Mark Strong Is Ready To Return For A 'Shazam' Sequel, Cites Some Villainous "Unfinished Business"

Mark Strong has carved out a career playing menacing villains, and there's one that he would be happy to reprise — if he would get the call. In director David F. Sandberg's 2019 comic book movie Shazam!, Strong played the vengeful Dr. Sivana, the archenemy of the titular superhero (Zachary Levi). But like many a Big Bad, he was stopped by the hero, leaving the door open for new villains to go up against Shazam in the sequel. But what if Dr. Sivana showed up in another Shazam sequel? Strong is open to the idea.

In an interview with /Film's Jacob Hall, Strong entertained the idea of reprising the role of Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, the scientist who was turned down as a potential champion of the ancient wizard Shazam, and unleashes the Seven Deadly Sins in a ploy for power. Dr. Sivana is naturally brought down by the Shazam Family, but a mid-credits scene teases an alliance between Dr. Sivana and Mr. Mind, a talking caterpillar with the powers of telepathy. Strong shut down the idea of appearing in Shazam! 2, also known as Shazam! Fury of the Gods, as the villain slate in the film is already getting pretty crowded, but didn't rule out coming back for that teased team-up with Mr. Mind:

"There is unfinished business between Dr. Sivana and Mr. Mind, but I think Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu are going to be the villains in the second one.

Strong added, "Yeah, that's always a big possibility [that Dr. Sivana will return.] Mr. Mind has got unfinished business, I'm sure."

Though Shazam! has some pretty dangerous foes headed his way, including Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam after his own solo movie, Strong left an impression as Dr. Sivana. That's especially true in the most gruesome scene of the film, in which he sets the Seven Deadly Sins upon his own family. It's a bit of B-movie horror that sees Sandberg flexing his horror chops in an otherwise family-friendly film.

Recounting the scene, Strong said:

"Oh my God, it's pretty nasty, isn't it? I mean, it's his own family. The first thing he does is throw his brother out the window, and the last thing he does is that an evil monster basically eats his father. So it's about as bad as you can get. I thought the real fascinating moment in that scene was created by David [F. Sandberg], the director, who obviously comes from a horror background. It's when the people are sort of smashing up against the windows, and you know that there is chaos and violence and horrible stuff going on in that room, but it's just suggested. That's always the most scary, I think."

Maybe we'll get a repeat of that gnarly scene in Shazam 3? We'll have to see. Shazam! Fury of the Gods is scheduled for release on June 2, 2023.