Mark Strong has an affinity for villains. Maybe it’s the accent, maybe it’s the fact that they often get the best lines – either way, he tends to skew towards the dark side. That’s certainly the case in Shazam!, the DCEU’s Big-but-superheroes outing that looks set to bring much-needed color and humour to the universe inhabited by Batman and Superman. The film finds Strong playing Dr. Thaddeus Sivana – an evil genius with designs on making Shazam’s powers his own. Empire has an exclusive image, as seen in the new Ultimate 2019 Preview issue, of the pair facing off.
![Shazam! - excl](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/empire-images/articles/5c1bcdccfd0c0bc844491c85/shazam-excl.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Tasked with staving off Dr. Sivana’s nefarious plans is the film’s titular hero – teen Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel, which itself sounds like a superhero’s alter-ego) who transforms into a primary-colored adult hero (Zachary Levi) at command after being given powers by an ageing wizard. Sounds like a fair fight.
Read more about Shazam! in the February 2019 issue of Empire, on sale now in newsagents and online. The film arrives in UK cinemas on 5 April.
![Empire – February 2019](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/empire-images/articles/5c1bcdccfd0c0bc844491c85/empire-feb-2019-newsstand-cover.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
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