Shazam 2: Zachary Levi Teases 'Awesome' Villains In Sequel (Dragon Con 2021)

Warner Bros.’s Shazam! film was a pleasant surprise to many. The character was pretty obscure, and much like what Marvel Studios did with Guardians of the Galaxy, he was pulled out into the spotlight, becoming a fan favorite. 

Another strong part of the film was Mark Strong’s Dr. Sivana, whose summoning of the Deadly Sins didn’t do any favors for Billy Batson in his first adventure. At the end of the film, though, he was subdued, and it doesn't look like he will make his return in the sequel.

Instead, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is going a completely original route, with its villains. Helen Mirren has come on board as Hespera, one of three sisters who are assumingly gods given the film’s title, with Lucy Lui playing the second sister, Kalypso.

The third sister remains a mystery though it is heavily rumored that newcomer Rachel Zegler will be filling in those shoes.

Some of the cast of Shazam! made an appearance at Dragon Con 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia, where they teased what the new villains will be bringing to the table.

Bring on the Villains

During a Shazam-focused Dragon Con 2021 panel attended by The Direct, cast members Zachary Levi, Jack Grazer, and D. J. Cotrona, were able to tease what viewers can expect when it comes to the film’s villains.

Levi started out with the teasing, saying that “[he] can die a happy man…:”

“… And now we have these awesome villains in Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, which by the way, is so badass, let me tell you. I can die a happy man, I’ve gotten to do scenes one-on-one… with Helen Mirren. It was so crazy!"

Jack Grazer chimed in, saying “also me!”, confirming that the actor’s character Freddy Freeman comes face-to-face with Helen Mirren’s villainous Hespera at some point in the film.

Another fan went to the mic insisting that Zachary Levi talk about what it was like to work with Lucy Liu, who is portraying Kalypso, the second of three villainous sisters set to appear in the film. 

Zachary Levi caved, admitting that they “don’t have a lot of… face-to-face time:”

 “Well, unfortunately, Lucy and I, I don’t want to spoil anything but, we’re nemesises who are circling each other a lot but don’t have a lot of face-to-face time. But we get some, we’ll see how that goes…" 

He went on to praise Lucy Liu’s performance, saying that she “crushed her role in spades, she was fantastic:”

“Lucy crushed it, let me just put it that way… I got to be there alot when she was doing her work, even if I wasn’t in the scenes with her, and she crushed it. And, we knew she was going to… she’s always been so cool… so beautiful, so gracious… Lucy crushed her role in spades, she was fantastic.”

Levi elaborated on why the new cast members, including Lucy Liu, were so great, teasing that the new additions to the team “made [the film] even groovier:”

"… More than anything, you hope that people… you know that they’re talented because you can see what they’ve done in the past, and their work, but you don’t know necessarily if they're just going to be groovy people that are down to just like roll up their sleeves, and be creative, and have fun. And she was, and Helen was, and Rachel Zegler, who was also a new addition to the movie, she was—everybody who was already returning, we already had such a beautiful thing, and then these new additions just made it even groovier."

The Villainous Sisters Are Coming

It's very interesting to hear that Jack Glazer's Freddy Freeman will be having scenes with Helen Mirren's Hespera, which means that he's likely to be involved with some heavier conflicts happening in the film.

Another sign? The fact that Freddy seems to be spending a lot of time with Rach Ziegler's mystery character, who, again, is rumored to be the third villainous sister. It's also suspect that Levi listed Rachel Ziegler's name right after Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu as he praised the villains of the film.

The fact that the film is going a completely original route with the villains is certainly admirable. That said, it is a little odd, seeing as the end of the first film very clearly set up Mr. Mind as a big villain behind the scenes. 

It doesn't seem like fans will be seeing him in this upcoming sequel despite the set-up he received. Maybe that will change, but audiences won't know until they can watch Shazam! Fury of the Gods on June 2, 2023.