod to the supervillain squad in Shazam! is a welcome reminder that Luthor’s out there making friends. I mean, he deserves to have a league of his own, doesn’t he?
Published: Jul 24, 2018 08:05 pm