WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Infected: King Shazam #1, by Sina Grace, Joe Bennett, Belardino Brambo, Matt Santorelli, Hi-Fi and Rob Leigh, on sale now.

One of the most shocking superheroes corrupted by the Batman Who Laughs in DC's Year of the Villain is Billy Batson, the magical champion Shazam. The Dark Multiverse villain pitted the twisted incarnation of the Earth's Mightiest Mortal against Batman and Superman and, in a special one-shot issue focused on the self-proclaimed King Shazam, the unhinged vision of the hero cuts a destructive path across the DC Universe.

After snapping at his foster family, including adopted sister Mary Bromfield, Billy transforms into Shazam and takes on the various superhero deities of the DCU to prove himself stronger than the namesake gods from whom he derives his powers. His first target is Atlas, the titan from who Shazam draws his superhuman endurance. King Shazam summarily wipes the floor with him before turning his attention to other gods ... including Thor, the god of thunder?

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Before he introduced the Marvel Comics superhero with Stan Lee in 1962's Journey into Mystery #83, Kirby created a comic book version of the Norse god of thunder in 1957, for DC's Tales of the Unexpected #16. In that story, a cowboy discovers Mjolnir in the desert, leading to Thor appearing and reclaiming his magical hammer. The character was largely abandoned following that story, but John Byrne reintroduced him to the DCU proper in the 1997 relaunch Jack Kirby's Fourth World.

Byrne's take more closely resembled the Marvel character, but -- as with DC's incarnation of Hercules  -- DC's Thor was a much less noble figure, with red hair and a full beard. While the Greek pantheon has been a part of the DC Universe since 1941, and has been central to stories involving Wonder Woman, Aquaman and even the Teen Titans, Thor explained that the Norse gods are similarly present. The ancient deities had been grouped together as the Old Gods, eventually giving way to the New Gods of Kirby's Fourth World, including Darkseid, Big Barda and Mister Miracle.

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Since Byrne's reintroduction of Thor and the Old Gods, the character has reappeared sporadically in the DCU, and even teamed up with Superman and Wonder Woman as part of his eternal war in Valhalla. The DC Rebirth incarnation of Thor is easily felled by the sinister Shazam, evidently putting up even less of a fight than Atlas. Shazam goes on to defeat Hercules and Ares, two gods that also have their own Marvel Universe analogs.

The inclusion of Thor is a surprise reminder that the DC Universe has its own version of the Norse deity. While significantly more obscure, His appearance reestablishes the Norse pantheon in DC Rebirth while showcasing how ruthless Billy Batson has become under the influence of the Batman Who Laughs.

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