'Shazam' May Feature A DC Hero Cameo, But It Won't Be What You Expect

Warner Bros. and DC are riding high off the huge success of James Wan's Aquaman, and they'll try to keep that going in a couple months with the release of David F. Sandberg's Shazam! A new report suggests the upcoming superhero comedy will feature a cameo from a fellow DC hero, and if it's true, this cameo sounds like it will be one of the strangest cameos in recent memory. Read on to learn who will (or, more accurately, will not) appear in the Shazam cameo.

(Warning: possible spoilers ahead for Shazam!)

We're still not sure whether or not actor Henry Cavill has left his Superman role behind – his cryptic Instagram message hasn't helped straighten out the situation, and Aquaman star Jason Momoa recently said Cavill was "absolutely not" done with the character yet. But early rumors suggested that talks broke down between Cavill and the studio about a post-credits scene cameo in Shazam, in which Cavill's Superman would have met up with the young protagonist Billy Batson.

According to We Got This Covered, we're going to see a Superman cameo in Shazam! after all. But here's the catch: it apparently won't be Henry Cavill wearing the suit:

According to sources close to We Got This Covered, the Man of Steel's appearance comes at the end of Billy Batson's new film as part of the payoff to a running joke. Throughout the movie, it's said that Billy's friend and foster brother Freddy Freeman has been asking Billy to show up at his school in the Shazam persona in order to prove to all of Freddy's classmates that he knows the hero. In the final scene, Shazam finally makes an appearance, before saying that he brought another friend with him. At this point, Superman walks into the room, but since Cavill isn't looking ready to return anytime soon, the film will allegedly use a body double that doesn't show Clark Kent's face.

Why wouldn't the filmmakers just get Gal Gadot or Jason Momoa to stop by instead of Superman? If the running joke was that Freddy was obsessed with Superman specifically, I can see how it might make sense for the cameo to be of the Man of Steel. But it sounds like Billy Batson's "friend" could be any of DC's costumed heroes, so why would the filmmakers rely on a body doubled version of Superman?

I hope this scoop is bogus and Cavill shows up as Superman at the end instead of some rando, because framing out Superman's face sounds like it could end up as one of the dumbest superhero cameos ever. Maybe Sandberg can find a way to make it work in context, but that sounds like a tall order. We'll find out when Shazam! hits theaters on April 5, 2019.