So Shazam! (2019) comes out this weekend and, having just seen it, I have to say that it is a really fun, genuinely good movie. Like Aquaman (2018) and Wonder Woman (2017) before it, it plays out very much like a Phase 1 Marvel movie in the best possible ways. The escapist fantasy of a teenage orphan transforming into a superpowered adult version of himself is conceptually brilliant, the day-to-day reality of his existence as a kid is heartfelt and all of the character relationships feel earned, if a little underdeveloped. The runtime was packed with equal parts thrills, chills and major plot points, resulting in a movie that admittedly is pretty over-stuffed, but one that I couldn’t even begin to decide on what to take out of it.
The movie follows Billy Batson, orphan extraordinaire, as he tries to fit into a new foster family, find his birth mother, come to terms with his newly-granted superpowers and defeat the mad-eyed bad guy capable of controlling the demonic manifestations of the Seven Deadly Sins. And SPOILER ALERT by the end of the movie, he comes to terms enough with his current lot in life that he transforms his colorful foster siblings into a cadre of matching superheroes. Together, they have the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the endurance of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury.
There were, however, two puzzling details that will leave more audience members scratching their heads. That is, two details other than the eldritch, talking caterpillar who teams up with the incarcerated supervillain at the end of the movie. The first is that Billy and his siblings are meant to replace a council of long-dead wizards… only there are six kids and seven wizards (each with his or her own throne), leaving one conspicuous spot empty. The second is that they specifically mention that there are seven realms: possibly (presumably?) one for each Shazam, or maybe operating similarly to Thor’s Nine Realms.
The movie, sadly, glossed over these fascinating worldbuilding bits. And, yes, a sequel to the movie is surely inevitable at this point (seriously, this movie is going to make bank over the weekend), movies that will doubtless take the time to expand the lore into seven-layered and highly marketable playsets to be sold at a store near you, I want to know what’s up with them right now.
As it turns out, though, even diehard comic fans aren’t too entirely sure about what’s going on here. Near as I can tell, the Seven Realms bit is a relatively recent addition to the mythos of a character who, in his heyday at DC rival Fawcett Comics, was actually more popular than the Man of Steel himself. It appears to have been introduced around the New 52 reboot of the DC comics continuity in 2011 and tied to the character’s origin story (much as it is here). They’ve been brought up a time or two since then, but nothing substantially… that is, not until earlier this year.
It appears as if my initial guess was right. There are seven realms, each of which is watched over by a superpowered champion ala Shazam. Although these haven’t come significantly into play for the most part. These include The Earthlands (aka, the mainstream world of the DCEU), the Funlands, the Gamelands, the Monsterlands, the Wonderlands and the Wildlands. Each is accessible by the Rock of Eternity, the arcane lair shared by Billy Batson as his caped crusaders And, just as in the movie, there are only six foster children with the power of Shazam.
That didn’t always happen to be the case, though, and others have come forth to petition for their portion of the power that this eclectic family holds. Most recently, it seems, the pint-sized ruler of the Funlands tried to convince the reluctant heroes to make him the forth member of his group. And, as the Thor movies taught us long ago, franchises like these are at their best when they lean in hard to the weirdness of their own conceit. If these movie keep looking this good, though, I will continue to watch them. And if they contain more and more of thee expansive back-catalog of mythos, I’ll come back time and time again to see how this fascinating franchise develops into maturity.
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