Shazam’s Zachary Levi Out Of DC Universe After Controversial Tweet?
Zachary Levi's controversial tweets about Pfizer have fans predicting the star is about to be fired as Shazam.
When you saw the recent Shazam! Fury of the Gods trailer, did you find yourself thinking, “well at least there’s one DC Studios franchise left without a controversial star?” If so, then we’re sure by now you’ve had your illusions dispelled. After a controversial pair of tweets Zachary Levi made over the weekend — which many took to represent an anti-vaccination stance, though neither directly referenced vaccinations — fans are predicting his time as Shazam is over.
On Sunday, as you can see above, Levi responded to a question from entrepreneur Lyndon Wood, saying that he agreed that the Pharmaceutical company Pfizer is “a real danger to the world.” In a follow-up tweet, Levi posted a link to a Department of Justice press release about Pfizer being involved in a massive healthcare fraud settlement — the largest in history. The tweets prompted a large response from fans, including some pointing out statements Zachary Levi has made in the past on other issues, as well as many predicting he will soon be fired from the Shazam franchise.
The last tweet above brings up an interesting point about Zachary Levi’s future as Shazam, albeit in a roundabout way. While plenty of fans are predicting Levi getting the boot from the DCU for his tweet, Ezra Miller‘s The Flash remains on its way to theaters in spite of Miller being accused of far worse than a controversial tweet. In the past couple of years, the Perks of Being a Wallflower star has been arrested a number of times in Hawaii for public disturbances, recently reached a plea agreement after being accused of breaking into his neighbor’s home to steal bottles of liquor, and faces allegations of grooming children.
At the same time, as far as Warner Bros. and DC Studios has chosen to reveal, when Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom hits theaters later this year — in spite of various rumors to the contrary — Amber Heard will appear in the film. So the notion that a four-syllable tweet will somehow necessarily lead to the end of Zachary Levi as Shazam seems more than a little premature.
It’s also worth noting that more than 24 hours after the offending tweet was posted, it remains up and active on the actor’s official account. It isn’t unreasonable to assume that if Warner Bros. and/or DC Studios felt Zachary Levi’s tweets were a significant problem for the upcoming Shazam! Fury of the Gods, then they would ask him to remove it.
Another possibility is that Zachary Levi’s days as Shazam truly are numbered, but that it has less to do with his weekend tweet. With there being no plans in the foreseeable future for Dwayne Johnson to return as Black Adam, it could be that Levi didn’t feature into James Gunn and Peter Safran’s plans for the DCU regardless. It’s one thing to have one or even two Shazam movies without the character’s signature villain showing up, but ultimately doing Shazam without Black Adam is like making more Batman without even the chance of Joker.
