Zachary Levi Shows Why His Shazam Costume Doesn't Need a Lot of Padding

DC Films carry a (proud?) tradition of controversial casting choices, and it was no different when it was announced that former Chuck star Zachary Levi had been tapped to play Shazam in the upcoming movie adaptation from Lights Out director David F. Sandberg.

The most common criticism that's been lobbed at Levi is that his physique isn't properly suited to playing a superhero who is basically a mystical Superman. Well, like several DC movie actors before him (Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot) Levi tried to assuage fan worries early on in production, posting several photos of his extensive workout routine to social media. Since set Shazam! photos and videos have leaked, there's been a lot of chatter in the fandom about how much of Shazam's muscle is suit padding, and how much of it is actually Levi.

If you're one of those wondering the same thing, Zach Levi has a little something he'd like you to see:

It’s like the old saying goes, “Hard work, over time, plus chicken & broccoli, minus carbs, divided by whey protein, in which “X” represents the amount of supplements and “Y” represents the sentiment of “WHY the hell am I doing this to myself?!”, multiplied by shameless selfies whilst staring into nowhere...carryyy theee ooone...equals results.” 📸 by @ericblackmon / “Tan” by Hefe Filter / Body by Jake. 👏💃

A post shared by Zachary Levi (@zacharylevi) on Apr 13, 2018 at 5:08am PDT

This photo serves as legitimate proof that Levi has been putting some serious work into getting ready for his first big blockbuster movie role. Those who assumed the actor was too skinny to beef up: time to eat some crow. Levi looks here like he could double for Ben Affleck's Batman in that epic workout sequence from Batman v Superman! Like his DC counterparts Cavill and Affleck, the man has the arms, chest, rugged hairy (or at least peach-fuzzy) chest going on. It seems like the archetype DC Films wants for their main leading men - though Jason Mamoa's Aquaman dwarfs the rest of the squad, if we're all being honest...

Levi's friend Eric Blackmon has been his consistent work out buddy / personal photographer throughout production on Shazam! - and by all visible accounts, he's been a great wingman! The only left to do, at this point, is have DC Films release the official first photo of Levi in the Shazam costume, in order to turn fan attention toward a more positive take on the character and film.

Justice League is now on home video. The DCEU continues with Aquaman on December 21, Shazam on April 5, 2019, Wonder Woman 2 on November 1, 2019, Cyborg in 2020, and Green Lantern Corps in 2020.