Zachary Levi stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday (April 4) and opened up about how he would not be playing the title role in Shazam! if he survived in the Thor franchise.

“I was very honored to be part of that Thor franchise and I played Fandral the Dashing, which was very fun,” the 38-year-old actor expressed. “We had a bit to do in those movies but then we were all kind of ceremoniously slaughtered by Cate Blanchett in Thor: Ragnarok. I didn’t even have a line in that movie. That’s how fast I died – but if you’re going to die, die at the hands of Cate Blanchett.”

“That was really awesome, although it was kind of a bummer when I died in that franchise because I thought maybe that was my token,” Zachary continued. “I played it, I got a great spin on the wheel, I made it on the board – but I didn’t have that much to do. The truth is I wouldn’t change it at all. If I hadn’t died there, I would not have been able to be reborn in the DC Universe and be given this incredible opportunity to bring this incredible character to life. A character that has been around for 80 years and that I think is genuinely unique in that it’s a boy – it’s the kid in all of us.”

“You really believe that you can be a superhero and I’ve never let go of that – and so, that’s now all happening,” Zachary concluded. “My dreams are coming true right before me. It’s so insane.”



Zachary Levi On What Makes ‘Shazam’ Special