While Zachary Levi’s DCEU debut in Shazam! is still a few months away from release, the actor isn’t exactly new to superhero cinema. Though it’s easy to forget, Levi had a two-movie run in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a member of the Warriors Three, but while Fandral arguably never got his standout moment in the saga, Levi seems happy to have found a fresh gig in another comic book universe.
The Chuck star was initially eyed to play Fandral in 2011’s Thor, but ultimately had to turn down the job due to other commitments. Once actor Josh Dallas dropped out of the role, however, a spot was once more open for Levi to play the part in 2013’s Thor: The Dark World. But while Levi saw potential in his character, the actor feels that Fandral remained lamentably underdeveloped, telling Screen Rant:
“I knew when I got cast as Fandral in the first [Thor movie], though I wasn’t able to do it, I knew that the Warriors Three could be really fun characters if they ever developed them. They just didn’t. They didn’t. They didn’t in the first one. They didn’t really in Dark World. That’s not to say there weren’t some moments that were shot that weren’t used, ultimately, in the movie.”
Levi recalls that even Fandral’s death scene in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok was trimmed down, before acknowledging that if his character hadn’t been killed off then, he probably wouldn’t have lasted much longer.
“Even when I got killed, there was more to that scene. Granted, maybe 30 seconds more of a line here, a line there. Kill, kill, you’re dead. I knew Fandral could be fodder, would be fodder. I don’t know… unless Marvel really wanted to be like, ‘We want every single character we’ve ever seen, particularly demi-gods, to be able to be a part of Avengers.’ But then the truth is, to be honest… If let’s say Fandral was still alive, and let’s say they tapped me to be in Avengers [Infinity War], I’d probably be sitting in Atlanta for three months doing almost nothing. And then they’d be, ‘Okay now we’re ready for you, you guys go in,’ And then we’d get killed then.”
The Marvel universe seems to get bigger every year, with a whole load of characters currently set to get their own spinoff shows on the upcoming Disney Plus streaming service, but even with this all this expansion, there are only so many heroes that the franchise can give the spotlight to, making it inevitable that a few figures will slip through the cracks.
On the bright side, Fandral’s death freed Levi up to make the jump to the DCEU, where he managed to land a much bigger role.
“The way it all worked out is exactly the way it was supposed to. Certainly in the moment, would it have been cool if Fandral got more to do? Dude, what a fun character. Errol Flynn. Viking. Space God. Like, c’mon. Ladies man. C’mon! That’s all fun. So, that was a little bit of a bummer.
“But looking back, if I didn’t die, I might still be under contract with Marvel and I never would have been able to get this job. And I say, ‘F*** that.’ This is the coolest thing ever. I’m so happy. And literally to be able to jumpstart my life. I’m healthier and stronger and happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”
It sounds like getting the boot from the MCU is working out pretty well for Levi, and you can judge for yourself if his next comic book character has been given his proper due when Shazam! hits theaters on April 5th, 2019.