Zachary Levi as "Shazam" is going to have a strong rival in the upcoming DC movie, as the main villain has been confirmed to be Mark Strong.
Strong himself has confirmed that he will be playing Doctor Thaddeus Sivana, the arch-nemesis of Shazam and his alter ego, Billy Batson. Those who have been keeping tabs on DC's films in the past will recall that this is not Strong's first time playing as a supervillain in the DC franchise, as he also played as the evil Sinestro in the 2011 "Green Lantern" film, though this earlier movie was poorly received.
"I'm playing an evil bastard called Doctor Sivana, they are always the best characters to play, the most fun. I was Sinestro in 'Green Lantern' which I thought was a rather good film but it didn't do what they wanted so I feel like I've got unfinished business in the DC world, I played a pretty evil character in that and he was meant to get even worse in the second one but that never happened but I think I'm going to get the chance to do that in 'Shazam!,' I hope so," expressed Strong. With his role as the nefarious Doctor Sivana, Strong also hopes to fulfil his expectations with DC.
Fans of "Shazam!" also need not worry, as Strong as Sinestro in "Green Lantern" was considered by critics as one of the few redeeming qualities of the movie, where the casting was pitch perfect for the 54-year-old actor. Needless to say, he gave justice to the supervillain, and it is not far-fetched to expect that he will perform the same in "Shazam!"
For those unfamiliar to the franchise, Doctor Sivana is Shazam's most frequent and oldest enemy, and while he cannot match the godlike superhero in strength and powers, his evil genius has proven to be one of the greatest threats that the superhero has ever faced. This is similar to how Superman's arch-nemesis is Lex Luthor, a mere human being who is highly intelligent and uses his wits, money, and status in order to bring down Superman.
Strong as Doctor Sivana will be unveiled once "Shazam!" hits the theaters on Apr. 5, 2019.
