Shazam End-Credits Scene: What Happens And What It Means

Shazam End-Credits Scene: What Happens And What It Means

Warning: Spoilers for Shazam! are in play. If you haven't seen the film yet, say the magic word and fly off to another page. You can come back once you're current.

With any good origin story like Shazam!, there’s always going to be a tease as to which direction a potential franchise would more than likely take. And while in the past, DC Comics films have mostly shied away from the post credits scene treatment, Shazam! dove head first into the practice with a pretty interesting hook for future films to work off of. If you haven’t seen the film yet, or missed this scene and would rather witness it for yourself, you’ve officially been warned to turn back. Otherwise, it’s time to go into what happens at the end of Shazam!, and what it means for its potential sequels.

What Happens

After the climactic fight at Chilladelphia, a now de-powered Dr. Sivana is apprehended and locked away in a local mental facility. Obsessed as ever, Sivana is seen going back to his old behaviors, scrawling runes on all of the walls in his cell, in hopes of finding himself back in the lair of Shazam. He’s tasted what it’s like to have super powers, and he wants them back now. Lucky for him, a bargain is about to be struck that could give him just that.

Out of nowhere, disembodied laughter starts to enter the room, and we find that it’s coming from a taunty little caterpillar. More specifically, that caterpillar just happens to be classic Shazam! villain Mister Mind, who comes to tell Dr. Sivana that there are other ways, besides runescaping, that can grant someone powers. After all, it was Mister Mind who gave power to the gods, and he's willing to give them to Dr. Sivana, if he'll join him. With the deal hanging in the air, we cut back to the closing credits, and get a quick joke that includes a dig at Aquaman, at the very end of the credits.

Now before we move to quickly, it should also be noted that we actually saw Mister Mind earlier in Shazam!, as a prisoner of Djimon Honsou’s incarnation of the wizard. The cosmic bug was in a glass case, looking rather frozen in place, so it initially looked like he was just an interesting choice in decoration. However, it looks like once the seven sins possessed Dr. Sivana, and all hell broke loose with crumbling rocks and quaking ground, this prison was shattered, and Mister Mind was allowed to escape.

With all of that knowledge in mind, let’s take a look at what this potentially means for the future of Shazam!, and the DC Comics film canon.

What It Means

Mister Mind has been around for a long, long time in the Shazam! universe, as he first appeared in 1943, and has made recurring appearances in the DC Comics universe up to this very day. A Venusian worm, he requires a talk box to speak, and can spin extremely strong silk faster than the human eye can comprehend. More importantly, he can use mind control and telepathy as some of his other stocks in trade. If you could put a genocidal maniac into the body of a worm, and give it some impressive powers, you’d have Mister Mind in a nutshell.

Perhaps the greatest piece of sequel baiting that Mister Mind brings to the table is the fact that he’s traditionally the head of the Monster Society of Evil: a group that’s included everyone from Dr. Sivana himself to every leader of the Axis powers during World War II. Hitler was literally part of the Monster Society of Evil, so you know this organization is pretty damned foul to begin with.

On the surface, it looks like Mister Mind will form, or has already formed, that Monster Society of Evil, and Dr. Sivana will join up as he’s done in previous comic history. We’d get more of Mark Strong’s comic book villainy, and Shazam! 2 might just open things up to a whole mess of DC villains that can make appearances throughout the films to come. With Mister Mind now in the picture, he and Sivana can start to plot evil deeds that will eventually be thwarted by Billy Batson and his foster family of heroes, just as anyone would expect. But looking into some of the previous rosters for the Monster Society of Evil, there’s one particular member that could very easily be used as some added muscle, and if what we’re thinking is correct, it’s about time.

One of the members of the Monster Society of Evil is totally Black Adam, a villain we’ve been promised in the DC Universe for what seems like forever, as the role has been cast with Dwayne Johnson set to play it. While the DC Comics film canon has been undergoing some changes, both in which films are headed down the pike, and the cast members who will be participating in the future, it’s a safe bet that Johnson isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, (he was actually one of the producers of Shazam!, so he's clearly invested in this franchise). If that’s the case, we might get to see one of two things happen: Dwayne Johnson gets his Black Adam solo flick, in order to spice thing up and set up the Monster Society of Evil further for its eventual return in Shazam! 2, or he starts off as a supporting character of that very sequel, and gets to branch off into taking Superman on for sport after the fact.

In either scenario, the likelihood is that Mister Mind’s appearance in Shazam! is, as most superhero movies love to employ, the door to a greater world. A lot of new and exciting possibilities are laid out with his debut, and the consensus is that his band of eclectic ne’er-do-wells will present a bigger threat to our newly empowered heroes, and open the story up to all sorts of villainous possibilities. Though, if this could lead to a live action adaptation of Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam, that would work pretty well in our eyes. For now we’ll keep our eyes on the skies, in order to see whatever malfeasance Mister Mind has on his brain.

Shazam! is in theaters now, so if you continued to read on without watching the film, we hope we’ve helped you make up your mind as to whether or not that’s in the cards for your weekend.

Millie Bobby Brown Says Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Needs To Be Seen On The Big Screen

Millie Bobby Brown Says Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Needs To Be Seen On The Big Screen

As far as film franchises go, there are none that go back quite as long as Godzilla. Dating back to 1954, the behemoth creature has been thrilling audiences for decades. And the big green guy will once again return to theaters with Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which is set to arrive in theaters in a matter of days.

The anticipation for Godzilla: King of the Monsters has been steadily building, as footage revealed the myriad monsters that will be battling for supremacy in the upcoming blockbuster. Fans are also excited to see Stranger Things favorite Millie Bobby Brown in the movie, and the 15-year old actress recently implored moviegoers to see it on the big screen. She said:

It’s a spectacular and thrilling cinematic experience that people should experience on a big screen. We had so much fun making it and that’s why people should go and see it so that they can actually feel what we felt which was just ultimate fun.

The Godzilla franchise focuses on larger than life creatures, and technology has made anything impossible in the past few years. King of the Monsters includes a number of beloved characters, and they'll appear even bigger on a larger screen. According to Millie Bobby Brown, the end result is quite the theatrical experience.

Millie Bobby Brown's comments to THR are sure to excite fans of the franchise. Rather than simply focusing on the title character or one adversary, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a true ensemble movie as far as behemoth creatures go. It's a veritable whose who of Godzilla icons like Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidora. And watching it on your own TV just won't do the scale of the movie justice.

Legendary's MonsterVerse has been steadily building over the past few years, and seen some solid success at the box office. Gareth Edward's 2014 Godzilla movie was a strong reboot to the franchise, and earned great reviews, on top of making $529.1 million. Kong: Skull Island performed similarly in both critically and financially, helping to set up the eventual clash of these titans.

Related: Upcoming Godzilla Movies: List Of Titles And Release Dates

But before Godzilla and King Kong come to blows, he'll have to become the King. This will put him in conflict with some of the Godzilla franchise's most beloved titans, as well as the impressive cast of actors that director Michael Dougherty assembled to play the human characters. Joining Millie Bobby Brown are Vera Farmiga, Ken Wantanabe, Charles Dance, Bradley Whitford, and Sally Hawkins.

We'll just have to see how many of them make it through the conflict, and hopefully return for a future. installment of the MonsterVerse. Serialized storytelling has become commonplace since the inception of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and crossovers are clearly coming down the line in Godzilla Vs. Kong.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters will move the MonsterVerse forward when it arrives in theaters on May 31st. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Disneyland Reveals How To Book Your Reservation For Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

Disneyland Reveals How To Book Your Reservation For Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

Update: Just before noon pacific time, less than two hours after reservations were made available., Disneyland announced via Twitter that they were gone. Now the only way to guarantee yourself access to Galaxy's Edge in the first three weeks is to make a reservation at a Disneyland Resort hotel.

Original Story: After years of waiting, we're now less than a one month away from one of the most anticipated entertainment events in the world. It's not a movie release. It's not the end of Game of Thrones. It's the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. For anybody who has ever dreamed of traveling to the galaxy far, far away, that day is almost here.

However, to get into Galaxy's Edge during the first three weeks it's open, you'll need a special reservation specifically for the new land. Those reservations can begin to be made at 10:00 AM pacific time on May 2. Here's what you need to do:

To Make A Reservation

The first thing you'll need is an account on the Disneyland website, so if you don't have one of those, go get signed up now. It's completely free and if you're going to Disneyland anyway, there's no reason not to have one, it makes a lot of things very easy.

Next you need to go to the Disneyland Reservation Page for Galaxy's Edge. The link can be found here. Starting at 10:00 AM this page will act as the virtual waiting room for making a reservation and will walk you through booking one once it's your turn. A single reservation is good for up to six total people.

Of course, there is also a second option for booking a reservation. If you book a stay at a Disneyland Resort hotel during the period of May 31-June 23, you'll automatically be given a reservation for Galaxy's Edge during one day of your stay. No other steps are necessary. Simply be sure that everybody who will be going to Galaxy's Edge is listed as a guest on the hotel reservation.

However, be aware that if the hotel reservation is canceled, the Galaxy's Edge reservation will be as well.

Once You Have A Reservation

Making a Galaxy's Edge reservation is free, but, of course, visiting Disneyland is not. That means that on the day of your reservation every member of your party over the age of three will require a valid theme park admission.

In addition, every member of the party 18-years-old or older, as well as the person making the reservation, regardless of their age, we'll require photo ID in order to enter the land.

The other thing to be aware of is that no modification of the reservation time can be made once it's done. There's also no remedy for replacing a reservation if it goes unused, so before you book it, make sure the date and time works for you. You also won't be able to modify the names on the reservation.

Disneyland has not confirmed exactly how long you'll be able to spend in Galaxy's Edge with your reservation but guests who have received reservation times already by booking hotel rooms are reporting being given a four hour window. Depending on exactly how many people are being let into the land, that should be enough time to get a ride on Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run, and maybe even grab a drink at Oga's Cantina.

After June 23, reservations for the land will no longer be required. The word is that Disneyland is working on a digital notification system, not entirely unlike getting a buzzer in a restaurant, where you'll be able to request a visit to the new land, and the Disneyland app will notify when there is space for you to enter.

Disneyland has never done anything quite like this before but then again in the parks 64 year history, nothing quite like this has happened. Galaxy's Edge is the largest single land expansion in the history of the park and its using one of the most popular IPs in the history of pop culture.

A nearly identical version of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is set to open at Walt Disney World August 29 at Disney's Hollywood Studios. No reservation period has been announced for that opening, which makes me think the true purpose of the Disneyland reservation requirement is to act as a soft opening for the new land.

I can't help but wonder if fewer people will be let into Galaxy's Edge during this reservation period than the land can technically hold. It would be a great way to put the space, the attractions, and the cast members, through their paces and learn to deal with any unforeseen problems that might appear with smaller crowds.

If true, this would make the first three weeks of Galaxy's Edge actually the best time to visit as it might be less crowded, not more crowded, than the space will be once the reservation period ends.

Since Galaxy's Edge at Walt Disney World is essentially identical, any problems found at Disneyland can be fixed before they ahppen, and thus the reservation period wouldn't be necessary.

The other thing that the reservation period adds is piece of mind. If all you want is to be one of the first to visit Batuu, knowing that you'll be able to, that you won't have to stand in an insane line, because there will be no stand by line, is probably a very nice feeling.

Of course, that still leaves the question of how easy getting reservations will be. The land will certainly accommodate hundreds if not thousands of people, and that many people, in four hour blocks, when the park will be open for 16 hours a day, over three weeks of time, will certainly allow for a lot of people to book reservations. Though exactly how many people will be trying is impossible to know.

Before the reservation system was announced, estimates were that as many as 200,000 people might show up on opening day, but even that number of people should be able to get a reservation without issue. You might not be able to get the exact day and time you want, but it seems likely getting a reservation at all shouldn't be too much of an issue.

Of course, if demand is truly excessive, we could see all three weeks of time fill up quite quickly.

Terminator: Dark Fate's Gabriel Luna Prepared By Staring Into The Mirror A Lot

Terminator: Dark Fate's Gabriel Luna Prepared By Staring Into The Mirror A Lot

“I’ll be back.” It’s the most famous line in the Terminator franchise and has proven prophetic once again, because the franchise is returning this year with Terminator: Dark Fate. The reboot-quel from director Tim Miller brings back Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 and Linda Hamilton’s iconic Sarah Connor. They return alongside a host of new faces, including Gabriel Luna, who plays the new Terminator in the film.

Details about the plot and Gabriel Luna’s Terminator are still relatively scarce, but the actor has spoken about what he’s bringing to the role and the interesting way he prepared. He said:

It's really hard to describe, because for me when I first got the part there was no script. So I spent a lot of time - more time than I should divulge - just standing in front of a mirror, just trying to develop the physical vocabulary of what he is, what's important. The head pitched forward in pursuit; the fluidity and the points of focus and all these things. And that's all I could work on, you know? So am sitting there, like, 'What is a Terminator to me?' and I'm breaking it down and building it up from the ground.

When Gabriel Luna landed the role of the new Terminator in Terminator: Dark Fate, there was no script for him to prepare with, but he didn’t just chill and wait for it. He got to work doing what he could by coming up with a take on how he would approach the character. As he told Comicbook.com, that meant just staring in the mirror for an uncomfortable amount of time to work out what that looked like.

It sounds strange and very ‘actor-y’ to hear about an actor just staring in a mirror for hours on end, doing different things with his face and head to work on his character, but it makes sense, especially in lieu of a script. Although a Terminator is a robot and generally unfeeling, an actor can’t just ‘do the robot’ and be good to go. There may not be emotion in the way there is for a human character but there is an intensity and purpose that must be present in the performance.

So Gabriel Luna had to suss out how he viewed Terminators and how he could physcially convey what he needed to convey. For him, that partially meant tilting his head forward, representing the dogged nature with which these hunter/killers pursue their targets. The ‘fluidity’ bit is also interesting and we know that Gabriel Luna’s Terminator will have the liquid properties and less mechanical movement of either a T-1000 or later model.

I also liked what he said about the points of focus. That’s something you’ve seen in previous performances by other Terminators; they aren’t taking in the scenery, they have tunnel vision-like focus, giving attention only to their target and the obstacles that stand in the way of that target.

No matter how weird his process might seem, it’s cool that Gabriel Luna is bringing such a dedication to this role to get the character right in what is hopefully a return to form for the franchise. He is presumably one of the main villains of this film, and he carries on the tradition of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800, Robert Patrick’s T-1000 and Kristanna Loken’s T-X (although Dark Fate is ignoring Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines).

Terminators are ultimately horror villains; unfeeling killers that are nearly impossible to escape. Gabriel Luna has already shown his abilities in this area as Ghost Rider Robbie Reyes in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. That character was more emotional than a Terminator, but definitely had that stalking intensity down. And with Gabriel Luna’s Terminator possessing the ability to duplicate himself, it will be quite the nightmare for Sarah Connor and Co.

Terminator: Dark Fate arrives in theaters on November 1. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all of this year’s biggest movies, and keep it locked to CinemaBlend for all your movie news.

5 Facts You Didn't Know About The Original Aladdin Movie

5 Facts You Didn't Know About The Original Aladdin Movie

Before it was announced, it seemed inevitable that Walt Disney Pictures would add its Aladdin movie to its dossier of live-action updates. On May 24th, audiences will bear witness to Guy Ritchie’s new vision of the magical rags-to-riches story featuring a big, blue Will Smith assuming the iconic role of Genie.

The beloved, 1992 original animated hit is regarded by many fans as untouchable, especially due to its Academy Award-winning music by Alan Menken and Robin Williams’ incomparable performance as the voice of Genie.

While fans are entitled to their opinions regarding a remake to such a lightning-in-a-bottle movie, the classic still clearly holds up. But how well do you really know  know the original Aladdin movie?

Let’s revisit the kingdom of Agrabah and take a deeper look behind the bright-colored veil to uncover a few facts about Aladdin that you may not have known before.

Robin Williams Recorded Enough Material As Genie For More Movies

The Genie in Aladdin is considered by many as the greatest of Disney’s classic animated characters. Much of the credit goes to future Academy Award-winner Robin Williams, whom the filmmakers allowed to go hog wild with the role, given that they had already written the character with him in mind.

Williams went much deeper into the role than the rest of the Aladdin cast, and so much that his time spent in the recording studio ended up resulting in almost 16 hours of potentially usable material, although a clause in his will says Disney can't use it until 25 years after his death. Aladdin is a mere 90 minutes. Imagine trying to cut down a gold mine to just one brick!

Additionally, Robin Williams’ improvisational performance style when voicing Genie actually proved somewhat problematic to the film’s Oscar potential. So much of his dialogue was ad-libbed that it cost Aladdin an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Thankfully, Alan Menken’s original score and song “A Whole New World” saved the Aladdin movie from leaving awards season empty-handed.

The Real Deal With The Street Peddler Who Introduces Aladdin

Aladdin begins with the now-controversial song “Arabian Nights” (more on that later) sung by a character known as The Peddler. The Peddler struggles to sell his merchandise to the audience, until he presents a lamp that he claims is nothing ordinary.

He uses the lamp as a segue into the main story of the Aladdin movie. Then, for the rest of the film, he is never seen or mentioned again. So, what was his point to the story anyway, other than providing an introduction?

Considering the Peddler was voiced by Robin Williams, fans have speculated  the character is actually a post-freedom Genie in disguise. In a 2015 interview to promote the Aladdin Blu-ray release, co-director Ron Clements revealed the truth behind the fan theory stating:

That's true! That was the whole intention, originally. We even had that at the end of the movie, where he would reveal himself to be the Genie, and of course Robin did the voice of The Peddler. Just through story changes and some editing, we lost the reveal at the end. So, that's an urban legend that actually is true.

Huzzah! A Disney animated movie fan theory finally confirmed! Now, I’ll just wait patiently for someone to admit that Aladdin really does tell Jasmine’s tiger to take its clothes off.

Jafar Almost Sounded Like A Certain Star Trek Character

Aladdin’s ruthless, power-hungry villain (and one of the best Disney movie villains ever) Jafar was voiced by Jonathan Freeman.

Jonathan Freeman is one of the few members of the Aladdin cast to reprise his original role in multiple spin-off projects, including a Broadway rendition of the film. His unforgettable portrayal has remained one of the most endurable aspects of the film. But can you imagine Jafar in the voice of, say, Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard?

One of Disney’s first choices for the voice of Jafar was world-renowned actor Patrick Stewart. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts with his role on Star Trek, he was forced to turn the role down. Following the Aladdin movie’s $504 million international success story, Stewart has gone onto state in interviews that turning down Jafar is one of the greatest regrets of his career.

I imagine he would have been dynamite for that Broadway show, too.

Princess Jasmine Was Almost Completely Different

Jasmine, the royal romantic interest of Aladdin’s title character played by Linda Larkin, is arguably one of the better female role models among Disney’s animated character creations. However, her character's original concept is nothing like what Aladdin movie fans remember, for better or for worse.

For one, Jasmine was initially meant to have a more active role in the story.

Instead of breaking down and crying over her forced engagement to Jafar, she was supposed to angrily confront her father: a sequence that got nixed to save time on animation designs. Instead of needing Aladdin to rescue her from Jafar’s giant hourglass, she was originally going to free herself using a jewel in her headpiece.

I would call these missed opportunities, but they are ultimately forgiven by Disney’s decision to not go with Jasmine’s original personality design.

Instead of the bored, kindhearted princess longing for a more normal life, Jasmine was going to be a total brat who only wanted to marry the richest prince available. A song was written, intended to be her defining theme, called “Call Me a Princess.” Only when she falls in love with Aladdin would she learn humility and change into a sweeter version of herself.

Disney, believing audiences would not like that interpretation of her, decided to change Jasmine into the humble character she is admired as today. Good thing the creative team was able to make the change before Aladdin’s theatrical movie release, unlike a different mistake.

One Aladdin Song Sparked Controversy

The opening song of Aladdin is "Arabian Nights," sang by Bruce Adler, who served as The Peddler’s singing voice. The song is meant to set the tone of the story and inform the audience of its setting.

Among Alan Menken’s many memorable, award-winning songs in Aladdin, “Arabian Nights” is not one that has gotten much love. Those who saw the film in its initial theatrical run may understand why.

There is a lyric right before the line, “It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home,” that says, “Where it’s flat and immense and the heat is intense.” Those are not the original words, however. The original lyric said, “Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face.”

This sparked major controversy from Arab-American groups who claimed the mention of cutting off ears was racist. Disney and Alan Menken agreed to change the lines for Aladdin’s home video release.

What do you think of our Aladdin facts? Do they make "a whole new world" of difference? Catch the live action version of the movie when it hits theaters this weekend, and be sure to check out more of what's coming this summer with our full schedule.

Avengers: Endgame Is Passing Avatar At The Domestic Box Office This Weekend

Avengers: Endgame Is Passing Avatar At The Domestic Box Office This Weekend

Now in its fourth week of release, Avengers: Endgame continues on its journey to become the highest-grossing film of all time. The superhero film has already made its mark on cinema history by breaking a ton of box office records and surpassing Titanic to become the second highest-grossing movie ever. Avatar is the last film standing, and while Endgame still needs a push to surpass that worldwide total, it'll at least beat Avatar domestically this weekend.

Avengers: Endgame has been the No. 1 movie domestically since it opened, with last week's top contender, Detective Pikachu, falling short of knocking the superhero film off its throne. However, this looks to be the week that Endgame takes second place, and it's only fitting that headshot master John Wick is the man who does it.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is projected to open at anywhere from $45-55 million while Endgame will finish the weekend just shy of $30 million. While Endgame might not be taking the crown for the fifth consecutive week, it will still be passing another milestone this weekend. The superhero epic will become the second highest-grossing domestically, officially passing Avatar.

Endgame is likely to earn $29.7 million this weekend, according to Box Office Mojo. This would push Endgame's domestic total to $771.1 million, dethroning Avatar. James Cameron's sci-fi flick currently sits at $760.5 million domestic, a position it's comfortably held since about 2010.

The record that fans really seem to care about is the worldwide total, but Endgame still has a bit to go before we can say that the reign of Avatar is over. However, perhaps the domestic record is a sign of things to come.

However, it's unlikely that Endgame will be able to secure the all-time No. 1 domestic release spot. That title belongs to Star: Wars: The Force Awakens with a whopping $936.6 million. Even if Endgame has some serious legs, it seems impossible that it could topple this particular record. The Force Awakens was a tidal wave when it premiered back in 2015, and it played like gangbusters domestically.

But there's nothing wrong with second place! Endgame will have left its mark on history when all is said and done, and it'll be interesting to see what its total gross is when the summer ends. Avatar's longstanding worldwide total of $2,787,965,087 is within sight, but Endgame still has to deal with contenders like Toy Story 4 and Lion King.

We'll be watching all this as it progresses, so be sure to keep checking in with CinemaBlend for all the latest updates. In the meantime, you can go see Avengers: Endgame for the fourth time in theaters. If your looking for something else to enjoy in the theater, here are all the major releases heading your way this year.

There's A Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Easter Egg No One Is Talking About

There's A Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Easter Egg No One Is Talking About

Warning: SPOILERS for Godzilla: King of the Monsters below!

Even before the release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, it was clear that director Michael Dougherty and the people involved in the sequel were fans of the property themselves and wanted to do it justice and honor it in the new film. This has been apparent from the desire not to f-up the look of the monsters to incorporating design cues from the 1954 film, to the soundtrack to the film’s Easter eggs.

On that last point, we heard that Godzilla: King of the Monsters would have a bunch of great Easter eggs for fans of the 65-year-old property, and now that the movie is out we have an idea of what some of those Easter eggs are. But there is one Easter egg in particular that no one is talking about, and with good reason because it is confusing in the moment and requires serious knowledge of the franchise’s history.

In the film, Zhang Ziyi plays Dr. Ilene Chen, one of the newer members of the exceedingly well-funded Monarch organization that researches and tracks the Titans. At one point in the movie, she is aboard Monarch’s battleship called the Argo while Godzilla and Ghidorah are engaged in battle off the coast of Mexico. The military doesn’t want to just ‘let them fight’ and launches an Oxygen Destroyer bomb to kill both Godzilla and Ghidorah.

The bomb seemingly kills Godzilla and the hydra-like Ghidorah just loses a head only to regenerate it, and Zhang Ziyi’s Dr. Ilene Chen is there, aboard the Argo, off the coast of Mexico to witness it all. Here’s where things get weird. We then see her thousands of miles away at Monarch’s base in China, where a caterpillar-stage Mothra was introduced earlier in the film.

There, Zhang Ziyi’s character witnesses Mothra emerging from the waterfall she fled to earlier in the movie, coming out of her cocoon a full grown moth titan. It’s something of a jarring moment in the film and it makes you wonder if Monarch borrowed some of the Westerosi teleportation tech used in Game of Thrones Season 7 and Season 8 to get Zhang Ziyi from Godzilla’s death near Mexico to Mothra’s rebirth in China.

But contrary to first impressions, this was not a mistake or the result of logic falling victim to plot expedience. The truth, as spotted by i09, is that in the scene where Mothra comes out of her cocoon in China, Zhang Ziyi is not playing Dr. Ilene Chen. She is instead playing a character called Ling Chen according to the film’s credits, or Dr. Ling according to IMDb.

Dr. Ling Chen is Ilene Chen’s twin sister. This isn’t really acknowledged at all in the film and audiences aren’t given much of an explanation. Later on, we find out that Zhang Ziyi’s Ilene Chen comes from a family of female Monarch employees who all bear a striking resemblance to one another and either worked, lived or were born on a place called Infant Island. Giving Ilene Chen a twin that she never interacts with might seem like an odd choice, but it is actually a deep Easter Egg into Toho History.

Mothra debuted onscreen in 1961’s Mothra, and in that film, the titular creature lives on a place called Infant Island. There, she is guarded by the Shobijin, two miniature twin priestesses that also act as translators for the creature. The fairy-like creatures have been portrayed in different ways with different backstories over the years, but the common thread is that the psychic duo (and sometimes trio) can communicate with Mothra and act as her translators and ambassadors.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters eschews any psychic powers or strange origin for the Zhang Ziyi’s twins, but by including Ling Chen, the film is clearly nodding to the Shobijin that have been tied to Mothra since her inception. It winds up playing super weird in the film, being both jarring and unexplained, but it does represent a cool deep cut for die-hard fans.

Zhang Ziyi is returning for Godzilla vs. Kong, so it will be interesting to see if she again plays two roles and if the Chen twins and their relationship to Mothra gets further fleshed out.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is now playing. Check out what ticket you should buy and keep an eye on our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all this year’s biggest movies.