Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

The sequel to 2019’s Shazam! is finally here with the release of Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Like the first film, it was directed by David F. Sandberg. Fury of the Gods picks up two years after the events of Shazam! after Billy Batson (Asher Angel’s) grants all of his foster siblings the powers of Shazam (Zachary Levi) as well.

Fury of the Gods sees two gods, Kalypso (Lucy Liu) and Hespera (Helen Mirren), attempt to take their powers away after it’s revealed that the wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) stole them. He gave the powers to a champion, of which there were many over the years, including Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson) from Black Adam. In the film, it’s revealed what powers Shazam actually stole, and it’s discovered that the name Shazam is actually an acronym.

What does the SHAZAM acronym stand for?

Each letter in the acronym stands for a different Greek god from which Shazam’s powers originate. They consist of the following.

• S – Solomon is the only member of the group not to be a god, rather he was an ancient king. His power is wisdom.
• H – Hercules is the son of Zeus, a hero and demigod known for his strength, which is the power that he represents.
• A – Atlas, the father of Kalypso and Hespera, is known for his stamina as he was known for holding up the sky.
• Z – Zeus is often depicted as the leader of all the Greek gods and his power is just that, power. Without him, Shazam would not be able to throw around lightning bolts.
• A – Achilles is another demigod, one known for his ankle and dip into the River Styx. He fought his foes with courage and that is the power he gives to Shazam.
• M – Our last God is the messenger of the gods, Mercury. His power is speed. Mercury is usually the Roman version of the god, whereas Hermes is the Greek equivalent. But, SHAZAH! doesn’t sound as good to scream.

In addition to Shazam possessing these powers, each of Billy’s siblings also possesses them, except each one has one of their abilities amplified to be better than the rest. 

A running gag throughout the movie is that nobody knows what to call the team, and for a time they are referred to as failures. At the end of the film, our hero asks the wizard Shazam what he is supposed to be called, and he tells him that his name is Shazam. It makes sense, but it also probably shouldn’t have been something that was revealed at the end of the second film. At least now we know.

You can catch Shazam! Fury of the Gods in theaters from March 17, 2023.

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