“Shazam” headliner Zachary Levi has struck back at his body shaming critics by posting a shirtless picture of his workout progress on Instagram.
“Hard work, over time, plus chicken & broccoli, minus carbs, divided by whey protein, in which ‘X’ represents the amount of supplements and ‘Y’ represents the sentiment of ‘WHY the hell am I doing this to myself?!’” wrote Levi wrote, who has been batting off accusations that he is using padding to fill out his superhero’s muscular physique.
After photos surfaced in March of Levi in full costume on the set of “Shazam,” Men’s Health took a swipe at the actor, asking if he was wearing fake muscles under his costume. “The actor’s arms looked huge in recent set photos, but are they real?” they wrote. “We’re still not buying it.”
Despite what has been jokingly referred to by fans as “LeviGate,” Levi has remained enthusiastic about the project, regularly posting pictures on social media of his time in the makeup trailer and on set. He even compared the immense amount of hair gel he used to get Shazam’s famed slicked-back do to LazyTown villain Robbie Rotten.
Whether he’s packing muscle or padding, Levi will fly into the DC Universe when “Shazam” hits theaters on April 5, 2019.