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Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero now owned by DC Comics. He was created during the Golden Age of Comics by Fawcett Publications in an attempt to enter the super-hero craze began by Superman. The charcter was cleverly constructed to be the ultimate child super-hero fantasy. Twelve-year-old orphan Billy Batson would say the magic word “Shazam” and transform into the powerful adult figure Captain Marvel, the World’s Mightiest Mortal. No alien origins like with Superman and others, the Captain’s powers were pure magic, granted to him by an ancient wizard just before his death. The character originally wore a costume that sported a red tunic, a white decorated cape, and a yellow lightning bolt across the chest. The look would undergo only minor changes over the decades to come.
Billy gets a job at WHIZ radio, and soon makes good. The series would develop its own mythology and cast of supporting characters and villains. Billy will discover a sister Mary and a lame boy Freddy Freeman, who will also gain the same powers, and will be known (in the original telling) as Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Junior. The three together would be known as the Marvel Family. It is interesting to note that this is way before there was a Superboy or Supergirl character, or anyone thought in terms of a Superman Family.
Captain Marvel would also gain a rogues gallery of enemies, including Dr. Sivana (his arch nemesis), Mr. Mind the alien worm, and the powerful Black Adam. Friends would be Tawny the Talking Tiger and the non-powered Uncle Marvel. The atmosphere was a bit sillier and more child-fantasy like than the Superman strip.
The character was so popular, it outsold Superman. This prompted Superman’s owners National Periodicals (later called DC Comics) to sue Fawcett, claiming that the character was an imitation of Superman and infringed on the copyright. Eventually, Fawcett would settle and give up the right to the name of the character. First licensing and then gaining ownership of the name, the Captain was brought back by DC Comics itself in the 1970s. So as not to conflict with Marvel Comics copyright of the character name (see Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics)) established in the interim, the comic book that he appeared in would be called Shazam! (1972). The character itself would retain the names Billy Batson and Captain Marvel.
Captain Marvel with Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Junior, and Uncle Marvel
Character Origin
DC has updated the character somewhat for the Modern Age of Comics, but the essential elements of the origin story remain the same. Homeless orphan child and paperboy Billy Batson follows a mysterious stranger into a subway station. There he enters a strange looking subway train, and ends up in a place called the “Rock of Eternity” and gains an audience with the wizard Shazam. The wizard tells him whenever he speaks his name, he will be transformed into a mighty being with “The Wisdom of Soloman, the Strength of Hercules, the Stamina of Atlas, the Power of Zeus, the Courage of Achilles and the Speed of Mercury”. The first initials of these Greek Gods, of course, spell the wizard’s name “Shazam”, which is now the magic word that will transform him. When Billy speaks the name, there is a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder, and the boy Billy is now the super-powered man Captain Marvel. Saying the word again transforms him back into Billy. The Wizard is then crushed by a giant block of concrete, though is still present somehow in spirit form to give him help and advice.
The comic book,
Shazam! in the 1970s stayed consistant with the character's original cartoony art and relatively child-like frame of reference.
Modern Age Captain Marvel
During the Bronze Age of Comics, Captain Marvel was attempted in the same style as the original, supposedly taking place in a parallel universe called Earth-S. In the Modern Age of Comics, the limited crossover series, Crisis on Infinite Earths, combined all of DCs parallel Earth’s into one, and Captain Marvel was integrated into the regular DC Universe. As such, they had to re-imagine the character for more modern sensibilities. There have been a number of retellings and updating of the Captain Marvel legend since, each creator having his own take on the character. The first was Shazam! The New Beginning (1987) by Roy Thomas and Tom Mandrake. The second was the graphic novel Power of Shazam! (1994) by Jerry Ordway and Peter Krause. The most recent update is now the four part limited series Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil (2007) by Jeff Smith.
One of the most interesting and poignant changes that has endured is the explanation as to why Billy followed the mysterious stranger into the tunnel. It turns out that the stranger greatly resembled his late father. Also, despite his Solomon-like wisdom, Billy now retains his same youthful personality when in Captain Marvel form. The Golden Age version tended to treat them as almost two different characters. This works for the character, because it allows him to retain his innocent and naive nature that he had during the Golden Age, with expletives like “Holy Moley!” Still, Billy has aged a bit, and been depicted as being around sixteen.
Our new Captain Marvel has a history as a member of the Justice League, and has worked with the modern Justice Society of America as well. The Marvel Family, and their nemesis, Black Adam, have become major players in recent DC Universe developments, particularly the year long weekly series, 52 (2006).
For the first time, the Marvel Family characters seem to be expanding and changing with time, their places in the DC Universe significantly shifting. The wizard Shazam has had his existence ended by the ghostly Spectre in the Day of Vengence (2005) limited series by Bill Willingham and Justiniano. Mary, after losing her Shazam granted powers, now has received her powers from Black Adam, something which has given her a dark edge. In the latest 12 issue limited series Trials of Shazam! (2006) by Judd Winick and Howard Porter, Captain Marvel now has a white costume and long white hair. He has taken the place of the wizard Shazam under the name "Marvel". Billy is now the guardian of all magical forces in the DC Universe. Freddy Freeman seems to be ready to take over Billy's traditional role under the name of "Shazam". At last, the character name will match the comic book title! As of this writing, the series has not yet concluded. Black Adam has begun his own six issue limited series called Black Adam: The Dark Age (2007) by Peter J. Tomasi and Doug Mahnke.
Popular Culture
- SHAZAM, probably said by a lot of readers to see if it would transform them, became a popular expression. The most notable use is probably by the character Gomer Pyle
- Captain Marvel coined, "Holy moley!", which also worked its way into common usage. It's particularly appropriate for Captain Marvel, since moley is a magical herb recommended to Odysseus by the god Hermes to protect him from the forced transformation spell of the sorceress Circe. Now thought of as a childish expresssion, it was actually an erudite comment on his magical physical change
- Due to his early popularity, Captain Marvel was the first superhero to star in a live action movie serial, beating Superman by some months.
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