Shazam cast: Who is the villain in Shazam? Does Batman cameo in the movie?

Shazam is a movie which speaks to the child in all of us, playing pretend at being a superhero. In the DC Comics adaptation, young Billy Batson gets the chance to make his dreams come true. With a brand new trailer released today, zeal for the film has been reignited.

Who is the villain in Shazam?

Superhero movies often have more than one baddie to reckon with but Shazam keeps it relatively simple, with Dr Thaddeus Sivana.

Played by Mark Strong, Sivana is a successful but twisted inventor, much like Venom’s Carlon Drake (Riz Ahmed).

The head of Sivana Industries, in the comics is a scientist but in the film, his backstory has been altered to make him a far more formidable foe.

As a child, Sivana himself had been summoned by the wizard Shazam, like Billy.

But unlike Billy Sivana wasn’t chosen to be his champion which set Sivana on a lifelong quest to unlock the secrets of magic.

In the second trailer, Sivana’s villainous powers are shown – and they look similar to Billy’s.

One of his unique powers is the ability to see magical auras with his left eye

This power was granted him in the recent comics revamp.

Does Batman cameo in Shazam?

Ben Affleck may have retired as the caped crusader but Batman lives on – sort of appearing in a cameo role in Shazam.

The moment is revealed in the trailer and is in line with the humour of the film.

During an altercation in a store, Billy (in his adult superhero form played by Zachary Levi) picks up a stuffed toy Batman and hurls it at Dr Sivana.

The self-aware irony of the moment was not lost on anyone.

The official plot of Shazam reads: “We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out.

“In Billy Batson’s case, by shouting out one word – SHAZAM! – this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult superhero Shazam.

“His newfound powers soon get put to the test when he squares off against the evil Dr Thaddeus Sivana.”

With a relatively small cast, especially in comparison to Marvel movies of late, Shazam is set to be a big hit for Warner Bros this year.

Shazam is out in cinemas on April 5, 2019.