Zachary Levi first entered the DCU in Shazam as a teenage boy who turns into an adult superhero with the utterance of the titular word. After the success of the film and his performance, Levi reprised his role in Shazam: Fury of the Gods, which unfortunately opened to mixed responses at the box office, along with poor reviews from critics.
Following Shazam 2’s failure, Levi’s position as one of DC’s most entertaining superheroes is now unclear. The actor though, has always held the character close to his heart, and spoke about the possibilities of developing Shazam if given another chance. Levi also revealed his interest in starring in a buddy film with another popular DC superhero.
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Zachary Levi Hopes For Shazam To Collaborate With Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern
The future of Zachary Levi’s Shazam is still up in the air following the 2nd film’s failure and James Gunn’s new ideas for the franchise, which may not include the character. Nevertheless, this did not stop the DC star from envisioning a future for Shazam in the DCU.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Levi spoke about the aspects he would like to explore in Billy Batson aka Shazam. During the conversation, the American Underdog actor also expressed his desire to see his character share screen space with Green Lantern, a role which will now be played by Hollywood star Nathan Fillion in the upcoming Superman: Legacy.
“Nathan Fillion and I have been buddies for a really long time, and I think a Green Lantern/Shazam buddy-comedy would be so much fun. So, I don’t know, something like that”
While Levi’s suggestion sounds like a fantastic and exciting one on paper, it remains to be seen if James Gunn echoes his thoughts and creates this collaboration.
Is There A Future For Zachary Levi’s Shazam In James Gunn’s DCU?
While the lukewarm responses for Shazam 2 have made the future look bleak for Zachary Levi in the DCU, there is also a possibility that the character could return, especially since nothing to the opposite effect has been confirmed by James Gunn. In addition, a few hints from Shazam 2, including the end-credits scene featuring Peacemaker stars Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee, point to a probable Shazam appearance in the future.
The scene shows Holland’s Emilia Harcourt and Agee’s John Economos attempting to rope Shazam into the Justice Society. While Levi’s character declined the offer, fans believed that the foundation had been laid for Shazam to possibly make a crossover appearance in Peacemaker 2. These theories are still extremely speculative, with the ball being completely in James Gunn’s court as far as decisions for the franchise are concerned.