Captain Marvel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Captain Marvel / Shazam |
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Art by Alex Ross
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Whiz Comics #2 (February 1940) |
| Created by |
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| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | William Joseph "Billy" Batson |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Justice League Justice Society of America Justice League International Marvel / Shazam Family Squadron of Justice Teen Titans |
| Partnerships | Mary Marvel Captain Marvel Jr. Mister Tawky Tawny Shazam (wizard) |
| Notable aliases | Captain Thunder The Big Red Cheese World's Mightiest Mortal King Shazam Captain Shazam Lightning Guy Mister Marvel |
| Abilities | Wisdom of Solomon
Strength of Hercules
Stamina of Atlas
Power of Zeus
Courage of Achilles
Speed of Mercury
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| Captain Marvel Adventures | |
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Cover of Captain Marvel Adventures #31 (January 1944). Art by C. C. Beck |
| Series publication information | |
| Publisher | Fawcett Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly Every third Friday Biweekly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Superhero/Humor |
| Publication date | March 1941 – November 1953 |
| Number of issues | 150 |
| Main character(s) | Captain Marvel/Billy Batson Tawky Tawny Captain Kid |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Otto Binder, William Woolfolk, Ed Herron, Joe Simon |
| Artist(s) | C. C. Beck, Pete Costanza, Jack Kirby |
| Editor(s) | Ed Herron, Wendell Crowley |
Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam 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), can transform himself 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.
Based on comic book sales, Captain Marvel was the most popular superhero of the 1940s, outselling even Superman. 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. 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, DC has branded and marketed the character using the trademark Shazam! since his 1972 reintroduction. 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, and his associates became the "Shazam Family" at this time as well.
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. 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. 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."
Powers and abilities
Powers of Shazam / The Living Lightning
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 can also able to share a portion 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!" Billy uses this ability to disguise himself as his "uncle" to work and cash checks, and to turn his Captain Marvel costume into a spacesuit for a mission in space.
After the New 52 reboot onward, the Powers of Shazam became known as the "Living Lightning", which refers to the combination of gods and mythological figures assoicated with it, whose distilled essence empowers a chosen "Champion of Magic" through a pact fasciliated by the Wizard.
The letters in the name SHAZAM each represent a specific superhuman ability. The traditional "pantheon" (referring to the combination) usually includes:
| S | Wisdom of Solomon | Billy has instant access to a vast amount of scholarly knowledge. He possesses excellent mental acuity and nearly infallible wisdom, including an innate understanding of virtually all known languages and sciences, and has a photographic memory and perfect recall, being able to retain full knowledge of all he experiences with perfect clarity. From this, he can read and decipher any coding, solve long mathematical equations instantaneously, and make intuitive guesses based on limited data, which are almost always correct. He also has a great understanding of divine phenomena in the mortal world, an uncanny awareness of his circumstances akin to clairvoyance that lets him turn disadvantages into advantages, and can provide counselling and advice in times of need. In some stories, this power also gives him the ability to hypnotize people. |
| H | Strength of Hercules | The might of Hercules grants superhuman strength comparable to that of the legendary demigod, making him one of DC Comics' strongest characters. He is able to easily bend steel in his bare hands, do the work of several laborers in a fraction of the time, produce powerful shockwaves by clapping his hands, punch through nearly any structure, and lift and toss massive objects. This strength has been compared to that of Superman and other godlike characters. The strength of the Golden Age Captain Marvel was unlimited, and the character was strong enough to move stars and planets. |
| A | Stamina of Atlas | Using Atlas' stamina grants near-limitless resilience. He never feels fatigued or tired and as such does not require rest or sleep. His durability lets him withstand most types of extreme physical assaults with little to no harm. Also, any physical harm he does sustain heals in seconds without any discomfort or lingering signs of the harm. He has a supernaturally-endowed metabolism far beyond the normal realm of human physical activities, doesn't require nourishment or even air (although he can partake of them for personal enjoyment), and he can even survive unaided in space. Sustained by the magical energies coursing through his body, Billy's empowered form ages very slowly, allowing him to potentially live for thousands of years in his empowered form, although his normal self will continue to age. |
| Z | Power of Zeus | Zeus' power fuels the magic thunderbolt that transforms the hero and allows him to use the lightning bolt as a weapon by dodging it and allowing it to strike an opponent or other target. The magic lightning has several uses, such as creating apparatus, restoring damage done to the hero, and providing fuel for magic spells. It allows him to travel to the Rock of Eternity, thus allowing interdimensional and time travel. The current-continuity version of Captain Marvel is able to use his lightning powers to absorb lightning and electricity, as well as conjure and generate lightning, which he can control for various uses, such as shooting energy bolts and creating electrical force fields. The Power of Zeus also grants him spell-casting and magical potential; in more recent stories, Shazam demonstratef the ability to use magic in numerous ways, including conjuring objects, casting powerful spells, and more. |
| A | Courage of Achilles | The "courage" term refers to the near-invulnerabe abilities Achilles is noted for possessing, granting him resistance against both physical forces (heat, force, disease, age) and magical forces, making him resistance against magic spells and attacks. It also aids the hero's mental fortitude against telepathy, mind control, and other mental attacks. In some stories, it also grants him fighting prowess. |
| M | Speed of Mercury | By channeling Mercury's speed, Captain Marvel can move at superhuman speeds comparable to the Flash and fly at supersonic speed. He is able to move at sub-light speeds in orbit and, in outer space, he can fly at trans-light speeds, although in older comics he could only leap great distances. The pre-1985 stories also let him travel to the Rock of Eternity by flying faster than the speed of light. |
In the wake of the Darkseid War, however, Shazam temporarily possessed different "pantheons" of Gods when the Wizard sought replacements in order to not leave Billy defenseless. Although he possessed these power briefly before being reverted to his traditional pantheon, this arangement was more powerful than his previous one.
| S | Strength of S'ivaa | Grants Shazam the powers of super-strength from to S'ivaa, the Old God and Dancer of Destruction who once fought Superman and Orion in physical battle and possessed enough power to destroy the universe. This power acts as a alternative to the strenght of Hercules and S'ivaa believed his strength would be greater. |
| H | Fires of H'ronmeer | By channleing the martial god H'ronmeer's firey powers, Shazam gained the ability of pyrokinesis. |
| A | Compassion of Anapel | A replacement for the Wisdom of Solomon, granting Shazam similar abilities of wisdom and clarity once provided by the previous power. |
| Z | Source Manipulation of Zonuz | Presumably grants powers associated with manipulation of enegies from the Source, a fictional font of power used by New Gods and Olds Gods alike. The specifics of the ability has not been expressed although the Wizard implied that the ability comes with the risk of slaving Shazam to Zonuz. |
| A | Boldness of Ate | Appearing as the alternative of the Courage of Achilles, Ate's (goddess of Impuse) gift is hinted to grant Shazam superhuman durability and endurance. |
| M | Lightning of Mamaragan | Grants Shazam the lightning of Mamaragan, the true name of the Wizard and acting as a substitute for the magical thunderbolt that once was powered through Zeus's connection and allows the magical abilities of Mamaragan through his lightning. |
Powers of Marvel (the Wizard)
Later in the late 2000s during the Trials of Shazam! ownard until Flashpoit, Billy replaces the deceased Wizard Shazam in his role. While acting in the role, he took on a white costume and named himself "Marvel" and possessed the magical abilities once possessed by the Wizard. This allowed him to manipulate magic and command power at a similar level to his Captain Marvel powers although he was a "keeper" of the power, meaning he could bestow the complete Powers of Shazam onto a worthy Champion instead of a porition like before. He could also freely command magic and possessed knowledge of the changing rules of magic during the time period. However, he was required to remain at the Rock of Eternity for 24 hours in order to control the abudance of magic within it and could only be away from it for twenty four hours.
In the recent Lazarus Planet story, Billy became bound to the Rock of Eternity, granting him access to all the magics contained in the Rock of Eternity. Similarly, he possess magical abilities in which he would later conder to his other form, making the Rock of Eternity a part of him while still accessing the same powers as prior. Unlike the former depiction, however, this locked the Wizard Shazam out of his seat of power.
Weaknesses
Captain Marvel is not completely invulnerable. In several stories, he is shown to be susceptible to high-powered magic, which can weaken or de-power him, and, in some older stories, to significantly high voltages of lightning or electricity, which would make him revert to Billy Batson form. Despite possessing the courage of Achilles, the Fawcett Captain Marvel was extremely bashful and shy around attractive women, a weakness some villains came to exploit. Most depictions following the Crisis on Infinite Earths also show his childlike innocence and immaturity to be a significant weakness.
In classic stories, simply saying the word "Shazam!" transformed Billy into Captain Marvel and back again; this extended to accidental utterances, recorded playbacks, and so forth. When Captain Marvel shared his powers with his Marvel Family teammates in 1990s and 2000s DC publications (from The Power of Shazam! in 1995 through 2011's Flashpoint), the Shazam power was depicted as a finite source which would be divided into halves, thirds, or further depending upon how many Marvels were super-powered at one time, and weakening them accordingly. However, Since the 2011 reboot, Captain Marvel's powers have been slightly altered; Speaking the magic word "Shazam" does not cause a transformation if Billy does not want it to.
Supporting cast
In the traditional Shazam! stories, Captain Marvel often fights evil as a member of a superhero team known as the Marvel Family, made up of himself and several other heroes empowered by the wizard Shazam. The main core of the Marvel Family were Captain Marvel's sister Mary Marvel, the alter-ego of Billy Batson's twin sister Mary Batson (adopted as Mary Bromfield), and Marvel's protégé, Captain Marvel Jr., who was the alter-ego of Billy and Mary's best friend, the disabled newsboy Freddy Freeman. Before DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths comic book miniseries in 1985, the Marvel Family also included part-time members such as Mary's non-powered friend "Uncle" Dudley (Uncle Marvel) and three other protégés (all of whose alter egos are named "Billy Batson") known as the Lieutenant Marvels. A pink rabbit version of Captain Marvel, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny, appeared in his own stories.
Among the key supporting characters was Mr. Sterling Morris, president of Amalgamated Broadcasting, owners of Station WHIZ, the radio (and later TV) station for which Billy worked as a reporter. Billy also had his own love interest, Cissie Sommerly, who was also Sterling Morris' niece and had a recurring role in the comics. In the early Fawcett stories, Billy Batson and Captain Marvel had a sidekick named Steamboat, an African-American valet character who was removed from the comics by 1945 because of protests over racial stereotyping. From 1947 forward, Billy/Marvel's sidekick was Mr. Tawky Tawny, an anthropomorphic talking tiger who works as a museum curator and seeks integration into human society.
The current-continuity version of Shazam has a Shazam Family made up of his five foster siblings, with whom he shares his powers: Mary Bromfield, Freddy Freeman, Pedro Peña, Eugene Choi, and Darla Dudley. The latter three children were introduced in the Flashpoint miniseries as three of the six children sharing the powers of "Captain Thunder", and introduced into regular DC continuity with Justice League (vol. 2) #8 in 2012. Tawny was initially depicted as a magically-charged zoo tiger in the Justice League backup stories. In the 2018–present ongoing Shazam! series, a more traditional version of Tawny is a resident of The Wildlands, a magical realm inhabited by anthropomorphic animals.
The Marvel Family's other non-powered allies have traditionally included Dr. Sivana's good-natured adult offspring, Beautia and Magnificus Sivana. The 1970s Shazam! series also included Sunny Sparkle, the "nicest boy in the world." Jerry Ordway's 1990s Power of Shazam! series also introduced Billy's school principal, Miss Wormwood, and Mary's adoptive parents, Nick and Nora Bromfield. The New 52 reboot of Shazam! introduced the Shazam kids' foster parents, Victor and Rosa Vázquez.
In other media
Live-action films
Film serial
The first filmed adaptation of Captain Marvel was produced in 1941. Adventures of Captain Marvel, starring Tom Tyler in the title role and Frank Coghlan, Jr. as Billy Batson, was a 12-part film serial produced by Republic Pictures. This production made Captain Marvel the first superhero to be depicted in film. The Adventures of Captain Marvel (for which the man-in-flight effects techniques were originally developed for a Superman film serial that Republic never produced) predated Fleischer Studios' Superman cartoons by six months.
Feature films
In 1950, Columbia Pictures released the comedy/mystery feature film The Good Humor Man with Jack Carson, Lola Albright, and George Reeves. The storyline has Carson as an ice cream vendor who also belongs to a home-grown Captain Marvel Club with some of the kids in the neighborhood. Fawcett released a tie-in one-shot the same year the movie appeared, Captain Marvel and the Good Humor Man.
Following DC's acquisition of the property, development of a Shazam! feature film began at New Line Cinema in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The project remained in development through New Line's absorption into Warner Bros. Pictures in 2009. In 2014, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson signed on to executive produce and co-star as the villain Black Adam. In early 2017, New Line and Johnson decided to split the Shazam! films into one film for Shazam! - which would instead feature Doctor Sivana as the main villain - and a solo Black Adam film. New Line's Shazam! film was released in 2019 by Warner Bros., and is set within Warners' DC Extended Universe film franchise. Directed by David F. Sandberg and written by Henry Gayden, the film stars Zachary Levi as Shazam!, Mark Strong as Doctor Sivana, Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman, and Djimon Hounsou as the Wizard Shazam. Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's New 52 Shazam! comic reboot served as the main source of inspiration for the film's plot.
Shazam! follows disaffected foster teen Billy Batson as he simultaneously deals with the responsibility of his new power to become Shazam (with Freddy's help as his "manager") and his ongoing search for his birth mother. The film also introduced Billy and Freddy's foster siblings Darla (portrayed by Faithe Herman), Mary (Grace Fulton), Eugene (Ian Chen), and Pedro (Jovan Armand). The other five kids become the Shazam Family at the end of the film to help Shazam battle Doctor Sivana and the Seven Deadly Sins, with Adam Brody as Super Hero Freddy, Meagan Good as Super Hero Darla, Michelle Borth as Super Hero Mary, Ross Butler as Super Hero Eugene, and D. J. Cotrona as Super Hero Pedro.
Produced for $98 million, the film grossed $364 million worldwide. The cast (minus Michelle Borth, with Grace Fulton playing both versions of Mary), Sandberg, and Gayden all returned to make a sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods. The film, which also co-stars Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, and Rachel Zegler, was filmed in the Atlanta, GA area during the summer of 2021 and is set for a March 2023 release.
The Shazam! sequel was produced concurrently with Dwayne Johnson's spinoff Black Adam film, which filmed in Atlanta at the same time. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra with Adam Sztykiel as screenwriter, Black Adam is set for an October 2022 release by Warner Bros. Shazam makes a non-speaking appearance in the 2018 animated feature film Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, adapted from Cartoon Network's Teen Titans Go! animated TV series.
Direct-to-video animated 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, while Billy Batson was voiced by an uncredited Rachael MacFarlane.
- 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 Wonder Woman.
- Captain Marvel appears in the 2010 animated short film 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. Jerry O'Connell returns from Justice League Unlimited as the voice of Captain Marvel, while Billy Batson is voiced by Zach Callison.
- Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the 2013 animated adaptation of the alternate-universe comics story Flashpoint features Captain Thunder and the S! H! A! Z! A! M! kids as supporting characters. Apart, each child has a facet of SHAZAM's power: Eugene Choi (wisdom of Solomon), Pedro Peña (strength of Hercules), Mary Bromfield (stamina of Atlas), Freddy Freeman (power of Zeus), Billy Batson (courage of Achilles), and Darla Dudley (speed of Mercury). Together, they form Captain Thunder. Pedro Peña and Billy Batson are voiced by Candi Milo and Jennifer Hale, respectively, with Captain Thunder voiced by Steve Blum. The children travel to London, now an Amazon stronghold, along with resistance heroes Cyborg, Batman and the Flash. They combine into Captain Thunder and fight Wonder Woman 1v1, ending in Wonder Woman using her lasso to compel Captain Thunder to revert into the children. Batson is killed immediately afterwards, while the other children are either killed by Wonder Woman offscreen or vaporized with every other combatant when Aquaman detonates his desperation weapon (powered by a captive Captain Atom), razing the entire battlefield. Nonetheless, the Flash escapes and races back in time, preventing the Flashpoint timeline's existence and also the SHAZAM kids' deaths.
- In 2014, the character—now renamed Shazam—appeared in the animated film Justice League: War. Zach Callison reprised his role as Billy Batson, and Shazam is voiced by Sean Astin. Billy is depicted as living in a foster home with Freddy (voiced by Georgie Kidder) and Darla (voiced by Kimberly Brooks). A fan of high school football star Vic Stone (a.k.a. Cyborg), Billy gets to work alongside his hero as Shazam to help the Justice League fight Darkseid. Shazam also appears in the sequel, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015), voiced again by Sean Astin. He does not appear in the animated film Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016), although his absence is mentioned by other Justice League members. He is again only mentioned by name in Justice League Dark (2017). He does not appear in The Death of Superman (2018), and his absence is not addressed. He makes his last appearance in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, albeit with one line of dialogue, merely being a desperate "Shazam!" as he is torn to shreds by Parademons. He is mentioned as having been the sole founding member of the Justice League to have escaped the battle on Apokolips with Cyborg's help, but lost his leg in the process and replaced it with a magical one.
- Shazam appears in the film Lego DC: Shazam!: Magic and Monsters, voiced again by Sean Astin, while Billy Batson is voiced again by Zach Callison.
- Shazam appears in the animated film Injustice, voiced by Yuri Lowenthal.
Television
1970s–1990s
Captain Marvel first came to television in 1974. Filmation produced Shazam!, a live-action television show, which ran from 1974 to 1976 on CBS. From 1975 until the end of its run, it aired as one-half of The Shazam!/Isis Hour, featuring Filmation's own The Secrets of Isis as a companion program.
Instead of directly following the lead of the comics, the Shazam! TV show took a more indirect approach to the character: Billy Batson/Captain Marvel, accompanied by an older man known simply as Mentor (Les Tremayne), traveled in a motor home across the U.S., interacting with people in different towns in which they stopped to save the citizens from some form of danger or to help them combat some form of evil. With the wizard Shazam absent from this series, Billy received his powers and counsel directly from the six "immortal elders" represented in the "Shazam" name, who were depicted via animation: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury. Shazam! starred Michael Gray as Billy Batson, with both Jackson Bostwick (season 1) and John Davey (seasons 2 and 3) as Captain Marvel. An adapted version of Isis, the heroine of The Secrets of Isis, was introduced into DC Comics in 2006 as Black Adam's wife in the weekly comic book series 52.
Shortly after the Shazam! show ended its network run, Captain Marvel (played by Garrett Craig) appeared as a character in a pair of low-budget, live-action comedy specials, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions under the name Legends of the Superheroes in 1979. The specials also featured Howard Morris as Doctor Sivana, and Ruth Buzzi as Aunt Minerva, marking the first appearance of those characters in film or television. Although Captain Marvel did not appear in Hanna-Barbera's long-running concurrent Saturday morning cartoon series Super Friends (which featured many of the other DC superheroes), he did appear in some of the merchandise associated with the show.
Filmation revisited the character three years later for an animated Shazam! cartoon program, which ran on NBC from 1981 to 1982 as part of The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! accompanied by Hero High. Captain Marvel and Billy Batson were both voiced by Burr Middleton. 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. Dr. Sivana, Mr. Mind, Black Adam, and other familiar Captain Marvel foes appeared as enemies.
Captain Marvel and/or Billy Batson made brief "cameo" appearances in two 1990s TV series. Billy has a non-speaking cameo in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Obsession", while live actors portraying Captain Marvel make "cameo" appearances in both a dream-sequence within an episode of The Drew Carey Show, and in the Beastie Boys' music video for "Alive".
2000s–present
- Because of licensing issues and the development of the Shazam! feature film at New Line Cinema, Captain Marvel and characters related to him could not appear in the DC Animated Universe. A planned fight between him and Superman in Superman: The Animated Series went unproduced, as did a proposed Shazam! series for Cartoon Network pitched by Paul Dini and Alex Ross around the same time.
- Captain Marvel appears in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Clash", voiced by Jerry O'Connell, while Billy Batson is voiced by Shane Haboucha. In this episode, Captain Marvel joins the Justice League, but his positive opinions about Lex Luthor's apparent reform create a heavy tension on his relationship with Superman. This tension eventually leads to an all-out battle between them when Superman believes the generator Luthor built under a city is really a bomb. Despite Superman trying to apologize, Captain Marvel quits the Justice League in disgust claiming that Superman is no longer the hero he admired. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that the clash between the two superheroes was part of a plot organized by Lex Luthor and Amanda Waller to discredit Superman.
- Captain Marvel appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, with Captain Marvel voiced by Jeff Bennett and Billy Batson by Tara Strong. Two episodes are dedicated to Captain Marvel's world and supporting cast. "The Power of Shazam!" featured Captain Marvel/Billy Batson alongside the Sivana Family, Black Adam, the wizard Shazam, Aunt Minerva, and Mary Batson, while "The Malicious Mr. Mind!" featured the Marvel Family (Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr.), Sivana, Mr. Mind, and the Monster Society of Evil.
- Captain Marvel also appears as a recurring character in Young Justice. Captain Marvel is voiced by Rob Lowe and later by Chad Lowe, while Billy Batson is voiced by Robert Ochoa. Depicted as a member of the Justice League, Marvel is introduced as the team's new "den mother" in the episode "Alpha Male" after Red Tornado's disappearance. At various times, he sometimes joins the teenage heroes of Young Justice on their missions. Billy is 10 years old in his season 1 appearances; 15 years old in season 2, which takes place five years later; and 17 years old in season 3 and 19 years old in season 4. He attended Superboy and Miss Martian's wedding in the season four finale.
- Captain Marvel made four appearances in the animated sketch comedy series Mad, such as the "Shazamwich!" segment by Nate Theis.
- Following the character's name change, Shazam, Billy Batson, and several of their supporting characters appear in three one-minute Shazam! DC Nation cartoon shorts produced in 2014 as interstitials for Cartoon Network's Saturday morning programming. Featuring designs inspired by the 1930s Fleischer Studios Popeye cartoons, the three shorts—"Courage", "Wisdom", and "Stamina"—feature Tara Strong reprising her role as the voice of Billy Batson and David Kaye voicing Shazam. Shazam! – Stamina was nominated for the 2015 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class – Short Format Daytime Program.
- Shazam appears as a recurring character in Justice League Action, with Shazam and Billy Batson both voiced by Sean Astin. Billy Batson/Shazam first appears in "Classic Rock", being summoned by the Wizard to help fight Black Adam at the Rock of Eternity. After Black Adam trapped Billy by countering the lightning that transforms him, the Wizard is thrown out of the Rock of Eternity and reluctantly gains the assistance of Batman to free Billy and defeat Black Adam. In the episode "Abate and Switch", Batman brings Billy Batson to where the Justice League are fighting Black Adam and Brothers Djinn members Abnegazar, Rath, and Nyorlath. He also appears in the episode "Captain Bamboozled" with Uncle Dudley, who was given powers as part of Mister Mxyzptlk's plot.
- Shazam also appears as a guest character in the current Cartoon Network animated TV series Teen Titans Go! He makes a non-speaking appearance in the season 5 episode "Justice League's Next Top Talent Idol Star: Second Greatest Team Edition". He later had a featured speaking role in the episode "Little Elvis", being voiced by John DiMaggio, with Tara Strong voicing Billy Batson.
Video games
- Captain Marvel was a playable character alongside Superman (as the second player option) in the 1980s coin-op of Superman.
- Captain Marvel made his official video game appearance as a playable character in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, played by Stephan Scalabrino and voiced by Kevin Delaney, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game consoles. In the story, Captain Marvel is among several DC superheroes teleported to the Mortal Kombat video game universe when the two universes merge, and characters from each franchise are forced to do battle. He also appears as a "jump-in" hero character in the Wii/Nintendo DS adaptations of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Other appearances by Captain Marvel in console games available on multiple platforms included LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (voiced by Travis Willingham), and as a playable character in Infinite Crisis (voiced by Jerry O'Connell). He also appears in the online role-playing game DC Universe Online (voiced by Shannon McCormick).
- As Shazam, the hero appears as a playable fighter in Injustice: Gods Among Us, voiced by Joey Naber. The video game's story depicts Superman becoming a tyrant, with his own Regime of heroes against an Insurgency led by Batman. Shazam is shown as a member of Superman's Regime, but ultimately is murdered by Superman when he questions the Man of Steel's plan to destroy Metropolis and Gotham to 'prove' to the world that his authority is needed. His death prompts the Flash to defect to the Insurgency, which gives the opposing heroes the information they need to stop the Regime. He is mentioned, but does not appear in, the sequel, Injustice 2 on the PC and the console versions, but the movie version of Shazam is playable in the mobile version.
- Shazam reappears as a playable character in LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. He is able to change into Billy Batson and back at will. This time, Shazam is instantly on the console versions without downloadable content.
- Shazam appears as a playable character in DC Unchained.
- Shazam appears in Lego DC Super Villains, voiced by Brandon Routh, while Billy Batson is voiced by Zach Callison. His Earth-3 counterpart Mazahs is also a playable character as well, voiced by Lex Lang. In the DLC add-on based on the 2019 film, Shazam is voiced by Zachary Levi.
Radio
In about 1943, a radio serial of Captain Marvel was briefly broadcast (possibly by either Mutual or NBC) initially with Burt Boyar as Billy Batson. According to Boyar's faint memories in a 2011 interview, the show was initially produced in New York but after about a month relocated to Chicago; no further details about the show or transcripts of it survived. Existence of the show was confirmed by historian Jim Harmon via recollections of old-time radio fans who recalled hearing it during original broadcasts, plus locating period program listings.
Comic strips
In 1943, C. C. Beck and writer Rod Reed prepared seven sample installments of a comic strip, but syndicates expressed no interest in it. Reed suspected that the DC lawsuit was the syndicates' reason, for fear of becoming parties in the ongoing litigation.
Cultural impact and legacy
Captain Marvel vs. Superman in fiction
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Captain Marvel's adventures have contributed a number of elements to both comic book culture and pop culture in general. The most notable contribution is the regular use of Superman and Captain Marvel as adversaries in Modern Age comic book stories. The two are often portrayed as equally matched and, while Marvel does not possess Superman's heat vision, X-ray vision or superhuman breath powers, the magic-based nature of his own powers are a weakness for Superman.
The National Comics/Fawcett Comics rivalry was parodied in "Superduperman", a satirical comic book story by Harvey Kurtzman and Wally Wood in the fourth issue of Mad (April/May 1953). Superduperman, endowed with muscles on muscles, does battle with Captain Marbles, a Captain Marvel caricature. Marbles' magic word is "SHAZOOM", which stands for Strength, Health, Aptitude, Zeal, Ox (power of), Ox (power of another), and Money. In contrast to Captain Marvel's perceived innocence and goodness, Marbles is greedy and money-grubbing, and a master criminal. Superduperman defeats Marbles by tricking him into hitting himself.
While publishing its Shazam! revival in the 1970s, DC Comics published a story in Superman #276 (June 1974) featuring a battle between the Man of Steel and a thinly disguised version of Captain Marvel called Captain Thunder, a reference to the character's original name. He apparently battles against a Monster League, who cast a spell to make him evil, but Superman helps him break free. Two years later, Justice League of America #135–137 presented a story arc which featured the heroes of Earth-1, Earth-2, and Earth-S teaming together against their enemies. It is in this story that Superman and Captain Marvel first meet, albeit briefly. King Kull has caused Superman to go mad using red kryptonite, compelling Marvel to battle him at first and subsequently restore Superman's mind with the help of lightning.
In Shazam! #30 (1977), Dr. Sivana creates several steel creatures to destroy Pittsburgh's steel mills, after getting the idea from reading an issue of Action Comics. He finally creates a Superman robot made of a super-steel to destroy Captain Marvel. They both hit each other at the same moment, and the robot is destroyed.
Notable later Superman/Captain Marvel battles in DC Comics include All-New Collectors' Edition #C-58 (1978), All-Star Squadron #36–37 (1984), and Superman vol. 2, #102 (1995). The Superman/Captain Marvel battle depicted in Kingdom Come #4 (1996) serves as the climax of that miniseries, with Marvel having been brainwashed by Lex Luthor and Mister Mind to turn against the other heroes. The "Clash" episode of Justice League Unlimited, which includes Captain Marvel as a guest character, features a Superman/Captain Marvel fight as its centerpiece, Lex Luthor manipulating events so that Captain Marvel will perceive Superman as being prejudiced against Luthor's criminal past and attacking him without provokation or evidence that Luthor has actually done anything wrong. By contrast, the depiction of the pair's first meeting in the Superman/Shazam!: First Thunder miniseries establishes them as firm friends and allies to the point of Superman volunteering to be Billy's mentor when he learns the boy's true age.
See also
In Spanish: Capitán Marvel para niños
