The First Photo of Shazam!‘s Kid Inside the Superhero
If you’re just as excited as I am for the release of Shazam!, then this is your lucky week. By now we have a solid image of our full grown superhero, Shazam (Zachary Levi), we know more about the exciting storyline, and we’ve met the Wizard behind all the magic. But there’s one thing left we have yet to see: Shazam’s alter ego, normal 14-year-old Billy Batson (Asher Angel). Well, another day is another image from Shazam! as we get our first peek at the civilian behind the superhero, a young Billy Batson.
Entertainment Weekly shared the new picture, we see Billy Batson as his true self. No gleaming super suit, no action shots, just two best buds hanging out at home. At the beginning of the film, Batson and his pal Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) are placed into the same foster care home where Freddy opens up about his fan boy obsession. Note that the dresser behind Billy and Freddy is loaded with Superman and Batman fan gear, which not only incorporates other DCEU beloved characters, but also hints that Freddy’s superhero fandom may be useful in Billy’s transformation. Freddy’s even holding up a “Certificate of Authenticity” so I guess he’s the real deal.
I am so excited to share the first photo of my character Billy Batson from the upcoming Warner Bros & DC film SHAZAM! – can’t wait to share more of this project with you all at Comic Con. Special thanks to @EW for the support! @wbpictures @DCComics @newlinecinema @ShazamMovie pic.twitter.com/Oqt4ZwE78K
— Asher Angel (@AsherAngel) July 17, 2018
We all have a superhero inside of us, but in order for young Billy Batson to channel his alter ego, he has to yell out the magic word, “Shazam!” Although Billy undergoes a physical transformation into a superhero, his personality of a fun loving teenage boy remains. Angel tells EW that Billy is “misunderstood, he’s mischievous, he’s been a foster kid since he was 5 years old and really has no one to trust.” His personality seems to better suit the 14-year-old version of Billy rather than an adult superhero, but maybe that’s where the help of fan boy Freddy comes in handy.
Shazam! hits theaters April 5.
Featured Image: Featured image: Shazam! Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.