Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam[a] and the Captain, is a superhero in American comic books originally published by Fawcett Comics and currently published by DC Comics. Artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker created the character in 1939. Captain Marvel first appeared in Whiz Comics #2 (cover-dated Feb. 1940), published by Fawcett Comics. He is the alter ego of Billy Batson, a boy who, by speaking the magic word "SHAZAM!" (acronym of six "immortal elders": Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury), is transformed into a costumed adult with the powers of superhuman strength, speed, flight, and other abilities. The character battles an extensive rogues' gallery, most of them working in tandem as the Monster Society of Evil, including primary archenemies Black Adam, Doctor Sivana and Mister Mind. Billy often shares his powers with other children, primarily his sister Mary Batson and their best friend/foster brother Freddy Freeman, who also transform into superheroes and fight crime with Billy as members of the Marvel Family, also known as the Shazam Family.
For the Marvel character of the same name, see Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics).Captain Marvel / Shazam
Whiz Comics #2 (February 1940)[1]
William Joseph "Billy" Batson
Captain Thunder
World's Mightiest Mortal
King Shazam
Captain Shazam
Lightning Guy
- By shouting the name "SHAZAM!", Billy is bestowed the powers of divine origin, primarily of Greek-Roman and Israeli origin. These powers typically include:
- Superhuman physical attibutes: strength, speed, durablity, etc.
- Enhanced intelligence and knowledge
- Physical and magical invulnerability
- Control over lightning and magic
- Skilled hand-to-hand combatant and natural charisma makes him an apt radio personality.
Based on comic book sales, Captain Marvel was the most popular superhero of the 1940s, outselling even Superman.[2][3] Captain Marvel was also the first comic book superhero to be adapted to film, in a 1941 Republic Pictures serial, Adventures of Captain Marvel, with Tom Tyler as Captain Marvel and Frank Coghlan, Jr. as Billy Batson. Fawcett ceased publishing Captain Marvel-related comics in 1953, partly because of a copyright infringement suit from DC Comics alleging that Captain Marvel was a copy of Superman.[4] In 1972, Fawcett licensed the character rights to DC, which by 1991 acquired all rights to the entire family of characters. DC has since integrated Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family into their DC Universe and has attempted to revive the property several times, with mixed success. Owing to trademark conflicts over other characters named "Captain Marvel" owned by Marvel Comics,[5] DC has branded and marketed the character using the trademark Shazam! since his 1972 reintroduction.[6] This led many to assume that "Shazam" was the character's name. DC renamed the mainline version of the character "Shazam" when relaunching its comic book properties in 2011,[7] and his associates became the "Shazam Family" at this time as well.[8]
DC's revival of Shazam! has been adapted twice for television by Filmation: as a live-action 1970s series with Jackson Bostwick and John Davey as Captain Marvel and Michael Gray as Billy Batson, and as an animated 1980s series. The 2019 New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. film Shazam!, an entry in the DC Extended Universe, stars Zachary Levi as Shazam and Asher Angel as Billy Batson. Levi and Angel return in the sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
The character was ranked as the 55th-greatest comic book character of all time by Wizard magazine.[9] IGN also ranked Shazam as the 50th-greatest comic book hero of all time, stating that the character will always be an enduring reminder of a simpler time.[10] UGO Networks ranked him as one of the top heroes of entertainment, saying, "At his best, Shazam has always been compared to Superman with a sense of crazy, goofy fun."[11]
Shazam!
- (vol. 1)
Eight times a year: #1–11;
Bimonthly: #12–21; 25–35
Quarterly: #22–24
(vol. 2)
One-shot
(vol. 3)
Monthlyt
(vol. 4)
Monthly
- (vol. 1)
Ongoing
(vol. 2)
One-shot
(vol. 3)
Ongoing
(vol. 4)
Ongoing
- (vol. 1)
Superhero/Humor
(vol. 2)
Superhero
(vol. 3)
Superhero
- (vol. 1)
February 1973 – May–June 1978
(vol. 2)
March 2011
(vol. 3)
December 2018 – September 2020
(vol. 4)
May 2023-Present
- (vol. 1)
35
(vol. 2)
1
(vol. 3)
15
(vol. 4)
1
- (vol. 1)
Captain Marvel
Mary Marvel
Captain Marvel Jr.
Uncle Marvel
Shazam
Doctor Sivana
Tawky Tawny
Mister Mind
(vol. 2)
Shazam (Freddy Freeman)
Mary Batson
Billy Batson
Blaze
(vol. 3)
Shazam (Billy Batson)
Shazam Family (Mary, Freddy, Darla, Eugene, Pedro)
Doctor Sivana
Mister Mind
Tawky Tawny
C.C. Batson
(vol. 4)
The Captain (Billy Batson)
- (vol. 1)
Dennis O'Neil
Elliot S! Maggin
E. Nelson Bridwell
(vol. 2)
Eric Wallace
(vol. 3)
Geoff Johns
Jeff Loveness
(vol. 4)
Mark Waid
- (vol. 1)
C.C. Beck
Bob Oksner
Kurt Schaffenberger
Don Newton
(vol. 2)
Cliff Richards
(vol. 3)
Dale Eaglesham
Mayo "SEN" Naito
Marco Santucci
Scott Kolins
Brandon Peterson
(vol. 4)
Dan Mora
- (vol. 1)
C.C. Beck
Bob Oksner
Kurt Schaffenberger
(vol. 2)
Cliff Richards
(vol. 3)
Dale Eaglesham
Mayo "SEN" Naito
Marco Santucci
Scott Kolins
Brandon Peterson
- (vol. 4)
Alejandro Sánchez
Powers and abilities[edit]
Powers of Shazam[edit]
While normally having no special abilities in his human persona as Billy Batson, once he says the magic word "Shazam!", he transforms into a full-grown man in peak physical condition endowed with multiple superpowers that rank him amongst the most powerful entities in the DC Universe. Billy is also able to share a portion of his powers with others. Jerry Ordway's 1990s The Power of Shazam! series also gave Billy the added ability to alter Captain Marvel's appearance to his will by visualizing alterations and then saying "Shazam!"[117] Billy uses this ability to disguise himself as his "uncle" to work and cash checks,[118] and to turn his Captain Marvel costume into a spacesuit for a mission in space.[119]