Shazam’s Crocodile Men Just Changed The Entire DCEU

Warning: SPOILERS for Shazam!

The Shazam! movie doe a great job of setting up Shazam 2, but one of the movie’s throwaway jokes may actually become massively important for the future of the DCEU reality. It’s time to learn about the Crocodile Men, people.

The animal cameo may seem like just another magical gag, considering how many Easter Eggs there are in Shazam! tailored specifically for the comic book fans. Even for casual fans, the image of not one but three human-crocodile hybrids living through a magical doorway captures the spirit of Billy Batson’s story. But in the current world of DC Comics, the Crocodile Men are part of a much larger story and mythology. One that DC legend Geoff Johns is using to change everything fans know about the DC Comics Universe.

So as funny as the arrival of the Crocodile Men into the DCEU may be, audiences are definitely not prepared for what they suggest about Shazam 2. In hindsight, these creatures may prove to be a massive SPOILER for Shazam 2 and the future DC movie multiverse.

• This Page: Who Are Shazam’s Crocodile Men, Anyway?
• Page 2: How The Crocodile Men Just Changed The DCEU

Shazam’s Crocodile Men Aren’t Just an Easter Egg

Since it’s the explanation that will most often be given for the presence of crocodiles in anthropomorphized bodies, dressed in suits and ties, all playing a game of poker in a private gaming room, we should also confirm: the existence of “Crocodile Men” is a nod to the classic Captain Marvel comic books. At least, the existence of a Crocodile Man, the (admittedly un-inventive) moniker given to the old foe of Billy Batson.

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Modern DC Comics have played on the classic trope, introducing the infamous Sobek as a crocodile-like creature to the Black Adam side of the Shazam mythology (given his Egypt-inspired origins, his nature as a Horseman of the Apocalypse wasn’t even all that strange at the time). But originally, the Crocodile Men were introduced as aliens from the planet “Punkus,” and while some were more lasting than others (and not every one of them got their own name), they largely served the role of henchmen in Mr. Mind’s evil super-team, The Monster Society of Evil.

What The Crocodile Men Tell Us About Shazam 2

While informative, that’s not likely to be the path followed in Shazam 2. The first movie gets its DNA from the New 52 reboot of the Shazam Family, which gave no larger a tease of Mr. Mind and Dr. Sivana working together than is given in the first mid-credits scene of Shazam! But now that Geoff Johns has finally continued his story in a currently ongoing sequel series of his own, the true meaning of the Crocodile Men has expanded from its original incarnations. They aren’t mere henchmen, they aren’t demonic horseman of the apocalypse, and they definitely aren’t aliens from a distant planet.

In fact, the idea of crocodiles walking on two feat, wearing human clothes, and gambling over cards is nothing new at all where they come from. In that world, animals live and work just as people do, without much concern for Superman or the Justice League of Earth. If the next Shazam movie explores it as much as we expect, the entire reality of the DC Movie Universe is going to get a lot more… Wild.

Page 2 of 2: The Crocodile Men Tease THE WILDLANDS For Shazam 2

About The Author

Andrew Dyce
(3247 Articles Published)

Screen Rant Editor Andrew Dyce was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Despite calling the vast nothingness of the Canadian prairies home (or perhaps because of it) film and television have been a passion since birth. As a graduate of the University of Manitoba with a degree in English Literature, Andrew has grown to appreciate the story and writing behind everything from blockbuster comic book movies to schlocky B-movie action.

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