Zachary Levi Addresses Criticisms of Shazam! Fury of the Gods' Billy Character Changes
Zachary Levi, the star of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, responds to the criticisms of the character changes in the sequel and explains the development of Billy's character. Learn more about how the actor addressed the criticisms and the impact of the character changes on the movie.
Zachary Levi's Response to Criticisms
With the sequel having garnered more mixed reviews than its predecessor, Zachary Levi is addressing the criticisms of Shazam! Fury of the Gods' Billy character changes. Levi returned for the DC Extended Universe as he and his Shazamily found themselves pitted against the daughters of Atlas, Hespera, Kalypso and Anthea, as they come to Earth in the hopes of acquiring a mystical relic to revive their realm and give them their destructive powers. Despite featuring the return of the core creative team of the 2019 hit, Fury of the Gods proved to be a commercial disappointment for Warner Bros. and scored a Rotten 49% from critics on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes.
Zachary Levi in 2023's Shazam Fury of the Gods
While speaking with Screen Rant for his role in the upcoming Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Levi opened up about his time in the DCEU with the Shazam! movies. In exploring his approach to the changes to Billy in the sequel, Fury of the Gods, the actor addressed some of the criticisms that the character appeared more "immature", offering a meaningful reason for this depiction in comparison to the more serious personality in the original. Levi explained, "From the first movie to the second, I tried to age him as Billy ages, you know, in his actual younger teen form. Inside, he’s aging too. Obviously, in the first film, he was like 15, and in the second he’s 17ish, almost 18. So I tried to address that and bring that into the character, which ironically, in some ways, kind of made him feel almost a little more immature. But that’s because when he’s 15, he’s not trying to be cool guy, when he’s 17, he’s trying to be cool guy, he’s trying to be the leader, and he’s trying to kind of put on that bravado more."
Zachary Levi as Billy Batson in Shazam deleted scene
Levi also shared with Screen Rant his desire to see a buddy comedy with Shazam and Nathan Fillion's Green Lantern in James Gunn's DC Universe.
Zachary Levi's Shazam looking scared in Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Impact of Billy's Character Changes
Though the overall tone and scattershot plot was the focus of many of the mixed reviews for the sequel, the overall change to Billy's portrayal was highlighted by many in Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Gone was the lone wolf-type orphan who pushes away his family and instead, audiences were treated to a goofier version of the character, despite his having grown in age. While his getting older could be seen as an invitation for him to become a more mature figure, the personality seen in the sequel actually makes more sense for his growth.
Zachary Levi as Billy Batson is standing on the roof of a building in Shazam! Fury of the Gods
The end of the first Shazam! paved the way for Billy to start embracing his life as part of the foster family at the heart of both movies rather than push them away, as well as finally having come to terms with his emotional backstory of having been abandoned by his mother. Given so much of his childhood was devoted to trying to find his mother and recapture the happiness he thought they had when he was little, it would be a more meaningful development for Billy to continue to embrace his newfound joy and become a little more childish in his behavior. Additionally, with his belief of being an indestructible hero, he would believe himself untouchable and carry that confidence between both personas.
shazam fury of the gods bombed at the box office
This character development for Billy not only invited some of the more humorous moments in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, including its viral Fast & Furious reference, but also leant for a nice continuation of the arc started in the 2019 movie. With the final act also seeing Shazam sacrifice himself to take down Kalypso in favor of letting his family get in harm's way, this growth came full circle as he truly embraced his new family. One can hope that should Levi and his co-stars get a chance at a DCU return, they find a unique new path to explore Billy's growing maturity while still balancing his newfound lighthearted personality.
The Future of Shazam! and Billy's Character
Levi also shared with Screen Rant his desire to see a buddy comedy with Shazam and Nathan Fillion's Green Lantern in James Gunn's DC Universe.
One can hope that should Levi and his co-stars get a chance at a DCU return, they find a unique new path to explore Billy's growing maturity while still balancing his newfound lighthearted personality.
With the final act also seeing Shazam sacrifice himself to take down Kalypso in favor of letting his family get in harm's way, this growth came full circle as he truly embraced his new family.
