When Billy Batson, a.k.a. Shazam (previously known as Captain Marvel), makes his full-length theatrical debut next year, he'll be battling Doctor Thaddeus Sivana, his oldest enemy. However, it wasn't always the plan to pit the World's Mightiest Mortal against his chrome-domed foe. Originally Shazam! was going to use Black Adam, another contender as the hero's arch-enemy, as its main villain, but once Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was given his own movie to star in, Sivana was tapped as the Kahndaqian powerhouse's replacement. However, Zachary Levi, who's bringing Shazam to life on the big screen next year, is still itching for the opportunity to beat up Johnson's Black Adam. Commenting on the standalone Black Adam movie, Levi said:
I don't know when they're going to make that standalone live-action movie but I know that's the plan. I hope that eventually Shazam and Black Adam get to fight each other because I'd like to kick The Rock's ass. Because that's what would happen, right?
While Doctor Sivana uses his impressive intellect to cause trouble for Shazam, when it comes to physicality, Black Adam is the hero's greatest opponent. Black Adam derives his abilities from different mythological figures than Shazam, but his strength, speed, stamina, wisdom, power and courage on par with Shazam's, if not sometimes higher. Seeing those two duke it out in a cinematic setting would be similar to the battle that unfolded between Superman and General Zod in Man of Steel, only this time, magic is also part of the equation. When we'll see such a fight is hard to say, but as Zachary Levi made clear during his appearance at the Baltimore Comic-Con (via Comic Book Resources), he's ready for the onscreen Shazam/Black Adam showdown. As far as a fight between the characters goes, yes, presumably Billy Batson would come out victorious in the end. That said, in real life, it's reasonable to say with absolute certainty that it'd be Levi who'd be getting his candy ass kicked by Johnson. No question about it.
We'll have to keep playing the waiting game to see how Black Adam is being handled in the DC Extended Universe, but as far as Shazam goes, he'll be keeping plenty busy during his origin story. After gaining his powers from the mysterious Wizard, Billy Batson will put them to good use against Thaddeus Sivana, who in this continuity was summoned by the Wizard as a child, but deemed unworthy to be his champion. As an adult, Sivana has used his smarts to unlock the secrets of magic through science, and as we saw in the first Shazam! trailer, he's been at least partially successful in this endeavor, as he's able to block one of Shazam's punches. And who knows, maybe the events of Shazam! will pave the way for Black Adam to wreak havoc in the present day DCEU.
Shazam! will work its magic in theaters on April 5, 2019, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates. In the meantime, look through our 2019 release schedule to learn what other major movies are arriving next year.
