Shazam! Ending, Post Credit Scene Explained! Spoilers!!!

In order to have a reputation as a more fleshed-out film studio, DC Comics doesn’t just need the likes of Wonder Woman. It also needs films like Shazam!—one-off morsels that are free from the weight of a connected universe, that can unabashedly walk the same ground as the best ’80s kids-action films, that let us laugh with an infusion of Spielberg-ian heart.

Levi’s character — who we’re going to refer to as Shazam even though his lack of a suitable superhero name is one of the movie’s running jokes — teams up with his foster brother, Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), to master his newly acquired demigod abilities. But when Doctor Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong), a supervillain imbued with the powers of the Seven Deadly Sins, learns of his existence, Shazam realizes that being one of Earth’s most powerful beings isn’t all fun and games.

Comic book fans will recognize the caterpillar-like being as longtime Shazam villain Mister Mind. Created by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck, Mister Mind is a Venusian worm that first made his appearance in a 1943 issue of “Captain Marvel Adventures” (yes, Shazam was previously known as Captain Marvel before a certain other publisher laid claim to the name).

Despite his appearance, Mister Mind’s intellect is beyond that of humans and he possesses powerful telepathic abilities that allow him to control people’s minds. He also can do insect-related things like spin strong silk very quickly.

In the comics he is the leader of an organization called the Monster Society of Evil and has a history with other “Shazam!” villains including Sivana and Black Adam.

In spite of some lapses and foibles, Shazam! crucially weaves two threads into one fabric: the emotional weight of its core teens, and a neatly paced streak of sweet and sarcastic laughs. I still ultimately think the Marvel universe has better entries in this camp (particularly the last two Spider-Man films), but that’s no reason to avoid DC’s successful stab at this superhero subgenre.