The comic book adaptation game is dominating the industry, and both movies and shows are constantly stealing attention from other projects. Marvel and DC's heroes are the big boys, but even lesser-known characters are turning into household names.

Over at DC, Shazam is doing big things. Little is known about the hero’s sequel film, but fans know quite a bit about the film's lead actor Zachary Levi. What they might not know, however, is that Levi was nearly a key hero over in the MCU.

Let's take a look at who Zachary Levi nearly played over in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Zachary Levi Has Had A Stellar Career

Having been in the entertainment industry since the 2000s, Zachary Levi is a performer who hardly needs an introduction. The man has been making big things happen for years, and though he was not an instant success, he kept plugging along and eventually landed roles that got him in the spotlight.

Less than Perfect was a big break for the actor, who was featured on over 80 episodes of the sitcom. This was immediately followed by Chuck, which was another successful television show for the performer.

From there, Levi would continue adding impressive credits in film and television, even voicing Flynn Rider in Disney's Tangled.

His career has been impressive, and playing Shazam for DC is the cherry on top.

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Levi Is Brilliant As Shazam For DC

Over in the world of DC, Zachary Levi has been nothing short of brilliant as Shazam. The hero's debut film is a major departure from some of DC's darker projects, and it gave the franchise a nice balance.

Fans just knew that Zachary Levi was going to feast as Shazam. He has a likable personality, and Levi shared how he was able to bring the character to life in the best way possible.

"Well fortunately for me, I have heavily resisted growing up for most of my life. I have always been this big kid, man. I didn’t even have an off switch when I was a kid, I was just constantly wanting to entertain people all the time because I love feeling joy and bringing joy, so whatever that is, that Peter Pan syndrome, that is just what I used the most for this role," the actor revealed.

The film was not a colossal hit at the box office, but it earned legions of fans, and it was successful enough to earn itself a sequel project.

Before he was team DC, however, Levi was auditioning for a key role over at Marvel.

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Levi Auditioned For Star-Lord In The MCU

So, which MCU hero did Zachary Levi audition for? Turns out, it was none other than Star-Lord for Guardians of the Galaxy.

"James and I knew each other, we were friends, we would have game nights at each other's homes, had a lot of mutual friends. And so he had asked me to come in and read for Star-Lord, and I did, and then that led to the next step, and then all of a sudden I was camera testing," Levi said.

"Oh man, I wanted that role so bad, like so, so, so, so bad. It came down to me, one other guy, and Chris Pratt, but Chris was always their favorite and he was hesitant to take it, which is understandable, I mean it's a big franchise thing, it's Marvel, does it work out, does it not work out? Is this what everyone is going to know me as for the rest of my life? All of those things that go through your head," he continued.

Things did no go Levi's way for the role of Star-Lord, but being in good standing with James Gunn inadvertently played a part in him landing the role of Shazam over at DC some time later.

Gunn's producing partner, Peter Safran, gave James Gunn a ring asking about Levi during the time he was auditioning for Shazam, and Gunn put in a good word.

"Fortunately, I was in good standing with James, I try to be in good standing with as many people as I can be and try to be a decent person, and I think between that and how well James thought I did in the Star-Lord test, he said, 'Yeah man, you really should give Zach an opportunity at this. I really think he could be great,'" Levi said.

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The actor did have a brief appearance in Thor: Ragnarok, but landing the role of Shazam with DC was perfect for him.

Next: Before 'The Flash', Grant Gustin Auditioned For Another DC Character