Who dies in Shazam 2? The first Shazam movie was a more light-hearted addition to the previously rather bleak DC Universe. Powered by Zachary Levi’s comic energy, it was a raucous antidote to the Zack Snyder era.
Shazam 2 has higher stakes for the Shazam cast, but it remains a comedy movie with action movie elements rather than a more serious superhero movie. As we explained in our Shazam 2 review, the new movie balances big spectacle with character moments, and this includes some characters not making it to the Shazam 2 ending.
So here’s everyone who dies in Shazam 2, from DC villains to heroes we might never get to see again in the DC movies to come.
Who dies in Shazam 2?
- Hespera
- Kalypso
- Billy Batson
Hespera
Part of the deal you make when you sign up to play a movie villain is that it’s often unlikely you’ll make it to the end credits. Helen Mirren leads the baddie stakes in Shazam 2 as Hespera – the eldest of the three Daughters of Atlas. Along with her siblings, she resents the human beings imbued with god-like powers by the Wizard, and has evil plans for Earth.
Hespera, though, is redeemed at the end of the movie. While her more volatile sister Kalypso rides around on a dragon killing folk, Hespera believes their garden of the gods should be made elsewhere. This gets her a dragon tail in the heart on Kalypso’s orders and, as she lies dying, she uses her powers to trap Kalypso with Shazam in a magical forcefield, allowing for the hero’s sacrificial moment.
After he triggers an explosion that destroys the garden, Hespera declares that Shazam is “a true god after all” as she crumbles to dust. We don’t see a body and crumbling to dust isn’t the most definitive comic book death in a post-Thanos era, but it certainly seems like the end for Hespera.
Kalypso
Despite playing second fiddle to Mirren’s Hespera early on, mind control genius Kalypso becomes the main villain of Shazam 2 by the time that final act comes around and she’s rampaging on the back of her dragon like an angry Targaryen.
Befitting her status as the main antagonist, she gets a more explosive farewell. She’s at the centre of the enormous blast triggered by Shazam when he attacks the dragon with the super-charged magical staff, and can be seen crumbling to dust in the aftermath just like Hespera.
No redemption arc for Kalypso, she’s a malevolent force right until the end.
Billy Batson
Every superhero worth their salt gets the chance to make the ultimate sacrifice to save people, even if they don’t stay dead for long after it. That’s certainly the case for Billy this time around, as Shazam makes sure it’s just him and Kalypso in the forcefield when he drives a super-charged magical staff into the dragon’s heart. The force of the explosion kills Billy, who uttered the magic word “Shazam” just before the fateful moment.
Billy’s foster family discover his lifeless body when the explosion destroys the forcefield and they touchingly mourn his decision to pay the price. They even bury his body, until Wonder Woman arrives and uses her godly powers to recharge the magic staff and revive both Billy and Shazam.
Even though Billy’s death didn’t stick for more than a few minutes of screen time, it proved to be a big moment for the character in becoming a fully-fledged hero rather than a comic relief figure. And given the lack of any firm involvement for Shazam in James Gunn’s plan for Chapter 1 Gods and Monsters, there was a very real prospect of him being killed off for good. Not this time, though.
For more on the future of DC, check out our guides to some of the upcoming DC movies and TV series. We’ve got everything you need to know about the Superman Legacy release date, The Brave and the Bold release date, the Lanterns release date, and the Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow release date.
We’ve also got you covered on the return of DC boss James Gunn’s superhero series, with a guide to the Peacemaker season 2 release date.