Shazam! Fury of the Gods returns with a strong cast of characters. The first movie relied on the kids to carry the movie because they didn’t have superpowers yet. The adult forms didn’t have a lot of screen time in the original movie because of this.
Now, the opposite is true in Shazam! Fury of the Gods wherein the kids don’t get as much screen time. Because of this, a lot of the comedy and heart are put to the wayside. That doesn’t mean it’s bad though. Let’s highlight who the best characters are in the movie from the kids to the villains.
To properly discuss each character, spoilers will be in full effect.
8 Steve
Steve is barely a character in Shazam! Fury of the Gods but it is an important one. Steve is a magical pen that seemingly knows everything about the universe. It is a magical doo-dad straight out of the Harry Potter books and movies although the Shazam universe is about magic too, so it’s not that weird.
The Shazam family uses it multiple times to figure some things out like who the Daughters of Atlas are. Even though Steve never talks, it feels as real as anyone else in the movie.
7 Rosa And Victor
Rosa and Victor are not in Shazam! Fury of the Gods as much as they were in the first movie. They’re still loving parents, and one of the best positive representations of foster parents in films. Their love and support for their kids know no bounds.
Even though they are going into dangerous situations, superheroes or not, Rosa and Victor know their kids are capable of doing anything. They have some good moments as well like when they realize Billy and Freddy have weird things about dating MUCH older women like Wonder Woman for Billy.
6 The Wizard
The Wizard gets the most screen time in Shazam! Fury of the Gods compared to the other movies. He didn’t get to do a lot in the first movie, or Black Adam. He now gets to go on the adventure. Freddy and The Wizard are kind of like buddy cops except they don’t get along well.
Since he doesn’t have magic throughout most of the film, The Wizard doesn’t get to fight. That’s a shame as fans have probably wanted to see him do cool things since his first appearance. At least he does have a little more time in the main plot.
5 Mary
Mary is a complicated character. Unlike the rest of the Shazam family, she is played by the same actress, Grace Caroline Currey, when she goes into her superhero form. That’s because Mary is old enough to go to college now but she doesn’t attend. It seems like Billy guilt-tripped her into being a superhero instead.
She’s conflicted about the idea and brings it up to Billy throughout Shazam! Fury of the Gods. She’s kind of a good voice of reason to Billy to make him see there is more to life than just doing superhero stuff.
4 Hespera
Hespera is not the best villain in a DC movie, but she is up there. As the eldest Daughter of Atlas, she has class which is something not a lot of characters in the DC film franchise have. It was great to watch her dress down Billy when they are eating at the restaurant, for example.
Helen Mirren brings a lot to the character even though she doesn’t get a lot of time to shine since she has two other sisters vying for the evil spotlight. Her best scene in Shazam! Fury of the Gods is when she reads out Billy’s letter aloud and brings up Gatorade.
3 Darla
Darla is the youngest member of the Shazam family. She also has the purest heart and is still in an ever-evolving state of wonder no matter what she does. This makes her adult superhero form come off as a bit zany.
Why is this adult going banana over some kittens as if she were a child? That’s one example and an adorable one at that. It’s a great juxtaposition in Shazam! Fury of the Gods and the first movie to create some awkward and funny moments. Her yelling "Taste the rainbow" is one of Darla's better moments.
2 Freddy
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is almost like Freddy’s movie even though he isn’t in the title. After getting his powers, it seems like he is doing a lot of jobs solo. He hates the idea of being a weak cripple and wants to help people. He’s not in it for the power although he does like the fame of it all.
Thankfully the movie doesn’t spend any time on making him into a hero who goes to the dark side which is an overused trope in superhero movies. Instead, they give him a love interest via Anthea who turns out to be a complicated villain.
1 Billy/Shazam
Billy, in his Shazam form, is the reason why moviegoers are going to come out liking this movie. He loves his quips and yet he doesn’t rely on cussing like Deadpool. The two characters have a lot in common without Billy/Shazam breaking the fourth wall which is a concept Deadpool absolutely loves so much.
Billy/Shazam does like a good reference to pop culture though like his love of Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero" or his not understanding who Solomon is wherein he calls him Saruman from The Lord of the Rings instead. There are too many great Billy/Shazam lines in this movie to highlight. Zachary Levi brings life into this confusing movie.