Zachary Levi asks fans to stop pitting Captain Marvel against Shazam
"There is no competition ... there is no conspiracy."
Zachary Levi takes on the bad guys as the DC Comics superhero Shazam.
With Marvel Studio's Captain Marvel hitting theaters on March 8 and the Warner Bros. picture Shazam in theaters on April 5, fans already seem to be trying to pit the two superheroes against each other.
But Shazam actor Zachary Levi isn't putting up with the fan-instigated rivalry.
In an Instagram Live video posted on Sunday, Levi called out fans for posting fake reviews and made-up posts about Captain Marvel star Brie Larson, and asked fans to stop trying to fan flames of competition between Captain Marvel and Shazam.
Zachary Levi calls out the fake reviews and fabricated posts about Brie Larson, asks fans to stop pitting #CaptainMarvel and #Shazam against each other
— Fandom (@getFANDOM) February 24, 2019
(via @ZacharyLevi | IG Live) pic.twitter.com/Xb8rD8POj6
"There are people out there making defamatory and completely fictitious reviews and posts of Brie Larson's Captain Marvel -- and trying to pit Shazam against it, saying they're gonna support us and not them because of things they are making up," Levi said in the video.
"For anyone out there who thinks you're doing me a favor, or you're doing Shazam a favor, you're not," Levi continued. "This is not helping anyone or anything. There is no competition."
Levi also brings up the confusion fans might have over the fact that Shazam was originally called Captain Marvel when the superhero character was introduced back in the 1950s (first by Fawcett publishing and then when DC Comics acquired the comic book character).
"Just because Shazam used to be called Captain Marvel way back in the day doesn't mean that somehow Brie or Marvel's Captain Marvel pitted against us. We're both movies and we're both going to be out in theaters at similar times. And the irony of that timing is really interesting, but there is no conspiracy."
For more details about the Shazam movie, including the character's comic book history, check out our Shazam movie guide. Be sure to take a look at our Captain Marvel movie guide too.
Shazam hits theaters on April 5 in the US and UK. An Australian release has not yet been announced. Captain Marvel comes out in theaters in the US and UK on March 8 (International Women's Day), and March 7 in Australia.
