Many people were operating under the assumption that Zachary Levi’s DCU career had been ground to a halt and a potentially permanent exit by Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and it’s easy to see why.
After all, if Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam didn’t perform well enough to guarantee him a seat at the table under James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new era, then what chance did Levi stand after headlining one of the biggest bombs the entire superhero genre has ever seen?
Sure, he’s close friends with both of the co-CEOs, but the post-credits scene setting him up for potential recruitment into the Justice Society doesn’t guarantee he’s got a place in the franchise moving forward. If he doesn’t, though, then a split-second cameo in Titans will mark the official end of his tenure as Billy Batson’s superpowered alter-ego.
The footage was ripped from the first Shazam! and glimpsed for a moment during the episode “Dude, Where’s My Gar?”, when Beast Boy takes a quick peek at what’s going on in the DCU multiverse. Needless to say, fans were quick to point out that it wouldn’t be the most glorious way of saying goodbye.
The star of a colossal flop that’s estimated to lose well over $100 million being ushered out of the exit in the most ignominious of circumstances via a blink and you’ll miss it frame of reused footage in a TV show that’s already been confirmed to end is actually pretty fitting when you think about it given the way Fury of the Gods turned out, but it’s also kind of cruel.