Shazam 1's Final Battle Set Up Fury Of The Gods' Central Conflict Without Fans Knowing

Contains spoilers for "Shazam! Fury of the Gods"

"Shazam! Fury of the Gods" is an exciting addition to the DC Universe, featuring Billy Batson's (Asher Angel) toughest battle yet. In the first "Shazam!" film, Batson learns how to transform into his superhero alter ego by speaking his heroic name and using the Wizard's (Djimon Hounsou) magical powers. In the sequel film, we see a familiar magical artifact return that proves to be extremely dangerous when it falls into even more villainous hands. 

In "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," we open with two menacing Daughters of Atlas, Kalypso (Lucy Liu) and Hespera (Helen Mirren), who reveal their unforgiving plan. They aim to get revenge on the human race, especially Billy and his family, for stealing their ancient power. They hone in on the Wizard's fragmented staff from the first film, which now resides in the Acropolis Museum. 

This powerful tool from "Shazam!" was also used by Doctor Sivana (Mark Strong) to bring terror and mayhem to Philadelphia. When Billy and his family stopped his sinister ways in the end, the staff was destroyed to prevent any further misuse. This also set up "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" in a key way, without us knowing at the time how important the Wizard's staff would be.

In "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," we learn that when Billy broke the Wizard's staff, he unwillingly allowed the Daughters of Atlas to enter our world and conjure up chaos. We also learn that young Billy was foolish enough to leave the staff behind, which gives the Daughters access to it after it finds its way to the Acropolis Museum. When they steal it in a horrifying demonstration of their abilities, they bring the parts to the Wizard himself, whom they've imprisoned. They force him to repair the staff by speaking Shazam's name once again, giving them the ability to take back their power.

This callback elevates Billy's comical moment in "Shazam!" to an avoidable blunder that highlights his adolescence and the consequences of his actions. Though some fans may have found "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" disappointing in comparison to the original film, this detail gives the sequel's kid-friendly tone a bit more depth and emotional payoff. It also showcases the film's themes of choice and responsibility when wielding power, as Kalypso's evil deeds starkly contrast Billy and his siblings' heroic actions.

Her choices also mirror Doctor Sivana's anarchy before her, which further underlines the importance of the first film and the seemingly unimportant fragments of the Wizard's staff.