Shazam! has recently been announced as the latest DC movie to hit theaters in 2019. Based on the original comic from the late '30s, this was one of the largest franchises to ever come out of DC. In fact, Captain Marvel managed to even defeat Superman a couple times when it came to comic sales. We’ve had dozens of Superman movies, but it looks like it’s finally time to see Captain Marvel (or Shazam as he'll be known) on the big screen where he deserves. But for those of you who haven’t read the comics, or maybe need a reminder, you might want to know a little more about the power of Shazam and the family that’s stemmed from it.
There have been a few different series about the Shazam Family, otherwise known as the Marvel Family. Sometimes this includes the foster family that Billy Batson grew up in, his foster sisters and brothers, while other times it includes adorable little bunnies who just so happen to also have the same power. The power difference varies from person to person, but it usually all comes from the same source -- the wizard who bestows it upon them. This can sometimes include people who decide to no longer use this amazing, god given power for good. There’s a few members of the family and key characters to keep an eye out for, and we’ve made a list just to get you caught up to speed before the new movie is released! We’ve also included some of the Marvel Family’s biggest villains, just so you know who we’re up against this next year.
15 SOBEK
If you’re afraid of humanoid alligators, you might want to look away now, because that’s exactly what Sobek is. One of Sobek’s biggest attributes is that he’s exceptionally intelligent, which may not come off as surprising considering there are plenty of humanoid characters that tend to be smarter than their regular species. After all, how else would they be able to stand on two legs?
Sobek was originally created by the Sivana Family, who would later abandon him. After he got out of his cage, he decided to team up with Black Adam, a member of the Black Adam family. Sobek may have always seemed good-natured in general, but it is later revealed that he is Famine, the Fourth Horseman, and offed by Black Adam.
14 DOCTOR SIVANA
Doctor Sivana is known as the leading villain of the Shazam Family and archnemesis of Captain Marvel. He often looks like a small, hunched over, bald old man with strange ears and large goggles over his eyes. Creepy as he may look, you may think he’s not much of an adversary when it comes to someone as powerful as Captain Marvel. However, it’s Sivana’s intelligence that makes him a deadly opponent.
Sivana was laughed at in the science community for having strange ideas. Naturally, this lead him to escape to Venus with his family and wait until his children were fully grown to go back to Earth where he’d begin his legacy of trying to take on Captain Marvel. You might also remember this character for his famous line, “Curses! Foiled again!”
13 HOPPY THE MARVEL BUNNY
Hoppy is yet another animal that has made his way into the lives of the Shazam Family. The adorable rascal was originally made as a spin-off of Captain Marvel, but ended up interacting with the story later on anyways. Hoppy received his powers a little differently than the other Marvels. He admired Captain Marvel and one day he tried to emulate him by saying the words, “Shazam!” and miraculously turned into a superhero.
While Hoppy’s powers are very similar to Captain Marvel’s, he does have some big distinctions, such as his pantheon. His gods are, ironically, Salamander, Hogules, Antlers, Zebreus, Abalone and Monkury. However, after Flashpoint, Hoppy no longer has the marvelous super powers he once did.
12 THUNDER
The main character of The Power of Shazam! 1996 Annual, Thunder is the alter-ego of a young girl on the planet Binderaan. Her real name is CeCe Beck, but you’ll often see her go by Beck for a nickname. The cool part about Thunder is that an older Captain Marvel trains her, much like how Shazam trained him originally.
Like Billy, Beck’s normal age is that of a young girl. But, when she says the words “Captain Marvel”, she turns into an adult superheroine with capabilities much like her mentor. She’s set to be one future of the Marvel Family, and that future looks bright!
11 TANIST
Tanist is another child set in the future of the Marvel Family. He first appeared in the DC One Million event in The Power of Shazam! #1,000,000. He was a poor child living on Mercury, struggling to survive with his mother. The two find an item they believe will help them earn some money but ends up only causing them trouble. His mother is ended and Tanist is crippled.
Throughout this tragedy, Tanist discovers a passage to the Rock of Eternity where Captain Marvel meets him. Much like he did for Freddy Freeman, Captain Marvel grants Tanist powers to save his life.
10 EUGENE
Eugene Choi is one of Billy’s foster brothers. He was also introduced in the Flashpoint miniseries and was shown to be an exceptionally bright kid without any capabilities in the beginning. However, once he’s able to share Billy’s power, he has similar ability to Captain Marvel.
Like his foster brother, he too becomes and adult when he changes into his superpowered form. Eugene has a special focus with his power. He is able to use technopathy, meaning he can control technology through thought. The only drawback to this special capability is that once he’s out of a technological space, he can’t manipulate the environment.
9 DARLA
Darla Dudley is Billy’s foster sister who was abandoned by her parents and adopted by the same foster parents. She’s relatively the same age as Billy and was introduced in the Flashpoint miniseries. Darla’s powers are very similar to that of her foster brother, but there’s one big difference -- her powers primarily focus on speed.
Mercury, Heru, Zephyrus and Arel gave her the gift of super speed that allows her to run much faster than other members of the Marvel Family. In addition, the same gods gifted her the ability of flight. Darla can fly so fast that she’s able to beat the Mach 10 in the Earth’s atmosphere. When she changes form, she remains the same age.
8 PEDRO
Pedro Peña is shown as a shy, overweight teenage boy that’s roughly the age of Billy. He’s one of his foster brothers who is introduced in the Flashpoint miniseries. Shazam notes the boy’s size and decides to grant him the power of Hercules so that he can be a strong powerlifter.
Strength is his greatest attribute to the Marvel Family. When he turns into his superpowered self, his age changes into that of an adult and his strength allows him to lift over 100 tons. His strength could bend steel or allow him to punch through walls, but the craziest is that, if he wanted, he could probably crack a planet’s crust.
7 OSIRIS
Osiris’s true identity is Amon Tomaz, who was kidnapped and enslaved by the organization Intergang and they would eventually cripple him in the process. He was also the brother of Isis, Black Adam’s eventual wife. Black Adam would come to find him and help save his life by sharing his powers. When Osiris says the name “Black Adam”, he can transform into Osiris.
His powers are very similar to that of those with Shazam powers, except the pantheon is a little different. Osiris has the gift of powers like super speed, superhuman endurance, extreme knowledge and even powers like physical enhancement or transformation. Unfortunately, Orisis was ended by Sobek, whom was later found out to be Famine.
6 THE LIEUTENANT MARVELS
There are three other boys named Billy in the Marvel Family -- yes, you heard that right. To help stop any kind of confusion between themselves and the “Real Billy”, they’re nicknamed “Tall Billy”, “Fat Billy” and “Hill Billy”. Together, they all form the Billy Batson Club, considering they all have the same first and last name.
The Lieutenants can draw upon the same power of Shazam that Billy can. However, the biggest issue it that because they share the power collectively and because there are three of them, they only have a third of Captain Marvel’s true power.
5 MARY MARVEL
Mary Batson is the long-lost twin sister of Billy, sometimes a foster sister, who ended up taking the name Bromfield when she was adopted. She discovered that if she said the word “Shazam” she would turn into Mary Marvel -- the superhuman version of herself. In The Golden Age, Mary would stay a teenager even when she turned into a Marvel, but in the more recent versions, she too turns into an adult.
Mary’s power levels are tied with the rest of the Marvel Family. This means that when only one of them is a Marvel, they’ll have all the power whereas when all of them are formed, it’s a shared power. Nevertheless, she has very similar powers granted by Shazam and is weak to electricity, which makes her revert to her teenage self.
4 CAPTAIN MARVEL JR.
Freddy Freeman was a classmate of Billy’s who, in most versions, is attacked by Captain Nazi and left disabled. Billy gives Freddy some of his power in order to save his life and, as a result, Freddy turns into Captain Marvel Jr. Freddy has had a very interesting career that has even, at one point, included him in the Teen Titans series from the '90s and even groups like Outsiders and Young Justice.
Freddy has all the same powers as Shazam, however when he transforms he remains a teenage version of Captain Marvel. Due to his bad leg, he often has trouble when he transforms back into his regular human form. In some versions, he actually graduates into becoming the new Captain Marvel.
3 BLACK ADAM
Black Adam is the first protégé of the wizard Shazam but was also the first to abuse the name. He would go rogue and abuse his power, leaving Shazam to have to come punish him. In some versions, he banishes him to space or outright takes his life, but either way Black Adam returns once Billy has been appointed power from Shazam.
Black Adam is the head of his own family, known as the Black Marvel Family, whom have sworn vengeance on those who’ve done them wrong. He has a different pantheon, but relatively similar powers to the ones Shazam granted him all those years ago. This includes super strength, swiftness, stamina and speed.
2 CAPTAIN MARVEL
Obviously, Billy was going to be close to the top of the list. Where else would you put Captain Marvel himself? Billy Batson is the “World’s Mightiest Mortal” whom has the capabilities gifted to him by Shazam. As a young teenager in reality, Billy turns into a superpowered adult when he says the word “Shazam”.
Like many other branches of the Marvel family, Billy has similar, if not more powerful versions of each power: the wisdom of Solomon, strength of Hercules, stamina of Atlas, lightning of Zeus, courage of Achilles and speed of Mercury. He’s definitely one of the most powerful characters in the DCU and we can’t wait to see him on the big screen!
1 SHAZAM
Obviously the most powerful on this list had to be the one to grant the powers in the first place! The Wizard has always had the same role within the Marvel Family which is naming Billy his successor to the power he holds. Think of it this way; there wouldn’t be a Captain Marvel if there wasn’t a Shazam in the first place.
Shazam was bestowed magical powers from various gods whom he’s meant to give to their champions; characters like Black Adam and Billy. He is the Guardian of the Rock of Eternity and seems to channel his energy from the rock. We pretty much owe the series to him!