Shazam, formerly known as Captain Marvel, debuted as a movie under DC comics in 2019. Shazam made his first appearance in a comic book in 1939 under Fawcett Comics, created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck. The Comic was called Whiz Comics #2. The striking similarities between Superman and Shazam led to a feud between Fawcett Comics and DC Comics. Fawcett was already packing their stuff as it was already a closing shop and DC won the case. DC didn’t choose to claim Captain Marvel until the ‘70s. However, by then it was too late for him to go by that name as Marvel had come up with their own Captain Marvel.
Having the trademark name, DC decided to call Billy Batson’s magic word “Shazam!” and the character was getting popular. The writers continued to use the name Captain Marvel but the cover of the comic could not. Shazam is somewhat similar to Superman, but their timelines have taken separate paths. Shazam is an interesting character, having his own superhero family, and unusual sidekicks. On this list, we have listed 6 facts that make this character different from other superheroes.
1) He’s The Youngest Member Of The Justice League
As we know Billy Batson is just a young boy who uses his magic word “Shazam!” to transform into a superhero. Being just a teenager, it makes him the youngest member of the justice league. Although his age varies depending on what you are reading, he’s typically somewhere between eight and thirteen, still making him the youngest member.
2) He Is Imbued With The Power Of Six Immortal Elders
Here’s an interesting fact: Shazam is actually an acronym. It stands for the six immortal elders from which he derives his powers: the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury.
When Billy says “Shazam!” he is granted the powers of these six immortal elders. Originally, the wizard who granted Billy his powers was called Shazam.
3) He Came From His Own Parallel Universe
Captain Marvel hasn’t always been an easy fit for the DC Universe. Mainly because he wasn’t originally created for it, irrespective of that fact, Billy didn’t always make sense within the boundaries of regular DC continuity. the Shazam Family existed in the parallel universe of Earth-S.
Many years later, DC reintroduced the multiverse and Captain Marvel once again hailed from somewhere else, Earth-5, aka Thunderworld.
4) He’s A Match For Superman
The similarity between Superman and Shazam is visible. Superman may have more experience, but Billy’s got something pretty important as well: magic, which coincidentally happens to be one of Superman’s vulnerabilities. The outcome of their fight has been dependent on the writer. It is an age-old debate and there is no specific answer to who is better.
5) He Has Extraordinary Abilities
With all the basic super abilities such as flying, super strength, being incredibly fast he has uncommon abilities such as teleporting, although he does not use it that often and speaking any language known to humans, animals, and as well as aliens. He has a very special ability which is having fire powers, The H in “Shazam” stood for a Martian god named H’ronmeer. Through him, Shazam was granted the power to summon fire, which means more than dragon breath. He can also shoot the fire from his hands.
6) His Initial Appearance Was Based On Fred MacMurray
Many superheroes are based on popular actors, such as the Ultimate version of Nick Fury was famously modeled after Samuel L. Jackson. Similarly, Captain Marvel’s original appearance was based on a popular actor of the time, Fred MacMurray. Artist C.C. Beck stated, “Captain Marvel himself was based on the actor Fred MacMurray, who was known as a pretty down-to-earth guy.”
Source: ScreenRant
