Ryan Reynolds has pretty much made the character of Deadpool his own. I mean, is there anyone else you can imagine taking over the role? Zachary Levi apparently fancies taking his chances…

Shazam! Was released last month and is the latest film to take place within the DC extended universe. A teenage boy can turn into a superhero, simply by saying the word “Shazam!” Long time comic book fan Zachary Levi plays the superhero alter ego of 14 year old street smart Billy Batson.

Image courtesy of Warner Brothers and DC.

Zachary Levi is one of those lucky enough to star in both Marvel and now DC. (Ryan Reynolds did the opposite and starred as the Green Lantern for DC, before moving to Deadpool in the Marvel universe.)

The jump from Marvel to the DC extended Universe.

Zachary Levi was relieved when his character Fandral was killed off at the hands of Hela in Thor Ragnarok. Consequently, he was free to go to DC and gain the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury. That sounds like a pretty good trade off to me!

Image courtesy of Disney and Marvel.

Whilst moving from one franchise to another might seem daunting for some, it was a move that allowed Levi to become an actual superhero rather than a sidekick. And who better to star in a more family friendly, light-hearted DC story then Zachary Levi. Above all, it was a great move according to critics, as Shazam! has received great reviews since its release in April.

A move back to Marvel…

Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox and Marvel.

It would transpire however that Zachary Levi has a role he would love to play… Comicbook.com reported that during a Q&A panel at Megacon in Orlando, a fan asked Levi what villain he would play in each universe. His answer was sure to be a surprise when he replied “Deadpool.” Especially after trading in Marvel for DC…

“I’ve said many times before that Deadpool was my favourite villain in the Marvel universe, He’s now an anti-hero, I understand that, but not when I found him. He was definitely a villain back then…”

Zachary Levi at Megacon in Orlando, May 2019.
Image courtesy of Zachary Levis Instagram.

There’s nothing like a little bit of playful rivalry between DC and Marvel fans, and lets not forget about the time that Zachary Levi parked in Ryan Reynolds space at Fox… However, it is important to remember that Levi is a huge Deadpool fan and he just happens to enjoy Ryan Reynolds performance in the movie.

“…I would love to play Deadpool. Except Ryan’s been doing that very, very astutely.”

Zachary Levi at Megacon in Orlando, May 2019.

I mean Deadpool IS Ryan Reynolds, isn’t he? Having said that Zachary Levi was just as fantastic in Shazam! Perhaps Shazam! could be seen as a more family friendly version of Deadpool… His enthusiasm for the part and comic books in general is infectious. Here’s hoping to see more of him and Shazam! featured in upcoming DC movies.

Source: comicbook.com