Shazam! writer Mark Wait told CBR why Billy Batson's superhero name needed to be changed to "The Captain" for his upcoming solo series.
Waid sat down with CBR in an exclusive interview to discuss the new Shazam! series he's launching alongside artist Dan Mora in May 2023. Waid, who previously explained Billy's new superhero name would be "The Captain" in Shazam!, explained why this creative decision made sense for the upcoming series but may not extend much further beyond that.
"We were limited," Waid said after saying DC couldn't refer to Billy as Captain Marvel or Captain Thunder because of trademarks. "They weren't super formal conversations because I don't want anybody to make too big a deal out of this. This is more of an in-book thing. You're not going to see a bunch of merchandise with this character. You're not gonna see beach towels with the word "Captain" on them. I'm sure in the world of branding, marketing, and toys, it will always be Shazam. But in the context of the book, I needed a name he could say out loud and refer to himself as because I got back post-Lazarus Planet to the conceit that you can't just say the name. If you're Billy or the other kids, you cannot just say the name without changing."
Billy Batson Is Headed to Gorilla City in Shazam!
The synopsis for Shazam! #1 reads, "The World’s Finest creators present the World’s Mightiest Mortal in a dazzling solo series! Dinosaurs from space! The Clubhouse of Eternity! Homicidal worms and talking tigers! Atomic robots, alien worlds, mad scientists, sinister curses, and villains from throughout the DC Universe—welcome to the wild adventures of Billy Batson, whose big red alter ego defends the Earth from its weirdest and wildest threats! Want to stop Lex Luthor and The Joker? Call Superman and Batman! International crises? Page Wonder Woman! But when Garguax, Emperor of the Moon, sets his sights on Gorilla City, that’s when you shout “Shazam!” The fan-favorite team of Mark Waid and Dan Mora (Batman/Superman: World’s Finest) brings the magic!"
Waid also told CBR about how Shazam! will incorporate some of the wackier elements of the DC Universe, such as Gorilla City or other peculiar enemies. "Billy's world is fantastic," he explained. "Billy's world is a place where the weird, the crazy, and the wacky happen on a regular basis. So this is the book for big ideas that don't fit anywhere else. This is the book for crazy villains like Garguax or Gorilla Grodd that you're not necessarily going to see in other books. I mean, Gorilla Grodd, yes, but you're not gonna see other crazy-ass villains that we're going to be bringing in from the DC Universe here. This is reserved for magical, weird, bizarre villains."
Shazam! #1 features cover and variant cover art by Mora and other variants by Chris Samnee, John Timms, Evan "Doc" Shaner, Ariel Colon and Mike Deodato. The issue releases on May 2, 2023, from DC.
Source: CBR