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2023’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods brought the modern Shazam family to life on the big screen. Billy Batson and his adopted siblings shared the power of Shazam to take on powerful new threats. The cinematic version of the Shazam Family adopted the New 52’s take on the characters, though they weren’t DC’s first magical family of superheroes.

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Fans originally knew Shazam as Captain Marvel, and he assembled his own group of allies that became known as The Marvel Family. They were quite a bit different than the modern or cinematic versions of the Shazam family. The Marvel Family calls back to a different time in comics, which has always been represented by the usually light-hearted storylines of Shazam!

The Marvel Family

Billy Batson/Captain Marvel

Shazam flies towards the audience in DC Comics

The Wizard originally known as Shazam chose young Billy Batson to become his champion, Captain Marvel. Batson was an orphaned newsboy who used the power of the gods to protect others and fight for good as one of DC’s strongest superheroes.

  • First appeared in Whiz Comics #2 (February 1940) by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck
  • Powered by Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury.

He gained the power of six different gods and deities when he said the magic word “Shazam!” Batson soon discovered that he could share his power with others. However, the first time Batson shared his power was actually involuntary, which would lead to the first members of the original Marvel Family.

Lieutenant Marvels

The modern high-tech take on the Lieutenant Marvels from DC Comics

Captain Marvel soon learned that he wasn’t the only Billy Batson around with access to the power of Shazam! There were three other people named Billy Batson who could each take a portion of the power when they said the magic word as well.

  • First appeared in Whiz Comics #21 (September 1941) by C.C. Beck
  • Able to use a fraction of Shazam’s power split between the Billys

They gave themselves nicknames during their first meeting of the Billy Batson Club. “Tall” Billy, “Hill” Billy, and “Fat” Billy joined the first Billy as his “Squadron of Justice.” They became known as the Lieutenant Marvels and fought alongside Batson when he needed backup against Shazam's most powerful villains. The Lt. Marvels were mostly erased from continuity after the Crisis on Infinite Earths event, though a modern take on Captain Marvel's backup team appeared in The Multiversity: Thunderworld Adventures #1 (February 2015).

Freddy Freeman, Jr./Captain Marvel, Jr.

Freddy Freeman as Captain Marvel Jr

The original Fawcett City version of Freddy Freeman, Jr. met with bad fortune when a battle between Captain Marvel and the evil Captain Nazi interrupted a fishing day with his grandfather. Captain Nazi casually killed Freddy’s grandfather and maimed the young boy after they tried to help the villain.

  • First appeared in Whiz Comics #25 (December 1941) by Ed Herron, C.C. Beck, and Mac Raboy
  • Gained a fraction of Shazam’s power by saying his own magic words, “Captain Marvel!”

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Billy Batson learned he could willingly share his power after he asked the Wizard to save Freddy’s life. Freddy Freeman, Jr. could then transform into Captain Marvel, Jr. Freddy’s brother Kit would gain his own powers to call on historical figures for help as Kid Eternity. His relation to Freddy made him an extended member of the Marvel Family as well.

Mary Bromfield/ Mary Marvel

Mary Marvel in her white and gold costume

The New 52 reboot reimagined Mary Bromfield as Billy Batson’s adopted sister. However, in the original comics, she was his long-lost twin sister. Mary Batson discovered that she could gain her own powerful abilities when she said “Shazam” like her brother.

  • First appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 (December 1942) by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze
  • Powered by Selene, Hippolyte, Ariadne, Zephyrus, Aurora, and Minerva.

As Mary Marvel, she could tap into the power of a different set of gods which didn’t subtract from Captain Marvel’s own abilities. The modern version of the character wielded the power of Shazam with her adopted siblings and used the title of Lady Shazam. She eventually became the new Champion of Shazam and the temporary head of the Shazam Family in recent continuity.

Uncle Marvel And Tawky Tawny

Split image of Uncle Marvel and Tawky Tawny

The final two members of the Marvel Family didn’t have any superpowers of their own. Dudley H. Dudley was a con man who found Mary Marvel’s diary. He tried to use the information to gain access to the Marvel Family. They loved him for his bumbling efforts but saw through his cons. He received the honorary title of Uncle Marvel and became the Marvel Family’s manager.

  • Uncle Dudley first appeared in Wow Comics #18 (October 1943)by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze
  • Tawky Tawny first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #79 (December 1947) by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck

Billy Batson’s best friend was a talking tiger from another land known as Tawky Tawny. He’s had a few different origins over the years. He was once a falsely-accused tiger given the power of speech to clear himself but became a magically-transformed tiger from the zoo. Over the years, Mr. Tawny’s intelligence, eloquence, and friendship were his main addition to the Marvel Family.

The Black Adam Family

Teth-Adam/Black Adam

Black Adam sitting on a throne in Kahndaq

The Wizard chose his first Champion in ancient Egypt. Teth-Adam gained the powers of Shazam, though his gifts came from ancient Egyptian gods. Unfortunately, Black Adam lost favor with the Wizard who imprisoned him for centuries.

  • First appeared in The Marvel Family #1 (December 1945) by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck
  • Powered by Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aton, and Mehen.

When he returned to the modern era, Black Adam became an enemy of Captain Marvel. However, his devotion to his home country of Kahndaq soon led him to take more heroic actions to help keep it safe. He joined the Justice Society of America and formed a bond with Captain Marvel which inspired him to form his own magically-powered family.

Isis & Osiris

Split image of Isis and Osiris

Black Adam rescued a woman named Adrianna Tomaz from the forces of Intergang in Kahndaq. She showed him a new way to help the people of his country, and the two fell in love. Teth-Adam gave her a mystical amulet that transformed her into Isis.

  • Isis and Osiris both debuted in 52 (2006-2007) by Mark Waid, Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, and Grant Morrison
  • Isis gained mystical elemental abilities while Osiris shared a portion of Black Adam’s power

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Black Adam and Isis then rescued her young brother Amon Tomaz. He had been brutally beaten and paralyzed by Intergang. Black Adam shared his abilities with Amon, who became the superpowered Osiris. Unfortunately, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse killed both Isis and Osiris prior to their attempted takeover of Kahndaq.

Malik White/Bolt

Malik White as White Adam or Bolt

Black Adam abandoned plans for his own magically-powered family after the loss of Isis and Osiris. However, he eventually discovered he had a descendant named Malik White who could access Black Adam’s mystical power as well. Some fans were even hoping to see the new character appear in the Shazam! sequel as well.

  • First appeared in Black Adam #1 (August 2022) by Christopher Priest and Rafa Sandoval
  • Shared in Black Adam’s power by saying the magic word “Shazam!”

Black Adam jokingly referred to Malik White as “White Adam” after their first encounter, though his Kahndaqian descendent wasn’t happy with the name. Malik White is a medical student who inherited Black Adam’s powerful abilities. He started going by Bolt in costume when the character returned in 2023’s Lazarus Planet event.

The Shazam Family

Pedro Peña, Eugene Choi, & Darla Dudley

Black Adam is startled by the presence of the Shazam! Family

The modern version of the Shazam Family officially debuted in the New 52 universe. DC finally abandoned the Captain Marvel moniker and renamed the hero Shazam. Freddy and Mary rejoined him as Shazam, Jr. and Lady Shazam, respectively.

  • Pedro, Eugene, and Darla first appeared in Flashpoint #1 (July 2011) by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert
  • Each member mastered a specific ability while also gaining a fraction of Shazam’s power

The Vasquez family that took in Billy Batson also included Freddy, Mary, Pedro Peña, Eugene Choi, & Darla Dudley. Shazam shared his mystical abilities with his adopted siblings to face the New 52’s Black Adam. They all gained a portion of Shazam’s abilities, though Freddy, Pedro, Eugene, and Darla each uniquely mastered their own power while Mary gained an even share.

C.C. Batson

CC Batson becoming a Champion of Magic in Shazam

Shazam!’s modern continuity featured a prophecy about seven prophesied Champions of Magic, though Billy and his siblings only made six. When Billy Batson’s long-lost father arrived on his doorstep, C.C. Batson became involved in the Shazam Family’s adventures.

  • First appeared in The Power of Shazam! (March 1994) by Jerry Ordway
  • Gained the full power of his son when he said the magic word “Shazam!”

As one of DC's most powerful magic users, Shazam modified the Sharing Spell to include his father. However, Shazam soon discovered that his old enemy Mr. Mind had taken control of his father. Billy was able to free his father from Mr. Mind’s control, but C.C. didn’t remember anything that had happened. He left the Shazam Family and abandoned his son once again.

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