Captain Marvel (DC Comics)

Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam, is a superhero appearing 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 are set to return for the sequel, '' Shazam! Fury of the Gods'', in 2023.

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."

Publication history

Development and inspirations

After the success of National Comics' new superhero characters Superman and Batman, Fawcett Publications started its own comics division in 1939, recruiting staff writer Bill Parker to create several hero characters for the first title in their line, tentatively titled ''Flash Comics''. Besides penning stories featuring his creations Ibis the Invincible, the Spy Smasher, the Golden Arrow, Lance O'Casey, Scoop Smith, and Dan Dare for the new book, Parker also wrote a story about a team of six superheroes. Each superhero in this team possessed 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. Parker responded by creating a character he called "Captain Thunder". Staff artist Charles Clarence "C. C." Beck was recruited to design and illustrate Parker's story, rendering it in a direct, somewhat cartoony style that became his trademark. "When Bill Parker and I went to work on Fawcett's first comic book in late 1939, we both saw how poorly written and illustrated the superhero comic books were," Beck told an interviewer. "We decided to give our reader a real comic book, drawn in comic-strip style and telling an imaginative story, based not on the hackneyed formulas of the pulp magazine, but going back to the old folk-tales and myths of classic times".

The first issue of the comic book, printed as both ''Flash Comics'' #1 and ''Thrill Comics'' #1, had a low print run in the fall of 1939 as an ashcan copy created for advertising and trademark purposes. Shortly after its printing, however, Fawcett found it could not trademark "Captain Thunder", "Flash Comics", or "Thrill Comics", because all three names were already in use. Consequently, the book was renamed ''Whiz Comics'', and Fawcett artist Pete Costanza suggested changing Captain Thunder's name to "Captain Marvelous", which the editors shortened to "Captain Marvel". The word balloons in the story were re-lettered to label the hero of the main story as "Captain Marvel".

Introduction

''Whiz Comics'' #2 (cover-dated Feb. 1940) was published in late 1939. ''Captain Marvel,'' the comic's lead feature, introduced audiences to Billy Batson, an orphaned 12-year-old boy who, by speaking the name of the ancient wizard Shazam, is struck by a magic lightning bolt and transformed into the adult superhero Captain Marvel. Shazam's name was an acronym derived from the six immortal elders who grant Captain Marvel his superpowers: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury.

In addition to introducing the main character, his alter ego, and his mentor, Captain Marvel's first adventure in ''Whiz Comics'' #2 also introduced his archenemy, the evil Doctor Sivana, and found Billy Batson talking his way into a job as an on-air radio reporter with station WHIZ. ''Captain Marvel'' was an instant success, with ''Whiz Comics'' #2 selling over 500,000 copies. By 1941, he had his own solo series, ''Captain Marvel Adventures'', the premiere issue of which was written and drawn by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Captain Marvel continued to appear in ''Whiz Comics'', as well as periodic appearances in other Fawcett books, including '' Master Comics''.

Inspiration and success at Fawcett

Inspiration for Captain Marvel came from a number of sources. His visual appearance was modeled after that of Fred MacMurray, a popular American actor of the period, though comparisons with both Cary Grant and Jack Oakie were made as well. Fawcett Publications' founder, Wilford H. Fawcett, was nicknamed "Captain Billy", which inspired the name "Billy Batson" as well as Marvel's title. Fawcett's earliest magazine was titled ''Captain Billy's Whiz Bang'', which inspired the title ''Whiz Comics''. In addition, Fawcett took several of the elements that had made Superman the first popular comic book superhero (super-strength and speed, science-fiction stories, a mild-mannered reporter alter ego) and incorporated them into Captain Marvel. Fawcett's circulation director Roscoe Kent Fawcett recalled telling the staff, "Give me a Superman, only have his other identity be a 10- or 12-year-old boy rather than a man".

Through much of the Golden Age of Comic Books, Captain Marvel proved to be the most popular superhero character of the medium, and his comics outsold all others. ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' sold fourteen million copies in 1944, and was at one point being published bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.3 million copies an issue. Several issues of ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' included a blurb on their covers proclaiming the series the "Largest Circulation of Any Comic Magazine".

The franchise was expanded to introduce spin-off characters to Captain Marvel between 1941 and 1942. ''Whiz Comics'' #21 (1941) introduced the Lieutenant Marvels: three other boys named "Billy Batson" who could also become adult superheroes. Captain Marvel Jr., the alter-ego of disabled newsboy Freddy Freeman, debuted in ''Whiz Comics'' #25 (1941). Mary Marvel, alter-ego of Billy's twin sister Mary Batson, first appeared in ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' #18 (1942). In contrast to Captain Marvel and the Lieutenants, both Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. remained kids in superhero form, and were given their own eponymous books in addition to appearing as the lead features in ''Master Comics'' and '' Wow Comics'', respectively. Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., and Mary Marvel appeared together as a team in another Fawcett publication, ''The Marvel Family''. In addition, there was a talking animal spin-off character, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny, which was created in 1942 for Fawcett's ''Funny Animals'' comic book and later given an eponymous series as well.

With Bill Parker having been drafted into World War II, chief writing duties on the Captain Marvel-related comics stories went to Otto Binder by 1942. C.C. Beck remained as lead artist, and he and Binder steered the Captain Marvel stories towards a whimsical tone that emphasized comedy and fantasy elements alongside the superhero action. Other artists associated with the Marvel Family at Fawcett included Pete Costanza, Mac Rayboy, Marc Swayze, and Kurt Schaffenberger. Otto Binder would write over 900 of the approximately 1,790 Captain Marvel-related stories published by Fawcett. Several of Captain Marvel's enduring supporting characters and enemies—including the non-powered Uncle Marvel, Tawky Tawny the talking tiger, and the villains Mister Mind and Black Adam—were created by Binder during the mid-to-late 1940s.

Copyright infringement lawsuit and cancellation

Detective Comics (later known as National Comics Publications, National Periodical Publications, and today known as DC Comics) sued both Fawcett Comics and Republic Pictures for copyright infringement in 1941, alleging that Captain Marvel was based on their character Superman. After seven years of litigation, ''National Comics Publications, Inc. v. Fawcett Publications, Inc.'' went to trial in 1948. Although the presiding 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 National had abandoned the Superman copyright. (Detailed summary of the cases and rulings related to ''National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publishing''.) As a result, the initial verdict, delivered in 1951, went in Fawcett's favor.

National appealed this decision, and Judge Learned Hand declared in 1952 that National's Superman copyright was in fact valid. Judge Hand did not find that the character of Captain Marvel itself was an infringement, but rather that specific stories or super feats could be infringements, and this would have to be determined in a retrial. He therefore sent the matter back to the lower court for final determination.

Instead of retrying the case, however, Fawcett settled with National out of court. The National lawsuit was not the only problem Fawcett faced in regard to Captain Marvel. While ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' had been the top-selling comic series during World War II, it suffered declining sales every year after 1945, and, by 1949, it was selling only half its wartime rate. Fawcett tried to revive the popularity of its Captain Marvel series in the early 1950s by introducing elements of the horror comics trend that had gained popularity at the time.

Feeling that this decline in the popularity of superhero comics meant that it was no longer worth continuing the fight, Fawcett agreed on August 14, 1953 to permanently cease publication of comics with the Captain Marvel-related characters and to pay National $400,000 in damages. Fawcett shut down its comics division in the autumn of 1953 and fired its comic book staff. Otto Binder and Kurt Schaffenberger ended up at DC, becoming prominent members of the creative team for the Superman-related comics from 1954 through the 1960s. Schaffenberger snuck an unauthorized cameo by Captain Marvel into a story in '' Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' #42 in 1963.

''Whiz Comics'' had ended with issue #155 in June 1953, ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' was canceled with #150 in November 1953, and ''The Marvel Family'' ended its run with #89 in January 1954. Hoppy the Marvel Bunny was sold to Charlton Comics, where a few Fawcett-era stories from that strip were reprinted as ''Hoppy the Magic Bunny'', with all references to "Captain Marvel" and "Shazam" removed.

''Marvelman''/''Miracleman''

In the 1950s, a small British publisher, L. Miller and Son, published a number of black-and-white reprints of American comic books, including the Captain Marvel series. With the outcome of the ''National v. Fawcett'' lawsuit, L. Miller and Son found their supply of Captain Marvel material abruptly cut off. They requested the help of a British comic writer, Mick Anglo, who created a thinly disguised version of the superhero called Marvelman. Captain Marvel Jr. was adapted to create Young Marvelman, while Mary Marvel had her sex changed to create the male Kid Marvelman. The magic word "Shazam!" was replaced with "Kimota" ("Atomik" spelled backwards). The new characters took over the numbering of the original Captain Marvel's United Kingdom series with issue number #25.

''Marvelman'' ceased publication in 1963, but the character was revived in 1982 by writer Alan Moore in the pages of ''Warrior Magazine''. Beginning in 1985, Moore's black-and-white serialized adventures were reprinted in color by Eclipse Comics under the new title '' Miracleman'' (as Marvel Comics objected to the use of "Marvel" in the title), and continued publication in the United States after ''Warrior''s demise. Within the metatextual story line of the comic series itself, it was noted that Marvelman's creation was based upon Captain Marvel comics, by both Moore and later ''Marvelman/Miracleman'' writer Neil Gaiman. In 2009, Marvel Comics obtained the rights to the original 1950s ''Marvelman'' characters and stories, and later purchased the rights to the 1980s version and those reprints in 2013.

M. F. Enterprises

In 1966, M. F. Enterprises produced their own Captain Marvel: an android superhero from another planet whose main characteristic was the ability to split his body into several parts, each of which could move on its own. He triggered the separation by shouting "Split!" and reassembled himself by shouting "Xam!" He had a young human ward named Billy Baxton. This short-lived Captain Marvel was credited in the comic as being "based on a character created by Carl Burgos". Marvel Comics subsequently created their own character named Captain Marvel in 1967, and Myron Fass sued Marvel for trademark infringement. Fass accepted a $4,500 settlement from Marvel, and Marvel secured the trademark of the name.

Bill Black's attempted revival

Bill Black attempted to revive Captain Marvel in 1969, but written and drawn in a more realistic Marvel Comics style for his fanzine ''Paragon Golden Age Greats, Vol. 1, #2''. However, on the legal advice of his friend and publishing mentor Martin L. Greim he decided that rather than risk legal trouble with Fawcett Publications to destroy the entire print run except for two copies he saved for his files. Black then rewrote the story using his own newly created hero Captain Paragon.

DC Comics revival: ''Shazam!'' (1972–1978)

When superhero comics became popular again in the mid-1960s in what is now called the " Silver Age of Comic Books", Fawcett was unable to revive Captain Marvel, having agreed to never publish the character again as part of their 1953 settlement. Looking for new properties to introduce to the DC Comics line, DC publisher Carmine Infantino decided to bring the Captain Marvel property back into print. On June 16, 1972, DC entered into an agreement with Fawcett to license the Captain Marvel and Marvel Family characters. Because Marvel Comics had by this time established ''Captain Marvel'' as a comic book trademark for their own character, created and first published in 1967, DC published their book under the name ''Shazam!'' Infantino attempted to give the ''Shazam!'' book the subtitle ''The Original Captain Marvel'', but a cease and desist letter from Marvel Comics forced them to change the subtitle to ''The World's Mightiest Mortal'', starting with ''Shazam!'' #15 (December 1974). As all subsequent toys and other merchandise featuring the character have also been required to use the "Shazam!" label with little to no mention of the name "Captain Marvel", the title became so linked to Captain Marvel that many people took to identifying the character as "Shazam" instead of "Captain Marvel".

The ''Shazam!'' comic series began with ''Shazam!'' #1 (Feb. 1973). It contained both new stories and reprints from the 1940s and 1950s. Dennis O'Neil was the primary writer of the book. His role was later taken over by writers Elliot S. Maggin and E. Nelson Bridwell. C. C. Beck drew stories for the first 10 issues of the book before quitting because of creative differences. Bob Oksner and Fawcett alumnus Kurt Schaffenberger were among the later artists of the title. As per DC's agreement with Fawcett, DC paid Fawcett—and after 1977, its successor CBS Publications—a licensing fee per issue, per page for each of the Fawcett characters who appeared, either in ''Shazam!'' or crossovers in other comic series.

With DC's Multiverse concept in effect during this time, the revived Marvel Family and related characters lived within the DC Universe on the parallel world of "Earth-S". The Fawcett material was still considered canon, with the Marvel Family's 20-year layoff explained in the comic as time spent in suspended animation due to Doctor Sivana. While the series began with a great deal of fanfare, the book had a lackluster reception. The creators themselves had misgivings. Beck said, "As an illustrator, I could, in the old days, make a good story better by bringing it to life with drawings. But I couldn't bring the new aptain Marvelstories to life no matter how hard I tried".

''Shazam!'' was heavily rewritten as of issue #34 (April 1978), and Bridwell provided more realistic stories, accompanied by similar art; the first issue was drawn by Alan Weiss and Joe Rubinstein, and thereafter by Don Newton, a longtime fan of the character, and Schaffenberger. Nevertheless, the next issue was the last one, though the feature was kept alive in a back-up position in the Dollar Comics-formatted run of '' World's Finest Comics'' (from #253, October/November 1978, to #282, August 1982, skipping only #271, which featured a full-length origin of the Superman-Batman team story). Schaffenberger left the feature after #259, and the inking credit subsequently varied. When ''World's Finest Comics'' reverted to the standard 36 pages, leftover ''Shazam!'' material saw publication in '' Adventure Comics'' (#491–492, September–October 1982). The remaining 11 issues of that run contained reprints, with ''Shazam!'' represented by mostly Fawcett-era stories (left out of ''Adventure Comics'' #500 and the final #503, where two features were doubled up to complete their respective story arcs).

Outside of their regular series and features, the Marvel Family characters also appeared as guest stars in the '' Justice League of America'' series, in particular issues #135–137 (vol. 1) for the "Crisis on Earth-S" story arc in 1976. '' Limited Collectors' Edition'' #C-58 (April 1978) featured a "Superman vs. Shazam!" story by writer Gerry Conway and artists Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano.

Captain Marvel, and often the Marvel Family, also co-starred with Superman in several issues of '' DC Comics Presents'' written by Roy Thomas. Roy Thomas, a veteran comic book writer and editor, had been lured from Marvel Comics to DC in 1981 with the specific contractual obligation that he would become the main writer of ''Shazam!'' and the Justice Society of America characters. The Marvels also guest-starred in several issues of '' All-Star Squadron'', a series centered on the Justice Society and the other Earth-2 characters written by Roy Thomas and his wife Dann. As ''All-Star Squadron'' was set during World War II, several events of the comic fell concurrent with and referenced the events of the original early-1940s Fawcett stories. With their 1985 ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' miniseries, DC fully integrated the characters into the DC Universe.

Captain Marvel in the late 1980s

The first Post-''Crisis'' appearance of Captain Marvel was in the 1986 '' Legends'' miniseries. In 1987, Captain Marvel appeared as a member of the Justice League in Keith Giffen's and J. M. DeMatteis' relaunch of that title. That same year (spinning off from ''Legends''), he was given his own miniseries titled '' Shazam!: The New Beginning''. With this four-issue miniseries, writers Roy and Dann Thomas 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.

The most notable change that the Thomases, Giffen, and DeMatteis introduced into the Captain Marvel mythos was that the personality of young Billy Batson is retained when he transforms into the Captain. This change would remain for most future uses of the character as justification for his sunny, Golden-Age personality in the darker modern-day comic book world, instead of the traditional depiction used prior to 1986, which tended to treat Captain Marvel and Billy as two separate personalities.

This revised version of Captain Marvel also appeared in one story arc featured in the short-lived anthology '' Action Comics Weekly'' #623–626 (October 25, 1988 – November 15, 1988), in which a Neo-Nazi version of Captain Nazi was introduced. At the end of the arc, it was announced that this would lead to a new ''Shazam!'' ongoing series. Though ''New Beginning'' had sold well and multiple artists were assigned to and worked on the book, it never saw publication owing to editorial disputes between DC Comics and Roy Thomas. As a result, Thomas's intended revival of the Marvel Family with a new punk-styled Mary Bromfield/Mary Marvel (a.k.a. "Spike") who was not Billy's sister, and an African-American take on Freddy Freeman/Captain Marvel Jr., did not see print. Thomas departed DC in 1989, not long after his removal from the ''Shazam!'' project.

Other attempts at reviving ''Shazam!'' were initiated over the next three years, including a reboot project by John Byrne, illustrator of ''Legends'' and writer/artist on the Superman reboot miniseries '' The Man of Steel'' (1986). None of these versions saw print, though Captain Marvel, the wizard Shazam, and Black Adam did appear in DC's '' War of the Gods'' miniseries in 1991. By this time, DC had ended the fee-per-use licensing agreement with CBS Publications and purchased the full rights to Captain Marvel and the other Fawcett Comics characters.

''The Power of Shazam!'' (1994; 1995–1999)

In 1991, Jerry Ordway was given the ''Shazam!'' assignment, which he pitched as a painted graphic novel that would lead into a series, rather than starting the series outright. Ordway both wrote and illustrated the graphic novel, titled ''The Power of Shazam!'', which was released in 1994. ''Power of Shazam!'' retconned Captain Marvel again and gave him a revised origin, rendering ''Shazam! The New Beginning'' and the ''Action Comics Weekly'' story apocryphal while Marvel's appearances in '' Legends'' and ''Justice League'' still counted as part of the continuity.

Ordway's story more closely followed Captain Marvel's Fawcett origins, with only slight additions and changes. The graphic novel was a critically acclaimed success, leading to a ''Power of Shazam!'' ongoing series which ran from 1995 to 1999. That series reintroduced the Marvel Family and many of their allies and enemies into the modern-day DC Universe.

''Kingdom Come'' and ''Shazam! Power of Hope''

Captain Marvel also appeared in Mark Waid and Alex Ross's critically acclaimed 1996 alternate universe '' Elseworlds'' miniseries ''Kingdom Come''. Set 20 years in the future, ''Kingdom Come'' features a brainwashed Captain Marvel playing a major role in the story as a mind-controlled pawn of an elderly Lex Luthor. In 2000, Captain Marvel starred in an oversized special graphic novel, '' Shazam! Power of Hope'', written by Paul Dini and painted by Alex Ross.

Early to mid-2000s: ''JSA'' and ''52''

Since the cancellation of the ''Power of Shazam!'' title in 1999, the Marvel Family has made appearances in a number of other DC comic books. Black Adam became a main character in Geoff Johns' and David S. Goyer's ''JSA'' series, which depicted the latest adventures of the world's first superhero team, the Justice Society of America, with Captain Marvel also briefly joining the team to keep an eye on his old nemesis. Captain Marvel also appeared in Frank Miller's graphic novel '' Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again'', the sequel to Miller's highly acclaimed graphic novel '' The Dark Knight Returns'', which culminated in his death. The '' Superman/Shazam: First Thunder'' miniseries, written by Judd Winick with art by Josh Middleton, and published between September 2005 and March 2006, depicted the first post-''Crisis'' meeting between Superman and Captain Marvel.

The Marvel Family played an integral part in DC's 2005/2006 '' Infinite Crisis'' crossover, which began DC's efforts to retool the ''Shazam!'' franchise. In the '' Day of Vengeance'' miniseries, which preceded the ''Infinite Crisis'' event, the wizard Shazam is killed by the Spectre, and Captain Marvel assumes the wizard's place in the Rock of Eternity. The Marvel Family made a handful of guest appearances in the year-long weekly maxi-series '' 52'', which featured Black Adam as one of its main characters. ''52'' introduced Adam's "Black Marvel Family," which included Adam's wife Isis, her brother Osiris, and Sobek. The series chronicled Adam's attempts to reform after falling in love with Isis, only to launch the DC universe into World War III after she and Osiris are killed. The Marvel Family appeared frequently in the 12-issue bimonthly painted ''Justice'' maxi-series by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, and Doug Braithwaite, published from 2005 to 2007.

''The Trials of Shazam!'' (2006–2008)

''The Trials of Shazam!'', a 12-issue maxiseries written by Judd Winick and illustrated by Howard Porter for the first eight issues, and by Mauro Cascioli for the remaining four, was published from 2006 to 2008. The series redefined the ''Shazam!'' property with a stronger focus on magic and mysticism. ''Trials of Shazam!'' featured Captain Marvel, now with a white costume and long white hair, taking over the role of the wizard Shazam under the name ''Marvel'', while the former Captain Marvel Jr., Freddy Freeman, attempts to prove himself worthy to become Marvel's champion under the name ''Shazam''.

In the pages of the 2007–2008 '' Countdown to Final Crisis'' limited series, Black Adam gives the powerless Mary Batson his powers, turning her into a more aggressive super-powered figure, less upstanding than the old Mary Marvel. By the end of the series, as well as in DC's 2008–2009 '' Final Crisis'' limited series, the now black-costumed Mary Marvel, possessed by the evil New God DeSaad, becomes a villainess, joining forces with Superman villain Darkseid and fighting both Supergirl and Freddy Freeman/Shazam.

A three-issue arc in ''Justice Society of America'' (vol. 3) undid many of the ''Trials of Shazam!'' changes. Issues #23-25 of ''Justice Society'' featured Black Adam and a resurrected Isis defeating Marvel and taking over the Rock of Eternity. Adam and Isis recruit the now-evil Mary Marvel to help them in the ensuing fight against a now-powerless Billy Batson and the Justice Society.

Billy and Mary Batson made a brief appearance during DC's 2009–2010 '' Blackest Night'' saga in a one-shot special, ''The Power of Shazam!'' #48. In 2011, DC published a one-shot ''Shazam!'' story written by Eric Wallace, in which the still-powerless Billy and Mary help Freddy/Shazam in a battle with the demoness Blaze. Freddy would eventually have his powers stolen by Osiris in ''Titans'' (vol. 2) #32 the same year.

The ''New 52'' relaunch

In 2011, DC Comics relaunched their entire comic book lineup, creating '' The New 52'' lineup of comics. The revamp began with a seven-issue miniseries, '' Flashpoint'', which features an alternate timeline in which Billy Batson, Mary Batson, and Freddy Freeman are joined by three new kids, Eugene Choi, Pedro Peña, and Darla Dudley, as the "S! H! A! Z! A! M! Family." In this concept, all six kids say "Shazam!" in unison to become an alternate version of Captain Marvel named Captain Thunder. While the continuity would be altered again by the conclusion of the story, creating the "New 52" multiverse, the three new Shazam! kids would be reintroduced for later appearances.

One of these relaunched series, ''Justice League'' (vol. 2), began featuring a ''Shazam!'' backup story with issue #7 in March 2012. The feature, written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Gary Frank, introduces Billy Batson and his supporting cast into the new DC Universe. As part of the redesign, Captain Marvel received a new costume designed by Frank with a long cloak and hood. Johns noted that the character's place in the world will be "far more rooted in fantasy and magic than it ever was before". The character also was officially renamed "Shazam" at this time.. While the main "Earth-0" version of the character was re-introduced as "Shazam!", Within DC Comics' " Multiverse", two alternate forms of the character continue to be known as "Captain Marvel" in the alternate worlds of Earth-5 and Earth-S. The ''Shazam!'' origin story, which included two full issues in ''Justice League'' (vol. 2) #0 (2012) and 21 (2013), reintroduced Billy Batson/Shazam, the Wizard, Black Adam, Tawny the tiger, and the Shazam Family (Freddy, Mary, Darla, Eugene, and Pedro) to continuity. The ''Shazam!'' feature concluded with ''Justice League'' (vol. 2) #21, preceding DC's crossover storyline " Trinity War" which heavily features the Shazam mythos.

Johns and Frank's reboot was met with both acclaim and criticism, and the renaming of the hero as Shazam brought mixed reactions. Johns noted that the change was made "because that's what everyone thinks his name is anyway," owing to the inability to use the "Captain Marvel" moniker on comic book covers and merchandise. In updating ''Shazam!,'' Johns and Frank skirted some controversy among long-time fans by introducing Billy Batson as a cynical foster child who comes to appreciate his potential as a hero and the concept of family, rather than starting him from that point as with earlier retellings.

Following his appearances in the "Trinity War" and " Forever Evil" crossover storylines, Shazam appeared as a member of the Justice League from ''Justice League'' (vol. 2) #30-50 from 2014 through 2016, and also in a one-shot spinoff titled ''Justice League: The Darkseid War - Shazam'' (cover-dated January 2016). He also appeared as a supporting character in the ''Cyborg'' series as the friend of Victor Stone/Cyborg. New takes on the classic Fawcett versions of Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family appeared in Grant Morrison's 2014 miniseries '' The Multiversity'' (which takes place on the parallel world of Earth-5) and in a 2015 spin-off to the '' Convergence'' crossover event, ''Convergence: Shazam!'' (which takes place on the parallel world of Earth-S).

''DC Rebirth'' and beyond

Following DC's 2016 '' DC Rebirth'' soft-relaunch event, the ''Shazam!'' characters were largely absent from new DC continuity, though Mary Marvel of Earth-5 appeared in '' Superman'' (vol. 4) #14–16 (2016), and Black Adam appeared in '' Dark Nights: Metal'' #4–5 (2017) to battle Wonder Woman. In late 2018, with the ''Shazam!'' movie in production at New Line Cinema, DC began publishing a new ongoing ''Shazam!'' series, written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Dale Eaglesham, Marco Santucci, and Scott Kolins. The series features an older and wiser Billy Batson and his foster siblings Mary, Freddy, Eugene, Pedro, and Darla exploring their powers as the Shazam Family. As the six kids venture beyond the nexus of the Rock of Eternity to explore the mysterious Seven Magic Realms, Doctor Sivana teams up with Mister Mind and a reluctant Black Adam to form the Monster Society of Evil, and Billy's long-missing father C.C. Batson returns to attempt to re-connect with his son.

The first issue, featuring a manga backup story focused on Mary and her pet rabbit Hoppy by Johns and ''Shazam!'' fan Mayo "SEN" Naito, was published on December 5, 2018. Despite initial positive reviews, the third volume of ''Shazam!'' fell victim to several publishing delays. Thirteen issues from Johns, Eaglesham, and others - along with two guest issues, #12 and 15, from writer Jeff Loveness and artist Brandon Peterson - were published between 2018 and 2020. The book was cancelled with issue #15 (November 2020); Johns cited the COVID-19 pandemic and Eaglesham's desire to take a break as reasons for discontinuing the book.

In November 2022, it was announced that a new ''Shazam!'' ongoing would begin publication in June 2023, with Mark Waid writing and Dan Mora serving as artist.

Fictional character biography

Fawcett/Early DC origin

''Whiz Comics'' #2 (Feb. 1940) introduces William Joseph "Billy" Batson,''Shazam! The New Beginning'' #1 (1987) a homeless 12-year-old (later 14-year-old) newsboy who sleeps in the subway station of his home city (originally New York City;''Shazam!'' #33 (1978) later referred to in DC publications as Fawcett City). A mysterious man in a green cloak asks Billy to follow him into the subway station. A magic subway car painted in unusual shapes and colors escorts them to an underground throne room, which is inhabited by a very old man with a long beard and a white robe. As the man in green disappears, the old man on the throne explains to Billy that he is the wizard Shazam, and has used the powers of "the gods"— Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury, hence the name "Shazam"—to fight evil for over 3,000 years. However, he has now grown too old to continue and is in need of a successor. The wizard explains that Billy was chosen because of his misfortune: he had been thrown out by a greedy uncle who stole his inheritance following the deaths of his parents (later retellings of the origin would also note that Billy was chosen for being "pure of heart"). Ordered by the wizard to speak the name "Shazam," Billy is struck by a sudden bolt of lightning and transformed into a superpowered adult in a red costume with gold trim.''Whiz Comics'' #2 (1940)
The wizard Shazam declares the new hero "Captain Marvel" and orders him to carry on his work, as a stone block suspended above his throne falls upon him, killing him as prophesied.''Shazam!'' #1 (1973) The wizard would return—in later retellings of the origin story, immediately—as a spirit to serve as a mentor to Billy and Captain Marvel, summoned by lighting a torch on the wall of his lair. As a spirit, the wizard Shazam lives at the Rock of Eternity, a bicone-shaped rock formation situated at the nexus of time and space. Later retellings of the Captain Marvel origin place Shazam's underground lair within the Rock. Saying the word "Shazam" allows Billy to summon the magic lightning and become Captain Marvel, while Captain Marvel can say the magic word himself to become Billy again.

Captain Marvel's first battle was with the mad scientist Doctor Sivana, who becomes Captain Marvel's arch-enemy. Billy Batson becomes a reporter and host for WHIZ Radio, his career allowing him to travel and investigate criminal activity.''Whiz Comics'' #3a (1940) An adult daughter of Sivana's, Beautia, becomes an unwitting love interest for the shy Captain Marvel, despite her wavering allegiance to her evil father.

While the majority of Billy's adventures feature him as a solo hero, he also fought evil on a regular basis accompanied by several other kids who share his powers to make up a superhero team called the Marvel Family (later referred to as the ''Shazam Family'' owing to the issues DC Comics faced over the "Marvel" and "Captain Marvel" trademarks). The first members of the family, introduced in ''Whiz Comics'' #21 (Sept. 1941) and used sparingly afterwards, were the Lieutenant Marvels: three other boys from various parts of the United States who are also named "Billy Batson" and discover that, if they all say "Shazam!" in unison, they can become adult superheroes as well.

In ''Whiz Comics'' #25 (Dec. 1941), Captain Marvel saves Freddy Freeman, a boy who had been left for dead by the evil Captain Nazi, and does for Freddy what the wizard did for him. By speaking the name "Captain Marvel," Freddy can become the superpowered Captain Marvel Jr. Unlike Billy, Freddy retains his 14-year-old appearance as a superhero. ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' #18 (Dec. 1942) introduced Billy and Freddy to Mary Bromfield, a rich girl who turns out to be Billy's long-lost twin sister. By saying the magic word "Shazam," Mary Bromfield becomes Mary Marvel. In the Fawcett and pre-1986 DC stories, Mary remained a teenager as Freddy did in Marvel form; Ordway's 1990s ''Power of Shazam!'' series made her superpowered form an adult like Billy's. The Marvel Family also included non-powered honorary members such as Uncle Marvel, an old con man who pretended to be Mary's uncle, and Freckles Marvel, an honorary cousin.

Later DC origins

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

Ordway's origin added the extra element of Black Adam's alter ego/descendant Theo Adam being the murderer of Billy's parents. The subsequent ''Power of Shazam!'' ongoing series features Billy, now 14, meeting his long-lost sister Mary and best friend Freddy Freeman and establishing the Marvel Family as in the Fawcett comics. The Marvels' home base of Fawcett City is depicted as a city full of old-fashioned traditions and architecture, later establishing that the Wizard Shazam placed a spell on the city (broken in later issues) that slowed time to a crawl in 1955. This phenomenon was used to explain the Marvel Family's sometimes anachronistic approaches to life and heroism compared to many of their contemporary heroes in the DC Universe.

In 2012, writer and then-DC Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns revised Billy Batson's origin for DC's ''New 52'' universe, also renaming the character's alter-ego as "Shazam" at this time. In his new origin story, Billy Batson is a moody and troubled 15-year-old foster child living in