Shazam! first released in 2019, and the fans loved it. Even the critics gave it a fair response. And honestly, it was a powerful addition to the DC roster in my opinion. Now, people are excited about Shazam! Fury of the Gods. It is still a couple of years away from us, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t get any updates about the same. As of recently, we have seen Shazam’s entire family’s new suit and even Helen Mirren’s picture with Shazam. Honestly, every new tease just adds to the excitement. But let’s talk about why Grace Fulton is pulling off a double-duty in Shazam 2? Let’s see why Grace Fulton is playing the adult Superhero and young Mary as well.
Why Grace Fulton is Playing the Adult Superhero and Young Mary
In Shazam: Fury of the Gods, Grace Fulton will be pulling double-duty in the DCEU sequel, as she will be seen playing the younger and adult version of Mary. I think this was sort of hinted at in the prequel itself. In Shazam, Mary Marvel was the oldest one out of all the foster siblings, as she was either 17 or 18 years old at the point of the first film. As we saw, before she got her powers, she was in the middle of planning her life as she had been accepted to Caltech. Moreover, it seems that Grace Fulton has replaced Michelle Borth. There could be several reasons for that, which I’ll get to in a minute.
Mary is the only one who doesn’t turn into an elder version when using her power. This was revealed when the director David Sandberg revealed the Shazam family with their new suits. Now, this is something that is actually established in the Golden Age iteration of the heroine. That version of Mary Marvel was capable of accessing her powers without transforming into a grown-up version of herself. But this was because she got her powers from an entirely different set of gods.
Why Grace Fulton Replaced Michelle Borth
So, it looks like this time DC is taking inspiration from old-school Fawcett Comics for Fulton’s Mary. So, if Mary was close to turning 18 in the events of Shazam, perhaps the DCEU’s take on their powers has been changed where a user can choose their form once they are legally an adult. This is something that could be entirely new for the audience to witness in Shazam 2. Moreover, this seems like a plausible reason for Grace Fulton to replace Michelle Borth.
But there could be other several underlying reasons as well. Maybe the director wanted to showcase a new take on mythology with this one. Or simpler, Michelle Borth wasn’t available for the sequel. Thus making it possible for Sandberg to either recast the adult Mary or retool the character so that Fulton could play both. And I think he went with the latter. Anyhow, we would still have to wait longer for any concrete reason relating to this.
Other Members Of The Shazam Family
Billy Batson got his cinematic debut in 2019 with Asher Angel playing the teenage side while Zachary Levi portrayed the adult version. Moreover, Shazam also introduced Billy’s foster family, featuring Freddy, Mary, Eugene, Pedro, and Darla. His foster family became DC superheroes after he shared his powers with them. But this time, the threat is bigger as we have two villains. So in my opinion, all the heroes in the sequel will have serious character development, and some might leave us too.
Doctor Sivana is out of the picture, as confirmed by Mark Strong. Helen Mirren is set to play the villainous Hespera. Her DC Comics counterpart is inspired by Greek mythology. But she isn’t the only one. Lucy Liu will play the role of Kalypso. The character, Kalypso, is the second daughter of Atlas, while the first being Hespera (played by Helen Mirren). So I think our team of heroes is in for a serious ride this time.
Directed by David F. Sandberg, Shazam! Fury of the Gods stars Zachary Levi as Shazam, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman, Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Marta Milans as Mama Rosa, Helen Mirren as Hespera, Lucy Liu as Kalypso, and Rachel Zegler in an undisclosed role. The film arrives in theaters on June 2, 2023.
Let us know in the comments.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter for more content.
Also Watch:
