Shazam!

Just say the word.

RELEASED 29 Mar 20192h 12m★ 7.0 TMDB★ Essential pick

A boy is given the ability to become an adult superhero in times of need with a single magic word.

Why it matters in DC

Billy Batson's ability to become an adult hero puts a child's perspective inside a figure of extraordinary power. That contrast gives the DC film collection a story in which becoming powerful and becoming mature are separate challenges, with magic providing its own route into heroism.

Watch these first

6 titles to watch before Shazam! — 13h 41m in total.

Man of SteelRecommended2h 23m★ 6.7
Batman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeRecommended2h 32m★ 6.0+1 before this
Suicide SquadRecommended2h 2m★ 5.9
Wonder WomanRecommended2h 21m★ 7.2
Justice LeagueRecommended2h★ 6.1+3 before this
AquamanRecommended2h 23m★ 6.9

Opens the planner with just these titles, so you can set your own pace.

How these titles are selected

Story prerequisites are curated. Likely prerequisites are inferred from sequel numbering or explicit synopsis references. Recommendations are earlier stories in the same continuity; background picks are separate adaptations. Series lists cover whole shows, not an episode-by-episode watch order.

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Where it fits in the DC universe

Shazam! is title 9 of 16 in our DC Extended Universe viewing sequence. Shazam! opens a magical, family-centred branch of the DCEU rather than continuing the Justice League's central conflict. It is the starting point for Billy Batson and his foster family's superhero story. Shazam! Fury of the Gods follows those relationships directly, making this the useful first stop for that pair of films.

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