Though the rivalry between Marvel and DC fans isn’t about to go away anytime soon, a new post on Reddit observes that Shazam! and Captain Marvel actor Djimon Hounsou has a career trajectory that shows little regard for the divide between the two brands.
The two-time Oscar nominee is far from the only actor to make the jump from Marvel to DC or vice versa. Shazam! star Zachary Levi, for instance, spent two Thor movies in the role of Fandral, before his death in Thor: Ragnarok freed him up to play the DCEU’s Billy Batson. But perhaps no other performer has shifted so freely between the two cinematic universes than Hounsou.
As you may recall, the actor made his MCU debut in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, where he played intergalactic hunter Korath the Pursuer. Since then, Hounsou has taken on a voice role as the Fisherman King in DC’s Aquaman, before reprising his part as Korath for the new Captain Marvel. Last but not least, we’re currently less than a month away from seeing him play the wizard in Shazam!
Incidentally, Shazam! director David F. Sandberg referred to the Marvel/DC rivalry as “so god damn stupid” in an Instagram post last December. Meanwhile, Levi didn’t let the divide between the two camps stop him from sharing a video last month condemning the DC fans who were trolling Captain Marvel pages with comments telling filmgoers to watch Shazam! instead.
As Hounsou demonstrates, there’s really no need to pick a side, and you can bet that plenty of the fans who went to see Captain Marvel in theaters over the weekend will be making the trip back to cinemas once Shazam! comes out on April 5th.
