Shazam! Fury of the Gods isn't exactly the thunderstruck success that some fans were hoping it would be. Disappointing with critics and the box office, the movie is definitely a limping beginning to the "DC Extended Universe" farewell. The worst part is that this issue is not exactly new for the DCEU.
Amid the many poorly-received and even outright controversial entries in the shared universe, DC has particularly failed when it comes to sequels. The biggest problem with these movies continues to be the lack of developing on what came before, which only added to the lack of cohesion for DC's movies. Here's how the trend continues with Shazam! 2, and how one well-received sequel had actually bucked it.
The DCEU Sequels Have Almost Always Been Worse Than the First
Though it wasn't necessarily a sequel in the traditional sense, the dour Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was the second DC Extended Universe film and the narrative follow-up to Man of Steel. If its predecessor was controversial, its "sequel" was downright despised by many. Some fans now see the particularly intense vitriol toward Dawn of Justice as killing the momentum of the DCEU, though another DC film with a woman's touch briefly changed the trajectory of reception. Wonder Woman was the first live-action film starring the Amazing Amazon, and it's easily still considered one of the best parts of DC's modern film universe. Unfortunately, director Patty Jenkins couldn't maintain that same quality in the sequel with Wonder Woman 1984. Its dramatic downturn in quality has even become something of a punchline among fans.
The trend now continues with Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which is both particularly disappointing and somewhat surprising. The first film wasn't a huge financial hit, but it was very well received. The new movie doubles down on what many liked about the first, but it would seem like lightning isn't striking in the same spot twice. Not only are Shazam! 2's reviews significantly worse, but even the already small profit of the first is a veritable fortune compared to the meager haul of the second movie. It's sadly nothing new for DC and how terribly some of its sequels have been received, and it can be partly blamed on not advancing the story.
The Worst DCEU Sequels Don't Build On the Successes of Their Predecessors
One major problem that many fans had with Batman v Superman was how dark and dour the movie was. Man of Steel was also a fairly dark and serious movie, but its last two scenes hinted at Henry Cavill's Superman becoming the familiar bright and optimistic hero in the sequel. Such a development didn't happen, of course, with the DC Extended Universe only getting darker with the next entry.
Wonder Woman's ending furthered the idea that the heroine had left Man's World and heroism behind for decades, explaining why she wasn't present during Man of Steel. In Wonder Woman 1984, however, she was clearly operating somewhat out in the open, and the movie's cheesy tone was another glaring discrepancy from the first film. In the case of the new Shazam!, Billy Batson's superhero form acts more immature and jokey than ever, despite his character having grown and become more experienced. The rest of the Shazam Family doesn't have much development, either, resulting in some characters actually relearning the same lessons. Even one of the after-credits scenes is incredibly similar to the one from the first.
The one exception to this situation was 2021's The Suicide Squad, which was far more well-received than its 2016 forbearer. One of the reasons for this was that it actually built upon the few good elements of the first movie. The original Suicide Squad was seen by many as a poor imitation of Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy. Thus, The Suicide Squad was directed by James Gunn, current DCU creative head and director of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy series. This made it feel more authentic, and the movie itself, while a box office flop, was one of the DCEU's best entries. According to rumors and leaks, the test screenings for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom aren't doing so hot, so things may sadly continue to be bad for DC sequels until James Gunn restarts things in 2025.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is now playing in theaters.