‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods‘ is the follow-up to the 2019 DC movie ‘Shazam!’ and sees Zachary Levi play the eponymous hero. The trailer, which was released at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, is rife with DCEU references including a nod to James Gunn’s ‘Suicide Squad‘ – which a Twitter user pointed out.  

The director, who’s now back with Marvel Cinematic Universe and at the helm of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’, appreciated the reference and tweeted, “It’s a great series to have an Easter egg in.” 

When Zachary’s Shazam opens up about his imposter syndrome and speaks about how the Justice League members all seem to have an edge over him, viewers get the sense that he’s talking to a therapist, but he’s actually speaking to his paediatrician – a doctor who treats children. This is because Billy Batson is actually a kid, who possesses the magical powers to turn into Shazam. 

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The doctor points to the rest of the office and as the camera pans, viewers see what appears to be a painting of Starro, the alien creature that the Suicide Squad goes up against in the movie’s final fight. 

The Annabelle doll from the ‘Conjuring’ universe can also be seen in the office. 

Shazam trailer screenshot (Photo Credit: YouTube/DC)

Director David F Sandberg’s tip of the hat to Gunn in ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ becomes all the more notable considering the ‘Suicide Squad’ director was responsible for Levi landing the role. 

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The 41-year-old actor had auditioned for the part of Star-Lord in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and Gunn admitted he’d almost landed the role which ultimately went to Chris Pratt. 

However, when ‘Shazam!’ producer Peter Safran wanted ideas on who to cast, Gunn spoke highly of Levi and the actor landed the part. The actor had also responded to the director’s comments at the time, thanking him for the help in landing the role which Levi claimed turned his life around. At that time, he’d also expressed an interest in working with Gunn in the future.