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Shazam

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Shazam

Real Name
Billy Batson
First Appearance
Whiz Comics #2 (February, 1940)
Creators
C. C. Beck, Bill Parker
Team Affiliations
The Marvel Family, The Justice League, The Justice Society of America, The Squadron of Justice, Justice League Unlimited (animation only)
Aliases
Captain Marvel, Captain Thunder, The Captain, Marvel, Black Billy
Base of Operations
Fawcett City, New York City (Earth-S)
Powers
Super-strength, speed and stamina, Physical and magical invulnerability, Flight, vast wisdom and enhanced intellect, Control over and emission of magic lightning
Skills and Abilities
Fighting Experience, Reporting experience
Tools and Weapons
None

Shazam (Billy Batson) is a superhero created by Fawcett Comics under the alias of Captain Marvel and is currently a part of the DC Universe.

Origin[]

Billy Batson was an orphan who was chosen by the Wizard of Shazam to use the power of the gods to fight evil. Now, when he says SHAZAM, Billy turns from a young boy to an adult superhero named Captain Marvel.

Biography[]

Fawcett Comics[]

Billy Batson was born in 1930 in New York City, born to Merrill and Jocelyn Batson. When Billy was still 6 months old, Merrill and Jocelyn tragically died in a car accident. Billy was sent to live with his heartless uncle, Ebenezer Batson, but eventually he sent Billy out to live on the streets, forcing the child to survive on his own. By about 1940, he had become a newsboy in order to pay for food.

One evening while selling papers, Billy was guided into the subway by a mysterious stranger. He entered a strange, driverless subway car with drove into an underground cave that contained giant statues labeled the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man (Laziness, Hatred, Pride, Envy, Greed, Selfishness, and Injustice). He then met the mysterious man, the Wizard of Shazam, sitting on a throne under an enormous boulder held only by a tiny thread. The Wizard revealed that this was his lair, the Rock of Eternity, and that he had been watching Billy's hardships as an orphan. He also revealed the name of 6 mythical figures next to his throne: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury. The Wizard told Billy that because of his goodness and determination that he was chosen to become the world's champion with each of these "mythical elders" granting him a significant aspect of their beings. The Wizard told Billy that he need only say “Shazam!” to become such a champion.

Billy did just that and was struck by lightning, which transformed him into a muscular adult. The Wizard then dubbed the boy Captain Marvel and saluted him, but only moments after, the thread holding the boulder above the Wizard snapped, causing the boulder to crush him. However, the Wizard's spirit arose and promised Captain Marvel that he would always be available should he need guidance in the Rock of Eternity, should it be needed.

Captain Marvel[]

From then on, Billy Batson used his superhero identity to fight crime, turning into Captain Marvel by saying "Shazam!" when trouble arose. The next day, Batson had his first adventure, hunting down the criminal mad scientist, Dr. Sivana, who blackmailed radio stations by hijacking their airwaves. Though Captain Marvel defeats Sivana's schemes, the villain managed to escape and Marvel promised to one day catch him. Captain Marvel and Sivana (later with the beautiful alien Beautia) continued to match wits and Sivana even managed to learn Captain Marvel's identity but the two never seemed able to completely defeat the other, with Marvel foiling Sivana's schemes but Sivana always capable to escaping and surviving seemingly certain death. Marvel would also battle other villains as well but it would seem most of his early adventures pitted him against Sivana. Marvel also ends up befriending Beautia, who reveals to him that she, as well as Sivana's musclebound henchman Magnificus, are Sivana's Children.

Captain Marvel later has a battle against the hero Spy Smasher, a patriotic hero hypnotized into believing himself a villain. Billy Batson would also meet three other boys, all named Billy Batson, who through a twist of fate gained the same powers as Captain Marvel. Seeing this as a gift to help people, they called themselves as the Lieutenant Marvels (as well as the Squadron of Justice). They included Hill Marvel (a Southern member), Fat Marvel (an obese member) and Tall Marvel (a tall member). Together, they helped battle Dr. Sivana and his team, the Vengeful Four. Marvel and Billy also make the acquaintance of Whitey Murphy, a world traveler who gives them the heads up on various mysteries outside the country.

DC Origins[]

The basic elements of Billy Batson's and Captain Marvel's origin story remained more or less intact through 2012, with minor alterations over the years. Roy & Dann Thomas's 1987 miniseries Shazam! The New Beginning had a 15-year-old Billy being forced to move in with Doctor Sivana, who in this version is the cruel uncle who throws Billy out into the street. Jerry Ordway's 1994 Power of Shazam! graphic novel, which became the character's definite origin through 2011, featured a ten-year-old Billy being chosen as the Wizard Shazam's champion, due to the influence of his archaeologist parents; the mysterious stranger from magic subway car is the ghost of Billy's father in this version. Both the Thomases' and Ordway's retellings of the origin directly tie the need for the Wizard Shazam to draft a younger replacement to the coming re-emergence of Black Adam, the wizard's first champion from the days of ancient Egypt who became evil and was due to escape thousands of years of banishment.

New 52[]

Captain marvel DC

New 52 Shazam

In 2012, writer and then-DC Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns revised Billy Batson's origin for DC's New 52 universe, also renaming the character's alter-ego as "Shazam" at this time. In his new origin story, Billy Batson is a moody and troubled 15-year-old foster child living in Philadelphia who has gone through several foster homes. At his newest foster home under Victor and Rosa Vázquez, Billy gains five foster siblings: "den mother" Mary Bromfield, trickster and pick-pocket Freddy Freeman, shy and quiet Pedro Peña, brainy Eugene Choi, and energetic Darla Dudley. When the evil Dr. Sivana unleashes the ancient magical warrior Black Adam from his tomb, the Wizard of the Rock of Eternity—the last of a council of beings who once controlled magic—begins abducting candidates to assess them for the job of being his champion. He dismisses each of them for not being pure of heart. (In the New 52, Billy Batson has to be a superhero and at the same time the successor of Wizard Shazam, because he died shortly after giving them the powers and then Billy Batson uses it as the superhero name Shazam) Eventually, the Wizard summons Billy, who is another unsuitable candidate, but Billy persuades the Wizard that perfectly good people "really don't exist," and that, while he himself tried to be good, the world dragged Billy down to its level. In desperation and seeing the "embers of good" within Billy, the dying Wizard passes on his powers and teaches Billy they can be accessed through the magic word "Shazam" when spoken with good intentions. After saying the magic word, Billy is struck by a bolt of lightning which transforms him into Shazam, a super-powered adult possessing super-strength, flight, and vast magical powers. The Wizard dies and Shazam is transported back to Earth, where Billy reveals his new secret to Freddy. The two scheme to make money and score beer with Shazam's new powers, but Shazam is instead led to crime scenes where he is needed as a hero. Shazam and Freddy have a falling out when Shazam refuses to change back into Billy, and as soon as Freddy heads back home, Shazam is attacked by Black Adam. Billy is saved only by mending his relationships with Freddy, Mary, Eugene, Pedro, and Darla. When Adam again attacks, unleashing the Seven Deadly Sins on downtown Philadelphia and threatening to kill the other kids, Billy shares his powers with them, who all become magic-powered adult superheroes (except for Darla, who remains a child). Ultimately, Billy goads Adam into saying the magic word and transforming into his human form, at which point he promptly turns to dust. Although he had contemplated running away, Billy decides to stay with his new family, having learned to be a better and more open person.

Media[]

He appeared in Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Batman the Brave and the Bold, and Young Justice. Later on he became a hero helping his city and the world where he joined the Justice League and one time he beat Superman in a fight taking place in Lex Luthor's city after that he quit the Justice League of America. But eventually joined back he also took care of the Young Justice team.

Films[]

  • Captain Marvel's first appearance in Warner Bros. Animation's line of DC Universe Animated Original Movies direct-to-video films was a brief cameo in 2008's Justice League: The New Frontier. The character had a more substantial role in the 2009 animated film Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, based on a Superman/Batman comic book arc in which Marvel battles Superman under orders from United States President Lex Luthor. Captain Marvel was voiced by Corey Burton. An uncredited Rachael MacFarlane voiced Billy Batson.
  • An evil version of Captain Marvel, named Captain Super, has a minor role in the 2010 animated film Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. One of the film's main villains, and Captain Super's superior, is Superwoman of the Crime Syndicate of the alternate universe Earth-3, who in this film is an evil counterpart of Mary Marvel.
  • Captain Marvel appears in a animated short film entitled Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam, released on the DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection DVD compilation as part of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies, 2010. Jerry O'Connell returns from the Justice League Unlimited animated TV show as the voice of Captain Marvel, with Billy Batson voiced by Zach Callison.
  • The New 52 version is used in the Justice League War and Shazam films!

Powers[]

He can turn into a grown man superhero. In this form he possess the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the Speed of Mercury. The "power of Zeus" has always been described as the lightning bolt that appears out of nowhere and turns him into Captain Marvel, with him only being able to use it to attack if he evades him after he says the magic word and so he hits someone else. When the comics went through the New 52 restart, that was changed for him to have even electrical powers.

Powers[]

  • Divine Empowerment/Calling: Billy gains his powers from six different heroes and deities: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury/Hermes. He activates these powers by saying the magical word "Shazam" which is the first letter of each of the gods' names combined.
    • Summoning Power Link or Chosen One Link / Lightning-Induced Power Summoning / Transforming Hero
      • Mystical Electric Transformation / The Awesome Power of Shazam: The ability to transform from a mortal to the entity empowered by the 6 extra-dimensional beings once known as "the gods on Earth" (although one of them is the Biblical king of Israel & the others are of Greco-Roman mythology).
        • "S" for the Wisdom of Solomon (3rd king of Israel who was bestowed with supernatural wisdom by the Lord God): Due to Solomon's blessings, Shazam has instant access to a vast level of scholarly knowledge. Billy describes this ability as a feeling and a moral compass.
          • Clairvoyance: The wisdom of Solomon gives Billy clairvoyance and provides him with counsel and advice in times of need.
          • Divine Grace: Billy has the wisdom of Solomon which allows finesse in actions and dealings with others.
          • Eidetic Memory: Through Solomon's wisdom, Batson is capable of memorizing anything he sees.
          • Tactics of War: Through Solomon's blessings, Billy is an accomplished tactician.
          • Mathematics: Through Solomon's blessings, Billy is an accomplished mathematician.
          • Multilingualism: Through Solomon's wisdom, Shazam can speak any language when transformed. He has been shown to speak decent Arabic and Japanese.
            • Omni-lingual: He can speak every language known to humans as well as ancient or dead languages and is able to understand aliens
          • Superhuman Knowledge/Intelligence: Captain Marvel has exceptional photographic recall and mental acuity allowing him to read and decipher hieroglyphics, recall everything he has ever learned and solve long mathematical equations. Instantaneously he can make intuitive guesses based on limited data; to the point his guesses are almost always correct; also he has a great understanding of divine phenomenon in the mortal world.
          • Hypnosis: Through sheer power and magic he can hypnotize people for length of time (undetermined). Only those of great willpower can overcome this ability.
          • Enhanced/Superhuman Senses: Captain Marvel could detect evil in an artifact, or feel where a bad person is.
            • Enhanced Vision: He could calculate the prescription of a pair of eyeglasses, and match them to another pair, simply from casual observation.
          • Science
          • Metallurgy: He created Marvellium, a metal capable to binding ghosts.
          • Charisma: Another facet of his intelligence is ability to talk his way out of situations, as a man with an unprecedented amount of wisdom, he prefers to talk, rather than fight. Once Captain Marvel was able to reason with the goddess Heqt and persuade her to cause no more trouble with the humanity.
          • Instant Learning
          • Personal Formula
          • Intelligence Calling
        • "H" for the Strength of Hercules (god of strength, bravery/courage & Labor; Patron of Heroes): With the blessings of Hercules, Billy's strength is greatly increased. He is able to crack concrete, bend steel, and fight toe-to-toe with Superman. He can lift 36 quintillion to 6 sextillion tons.
        • "A" for the Stamina of Atlas (Titan of Endurance, astronomy and navigation; Bearer of Heaven): With the blessings of Atlas, Billy can endure great physical exertion without tiring while in his empowered form.
          • Self-Sustenance: Because of Atlas' blessings, Shazam is able to survive without food, water or any other sort of sustenance while in his empowered form.
          • Superhuman Stamina: His incredible metabolism endows him with practically infinite endurance and inexhaustible stamina.
          • Superhuman Endurance: His godly metabolism provides him with far greater than human endurance in all physical activities.
          • Combat Empowerment
        • "Z" for the Power of Zeus (The ruler of Mt. Olympus and king of the Greek Gods; Mighty God of goodness, the weather, skies, heavens, storms, thunder, lighting, law, order, justice, honor, rain, fate, magic, air, winds, clouds, dust, hospitality, celestial bodies, governance and moral conduct; Lord of the cosmos and universe; Supreme God; Patron of kings and humans): Zeus' power, besides fueling the magic thunderbolt that transforms Billy, also enhances his other physical abilities and allows for inter-dimensional travel and the casting of various mystical spells. Most notably, this power allows Shazam to manipulate and control the "living lightning".
          • Advanced/Accelerated Healing: He displayed the ability to use the transformative lightning to heal others or himself instantly from wounds inflicted on his mortal form.
          • Dimensional Travel: Shazam can access the Rock of Eternity whenever he wants, which sits at the center of the Multiverse. Shazam was also able to forcibly transport the Wizard to the Rock of Eternity through a bolt of his lightning.
          • Electrokinesis: Shazam is able to generate and manipulate the "living lightning", which is the magical lightning that transforms him into Shazam. He can project the energy from his fingertips and even use the lightning bolt as a weapon by dodging it and allowing it to strike an opponent or other target.
          • Magic: As the wielder of Shazam's power, Billy is capable of casting magic spells for various purposes. While originally not well-versed in magic, Billy eventually learned to cast precise spells from the Book of Champions.
          • Weather Manipulation
          • Divinity
          • Energy Power Link
          • Mysticism Combat
        • "A" for the Courage of Achilles (Greek Hero of the Trojan War): This aspect is physical and partly psychological, and gives Billy superhuman amounts of inner strength to draw off from, while also making him indestructible to harm. Bullets have no effect on Billy, and conventional weaponry does nothing to his physical body as well. Only the most powerful of superhumans can topple him. He withstood a punch from an enraged Superman without any noticeable pain and injury afterwards.
          • Invulnerability: Captain Marvel is virtually invulnerable, and resistant to all types of physical injuries. His resilience to damage is on par with beings such as Superman, but without the weaknesses.
          • Indomitable Will: Because of Achilles', blessing Shazam is very strong willed in his actions.
          • Immortality: As long as he remains in his empowered form he doesn't age.
          • Optimism: With the Courage of Achilles combined with the Wisdom of Solomon and the boyish personality of Billy Batson this creates a certain kind of optimism of which Captain Marvel is supremely known for. Able to smile down most opponents and using his powers in special ways other than fighting, Captain Marvel will forever remain the staple "boy scout".
          • Superhuman Bravery
        • "M" for the Speed of Mercury/Hermes (Herald/Messenger of the gods; God of travels, boundaries, shepherds, roads, hospitality, diplomacy, trade, merchants, invention, theft/thieves/thievery, orators, wits/cunning, language, writing, measurements, astrology, astronomy, sleep, dreams, magic, fertility, athletics/athletes, speed, trickery, international trade, commerce, athletes, exploring, mail deliverers, literature, art [including useful arts], transitions, wrestling, travelers, sports, business, gymnastics, cunning wiles, communications, persuasions, messengers, transition, guides, border crossings, transition, games, borders, eloquence, literature and poetry; Patron of Merchants; Guide of the Underworld): With the blessings of Mercury, Billy can run as fast as a bolt of lightning, this means Billy can at least run at the speed of light (671,000,000 miles per hour).
          • Flight: With Mercury's blessing, Billy is able to hover or out right fly at high speeds.
          • Superhuman Speed: He can move at incredible speeds making him fast enough to fight beings such as Superman and Black Adam
            • Superhuman Reflexes: Shazam's reflexes are heightened to superhuman levels. He has even reacted to the likes of Superman in battle.
          • Superhuman Agility
          • Super Dexterity
          • Lightning Bruiser
          • Speed Strike
      • Age Shifting
      • Superhero Physiology Mode

Abilities[]

  • Gifted intellect: Even without the Wisdom of Solomon, Billy is quite intelligent on his own - he once came up with and executed a plan to get access to the police database, which worked perfectly.
    • Smooth Talker: Another facet of his intelligence is ability to talk his way out of situations, as a man with an unprecedented amount of wisdom, he prefers to talk, rather than fight.
    • Photography
    • Journalism
  • Expert thief: Billy Batson, due to living on his own for most of his life, has become an immensely skilled thief, able to break into cars without triggering alarms.
  • Skilled combatant: Billy Batson is a fairly capable combatant in both human and superhero form, able to take down two bullies harassing Freddy Freeman in moments using Freeman's crutch in his human form. In his superhero form, Billy uses his powers to swiftly overpower opponents, though his combat skills were noticeably inferior to those of Doctor Sivana, who (while empowered by the Seven Sins) rather quickly overpowered Billy in their first battle. Nonetheless, Billy managed to adjust and battled more evenly against the empowered Sivana in their subsequent fights, and personally defeated several of the Seven Sins.
  • Indomitable will: Billy Batson has immense willpower and determination, being pure of heart enough to overcome difficult or dangerous situations and overcome strong emotional attachments when necessary. Hence, he tirelessly searched for his mother's whereabouts for approximately 11 years since their separation, having ran away from twenty-three foster homes across six counties and being willing to break the law on numerous occasions, without ever seeming to lose hope in his pursuit. He also stood up for Freddy Freeman when the latter was being picked on by two bullies (albeit he only did this when the Breyer brothers hit close to home by insulting Freeman for not having his mother present). After the wizard bestowed unto him his divine powers, Billy interfered in an armed robbery at a convenience store even before he learned he could not be harmed by natural means. While he was initially afraid of Sivana, even attempting to flee from the latter upon their first encounter, Billy ultimately overcame his fear of the formidable doctor and later stood up for his foster siblings after realizing that his mother did not want him, even going so far as to offer himself to Sivana in order to protect them. At the carnival, he volunteered to single-handedly take on Sivana while his empowered foster siblings fought the Sins and persisted defiantly against the supervillain until he eventually managed to gain the upper hand. Indeed, Billy showcased his incorruptible willpower by resisting the allure of the Eye of Sin without being slightly tempted (merely pretending to be enticed by it), despite generations of chosen individuals having failed to do so when tested by the wizard Shazam.
  • Multilingual: Thanks to the Wisdom of Solomon, he has the ability to understand, comprehend, and speak any language on earth.
  • Occultism
  • Acrobatics
  • Honored/Chosen Superhero

Weaknesses[]

  • Inexperience: Despite possessing incredible abilities in his superpowered form, Billy still lacks skill and experience as a crime fighter. He also doesn't really understand the true extent of his mystical abilities. Both of these factors often render him overwhelmed when faced with stronger and more experienced opponents.
  • Vocal reliance: The spell that allows Billy to transform into Shazam is purely vocal. Therefore, if he is prevented from speaking, such as being gagged, he will not be able to transform.
    • Speech Impediment: Billy can only access his powers if he says the name 'Shazam' which can also turn him back to his human form. If he is gagged or prevented from speaking while in his human form his powers remain dormant.
  • Magic immunity: Beings, creatures, and other entities that are totally immune to magic are immune to Shazam's magical and physical attacks.
    • Supernatural beings: Supernatural beings can harm Billy like the Seven Deadly Sins or Thaddeus Sivana.
    • High Order Magic: Only the strongest of magics can affect him in any particular way, such as those wielded by the Spectre.
  • Vulnerable to Electricity: A powerful enough electric discharge can transform Captain Marvel back into Billy and vice versa. This has worked both to his advantage and detriment oftentimes.
  • Human Form: In his human form Billy can have the same weaknesses as a normal human.

Equipment[]

All the mystical items belonging to Shazam.

  • Historama: Shazam owned the Historama that adorns the space near his throne at the Rock of Eternity. It functions as a crystal ball, but with Incredible range and accuracy. He activates the Historama by saying, "Historama show me...". The historama has incredible material strength and provides the following abilities:
    • Clairvoyance
    • Clairaudience
    • Remote Sensing
    • Extra-dimensional Detection
    • True Sight
    • Dimensional Viewing
    • Temporal Viewing: ability to look into the past, and functions just like Dimensional Viewing. These powers allow the Historama to "cleave through the barriers" to show the occupants of the Rock of Eternity what transpires in other dimensions and even other times.

Batson had forgone the original historama and has opted for a more up to date version and has redirected the Rock of Eternity with a multitude of different tv screens which portrays whatever he chooses, just as the original historama.

External Links[]

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