Some DCU fans prefer their superheroes to stay solo.
Case in point: a Twitter user called Massive_Peace shared their opinion that making Billy Batson’s family superheroes in their own right seemed like overkill. They wrote, “Hot Take (?): The Shazamily’s cool and all, but I prefer Billy being the only one with powers. It just feels a bit too crowded imo.”
Director David F. Sandberg famously shared a photo of the Shazamily in their superhero costumes on his social media earlier this year, sparking a discussion among fans about how becoming a superhero clan might impact Batson family dynamics.
It turns out OP’s perspective is shared by many other fans as the tweet received over 4000 likes. A user called SupermanEnjoyer argued that there might be some context to the Shazamily and their new powers. They suggested it might have been done so that Billy would lean on them before discovering his need for independence.
Wastelandgz agreed with the OP and argued that by endowing the Shazamily with the same powers, it somehow diminished Billy’s gift.
However, not everyone agreed with the OP. ScrawnYT said they loved the concept of the Shazamily because Billy is still a child who is exploring his powers. In their view, it made sense that he could discover his abilities with the security of a family who understood what he was experiencing.
It remains to be seen how the Shazamily will go over with moviegoers but it’s interesting that the filmmakers don’t see a need to gatekeep superpowers to make Billy special. He is unique because of who he is, not what he has.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is the sequel to 2019’s Shazam! The original film is about a boy named Billy Batson who gains the remarkable power to transform himself into a grown-up superhero by saying, “Shazam!” The sequel finds Billy coming of age in his own right, while other member of his so-called Shazamily have also managed to develop powers similar to Billy’s.
Shazam! Fury of The Gods will premiere on March 17, 2023.