A Marvel Cinematic Universe Actor Is ‘Happy’ That His Character Was Killed Off

MARVEL STUDIOS

It might not be the most anticipated superhero movie of 2019 (that honor belongs to Avengers: Endgame, then Captain Marvel), but based on what we’ve seen from the trailers so far, Shazam! could be the most fun. It’s like Big… but bigger. The David F. Sandberg-directed films stars Zachary Levi as Shazam (an acronym for Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury), a part that was possible because the actor was killed off in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Chuck star played Fandral, one of the Warriors Three (he replaced Josh Dallas), in Thor: The Dark World before meeting his untimely end in Thor: Ragnarok. “When I got cast as Fandral… I knew that the Warriors Three could be really fun characters if they ever developed them. They just didn’t. They didn’t,” Levi told IGN. He then got very honest about his character’s death.

“If [Fandral] 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*ck that!’ This is the coolest thing ever. I’m so happy.”

As for why the Warriors Three were killed by Hela in Ragnarok, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige explained that it was to thin the ranks, basically. “They had noble ends, mainly to serve the arrival of Hela, the arrival of the biggest villain into the MCU, who within the first five minutes destroys the hammer, kicks Loki and Thor out of Asgard, and kills almost anyone we’ve ever met before in the other movies,” he said. “Which is really — we want it to start with a bang.” Everything worked out for Subway enthusiast Chuck in the end, though.

Meanwhile, another Marvel star is a little more grateful than Levi to be part of the MCU, at least for now. Following this week’s Oscar nominations, Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) tweeted, “Proud to be an #Avenger. Congrats all!”

Avengers: Infinity War was nominated for Best Visual Effects, while Black Panther is up for seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Original Score.

(Via IGN)

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