Superhero flicks have become the most popular and profitable genre in filmmaking, as myriad cinematic universes compete for box office supremacy. As such, there are some actors who have taken on multiple comic book roles, including Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, and Zachary Levi. The latter will have a major star making moment playing the title role in Shazam!, although Marvel fans know him as Fandral from the last two Thor movies.
Fandral is one of the Warriors Three, Thor's trio of Asgardian buddies who also kick ass and take names. But after the first Thor movie, those characters were mostly kept to the periphery of the narrative. And it all ended with Ragnarok killing them off unceremoniously. Zachary Levi has previously voiced his disappointment in his Marvel character's arc, and recently revealed he was hoping the Warriors Three would get a trilogy of their own, saying:
I just don’t think those characters were quite utilized to the best of their abilities. Thor and the Warriors Three could have been a really cool little trilogy of team movies, and we didn’t really have that much impact. Particularly not in Ragnarok – I mean, I didn’t even have a line.
Well, that was honest. While actors tend to mince their words when it comes to career disappointments, Zachary Levi has been honest about how his Thor role ultimately went down. And with the actor not even getting a line of dialogue in Ragnarok, he's probably got just cause to be a little salty about how his tenure in the MCU went.
Zachary Levi's comments to Empire make a great deal of sense for Marvel fans who have seen all three Thor movies. Levi didn't actually play Fandral in the first Thor flick, with the role going to Josh Dallas for the 2011 blockbuster. But Levi took over the role for the two sequels, although it's clear he wanted a meatier role in those appearances.
Fandral had a supporting role in Thor: The Dark World, although that sequel is largely considered one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's weakest outings. And when Taika Waititi took over as director for Thor: Ragnarok, he threw the rulebook out and crafted a blockbuster unique to the rest of the franchise. While bringing Hulk into the story and giving Thor a cosmic journey to Sakaar, Asgard was also destroyed by Cate Blanchett's Hela in the process.
Hela's reign began in a violent fashion, as she dispatched of the Warriors Three in quick succession, and without even giving Zachary Levi a line of dialogue. But at least Lady Sif might have survived due to actress Jaimie Alexander's inability to film her role in Ragnarok.
While Fandral won't be returning to the MCU, you can catch Zachary Levi flex his muscles (both comedic and literal) when Shazam! arrives on April 5th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
