Shazam, often referred to as simply The Wizard, is a character appearing in American comic books published by both Fawcett Comics and DC Comics. He is not to be confused with his champion, Shazam/Captain Marvel, with the former bestowing powers onto the latter, as detailed in the 1940s Whiz Comics. In more modern stories, however, after DC officially changed Captain Marvel's name to "Shazam" in 2012, the characters now share the name as part of a legacy hero archetype.
Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam and the Captain, is a superhero in American comic books originally published by Fawcett Comics and currently published by DC Comics. Artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker created the character in 1939. Captain Marvel first appeared in Whiz Comics #2, published by Fawcett Comics. He is the alter ego of Billy Batson, a boy who, by speaking the magic word "Shazam!", is transformed into a costumed adult with the powers of superhuman strength, speed, flight, and other abilities. The character battles an extensive rogues' gallery, most of them working in tandem as the Monster Society of Evil, including primary archenemies Black Adam, Doctor Sivana and Mister Mind. Billy often shares his powers with other children, primarily his sister Mary Batson and their best friend/foster brother Freddy Freeman, who also transform into superheroes and fight crime with Billy as members of the Marvel Family, also known as the Shazam Family.
Black Adam, real name Teth-Adam, is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck, and first appeared in the debut issue of Fawcett Comics' The Marvel Family comic book in December 1945. Since DC Comics licensed and acquired Fawcett's characters in the 1970s, Black Adam has endured as one of the archenemies of the superhero Captain Marvel / Shazam and the Marvel Family, alongside Doctor Sivana and Mister Mind.
Mary Marvel is a superheroine originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #18. The character is a member of the Marvel / Shazam Family of heroes associated with the superhero Shazam / Captain Marvel and is one of the first female spin-offs of a major male superhero, and predates the introduction of Supergirl by more than a decade.
The Marvel Family, also known as the Shazam Family, are a group of superheroes who originally appeared in books published by Fawcett Comics and were later acquired by DC Comics. Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and artist Marc Swayze, the team was created as an extension of Fawcett's Captain Marvel franchise, and included Marvel's sister Mary Marvel, their friend Captain Marvel Jr., and, at various times, a number of other characters as well.
Mister Mind is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics, he made a cameo appearance in Captain Marvel Adventures #22 before making his full first appearance in Captain Marvel Adventures #26. One of Captain Marvel's greatest enemies, Mister Mind is a two-inch alien caterpillar of high intelligence with telepathic powers who usually carries out his villainous plans through an organization called the Monster Society of Evil. The Monster Society of Evil made its debut in Captain Marvel Adventures #22, and the resulting "Monster Society of Evil" story arc continued for two years in Captain Marvel Adventures, ending with issue #46.
Day of Vengeance is a six-issue comic book limited series written by Bill Willingham, with art by Justiniano and Walden Wong, published in 2005 by DC Comics.
The Power of Shazam! is a 1994 hardcover graphic novel, written and painted by Jerry Ordway for DC Comics. The 96-page story, depicting the revamped origins of former Fawcett Comics superhero Captain Marvel, was followed by an ongoing series, also titled The Power of Shazam!, which ran from 1995 to 1999.
Thaddeus Bodog Sivana is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Parker and C. C. Beck, the character is a recurring enemy of the superhero Captain Marvel, who first appeared in Whiz Comics #2 by Fawcett Comics. A mad scientist and inventor bent on world domination, Sivana was soon established as Captain Marvel's main archenemy during the Golden Age, appearing in over half of the Fawcett Captain Marvel stories published between 1939 and 1953.
The Lieutenant Marvels are fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. They first appeared in Whiz Comics #21 in 1941. The physical appearance of the three characters was based on three real-life members of the Fawcett Comics staff: Paul Peck, Ed Hamilton, and Frank Taggart.
Isis is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, as well as a separate Egyptian goddess also living in the DC Universe. The superhero character is modeled closely after the main character of The Secrets of Isis, a live-action television program starring Joanna Cameron that served as the second half of The Shazam!/Isis Hour. The television character, named Andrea Thomas, appeared in several late 1970s DC Comics publications.
Sabbac is the name of three American comic book supervillains appearing in DC Comics. The original Sabbac debuted in Captain Marvel Jr. #4, and was created by Otto Binder and Al Carreno as an enemy of Captain Marvel Jr., while an updated version debuted in Outsiders #8, and was created by Judd Winick and Tom Raney as a nemesis for both Junior and the Outsiders superhero team. A third version was introduced in Justice League #10, and was created by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank as an adversary for the Shazam Family and an associate of Black Adam and the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man.
The Monster Society of Evil is a supervillain team created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. It is led by Mister Mind against their mutual enemy Captain Marvel. The team is significant as one of the first supervillain teams in comics to contain villains that a superhero had fought previously; prior to this, supervillain teams were composed of villains created just for that storyline. In fact, the Monster Society consists of every major enemy Captain Marvel had ever faced.
Captain Marvel Jr. is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A member of the Marvel/Shazam Family team of superheroes associated with Captain Marvel/Shazam, he was created by Ed Herron, C.C. Beck, and Mac Raboy, and first appeared in Whiz Comics #25 in December 1941.
Tawky Tawny is a fictional character, an anthropomorphic tiger who appears as a supporting character of Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family in superhero/talking animal comic book stories published by Fawcett Comics and later DC Comics.
King Kull is a supervillain, created by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck. He originally appeared in Fawcett Comics in the early 1950s, before that company ceased publishing its superhero titles. DC Comics would later revive the character in the 1970s, where he now appears as a foe of Captain Marvel.
The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man, is the name of a group of fictional demon characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They debuted in Whiz Comics #2 and were created by C.C. Beck and Bill Parker.
Oggar, the World's Mightiest Immortal, is a fictional character from the publisher Fawcett Comics, whose publication rights were acquired by DC Comics in the 1970s. Oggar was a villain of Captain Marvel chronology in Pre-Crisis; he made no Post-Crisis appearances. He first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures # 61. His first appearance in DC Comics was in World's Finest Comics # 264.
Shazam! is a 2019 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Produced by New Line Cinema, DC Films, the Safran Company, and Seven Bucks Productions, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the seventh installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). It was directed by David F. Sandberg from a screenplay by Henry Gayden who co-wrote the story with Darren Lemke, and stars Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Djimon Hounsou. The film follows teenager Billy Batson (Angel) as he is chosen by the ancient wizard Shazam (Hounsou) to be his new champion by saying the name "Shazam", allowing him to transform into an adult superhero (Levi) with various superpowers. Billy and his foster brother Freddy Freeman (Grazer) must discover Billy's new powers in order to stop the evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong) and the Seven Deadly Sins.
Lego DC Shazam!: Magic and Monsters is a 2020 American computer-animated superhero comedy film based on the DC Comics and Lego brands. The film is produced by DC Entertainment, The Lego Group and Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. It is the tenth Lego DC Comics film and was released on digital on April 28, and on Blu-ray and DVD on June 16, 2020. The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for the humor and action.
