Shazam! hit theaters this weekend with Zachary Levi and company bringing joy back to the DC Universe mold. The film centers around a kid who gets superpowers from a magical wizard and it may be fun like a Marvel film but the execution feels entirely fresh.
That said, Shazam! does possess one quality that Marvel is known for which is the addition of a post-credit stinger. How many post-credit scenes exactly? Well, here is the answer plus an explanation of what the post-credit sequences mean.
Warning: Spoilers for Shazam! will follow.
What happens in the end credits scene in Shazam!?
Shazam! contains two post-credit scenes that both differ in their level of importance.
The first scene involves Sivana who has now been locked away and appears to be in solitary confinement for safety reasons. In his cell, he is writing out the symbols all over the walls hoping the gateway reopens to the magical realm.
Out of nowhere, he hears a voice speak from behind him and when he looks, it’s the caterpillar that escaped the wizard’s lair but now he has a small voice box attached to him and he has a sinister tone.
As the sequence comes to a close, the evil talking caterpillar says to Sivana that other ways exist to reclaim the power of the seven sins and that the opportunity to obtain them will arrive soon.
The second sequence is inconsequential but a fun reference to the connected property Aquaman. In the sequence, Freddie Freeman is once again testing out Billy’s powers and seeing what else he might be capable of.
Holding a fishbowl, Billy is attempting to speak to a fish before giving up and calling the superpower stupid. Thus teasing the possibility of a future scenario where Arthur Curry smacks Billy Batson with his trident for poking fun at his powers.
What do the Shazam! post-credits scenes mean?
While the second post-credits sequence is really just intended for a quick laugh, the first sequence has significance for the future of the franchise.
That talking evil caterpillar is the villain Mister Mind which dates back to when the character was originally known as Captain Marvel (way before Marvel had their own character of the same name).
His supervillain abilities range from genius intellect, telepathy, and the ability to alter timelines and the universe. So, in summary, he is not your average bug.
He also becomes the leader of a villainous group called the Monster Society which is hinted at towards the climax of the film when one of the kids opens a magical door and sees a group of crocodiles sitting around a table, playing cards.
These are ambitiously goofy ideas for future stories but given the greatness of this first outing, it should be fun to watch how they execute all these elements.
Shazam! is the latest installment of the DC Extended Universe and is now playing in theaters everywhere.