Is there still room for Shazam in the new DCU? Zachary Levi weighs in

Shazam, the loud, lightning-charged, candy-colored wildcard of the DC universe, always felt a little like the oddball cousin at the family reunion. It’s not easy being the kid at the grown-ups’ table. Especially when the table’s already packed with caped icons, billion-dollar budgets, and a studio desperate to fix its cracked foundation.

And maybe that was his charm. While the rest of the DCEU brooded in the shadows, Zachary Levi’s Shazam grinned, flexed, and dabbed his way through two films that didn’t take themselves too seriously.

He wasn’t trying to be Batman. He wasn’t pretending to be Superman. He was just a kid, in a man’s body, playing superhero. And in a world where everything else was spiraling into Zack Snyder’s grimdark abyss, that was refreshing.

But here we are, standing at the edge of the DCU reboot, a James Gunn and Peter Safran reinvention that’s already sweeping the old guard off the board. So the question isn’t just “Will Shazam survive?” It’s “Does Shazam even fit here anymore?”

Zachary Levi has thoughts. And, predictably, he’s not shy about sharing them.

Zachary Levi is still ready to suit up

Zachary Levi, to no one’s surprise, is absolutely down to come back. When asked if he’d be open to returning as Shazam in James Gunn’s DCU, Levi answered simply,

“Absolutely. I loved playing the role.”

It’s not just press talk or empty politeness. Levi has always been one of the more enthusiastic faces in the DC lineup, wearing his love for the character on his sleeve, but he’s also brutally honest about the limits of his influence.

“No idea,” he told ComicBook.com when pressed about Shazam’s future. “It’s all well above my pay grade.”

That’s the awkward space Levi finds himself in: game to play, but waiting on a call that might never come. He knows the fandom is split, knows the studio’s hands are full reshaping its identity, and knows that Shazam, with his bright red suit and teenage energy, doesn’t necessarily fit the new DC blueprint being drawn by Gunn and Safran.

Levi’s bluntness is part of what makes this conversation interesting. He’s not campaigning, not pretending the Shazam franchise is too big to fail. If anything, he’s very aware of the uphill climb, especially after Shazam! Fury of the Gods underperformed at the box office.

Box office struggles and franchise fatigue

Here’s the hard truth. Shazam! Fury of the Gods didn’t exactly light up the box office. With a worldwide gross of around $134 million on a production budget hovering between $110 and $125 million, it barely scraped past breakeven, and that’s without factoring in marketing costs. In other words, not great.

Levi has been candid about the disappointment. He’s not hiding behind excuses, but he’s also not shy about pointing fingers.

“The audience score is still quite good,” he said in an interview, “but the critics’ score was very oddly and perplexingly low, and people were insanely unkind.”

It’s true that fan response stayed relatively positive even as critics panned the sequel as bloated and aimless. However, goodwill from audiences can only carry a franchise so far when the box office numbers tell a less rosy story.

Add in the growing noise from DC’s own reboot machinery, and Shazam’s future starts to look less like a sure thing and more like a question mark scribbled in the corner of James Gunn’s planning board.

For Levi, the failure of Fury of the Gods isn’t just about money. He’s hinted that part of the problem was marketing, part of it was timing, and part of it was simply the reality of a fanbase divided between loyalty to the old DCEU and curiosity about what comes next.

Zachary Levi: Personal controversies add another layer

But it’s not just box office math that shapes a franchise’s future. Public image matters, and Zachary Levi knows it. Over the past couple of years, Levi has drawn attention for reasons that have nothing to do with superhero costumes or CGI lightning bolts.

He’s been openly critical of Hollywood’s culture, taken heat for expressing skepticism about vaccines, and voiced support for political figures who sharply divide public opinion. These aren’t just casual headlines that fade away. In an industry where perception shapes opportunity, Levi’s outspokenness has carried consequences.

“I know that there are people that would prefer not to work with me now because of my opinions,” he admitted in an interview. “My team has let me know. They haven’t given me any specific names, but there are people who prefer not to work with me at this time. And it’s unfortunate. I knew that was probably going to happen. I didn’t make this decision blindly or casually.”

It’s a moment of rare vulnerability from an actor who usually leans on charm and humor. And it matters, because no matter how willing he is to keep playing Shazam, the decision isn’t just about talent or fit. It’s about how bankable, how politically safe, and how reputationally solid an actor is when a studio is reshaping its entire identity.

Why Shazam’s tone could be his biggest asset — or his biggest problem

Shazam has always been a bit of a tonal outlier in the DC lineup. Where characters like Batman thrive in shadows and Superman shoulders the weight of cosmic responsibility, Shazam runs on pure adolescent energy. The magic word turns a teenager into a superhero, sure, but the fun has always been that Billy Batson is still just a kid trying to figure out the world.

That makes Shazam’s corner of the universe lighter, funnier, and more chaotic than the rest. Due to its lighthearted tone, the original Shazam! film was a huge hit with audiences. It put family dynamics front and center despite the world-ending stakes, and it joked about superhero clichés and played with stereotypes.

In Shazam!, even the villains were often portrayed with a wink, reminding the audience that this was a story rooted more in joy and wonder than in existential dread.

But that difference cuts both ways. In a DCU that James Gunn is reshaping to have a tighter, more unified tone, the question becomes whether Shazam’s goofy charm has a place alongside darker or more grounded characters. Does the franchise risk clashing with the mood Gunn is setting, or can Shazam continue as a bright spot that adds variety to the universe?

Levi himself seems to believe in the latter. He’s repeatedly emphasized the heart and humor of the character, suggesting that if there’s room for Shazam, it’s precisely because of how different he is from the rest. And maybe that’s the wildcard the DCU will need most.

Looking ahead: what’s next for Shazam?

So where does that leave Shazam?

The truth is, James Gunn’s DCU is still in its early construction phase, and no one outside that inner circle knows exactly which pieces will be kept, reworked, or scrapped.

Shazam as a character fits a specific tonal niche. He’s bright, goofy, heartfelt, and childlike, standing apart from the more serious heavy-hitters like Batman or Superman. That uniqueness could make him valuable as a palate cleanser in a darker lineup, or it could make him a mismatch in a new world that’s eager to set a fresh, coherent tone.

For now, Zachary Levi’s approach seems simple. He’s not campaigning aggressively, but he’s keeping the door open. He’s not sugarcoating the challenges, but he’s not giving up either. It’s a waiting game, one where Levi’s enthusiasm meets corporate strategy, fan interest, and a whole lot of behind-the-scenes calculation. We must remember, though, that James Gunn himself has discarded both Shazam movies as canon. So, we have to face this truth, right?

Maybe Shazam will get another shot. Maybe the character will be quietly retired. Or maybe, just maybe, Gunn’s master plan has a surprise twist that no one sees coming. After all, in a universe built on magic, lightning, and impossible wishes, stranger things have happened.