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For the Marvel Comics character, see Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics).
Captain Marvel is a comic book superhero. Created by C.C. Beck and Bill Parker, he first appeared in Whiz Comics #2 (1940). He was originally published by Fawcett Comics and is now owned by DC Comics.
With a premise that taps into adolescent fantasy, Captain Marvel is Billy Batson, a young newspaper boy chosen to be a champion of good by the wizard Shazam. Whenever Billy speaks the wizard's name, he magically transforms into an adult, Superman-like hero. Several friends and family members could share Billy's power and become "Marvels" themselves.
Captain Marvel was the most popular superhero of the 1940s, regularly outselling all of DC Comics' characters and becoming the first superhero to be adapted into film. Because of a decline in the popularity of superheroes and a plagiarism suit alleging similarities between Captain Marvel and Superman, Fawcett ceased publishing Captain Marvel in the 1950s and ceded rights to the character to DC Comics. He has been integrated into the "DC Universe" and DC has attempted a few revivals but Captain Marvel has not found widespread appeal with new generations although a live action television series featuring the character in the 1970s was very popular.
Full History
Whiz Comics #2 was the first of that title to actually be published; issue #1 had been a dummy issue created for advertising purposes. (Consequently, the issue is sometimes referred to as Whiz Comics #1, despite the issue number printed on it.)
The series began with a homeless young newspaper seller, Billy Batson, who was confronted with a dark clothed stranger who led him down a subway station. There, a strange train appeared which carried the pair to the secret lair of the wizard Shazam. There, the ancient wizard revealed that he had selected Billy to be his champion to fight for good as the world's mightiest mortal.
To that end, Shazam ordered the boy to speak his name, which was actually an acronym for various legendary figures who have agreed to grant aspects of themselves to a willing subject:
- S for Solomon for wisdom
- H for Hercules for strength
- A for Atlas for stamina
- Z for Zeus for power (usually in the form of resistance to any injury)
- A for Achilles for courage
- M for Mercury for speed and by extension, the power to fly.
Billy complied and he was immediately struck by a magic lightning bolt, which turned him into an adult superhero wearing a bright red costume with gold trim, a short white cape and a lightning bolt for a chest symbol. He later learned that he only had to speak the word again and he instantly changed back into Billy.
With that, Shazam immediately died and Billy vowed to fulfill his bestowed role.
Through his adventures, he soon gained a host of enemies like the mad scientist Thaddeus Bodog Sivana; a super intelligent worm from Venus called Mister Mind; an older Egyptian renegade Marvel called Black Adam; and an artificially intelligent nuclear powered robot called Mister Atom.
The Marvel Family
However, he also gained allies like a sister, Mary Batson/Bromfield, who could call upon the same power to become Mary Marvel (in recent times, she has also gone by the name of "Captain Marvel"), and a disabled friend named Freddy Freeman who could become Captain Marvel Jr. (or "CM3"--short for "Captain Marvel III") when he spoke the name of his favourite superhero, Captain Marvel (which also created the odd problem that he could not identify himself without changing). In addition, Billy met three other boys named Billy Batson (nicknamed Tall Billy, Fat Billy, and Hill Billy—the latter because he was from Appalachia) who learned (apparently) that because they also were named Billy Batson, they could also draw on the powers of Shazam. They were known as the Lieutenant Marvels. They vowed only to use their power if asked by Captain Marvel, and only if all three were together to say the magic word, "SHAZAM!" Billy also had an eccentric "Uncle" Dudley, who claimed that he was not only a relative of the Marvels but also a Marvel himself; although neither was true, his relatives liked to humor him.
Fawcett vs. DC Comics
Through much of the Golden Age of Comics, Captain Marvel proved to be the most popular superhero character of the medium with his comics outselling all others, including Superman. Part of the reason for this popularity included the inherent wish fulfillment appeal of the character to children, as well as the humorous and surreal quality of the stories. This popularity was probably one reason why National Periodical Publications (now DC Comics) sued Fawcett Comics for plagiarism, due to the alleged similarity of Captain Marvel to Superman. After years of litigation, Fawcett agreed to stop publication in the 1950s, feeling that a decline in the popularity of superhero comics meant that it was no longer worth continuing the fight.
When superhero comics became popular again in the mid-1960's (in what is now called the Silver Age of comic books), Fawcett was unable to revive Captain Marvel because of its earlier concession. Eventually, the characters were licensed and revived by DC Comics in the early 1970s. Because Marvel Comics had by this time established its own claim to the name Captain Marvel, 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. While the series began with a great deal of fanfare, the book got lackluster reviews and was eventually cancelled and relegated to a back story series in World's Finest.
Eventually, DC Comics bought the Fawcett line of characters, and with their mini series Crisis on Infinite Earths in the mid 1980s, fully integrated the characters into the main DC superhero setting. Since then, the characters have appeared in mini series, a graphic novel called The Power of Shazam which was followed by a relatively shortlived ongoing series. In addition, Captain Marvel was a member of the later incarnation of the Justice League while Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. had memberships in the Teen Titans. Ironically, a typical use for Captain Marvel guest appearances is to be a back up for Superman when a flying strong man is called for. As of 2003, Captain Marvel is a member of the revived Justice Society of America.
Outside comics, Captain Marvel was portrayed in the 1940 movie serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel, which is often ranked among the finest examples of the form. He also appeared in the live action Saturday morning TV series Shazam!, produced by Filmation, as well as an animated series by the same company. He also was a character in the low budgeted comedy special, Legend of the Superheroes in 1978.
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. In 1954, their supply of Captain Marvel material was abruptly cut off, and they request the help of a British comic writer, Mick Anglo, who created a British copy of the superhero called Marvelman.
References
- In the Fox Network animated series American Dad, Steve's favorite t-shirt has Captain Marvel's signature lightning bolt on it (although he repeatedly refers to it as a Shazam shirt, which is technically incorrect).
External links
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