The Warner Brothers Theatrical panel was a highly anticipated panel for the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, for good reason. Although the panel didn’t deliver everything fans had anticipated, it still gave fans two trailers and plenty of updates on the two projects, Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Shazam! Fury of the Gods debuted its first full-length trailer at the comic con. In this trailer, viewers see Shazam feeling pretty insignificant about his powers and hero abilities. Thankfully, he is not alone and has a family (Shazamily) to back him up while he takes on the daughters of the Greek titan Atlas, who are trying to steal back their powers. The trailer also shows fun references to Aquaman, The Flash, Starro, Titano, and even nods to Annabelle and the Fast and Furious movies. 

Asher Angel is back playing Billy Batson, while Zachary Levi plays his superhero alter-ego, Shazam. In addition, Rachel Zegler is introduced as one of the daughters of Atlas, as well as Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu. Returning cast members include Austin Butler, Grace Fulton, Jack Dylan Frazer, Meagan Good, and Adam Brody.

During the panel, Zachary Levi teased the possibility of a Superman appearance and expressed his hopes for a third movie. He also introduced the trailer by talking about how the kids are still trying to figure everything out. Lucy Liu expressed how grateful she is to be part of the DC universe. She also teased that she and her character’s sisters are on a mission, but she couldn’t say much else about her role in the film. When there was a question asked about a DC cameo in the film, Sandberg left the question unanswered: “there’s a lot going on in the movie.”

Shazam! Fury of the Gods was originally set to release in 2023, but its new release date is December 21st of this year.

Black Adam

The Black Adam panel began with Dwayne Johnson making an unforgettable entrance as Black Adam before changing back into his regular clothing. 

Now free from his tomb, the movie is set 5,000 years after Black Adam first got his powers from the Egyptian gods. The trailer gives glimpses back at the tragedy of Black Adam’s life, turning him into what Dwayne Johnson referenced as an anti-hero. A voiceover that accompanies the trailer says, “the world needed a hero. Instead, it got me.” Regardless of how Black Adam sees himself, he definitely has caught the attention of other heroes, including Hawkman, Cyclone, Doctor Fate, and Atom Smasher, who are determined to stop him. Viola Davis also makes a returning appearance as Amanda Waller.

The cast includes Sarah Shahi, Pierce Brosnan, Noah Centineo, Aldis Hodge, Viola Davis, Joseph Gatt, and more.

During the panel, the movie was referenced as something like a beginning of a new era or something different for the DC universe. Johnson also talks about the goal of tying in the DC universe with the Justice Society. When asked if Black Adam or Superman would win in a fight, Johnson said that it would depend on who was playing Superman. Noah Centineo made sure to appreciate that the movie was showing two superheroes who weren’t fully formed into their superhero ways yet. They’re still learning what being a superhero is about. Hodge said Johnson calling him to inform him that Hodge was joining Black Adam was one of the best moments of his career.

Black Adam was initially supposed to be released in 2021, but it was delayed due to the pandemic. It is now set to be released in theaters on October 21st of this year. It will stream on HBO Max 45 days later.