The fascinating history (and symbolism) of Captain Marvel and Shazam!

If C.S. Lewis had ever tried his hand at the American comic-book superhero genre, he might have come up with something like this. Currently going by Shazam!, the Hero Formerly Known as Captain Marvel is steeped in a potpourri of Classical Mythological references, of Ancient Magic, and of ordinary youth in extraordinary circumstances, drawing on Mysteries of the past to become the best possible versions of themselves. To me, it has always teased at the kind of deeply transcendent spirituality which Lewis excelled at.

So of course, comic book publishers have generally never known quite what to do with the character. But to me, part of the fun of any hero, mythology, or franchise like this is in its potential. It’s not just what they have done or are doing with it, but the possibilities of what could be done. The Shazam franchise has a lot of untapped potential, which makes any new iteration of it something to get excited about.

During the “Golden Age” of superhero comics – from around the late 1930s into the 1950s – Captain Marvel was selling more comics than anyone else, even the celebrated Superman. Which might have had something to do with Detective Comics (Superman’s publishers) suing Fawcett Comics (publishers of Captain Marvel) for copyright infringement.

The case went to court a couple times, with judges in general finding that there were some elements of the character and his stories that could be copyright infringements and elements that clearly weren’t. At this point the market for superhero comics was in decline, Fawcett decided it was best to settle with DC, and shut down its comic-book operation.

The character languished in obscurity until around 1972. By this time superhero comics were enjoying a resurgence, and DC was actively expanding its stable of characters. They acquired the rights to Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family from Fawcett, starting off with a pay-per-use arrangement but eventually owning the character outright.

It’s possible, too, that Marvel Comics’ introduction of their own “Captain Marvel” character might have spurred DC to dig up this old superhero, whom his first comic book covers billed as “The ORIGINAL Captain Marvel.” When Marvel Comics’ lawyers protested, it was quickly changed to “the World’s Mightiest Mortal.”

But the character never quite regained his former popularity. With a couple different creative teams working on short-lived comic-book runs, a few attempts at revivals that never quite got off the ground, and a mid-seventies TV series which I vaguely remember as failing to engage my own pre-adolescent imagination, nothing really seemed to take off.

Captain Marvel remained a Golden Age hero from a time when comics reveled in a kind of goofy nonsensical fun. He was the kind of hero who, when referred to by one of his adversaries as “the Big Red Cheese,” adopted it as an official nickname. And perhaps that’s why he could never quite adjust to the later eras when the superhero genre began to take itself more seriously.

Coming out of a time when comic-books were seen as mostly adolescent wish-fulfillment, the Shazam saga is a kind of super-heroic portal fantasy.

Billy Batson is an orphaned teen (although Jeff Smith’s 2007 miniseries, Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil depicts him as pre-adolescent) who is selected by the Wizard Shazam to be the new incarnation of the heroic champion Captain Marvel. The old wizard’s name is actually an acronym of the names of six great figures from ancient mythology who embody certain heroic virtues.

When Billy Batson speaks the name, he is granted these virtues: 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.

Traditionally, this would change him into the hero Captain Marvel. Though in recent years, what with legal wranglings with Marvel Comics over the name, Batson’s alter ego has gradually switched over to using the name “Shazam.” Since this is also the magic word that transforms him from boy to hero and then back to boy again, it seems that this change makes him the only existing superhero who can’t say his own name.

But there was, I think, something compelling in that original idea of invoking the power of names. The wizard Shazam drew power from these ancient embodiments of heroic virtue. Captain Marvel got his power by invoking the name of the wizard who was his guide and mentor. As the original series progressed, Billy’s best friend Freddie Freeman could invoke the name of Captain Marvel to become Captain Marvel, Junior.

That’s another interesting piece of the Shazam/Captain Marvel story. Years before Greg Berlanti started giving DC superheroes their own shows on the CW Network, Billy Batson bucked the lone-wolf-superhero trope by surrounding himself with a support system of friends and family – most of whom end up with super-powers of their own.

In addition to Captain Marvel, Junior, the “Marvel Family” includes Billy’s sister Mary as “Mary Marvel,” who also uses “Shazam!” as her transformative magic word. Though in the earliest comics she used the word to invoke a more feminine pantheon. She would gain the grace of Selena, the strength of Hippolyta, the skill of Ariadne, the fleetness of Zephyrus, the beauty of Aurora, and the wisdom of Minerva. Recent changes to the characters have simplified the matter, and now everyone uses the same magic word to tap into the same source of power.

2011’s “New 52” reboot of DC’s entire comics line added a few new members to the Shazam Family. In addition to Mary and Freddie, Billie’s foster-siblings Eugene Choi, Pedro Pena, and Darla Dudley get a share in the super-heroics. The magical lightning that transforms Billy into Shazam has always been fairly indiscriminate in doling out powers. Part of the fun of this character has always been that he is able to bring his friends along on his super-heroing escapades.

With a new movie coming out in the spring, starring Zachary Levi as the Big Red Cheese, we’ve also got a brand-new comic-book relaunch. Written by Geoff Johns with art by Dale Eaglesham, the first issue came out in early December. It sticks with the New 52’s extended Shazam family and looks to be more fully embracing that portal fantasy aspect of the mythology as they seek to better understand the mystical forces behind their powers. It’s an interesting start to what should hopefully be a fun and exciting new take on a classic character.