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| |caption=Captain Marvel (left), and his young alter ego, Billy Batson. Art by ], originally used for the cover of '']'' no. 22. | |||
| |comic_color=background:#8080ff | |||
| |character_name=Captain Marvel | |||
| |real_name=William "Billy" Batson | |||
| |publisher=] (1939–1953) <br />] (1972– ) | |||
| |debut='']'' no. 2 (1940, historical)<br />'']'' graphic novel (1994, ]) | |||
| |creators=]<br />] | |||
| |alliance_color=background:#ffc0c0 | |||
| |status=Active | |||
| |alliances=]<br />]<br />] | |||
| |previous_alliances=] | |||
| |aliases= The World's Mightiest Mortal, The Big Red Cheese, Captain Thunder | |||
| |relatives=C.C. Batson (father, deceased), Marilyn Batson (mother, deceased), Ebenezer Batson (uncle), Mary Batson (], sister) | |||
| |powers=Magically bestowed aspects of various mythological figures which includes vast super strength, invulnerability, super-speed, flight, fearlessness, and vast wisdom/enhanced mental perception. | |||
| |}} | |||
| {{copyvio|url=http://www.fox5ny.com}} | |||
| '''Captain Marvel''' is a ] ], originally published by ] and now owned by ]. Created in 1939 by ] and ], the character first appeared in '']'' # 2 (Feb, ]). With a premise that taps into adolescent fantasy, Captain Marvel is the ] of '''Billy Batson''', a youth who works as a ] ] and was chosen to be a champion of good by the ] ]. Whenever Billy speaks the wizard's name, he is instantly struck by a magic ] bolt that transforms him into an adult superhero empowered with the abilities of six mythological figures. Several friends and family members, most notably ] cohorts ] and ], can share Billy's power and become "Marvels" themselves. | |||
| Hailed as "The World's Mightiest Mortal" in his adventures (and nicknamed "The Big Red Cheese" by ] ], an epithet adopted by fans as a nickname for their hero), Captain Marvel was (based on sales) the most popular superhero of the 1940s. The ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' series sold more copies than '']'' and other competing superhero books {{ref|TiptonMoviePoopShoot}}{{ref|ComicSuccessMuseum}}. Captain Marvel was also the first superhero to be adapted into film in ] ('']''). Fawcett ceased publishing Captain Marvel and Marvel Family comics in ]. This was due to both a general decline in the popularity of superheroes and a ] alleging similarities between Captain Marvel and Superman. DC licensed the Marvel Family characters in 1972 and acquired all rights in 1980. Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family have been integrated into the "]", and DC has attempted a few revivals. Captain Marvel has not regained widespread appeal with new generations, although a 1970s '']'' live action television series featuring the character was very popular. | |||
| Due to the fact that ] trademarked their '']'' comic book during the interim between the original Captain Marvel's Fawcett years and DC years, DC Comics has to promote and market their Captain Marvel/Marvel Family properties under the title '''''Shazam!''''' (based upon the aforementioned magic word as well as the name of the wizard). As a result, Captain Marvel himself is sometimes erroneously referred to as "Shazam". | |||
| ==Full history== | |||
| ] of ''Flash Comics'' no. 1. Art by C.C. Beck.]] | |||
| ===Development and inspirations=== | |||
| After the success of ]' new superhero characters Superman and ], Fawcett Publications decided in 1939 to start its own comics division. Writer Bill Parker was recruited to create several hero characters for the first title in Fawcett's line, then to be called ''Flash Comics''. Besides penning stories featuring ], ], ], ], ], and ] for the new book, Parker also wrote a story about a team of six superheroes, each possessing a special power granted to them by a mythological figure. Fawcett Comics' executive director Ralph Daigh decided it would be best to combine the team of six into one hero who would embody all six powers, and Parker responded by creating a character he called "Captain Thunder" {{ref|JohnnyShazam}}. Staff artist Clarence Charles "C.C." Beck was recruited to design and illustrate Parker's story, rendering it in a direct, somewhat ]y style that became his trademark. | |||
| The first issue, printed as both ''Flash Comics no. 1'' and ''Thrill Comics no. 1'', had a low-print run in the fall of 1939 as an ] created for advertising purposes. Shortly after its printing, however, Fawcett found it could not trademark "Captain Thunder", "Flash Comics", or "Thrill Comics", because they were already in use. Consequently, the book was renamed ''Whiz Comics'', and the ]s were re-lettered to label the hero of the book's main story as "Captain Marvel". ''Whiz Comics'' no. 2 was published in late 1939 and dated February 1940. Since it was the first of that title to actually be published, the issue is sometimes referred to as ''Whiz Comics'' no. 1, despite the issue number printed on it. | |||
| Inspirations for Captain Marvel came from a number of sources. His visual appearance was modeled after that of ], a popular ] ] of the period. Fawcett Publications' founder, Wilford H. Fawcett, was nicknamed "Captain Billy", which inspired the name "Billy Batson" and Marvel's title as well. Fawcett's earliest magazine was titled '']'', which probably inspired the title ''Whiz Comics''. | |||
| Marvel wore a bright red costume, inspired by both military uniforms and ]ian and ] costumes as depicted in popular ]s, with gold trim and a lightning bolt insignia on the chest. The body suit originally included a buttoned ], but was changed to a one-piece skintight suit within a year at the insistence of the editors (the current DC costume of the character has the lapel restored to it, presumably to differentiate from Superman's outfit). The costume also included a white collared ] trimmed with gold ] symbols, usually asymmetrically thrown over the left shoulder and held around his neck by a gold cord. The cape came from the ceremonial cape worn by the ], photographs of which appeared in newspapers in the 1930s. | |||
| ] | |||
| ===''Whiz Comics'' no. 2: origin story=== | |||
| {{spoiler}} | |||
| Captain Marvel's origin story finds the homeless and orphaned Billy Batson making a meager living selling ]s near an old ] station, sleeping in the doorway of the station. Billy had been living with his uncle after the deaths of his parents, but the cruel old man threw the boy out into the streets and stole his inheritance. While selling papers one rainy night, a dark clothed stranger comes to the boy, and asks him to follow him down into the subway station. There, a strange subway train with no visible driver appears, which carries the pair to the secret lair of the wizard ]. There, the ancient wizard reveals that he has selected Billy to be his champion to fight for good as the "strongest and mightiest man in the world--Captain Marvel!". | |||
| To that end, Shazam orders the boy to speak his name, which was actually an ] for various legendary figures who have agreed to grant aspects of themselves to a willing subject: | |||
| {| width="500" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="border:0px solid grey;" | |||
| |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | |||
| |'''S''' || for the wisdom of ] | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''H''' || for the strength of ] | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''A''' || for the stamina of ] | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''Z''' || for the power of ] (usually in the form of resistance to any injury) | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''A''' || for the courage of ] | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''M''' || for the speed of ] (and, by extension, the power to fly) | |||
| |} | |||
| Billy then says the wizard's name, and is immediately struck by a magic ], which turns him into Captain Marvel, an adult superhero. He then learns that he only has to speak the word again to be instantly changed back into Billy. | |||
| With that, Shazam is immediately killed by a large ] block that falls from above his throne, and Billy vows to fulfill his bestowed role. Whenever he needed advice, Billy could light a ] near Shazam's ], which would summon the wizard's ]. | |||
| Marvel's first call to duty was saving the world from the evil ] Dr. ], who threatened to silence radio forever unless he was paid a large sum of money. Resuming his regular form, Billy tells WHIZ radio mogul Sterling Morris that he can stop the Radio Silencer and Sivana; a disbelieving Morris offers Billy a job on the air if he can do so. | |||
| Finding the crooks' hideout, Billy transforms into Captain Marvel and destroys Sivana's radio silencing machine and apprehends his henchmen. Sivana escapes, however, setting the stage for a long line of future confrontations. Marvel transforms back into Billy, who presents the captured criminals and destroyed Radio Silencer to Sterling Morris. True to his word, Sterling Morris makes Billy an on-air news reporter for WHIZ radio. | |||
| Captain Marvel was an instant success, with ''Whiz Comics'' no. 2 selling over 500,000 copies {{ref|ComicSuccessMuseum2}}. By 1941, he had his own solo series, ''Captain Marvel Adventures'', while continuing to appear in ''Whiz Comics'' as well. He also made periodic appearances in other Fawcett books, including ''Master Comics''. | |||
| ]. From left to right, Captain Marvel, Lt. "Fat" Marvel, ], Lt. "Tall" Marvel, Lt. "Hillbilly" Marvel, and ]. ] can be seen seated at the piano in the background.]] | |||
| ===Fawcett years: the Marvel Family, allies, and enemies=== | |||
| Through his adventures, he soon gained a host of enemies, including ]'s champion ], an older Egyptian renegade Marvel called ], an evil magic-powered brute named ], and an artificially intelligent ] ] called Mister Atom. The most notorious Captain Marvel villains, however, were the nefarious ] and his ], which recruited several of Marvel's previous adversaries. The "Monster Society of Evil" storyline ran as two-year story-arc in ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' no. 22–46 (March 1943–May 1945), with Mister Mind eventually revealed to be a highly intelligent yet tiny ] from the planet ]. | |||
| In the early 1940s, Captain Marvel also gained allies in The ], a collective of superheroes with similar powers and/or costumes to Captain Marvel's. (By comparison, Superman spin-off character ] first appeared in 1944, while ] first appeared in 1959). ''Whiz Comics'' no. 21 (September 1941) marked the debut of the ], the alter egos of three other boys who found that, by saying "Shazam!" in unison, they too could become Marvels. In ''Whiz Comics'' no. 25 (December 1941), a friend named Freddy Freeman, mortally wounded by an attack from Captain Nazi, was given the power to become teenage boy superhero ]. The next year in ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' no. 18 (December 1942), Billy and Freddy met Billy's long-lost ] sister Mary Bromfield, who discovered she could, by saying the magic word "Shazam", become teenage girl superheroine ]. | |||
| ], and the wizard ].]] | |||
| Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, and Captain Marvel, Jr. were featured as a team in a new comic series entitled ''The Marvel Family'', published alongside the other Marvel-related titles, which now included ''Wow Comics'' featuring Mary, ''Master Comics'' featuring Junior, and both ''Mary Marvel Comics'' and ''Captain Marvel, Jr. Comics''. Non-super-powered Marvels such as the "lovable ]" ] and his niece Freckles Marvel also sometimes joined the other Marvels on their adventures. A ] character, ], was created in 1942 and later given a spin-off series of his own. | |||
| The members of the Marvel Family often teamed up with the other Fawcett superheroes, who included ], ], ], ], and ]. Among the many artists and writers who worked on the Marvel Family stories alongside C.C. Beck and main writer ] were ] & ], ], ], ], and ]. | |||
| ===Captain Marvel vs. Superman=== | |||
| ''Main entry: ]'' | |||
| Through much of the ], Captain Marvel proved to be the most popular superhero character of the medium with his comics outselling all others, including those featuring Superman. Part of the reason for this popularity included the inherent wish fulfillment appeal of the character to children, as well as the ]ous and ] quality of the stories. In fact, ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' sold fourteen million copies in 1944 {{ref|ComicBooksinLibraries}}, and was at one point being published weekly with a circulation of 1.3 million copies an issue (proclaimed on the cover of issue no. 19 as being the "Largest Circulation of Any Comic Magazine") {{ref|ComicSuccessMuseum2}}. | |||
| Due to the alleged similarity of Captain Marvel to Superman, National Comics Publications (now DC Comics) sued Fawcett Comics for ] of ] in 1941. After seven years of litigation, the '']'' case went to trials court in 1948. The initial 1951 verdict was decided in Fawcett's favor: although the judge decided that Captain Marvel was an infringement, DC was found to be negligent in copyrighting several of their ''Superman'' daily newspaper strips, and it was decided that DC had abandoned the Superman copyright{{ref|IngersollLawisAss}}. DC appealed this decision, and Judge ] declared in 1952 that DC's Superman copyright was in fact valid. Judge Hand maintained that Captain Marvel was an infringement {{ref|IngersollLawisAss2}}. | |||
| Before damage assessment could be carried out, Fawcett decided to settle with DC out of court instead of re-appealing, feeling that a decline in the popularity of superhero comics meant that it was no longer worth continuing the fight {{ref|Marvelman}}. Fawcett shut down its comics division in the autumn of 1953, ] its comic-creating staff, and paid DC $400,000 in damages {{ref|MightyRedCheese}}. ''Whiz Comics'' had ended with issue no. 146 in June 1952, with ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' folding with no. 150 (November 1953), and ''The Marvel Family'' ending its run with no. 89 (January 1954). | |||
| In the 1950s, a small ] publisher, L. Miller and Son, published a number of black and white reprints of American comic books, including the Captain Marvel series. In 1954, their supply of Captain Marvel material was abruptly cut off because of the lawsuit, and they requested the help of a British comic writer, ], who created a British copy of the superhero called ''Marvelman''. Marvelman ceased publication in ], but was revived in ] and retitled '']'' in ]. | |||
| ] | |||
| ===The ''Shazam!'' revival=== | |||
| When superhero comics became popular again in the mid-1960s (in what is now called the ]), Fawcett was unable to revive Captain Marvel because of its earlier concession. Eventually, they licensed the characters to DC Comics in 1972, and DC began planning a revival. Because ] had by this time established its own claim to the use of ''Captain Marvel'' as a comic book title, DC published their book under the name ''Shazam!''. Since then, that title has become so linked to Captain Marvel that the general public has taken to identifying the character as "Shazam" instead of his actual name, Captain Marvel. | |||
| The ''Shazam!'' comic series began with issue no. 1 in February 1973. It contained both new stories and reprints from the 1940s and 1950s. The first story attempted to explain the Marvel Family's absence by stating that they, the Sivanas, and most of their supporting cast had been accidentally trapped in ] for 20 years until finally breaking free. | |||
| ] was the book's primary writer. C.C. Beck drew stories for the first ten issues of the book before he quit because of differences with DC Comics; Kurt Shaffenberger and ] were among the later artists of the title. | |||
| With DC's ] in effect during this time, it was stated that the revived Marvel Family and related characters lived on the parallel world of "Earth-S". While the series began with a great deal of fanfare, the book got lackluster reviews. ''Shazam!'' was cancelled with issue no. 35 (June 1978) and relegated to a back-up position in '']'' (from no. 254 in November 1979 to no. 282 in August 1982) and '']'' (from no. 491 in September 1982 to no. 498 in April 1983). DC Comics bought the Fawcett line of characters outright in 1980, and with their 1985 ] '']'', fully integrated the characters into the mainstream DC superhero setting. | |||
| ] | |||
| ===''Shazam! The New Beginning''=== | |||
| The first ] appearance of Captain Marvel was in the 1986 '']'' miniseries. In 1987, Captain Marvel appeared as a member of the ]. That same year, he was also given his own miniseries, ''Shazam! The New Beginning''. With the four-issue miniseries, writer ] and artist Tom Mandrake attempted to re-launch the Captain Marvel mythos and bring the wizard Shazam, Dr. Sivana, Uncle Dudley, and Black Adam into the modern DC Universe with an altered origin story. In this miniseries, both Sivana and Dudley were Billy Batson's real uncles who fought over the custody for the boy after his parents were killed (by Sivana) in a car accident. Black Adam is also present in the story as Sivana's partner in crime. | |||
| The most notable change that Thomas and ''Justice League'' writers ] and ] introduced into the Captain Marvel mythos was that the personality of young Billy Batson is retained when he transforms into the Captain (classic-era comics tended to treat Captain Marvel and Billy as two separate personalities). This change would remain for all future uses of the character, as justification for his sunny, Golden-Age personality in the darker modern-day comic book world. (Captain Marvel's Justice League teammate ] often jokingly referring to the innocent, pure-hearted Captain as "Captain Whitebread"). | |||
| ===''The Power of Shazam!''=== | |||
| ''Main entry: ]'' | |||
| In 1994, Captain Marvel was ]ned yet again and given a revised origin in ''The Power of Shazam!'', a painted ] by ]. This version of Marvel's origin, now considered his official DCU origin story, more closely followed his Fawcett origins, with only slight additions and changes. | |||
| ]'' graphic novel. Art by ].]] | |||
| In this version of the story, it is Black Adam who kills Billy Batson's parents (as his resurrected non-powered form of Theo Adam) while the Batsons and Adam are excavating an ancient tomb in Egypt. He also kidnaps Billy's sister Mary, who ends up missing. | |||
| {{spoiler}} | |||
| The wizard Shazam is made aware of all of these events, and (just as in the Fawcett origin) has Billy brought before him by the dark-clothed stranger, and grants the boy the power to become Captain Marvel. As Captain Marvel, Billy takes on the form of his late father, which is how Theo Adam guesses his identity, has a revelation about the power of Shazam, and becomes Black Adam using a ] he stole from the tomb. After subduing Black Adam and his employer, the rich tycoon Dr. Sivana, Billy swears to find his sister as Captain Marvel. | |||
| The graphic novel was a critically acclaimed success, leading to a ''Power of Shazam!'' ongoing series which ran from 1995 to 1999. The series reintroduced the Marvel Family and many of their allies and enemies into the modern-day DC Universe. | |||
| During the publication of the series, the Marvel Family also appeared in ] and ]'s critically acclaimed miniseries '']'', with a brainwashed Captain Marvel playing a major role in the story. Captain Marvel also starred in an oversized special graphic novel, ''Shazam!: Power of Hope'', in 1999, written by ] and painted by Alex Ross. | |||
| ===Captain Marvel in the 2000s=== | |||
| ] on the cover of '']'' no. 48 (2003).]] | |||
| ====Personality==== | |||
| Since 1999, the characters have made appearances in a number of other comic book series. Ironically, a typical use for Captain Marvel guest appearances in current comics is as a backup for Superman when a flight-enabled, super-strong being is needed, especially in situations where Superman's special weaknesses (which Captain Marvel does not share) are involved. | |||
| Captain Marvel is usually depicted as pure-hearted and unwaveringly upstanding. At one point, he was described by Alex Ross as the "] of superheroes", or a representation of what kids think their dad should be — a "big, nice, noble guy without much sexuality about him". Like the classic depiction of ], Marvel is usually an amiable, friendly person. Since he is still a youth, it is harder for him to become corrupted (thus the wizard's reasoning for not choosing another adult like Black Adam as his champion). In the 1995 '']'' miniseries, Captain Marvel's soul is coveted by the demon prince ], but Marvel's soul is so pure that Neron was unable to possess it. | |||
| However, despite his wisdom, which most likely serves as a buffer protecting him against the traumas he witnesses, Captain Marvel is also depicted as somewhat immature. Since Billy is only a teenager, he tends to take many things for granted and is usually nervous about interacting with other superheroes, making him seem like a case of ] to other heroes who are unaware of his true form. At one point, he got the ] addicted to ] cookies. | |||
| ====JSA membership (2003–2004)==== | |||
| In 2003, Captain Marvel became a member of the revived ] and was featured prominently in that series alongside his nemesis Black Adam. Captain Marvel had originally joined the team to keep an eye on Adam, who had joined the JSA claiming to have reformed. Black Adam eventually left the JSA to instigate a takeover of his home country of Khandaq; he had a fondess for the country, and wished to see the totalitarian regime done away in what he saw as justice. Captain Marvel remained with the team. During his tenure in the JSA, Marvel dated Courtney Whitmore, a.k.a. ], which put him in an unusual position: while he could legally date Courtney as Billy Batson, it looked very strange for the grown-up Captain Marvel to be with the teenaged Stargirl. The Golden Age ], ], another JSA member, confronted Marvel about the issue, but instead of telling Garrick and the team the truth about his age, Marvel chose to follow the Wisdom of Solomon and leave the team and Courtney. | |||
| In ], Captain Marvel made an appearance in Frank Miller's alternate-future mini-series "]". | |||
| ].|thumb]] | |||
| ====''Day of Vengeance''==== | |||
| {{spoilers}} | |||
| ''Superman'' #216, Captain Marvel battled ], and the wizard Shazam had to call upon the ] to stop the demon. This action broke a covenant between Eclipso and the Spectre, and set Eclipso permanently at odds against Shazam and Captain Marvel. Possessing the body of the ]'s ex-wife ], Eclipso corrupted the confused Spectre into joining forces with her, and began a war against all magic-powered beings in the DC Universe. | |||
| In the '']'' miniseries, Shazam enlisted Marvel to keep the Spectre at bay so that the wizard could prepare to battle him. Marvel therefore threw himself into a desperate battle versus the Spectre, assisted by the newly-formed ] band of magic-based heroes, which battle ended in a draw. | |||
| Spectre later directly confronted Shazam at the Rock of Eternity and killed him, absorbing all of his magicks and powers. The Rock of Eternity crumbled apart and exploded into "a billion pieces" above ], freeing the ] and many other demons and evil magicks into the mortal world. This leads Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family into DC Comics' current '']'', in which the stability of their powers and their very existences are uncertain because of the Spectre's rampage on magic. | |||
| ====Other series==== | |||
| A four-issue Captain Marvel/Superman miniseries, ''Superman/Shazam: First Thunder'', is currently being published by DC, and began with issue no. 1 on ]. The miniseries, written by ] with art by ], depicts the first meeting between the two heroes and officially establishes that Captain Marvel has the inate advantage of being far more resistant to magical attacks than the Kryptonian.{{ref|ShazamSuperman}} | |||
| A new take on Captain Marvel is expected in the future, written and drawn by popular independent comic artist ], best known for his epic series '']''. | |||
| ==Supporting cast== | |||
| ].]] | |||
| ===Marvel Family=== | |||
| Captain Marvel often fights evil as a member of a superhero team known as the ], made up of himself and several other heroes: | |||
| * ''The Wizard ].'' Although he is killed, as prophesied, after giving Billy the power to become Captain Marvel, Shazam's spirit remains as the vigilant caretaker of the Rock of Eternity. In current continuity, Shazam does not die after granting Billy his powers, and was a much more active character than he was during the classic Marvel Family adventures. He attained godhood after the 1998 ''Genesis'' crossover, and was ultimately defeated and murdered by the Spectre in the 2005 ''Day of Vengeance'' miniseries. | |||
| * '']''. Billy's once-lost twin sister Mary Batson (adopted as Mary Bromfield), who found she could say the magic word "SHAZAM!" and become a female Marvel. The classic-era Mary Marvel remained a teenager after saying her magic word, with a yellow on red short sleeve and ] costume, while the modern version is transformed into an adult like her brother, with a yellow on white costume. During the run of the series ''The Power of Shazam!'', Mary shared the title of "Captain Marvel" with Billy. In the '']'' miniseries, Mary became part of the "]," a group consisting largely of former ] members, after Captain Marvel turned down his invitation. | |||
| * '']'' Attacked and left for dead by Captain Nazi, Freddy Freeman was given the power to become a Marvel to save his life. Whenever he speaks Captain Marvel's name, Freddy becomes a teenage version of Captain Marvel with a sharply contrasting yellow on blue costume. This created the odd problem that he could not identify himself without changing back to his regular form. The modern-day Junior at one time went by the alias ''CM3'' (short for "Captain Marvel Three", "CM1" being Billy and "CM2" being Mary) so that he could identify himself without transforming. He was a member of the ] during the late-1990s. Junior has recently joined the most recent incarnation of the ], after teaming up with them once on an early mission to stop ]. | |||
| *'']''. During the classic era, an old man named Dudley claimed that he was not only a relative of the Marvels but also a Marvel himself (although neither was true). The Marvels took a liking to him and decided to humor him, and "Uncle" Dudley became Uncle Marvel, the Marvel Family's manager. In modern continuity, Dudley is simply a ] at Billy's school who finds himself involved in Marvel Family adventures. His niece ''Freckles Marvel'' was an irregular companion of Mary Marvel's in her classic-era solo adventures. | |||
| * ''The ]''. Three other boys named "Billy Batson" (nicknamed "Tall Billy", "Fat Billy", and "Hill Billy"—the latter because he was from ]) who learned that, because they also were named Billy Batson, they could draw on the power of Shazam. They vowed only to use their power if asked by Captain Marvel, and only if all three were to say the magic word, "SHAZAM!", in unison. They have not appeared in Marvel Family stories since the early 1980s, having been retconned out of existence during the ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''. | |||
| *'']''. A spin-off character generally confined to his own series, the pink ] ] version of Captain Marvel periodically assisted the human Marvels in their adventures. | |||
| ] | |||
| ===Rogues gallery=== | |||
| Through his adventures, Captain Marvel gained a host of enemies, including the following: | |||
| *''] (and the Sivana Family)''. Captain Marvel's very first and primary foe. Sivana, a bald, diminutive ], often attempts to take over the world or destroy the Marvels using his inventions. In classic-era continuity, Sivana's teenage children ''Georgia'' and ''Sivana, Jr.'' often joined their father in his evil schemes; the three of them were collectively known as the ''Sivana Family''. In current DC Universe continuity, Sivana heads the ] team of supervillians, which have fought both the ] and the ], who include Captain Marvel, Jr. | |||
| *'']''. An older Egyptian renegade protégé of the wizard Shazam, who was the first to be granted superpowers by the wizard. He eventually grew to abuse his power and seized power to become a tyrant. Shazam returned to punish him with either exile (classic version) or death (modern version). He returns to Earth (or life) after Shazam appoints Captain Marvel his new successor, and was soon established as Captain Marvel's most powerful foe. In current DCU continuity, Black Adam, claiming that he and his murderous host Theo Adam are separate personalities, joined the ], claiming to be a hero as he had once been in Egypt. Adam eventually turned on the JSA, wanting to be a hero on his own terms. He later forcefully overthrew the tyrannous government of his old homeland of Khandaq, appointing himself ruler. | |||
| *'']''. Adolf Hitler's champion, created through science as the "perfect specimen" of a soldier. Obviously inspired by the events of ], Nazi continued to appear in classic-era Marvel Family stories into the 1980s. In the ''Power of Shazam!'' series, Nazi was brought back into action after having been in ] for fifty years, and quickly became an enemy of the Marvel Family. | |||
| * '']''. A frail thug named "Stinky" Printwhistle who was empowered by ] himself with the powers of four of the most evil men to walk the face of the earth. When he says the name "IBAC", he becomes a large, muscular brute with super-strength. Saying his name again transforms him back into Printwhistle (therefore, like Captain Marvel, Jr., Ibac also cannot say his own name). | |||
| * '']''. Arguably the most notorious classic-era Captain Marvel villain, the at-first unseen Mister Mind started and headed a supervillain team known as the ]. After two years of masterminding tyranny with a team of hundreds of villains and criminals (including several previous Marvel Family adversaries like Captain Nazi and Ibac), Mister Mind was revealed to be a two-inch, ], mind-controlling ] from another planet. The evil worm was placed on trial, convicted of killing 186,744 people, and placed in the electric chair. Mind survived his execution and escaped; he would go on to battle Marvel Family many other times until the ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''. In the ''Power of Shazam!'' series, Mind was reimagined as the leader of a race of millions of mind-controlling Venusian worms, who irregularly appear across the DC Universe attempting to control potential human hosts. | |||
| *''Mister Atom''. An artificially intelligent nuclear-powered robot created by Dr. Charles Langley. In the ''Power of Shazam!'' series, Mister Atom, under the control of Mister Mind, destroys Fairfield, a town near Fawcett City where Mary Bromfield lived with her adoptive parents, with a nuclear explosion. | |||
| *'']''. Only present in the modern-day Marvel Family stories, the demoness Blaze and her brother Lord Satanus, originally appearing in the ''Superman'' books, are the illegitimate children of the Wizard Shazam, who was bewitched by their mother during his superhero days in ] ]. Blaze has attempted to spread her evil influence throughout Fawcett City since the 1940s, requiring Shazam and his allies to work together to stop her. | |||
| *''Oggar''. The self styled "World's Mightiest Immortal", he was a major recurring enemy of the Marvels in the Pre-Crisis DC stories. His magic enabled him to do nearly anything, but it cannot be directly cast against a female target. Thus Mary Marvel was usually called upon to deal with him. | |||
| *'']''. Like Ibac, Sabbac is another magical being powered by the forces of demons. Sabbac gets his powers from six demons (], Any, ], ], ] and ]), who give him powers proportional to those of the Marvels. The original Sabbac, the alter ego of Freddy Freeman's foster brother Timothy Barnes, first appeared in 1943 as a humanoid figure. In the early 2000s '']'' comic book, Barnes was murdered and his Sabbac powers stolen by a Russian mobster named Ishamel Gregor. When Gregor becomes Sabbac, he transforms into a hulking demon with red skin, horns, fire breath, and a scent of brimstone. | |||
| ===Other characters=== | |||
| *''Beautia and Magnificus Sivana''. Dr. Sivana's beautiful adult daughter Beautia shared her father's passion for world domination until meeting, and falling for, Captain Marvel. She has an unrequited crush on the shy Captain, not realizing that he is actually only a young boy. Her brother Magnificus is also generally depicted as a Marvel Family ally, although in his only Golden Age appearance, Magnificus had super powers and fought Captain Marvel hand-to-hand. | |||
| *''Mister "Tawky" Tawny''. A humanoid sapient ] who, in classic-era continuity, wishes to live among the humans in civilization instead of in the wild or the ]. As such, he is typically dressed in a tweed business suit and usually carries himself in a formal dignified manner. The modern-day Tawky Tawny was a stuffed tiger ] who was animated by Lord Satanus to assist the Marvel Family in their battle against Satanus's sister Blaze. He only appeared as an animate being to Billy, Mary, and later Dudley at first (''a la'' Hobbes in '']''), but later was made permanently real by the power of Ibis the Invincible. | |||
| *''Mr. Sterling Morris''. The president of WHIZ radio and Billy's employer. | |||
| *''Miss Wormwood''. In modern-era comics, Billy's schoolteacher (and later principal), presented as the typical "mean teacher" stereotype. Her name is another reference to the ] ''Calvin and Hobbes'', where Calvin's schoolteacher was also named Miss Wormwood. | |||
| *''Cissie Sommerly''. Billy's girlfriend in classic-era continuity. | |||
| *''Nick and Nora Bromfield''. In modern continuity, Mary Batson's adoptive parents, who adopted her through illegal means after their maid, Sarah Primm, brought the child to them (Primm saved Mary from her kidnapper, Primm's brother Theo Adam). Nora Bromfield was a cousin of Billy and Mary's mother, but chose not to tell Mary about her real family. The Bromfields would eventually gain the rights to legally adopt both Mary and Billy, giving the children a traditional family structure again. The couple was named after Nick and Nora Charles of the '']'' film series. | |||
| ==Cultural influences== | |||
| Captain Marvel's adventures have contributed a number of elements to both ] culture and ] in general. The most notable of these is the regular use of Superman and Captain Marvel as adversaries in ] comic book stories. The Superman/Captain Marvel rivalry has its origins in a popular comics story in '']'' no. 4 from 1953, entitled "Superduperman", which was inspired by the Fawcett/DC legal battles. In the story, Superduperman (an obvious Superman doppelganger) does battle with the Captain Marvel-esque Captain Marbles. Marbles' magic word was not "SHAZAM", but "SHAZOOM", which stood for '''S'''trength, '''H'''ealth, '''A'''ptitude, '''Z'''eal, '''O'''x—power of, '''O'''x—power of another, and '''M'''oney. After DC revived Captain Marvel in the 1970s, they followed ''MAD's'' cue and often pitted Captain Marvel and Superman against each other for any number of reasons, but usually as an inside joke to the characters' long battles in court; they are otherwise staunch allies who get along very well with each other. Notable Superman/Captain Marvel battles in DC Comics stores include ''All-New Collectors' Edition'' no. C-58 (1979), '']'' no. 37 (1984), ''Superman'' no. 102 (1995), the final issue of the ''Kingdom Come'' miniseries (1996), and, most recently, ''Superman'' no. 216 (2005). The "Clash" episode of '']'', which included Captain Marvel as a guest character, featured a Superman/Captain Marvel fight as its centerpiece. | |||
| Captain Marvel was the first major comic book hero to have a young alter ego. Although kid superheroes had generally been neglected before Marvel's introduction, kid sidekicks soon became commonplace shortly after Marvel's success: ] was paired with ] in May 1940, and ] was introduced with sidekick ] in March 1941. The idea of a young boy who transformed into a superhero proved popular enough to inspire a number of superheroes who undergo similar transformations, including ]' ], ]' ], and animated/] superheroes such as ]'s ] and ], ]/]'s ], and ]'s ]. Other heroes, including ]' ], undergo similarly magical transformations from a weak human form to a god-empowered form. | |||
| In pop culture, Billy Batson/Captain Marvel's magic word, "Shazam!", became a popular ] from the 1940s on, often used in place of an ]. The most notable user of the word "Shazam!" in this form was ] from the 1960s ] '']''. ] was a fan of ''Captain Marvel, Jr.'' comic books as a child, and later styled his hair to look like Freddy Freeman's and based his stage jumpsuits and TCB lightning logo on Captain Marvel Junior's costume and lightning-bolt insignia. Actor ] said that some of his younger fans told him they thought he bore an uncanny resemblance to Captain Marvel. | |||
| Even more than ten years after the character first disappeared, the superhero was still used for jokes, such as in '']'' when ] tried to escape the ropes he was tied up in by yelling "Shazam!", only to magically break a mirror and sheepishly note that it's seven years bad luck for Captain Marvel. Several other episodes of ''The Monkees'' had Captain Marvel references, including using the name "Freddy Freeman" in dialogue. Captain Marvel also made a cameo in ] song "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill". Another catchphrase popularized by Captain Marvel was his trademark exclamation, "]" | |||
| In the ] ] '']'', Steve's favorite t-shirt has Captain Marvel's signature lightning bolt insignia on it (although he repeatedly refers to it as a "]" shirt, which is technically incorrect). Additionally, Captain Marvel made a cameo appearance in an episode of '']'', as part of a dream sequence. | |||
| == Appearances in film and television == | |||
| ]'', starring ] in the title role.]] | |||
| The first filmed adaptation of Captain Marvel was produced in 1941. '']'', starring ] in the title role of Captain Marvel and Frank Coglan, Jr. as his alter ego, Billy Batson, was a twelve-part ] ] produced by ] in 1941. Often ranked among the finest examples of the form, its release made Captain Marvel the first superhero to be depicted in film. | |||
| ]'s '']'' television show.]] | |||
| Over thirty years later, ] produced '']'', a live-action ] which ran from 1974 to 1977 on ]. From 1975 until the end of its run, it aired as one-half of ''].'' The ''Shazam!'' TV show was a more indirect approach to the character; it told of Billy Batson/Captain Marvel making road trips, instead of flying across the USA to combat evil. Michael Gray portrayed Billy Batson in the series, with both Jackson Bostwick (season 1) and John Davey (seasons 2 and 3) as Captain Marvel. Shortly after the ''Shazam!'' show ended its network run, Captain Marvel appeared as a character in the low-budgeted comedy special, ''Legends of the Superheroes'', in 1978. | |||
| ]'']] | |||
| Three years later, Filmation revisited the character for an animated ''Shazam!'' cartoon, which ran on ] from 1981 to 1982 as part of the '']''. The rest of the Marvel Family joined Captain Marvel on his adventures in this series, which were more similar to his comic-book adventures than the 1970s TV show. | |||
| ]''.]] | |||
| In 2005, Captain Marvel guest starred in the ] ] '']'', in an episode entitled "Clash". Captain Marvel was voiced by ], with ] as Billy Batson. In the episode, Marvel joins the Justice League, but soon finds himself in a battle with Superman over the perception of ] ]'s credibility and a perceived nuclear threat. A fight sequence between Captain Marvel and Superman, during which the dueling heroes level much of Luthor's prototypical Lexor City, contains references to the '']'' mini-series. "Clash" aired in May 2005 in ] and aired on ] ] in the ]. | |||
| Currently, ] has plans for a ''Shazam!'' live-action feature film, with Michael Uslan as producer. The film is scheduled for release in late 2006 or early 2007. | |||
| <br clear="all"> | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| *'']'' | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
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| # {{note|TiptonMoviePoopShoot}} Tipton, Scott (] ]). "" ''Moviepoopshoot.com''. Retrieved ] ]. Excerpt: "I’ve always felt that it was this origin story and concept that made Captain Marvel instantly popular, to the point that it was outselling every comic on the stands for several years throughout the '40s." | |||
| # {{note|ComicSuccessMuseum}} "". ''The Museum of Comic Book Advertising''. Retrieved ] ]. Excerpt: "By the middle of the decade, Captain Marvel had received a self-titled comic book, ''Captain Marvel's Adventures'' (sic), which had a circulation that reached 1.3 million copies per month. Captain Marvel's circulation numbers exceeded National's Superman title and the rivalry between the companies led National to sue Fawcett for plagiarism." | |||
| # {{note|JohnnyShazam}} Hembeck, Fred (] ]). "". The Hembeck Files. Retrieved ] ]. | |||
| # {{note|ComicSuccessMuseum2}} Ibid. Excerpt: "The first issue of ''Whiz Comics'', introducing Captain Marvel, sold over 500,000 copies." | |||
| # {{note|ComicBooksinLibraries}} *Lavin, Michael L. (Summer 1998) "". ''Serials Review''. No. 24, Vol. 2., p. 34. Excerpt: "In 1944, the best-selling comic book title (''Captain Marvel Adventures'') sold more than fourteen million copies for the year." | |||
| # {{note|ComicSuccessMuseum2}} "". ''The Museum of Comic Book Advertising''. | |||
| # {{note|IngersollLawisAss}} Ingersoll, Bob (] ]). "The Law is an Ass" Installment no. 66. Comics Buyer's Guide issue #602. Retrieved from http://www.worldfamouscomics.com/law/back20001024.shtml on ] ]. Detailed summary of the cases and rulings related to ''National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publishing''. | |||
| # {{note|IngersollLawisAss2}} Ibid. | |||
| # {{note|Marvelman}} Gore, Matthew H. ''''. Retrieved ] ]. Excerpt: "With avenues of appeal still open but their outcome obvious after the first court ruled for National Periodicals, Fawcett Publications settled out of court in late-1953. Fawcett agreed to cease publication of all Captain Marvel related titles. However, Fawcett's decision to give up the legal battle came when all of the company's superhero titles were reporting greatly diminished sales was no circumstance." | |||
| # {{note|MightyRedCheese}} "". ''The Museum of Comic Book Advertising''. Retrieved ] ]. Excerpt: "In 1953, the case was finally settled out of court when Fawcett agreed to quit using the Captain Marvel character(s) and pay DC the sum of $400,000." | |||
| # {{note|ShazamSuperman}} . Six-page preview of and news information on upcoming miniseries. | |||
| ==References== | |||
| *Beck, C.C. and Parker, Bill (February 1940, reprinted March 2000). "Capt. Marvel" ''Whiz Comics'' no2. New York: Fawcett Publications (reprint by DC Comics). | |||
| *Beck, C.C. and O'Neil, Denny. (February 1973). "In the Beginning" ''Shazam!'' no. 1. New York: National Periodical Publications. | |||
| *Grogan, Walt. ''''. Retrieved ] ]. | |||
| *Markstei, Donald D. (2000 - 2004). "". ''Don Markstein's Toonopedia''. Retrieved ] ]. | |||
| *Ordway, Jerry. (1994). The Power of Shazam! New York: DC Comics. ISBN 156-389153-0. | |||
| *Thomas, Roy and Mandrake, Tom. ''Shazam! The New Beginning'' no. 1–4. New York: DC Comics. | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| ===Comics=== | |||
| *'s "Secret File" at dccomics.com. | |||
| ===Fan sites=== | |||
| *. Extensive information, images, and more on all Captain Marvel-related comics | |||
| *. Dedicated to Captain Marvel; includes detailed synopses of each issue of ''The Power of Shazam!'' | |||
| *. Dedicated to Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel; includes information, images, and more. | |||
| * | |||
| *, news, Links, DC Comics/Fawcett Publications Timeline and History. | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
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