How Tall Is Shazam? Comics & Movies

Shazam: Fury of the Gods just recently hit theaters, and one thing can’t go unnoticed – how tall Zachary Levi, aka Shazam, looks on screen and how much taller Billy Batson (portrayed by Asher Angel) looks compared to the first movie from 2019. That sparked interest among fans, asking themselves – how tall is Shazam, anyways, and is there a big difference between movies and comics?

In the comics, Shazam is 6’2’’-6’3’’ (188-190.5 cm) tall when in his adult form and 5’4’’ (164 cm) tall when in his young Billy Batson form. In contrast, Asher Angel is, as of 2023, listed as 5’11’’ (180.5 cm) as Billy Batson, whereas Zachary Levi is 6’3’’ (190.5 cm) as adult Shazam.

Shazam!: Fury of the Gods just recently hit theaters, marking the second movie in the franchise. It’s one of the last movies still created in the DCEU era, venturing slowly into the DCU era after James Gunn sat at the helm of the operations. Comparing Billy’s height in the two movies is quite different, so let’s explore the character’s heights a bit more.

Who is Shazam?

I know that many superhero movie fans don’t really read the comics, so you might be less acquainted with characters like Shazam that haven’t really been in many movies in the past. So, I’ll just do a quick briefing on who Shazam is in the comics and in the movies to give you a clearer picture of what to expect should you choose to read DC Comics in the future.

Shazam first appeared way back in February 1940. Back then, however, the character’s name was Captain Marvel, he was a part of Fawcett Comics. Later, DC Comics claimed and took over the franchise, renaming Captain Marvel into Shazam. 

There are theories suggesting they didn’t want the name to resemble Marvel Comics – DC’s biggest rival – but that’s a topic for another day.

Anyways, there were numerous Shazams over the years and in DC history, as it’s actually a magical power transferred from one individual/wizard to another. However, DC Comics, movies – and us in this article – focus on one particular Shazam named Billy Batson.

The wizard Shazam was seeking a new champion – one that is of a pure heart – to take over and be the hero Shazam. He picked Billy Batson, who was still a teenage kid – inexperienced, quirky, and an outcast among his peers. Once Billy became Shazam, all he had to do was yell out the name, and he transformed into one of the most powerful superheroes in DC Comics.

Essentially, Shazam has quite similar powers to Superman – including unfathomable superhuman strength, stamina, speed, durability, reflexes, flight, etc. The difference is Shazam’s powers are fueled by magic, whereas Superman’s are fueled by his alien physiology.

Another difference is that Billy Batson kept his teenage, childish brain, even in his adult form. He was an intelligent kid, but still, just a kid. He could jump back and forth between his adult and teenage forms at will whenever he yelled, ‘Shazam!’

When in his human/teenager form, Billy is as vulnerable as any other human being. However, when turned into Shazam, he’s practically invulnerable and has little to no weaknesses.

Still, the height discrepancy between his two forms is evident in the comics and the movies. Let’s check out just how different it is.

How tall is Shazam in DC Comics?

As I’ve mentioned, Billy Batson was a comic teenager when he became Shazam – much like in the movies. His height was always around 5’4’’ (164 cm) when in his Billy Batson form, varying ever so slightly depending on the writer and the artist of each particular storyline.

That height goes for both before and after the big 2011 DC relaunch that essentially saw all DC characters reimagined. 

As for Shazam’s height in his adult form, we saw some variations depending on the artist, but generally, Shazam is listed as 6’2’’-6’3’’ (188-190.5 cm) tall. That puts him right around Superman’s height, yet another similarity one can draw between the two characters.

Now, there were other Shazams in DC Comics – or, at least, characters who held the same power as Billy Batson, like Black Adam. Their heights are different depending on the character, though, which is why we’re focusing on the main Shazam, Billy.

How tall is Shazam in the movies?

The two DCEU Shazam! movies came out in 2019 and 2023, respectively, four years apart. The actors grew over those four years because, naturally, teenagers were cast for the roles of Billy Batson and his peers, so the height of Billy Batson isn’t quite the same in the two movies despite the fact that the same actor is portraying him.

Asher Angel, the actor portraying Billy Batson, was born in 2002 and was 16 years old in early 2018 when the first Shazam! movie was filmed. Back then, Asher was listed as 5’6’’ (167.5 cm) tall.

However, about three and a half years have passed between then and the filming of Shazam: Fury of the Gods – whose principal photography began in late May 2021. Hence, Asher angel was already 19 years old at the time.

As soon as you watch the second Shazam movie, you’ll notice that the height difference between Zachary Levi (adult Shazam) and Asher Angel (Billy Batson) isn’t nearly as large as in the first movie.

That’s because Asher went through a major growth spurt in those three and a half years, as he is now listed as 5’11’’ (180.5 cm) tall. The movie doesn’t really address Billy’s height in a major way, but it’s evident that some time has passed between the filmings.

As for Zachary Levi, he was the perfect choice to portray Shazam, not just because of his skill and keen sense of humor but also because of his physical constitution.

Zachary is 6’3’’ (190.5 cm) tall, making him comic book-accurate for the role of Shazam. He’s tall, bulky, and has that quirky personality that Shazam absolutely needs.

There you have it – in Shazam 2, Billy Batson is 5’11’’ (180.5 cm) tall, while his adult counterpart, the superhero Shazam, is 6’3’’ (190.5 cm) tall.