Shazam! and Captain Marvel are uniquely linked in the pantheon of superhero-based movies. The title character of Shazam! went by the name “Captain Marvel” for decades before DC formally changed his name several years ago. Be it coincidence or fate, these two titles have landed just four weeks apart on the release calendar.
Lingering bitterness over naming rights has mixed in with some of the usual “Marvel vs. DC’ mentality and has fans taking aim at one another and the respective films. Worse yet, many have taken exception to Brie Larson not smiling enough in Captain Marvel trailers and reasonably calling for inclusivity in the entertainment industry and the press who cover it. Those individuals are doing their best to sink the film’s audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes before it’s even released.
Shazam! director David F. Sandberg isn’t here for any of that nonsense. “I for one look forward to Captain Marvel making all the money in the world to shut some of these people up,” he wrote on Twitter. Sandberg also shared a link to an article from The Hollywood Reporter that recaps the troll situation impacting Captain Marvel.
THR‘s article also addressed the issues Sandberg has been dealing with. Fans have been hounding him for a new Shazam! trailer. Some have even accused the director and Warner Bros. of hiding the film. Those claims are bogus, of course, but they are part of the mess Sandberg is dealing with on a daily basis.
One Twitter user called Captain Marvel substandard in a reply to Sandberg. The director rightfully made the point that there really is no reason for anyone to be rooting against Captain Marvel or any other movie, especially when people haven’t even seen the films in question.
As someone who’s actually seen Captain Marvel, I can confirm that it is quite good and certainly “up to standards.” As someone who visited the set of Shazam!, I don’t think Sandberg has anything to hide other than spoilers. The new trailer will be along soon enough.
There is more than enough room for both films to win at the box office. Superhero-based movies will be much better off if both films are successful as opposed to just one. It’s great to see Sandberg speaking out against the worst of online fan behavior and cheering on all films in this space.
