Shazam, or Captain Marvel as he was once known, was created in 1939 by writer Bill Parker, and artist C. C. Beck. After the success of characters like Superman and Batman, the publishing company Fawcett Comics wanted their own hero. Thus, Captain Marvel was born.
What made Captain Marvel unique was that he wasn't an adult putting on a costume. Instead, he was a young boy, Billy Batson, who received godlike powers after uttering the magic word "Shazam!" However, Billy did not stay Captain Marvel for long. Billy not only had a battle to fight in the comics, but also one in the real world.
10 Captain Marvel VS Shazam: The Battle Of The Century
While Captain Marvel was being published at Fawcett Comics, the company ended up in a legal dispute with DC Comics because of the character's supposed similarities to Superman. Years of back-and-forth trials eventually wore Fawcett down, so they settled out of court. This helped lead to Fawcett shutting down its comics division in 1953.
DC would eventually acquire the rights to Captain Marvel and wanted to bring him back into publication in 1972. However, Marvel Comics introduced their own Captain Marvel in 1967, so Billy's character was rebranded to simply Shazam. To this day, Marvel will publish a new series or one shot every few years featuring their Captain Marvel, just to assure that they keep the copyright.
9 Dueling DC And Marvel Actors
It's always fun to see actors crossover into both DC and Marvel properties. In the case of Shazam!, there have been several actors who have appeared in movies from both companies.
Most fans are probably aware that Zachary Levi, who plays Shazam, also appeared in two of the Thor movies as Fandral the Dashing. However, the voice actor Steve Blum, who voiced Envy and Gluttony, has also played several Marvel characters in cartoons, most notably Wolverine. Lucy Liu will be appearing in the upcoming sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods but she also directed an episode of Marvel's Luke Cage. Djimon Hounsou plays Korath in the MCU, and appeared in Captain Marvel, while he also plays The Wizard in Shazam!
8 Shazam Had His Very Own Earth
When DC began publishing Shazam comics in the 1970s, they didn't know what to do with him. This character had been around since the '40s but hadn't appeared in a comic in nearly 20 years. DC didn't want him to suddenly show up in the main continuity out of nowhere.
What DC came up with was to give the Shazam Family their own Earth, Earth-S, so that they were out of the way. All their previous adventures were retconned to have happened on Earth-S, and their absence was explained by saying that Doctor Sivana had trapped them in stasis. Eventually, Earth-S would be brought into the main continuity during Crisis on Infinite Earths.
7 Captain Marvel Was Based On a Famous Actor
When C. C. Beck was looking for inspiration while designing Captain Marvel, he looked toward famous Hollywood actor Fred MacMurray. MacMurray is perhaps most well known for his films Double Indemnity, Disney's The Absent-Minded Professor and The Shaggy Dog, and the TV show My Three Sons.
Beck specifically looked at MacMurray's facial structure, black wavy hair, and cleft chin. When C. C. Beck looked at other comic books being put out at the time, he believed that they were poorly illustrated and he wanted to give readers a high-quality book, so he worked hard on the artwork.
6 The Shazam Family Was The First Of Its Kind
In modern comics, fans have grown to love the dynamics of groups like the Bat Family, Flash Family, and the Superman Family. However, Shazam was actually the first character who brought his family into the superhero game.
Captain Marvel had a slew of supporting characters who received powers. Uncle Marvel, Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., Hoppy the Marvel Bunny, and the 3 Lieutenant Marvels, just to name a few. This dynamic was significant because it had never been seen before. Batman had Robin were already well-known by this time, but there had not been a real 'family' until The Marvel Family. In recent years, the Marvel Family has become the Shazam Family. Billy, Mary, and Freddy are still there, but they have added their other foster siblings Darla, Pedro, and Eugene.
5 Shazam's Name Has Another Meaning
Billy Batson received his powers from The Wizard at the Rock of Eternity because he was pure of heart. These powers give him several abilities, based on different mythological deities, and his name is actually an acronym based on these powers.
The S stands for the wisdom of Solomon which gives him a photographic memory. The strength of Hercules puts Shazam on par with Superman. Atlas' stamina makes him practically impervious to attack. The power of Zeus gives him a variety of abilities, most notably, his control over lightning. The courage of Achilles provides him with the willpower to defeat his foes. Finally, the speed of Mercury grants him the ability to move at speeds similar to the Flash.
4 Shazam Hits The Small Screen
Zachary Levi's version of Shazam was not the character's first live-action appearance. In fact, Billy Batson and Shazam have appeared in a few different film productions. The most notable is the Shazam TV show that ran from 1974-1976.
The Shazam TV show was very similar to the comics at that time. It focused on a young Billy Batson, traveling around righting wrongs in an RV with his friend Mentor. The show was seen as educational, as each episode focused on some kind of moral, and was well-loved by fans.
3 The King Himself, Was A Captain Marvel Jr. Fan
Elvis Presley was a big Captain Marvel Jr. fan and based his appearance on him. Elvis dyed his hair black and styled it with the signature curl in the front, similar to Freddy Freeman's. Many of Elvis's costumes also feature short capes similar to the ones worn by the Marvel Family. A copy of Captain Marvel Jr. is on display in his childhood home at Memphis' Lauderdale Courts Housing Complex.
With respect to Elvis being such a big Captain Marvel Jr. fan, many writers have since made Freddy a fan of Elvis. In Kingdom Come, Freddy goes by the name King Marvel and wears an outfit similar to Elvis'. Freddy has even talked about how Elvis was the greatest modern-day philosopher and his hero.
2 Captain Marvel Outpaced Superman In Sales
Which superheroes are popular at which time seems to change by the hour. For instance, while Superman may be more popular than Shazam today, this was not always the case. During WWII Captain Marvel actually sold more issues.
All of the Captain Marvel adjacent books at Fawcett Comics were popular, but the series that sold the most books was Captain Marvel Adventures. In 1944, the first issue sold an astonishing 14 million copies. A bubble on many issues bragged that this series was the largest circulation of any comic magazine. It is undeniable that the Marvel Family had a huge impact on the comic community.
1 Shazam Created The Superhero Movie
In 1941, a black and white movie serial was based on Captain Marvel titled the Adventures of Captain Marvel. This serial found the titular hero fighting the villain known as the Scorpion. However, this is not what is most significant.
This marked the first time that a comic book character was adapted for film, breaking the ground for the plethora of superhero movies fans have today. Shazam is an influential character in many ways, but without him, there is no telling what superhero movies would look like today. There is always a chance they may not have existed at all. So the world truly owes it to Shazam for being such a trailblazer. He is truly one of the greatest heroes of all time.