‘Shazam!’ might be the most Catholic super-hero movie of all time

Shazam! is the most Catholic super-hero movie I’ve seen in a long time – if not ever. And it’s not the tortured, brooding, penitential Catholicism of Daredevil or the heavy-handed Super-Jesus imagery of Man of Steel. It’s more subtle (okay, the demonic incarnations of the Seven Deadly Sins aren’t all that subtle, but hear me out). The spiritual themes for the most part are sprinkled lightly under the surface – like leaven in dough (to borrow a Gospel metaphor), ultimately making the whole thing lighter, fluffier, and generally more satisfying. This film is set during the Christmas season, and within the context of the DC cinematic universe it really does feel like those who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

At its heart the movie, like its pulp-magazine origin before it, is about the dream at the heart of comic-book fandom – an ordinary, unremarkable youth is offered the chance to be a super-powered champion of all that is good in the world. The film gives us two young boys offered this remarkable opportunity.

Thad Sivana (Ethan Puggiotto), from a well-to-do but emotionally abusive situation, fails to prove his worth and is rejected. Decades later, Billy Batson (Asher Angel), a troubled orphan with serious trust issues, is chosen as a kind of champion-of-last-resort to protect the world from the Seven Deadly Sins, who have escaped their imprisonment to wreak havoc on the world.

Batson is given the power of Shazam, which is an anagram of the great mythic heroes from whom his superhero self draws his powers – the wisdom of Solomon; the strength of Hercules; the stamina of Atlas; the power of Zeus; the courage of Achilles; and the speed of Mercury – all wrapped up in an over-muscled adult body (Zachary Levi) in a red-and-gold super-suit.

By this time, Thad Sivana has grown up. Now Doctor Sivana (Mark Strong), he is still consumed by a longing for the power he was once denied. He joins with the Seven Deadly Sins, drawing upon their strength to challenge the champion of Shazam.

It’s really once this expository opening is out of the way that the film really hits its stride.

Batson goes to his foster-brother and resident super-hero expert Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) for help with how to deal with his new super-powered self. Freddy starts on a battery of tests to figure out exactly what powers he does, and doesn’t, have. There is a lot of humor in these sequences, and a lot of heart too as Billy for the first time starts to bond with someone from one of the foster-homes he’s spent most of his life running from.

There is also the sense that not all his super-attributes are manifesting right away. His power of flight doesn’t actually kick in until the last possible moment. And the Wisdom of Solomon seems notably absent for most of the film. This may be one of its more subtly Catholic moments – the idea that he has to open himself to the gift before he can experience its benefit.

That goes too for the gift of the foster family Billy has been placed with. The ragtag band of suitably diverse foster siblings, and the couple (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans) who have taken them all in, give a solid foundation to his character arc. The understated but clear indications of a family faith-life – in the form of saying grace before dinner each evening – is shown as a key factor in the family’s unity, and is ultimately instrumental in helping Billy reach his full heroic potential.

The theme of family, community, and responsibility throughout the film is at once subtly and heavily Catholic. Sivana and Batson both struggle with the temptations of selfishness and self-aggrandizement that come from great power. But only one of them learns the lesson that with such power comes … well … the Hero Formerly Known As Captain Marvel has enough trademark difficulty with Marvel Comics these days, so we’ll leave that particular catchphrase alone for now.

Shazam! is rated PG-13 by the MPAA, for some intense action sequences and language. The Catholic News Service has rated it A-III: suitable for adults but questionable for impressionable youth.