‘Shazam’ Star Zachary Levi Faces Backlash over Anti-Pfizer Tweet

Actor Zachary Levi is facing backlash after posting a two-word-long anti-Pfizer tweet that has led many to interpret it as him expressing his anti-vaccine views.

Over the weekend, Levi had a short interaction with a Twitter user asking, “Do you agree or not that Pfizer is a real danger to the world?” to which he responded with “Hardcore agree.”

Despite his attempt at clarification with a follow-up tweet linking the Justice Department’s announcement of Pfizer’s $2.3 billion settlement for misbranding their anti-inflammatory drug Bextra in 2009, the actor’s previous tweet had already led to a social media stir ahead of the release of his new movie Shazam: Fury of the Gods.

On Monday, James Gunn, the new co-head of DC Studios and no stranger to Twitter backlash himself, was asked to comment on Levi’s recent social media activity during a Warner Bros. press event. Gunn believes “actors and filmmakers that I work with are going to say things that I agree with and things that I don’t agree with,” but he cannot continuously change his plans because “an actor says something I don’t agree with.”

He did, however, emphasize that there are limits. “By the same token, if somebody’s doing something morally reprehensible then that’s a different story,” Gunn clarified. “We have to take all that stuff into account. It’s a balance. It’s a modern world and it’s a different place.”

While it is still unclear how his tweets will affect the press tour ahead of the upcoming March 17 release of Shazam: Fury of the Gods, neither of the DC Studios co-chairs made reference to a potential third Shazam movie during their press event.