Following a quick reshuffling effort on the scheduling front for Warner Bros., Shazam! Fury of the Gods came out better than its companions by having its release date pushed up from May 2023 to this December. Looking to expand on the legacy of the DCEU’s newest hero, Shazam! 2 will up the ante with both its cast and the story that’s on the way.
Zachary Levi's powerful hero will find himself battling alongside his adopted family as they encounter insanely powerful new villains, played by movie legends Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu. There have also been rumors pointing to an appearance from Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, although the extent of her role in the story remains a mystery for the time being.
While Gadot isn't officially set to appear in the DCEU again until the upcoming Wonder Woman 3, having her meet Billy Batson for the first time could be what introduces the young man to the larger universe. Now, fans have learned that the Amazonian warrior will indeed make an appearance in the upcoming Shazam! sequel, but she doesn't appear to be played by Gadot.
Wonder Woman in Shazam! 2 Footage
Wonder Woman was seen in footage from Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, during the Warner Bros. panel at CinemaCon 2022. The footage description comes courtesy of Gizmondo's Germain Lussier, Collider's Steven Weintraub, The Ankler's Jeff Sneider, and podcaster Shawn DePasquale.
The clip from the film showed Asher Angel's Billy Batson having a dream about Wonder Woman wanting to date him. Taking place at a restaurant in Paris, the hero tells the Amazonian warrior that he can't commit to being with her before she walks away.
Additionally, Gal Gadot isn't playing Wonder Woman in the footage, but it's unclear who takes Gadot's place in the role.
Wonder Woman turns around and reveals herself as Helen Mirren's villainous Herspera, who warns the hero about the Daughters of Atlas in the dream. Billy also speaks back to Hespera and mentions that he's seen all the Fast & Furious movies, some of which star Mirren, as a massive dragon lands next to him on the street; he proceeds to talk about the concept of family, a constant theme through the Fast & Furious saga.
After the dragon arrives, the rest of his foster siblings land beside him right as he says "family" for a second time.
Wonder Woman Invading Billy Batson's Mind?
Based on this footage, it's unclear if Gal Gadot's actual Wonder Woman will be involved in the core plot of Shazam! 2. Considering that Billy is still only a teenager, using Wonder Woman could be the Wizard's way of trying to get the young man's attention as he's living his life to prepare him for what's coming for his super alter-ego.
Fans also get a sense of just how intimidating Helen Mirren's new villain will be as the Hollywood legend makes her first appearance in a superhero movie. The references to the Fast & Furious films also make this moment even funnier considering she's played roles in three movies from that series, once again showing how Billy is still just a kid.
More so than anything, even on top of Wonder Woman and Helen Mirren, Billy's family will be back in full force after fully realizing their powers at the end of the original movie. The group of foster children will have some major challenges ahead of them, but it's evident that they'll come together to form an incredibly powerful unit as they take on a trio of terrifying new bad guys.
Shazam!: Fury of the Gods will debut in theaters on December 16.
