SHAZAM! Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, Mercury. These are the collection of Gods that make up the acronym of Shazam and the powers of Captain Marvel! The Wisdom of Solomon, the Strength of Hercules, the Stamina of Atlas, The Power (Lightning) of Zeus, The Courage of Achilles, and the Speed of Mercury. Works for me. Captain Marvel/Shazam has been fighting evil on and off since 1939. DC Films is bringing back Shazam! next year starring Zachary Levi and Asher Angel and not everyone is happy about it. At least not by what they have seen in the trailer.
In a recent conversation with one of our great readers, we discussed the new Shazam movie. His knowledge was impressive as one might expect with over 60 years of comic book appreciation behind him. After seeing the trailer, he was concerned that it did not reflect his memories of the traditional hero. He had a hard time reconciling the “Wisdom of Solomon” with admissions of not “knowing how to pee in this thing.” His disdain was such that he suggested that they should bury the new movie and pour concrete over it, and this was after only watching the trailer. It was obvious his consternation was real and not uncommon for those familiar with the original Fawcett Comics version of “Captain Marvel” as he was called back then. This was before the law suits and other legal chicanery got involved. But that’s a story for a later time…ok, a couple of paragraphs later. Basically, the issue comes down to the separation of boy and hero and it has been a matter of debate for awhile amongst fans of the very first incarnation. Let’s discuss (as we always do) the character’s initial history.
In the original 1939–1953 Fawcett Comics Captain Marvel, creators Bill Parker and C.C. Beck established that Billy Batson and Captain Marvel were separate personalities. Captain Marvel was an adult hero that Billy transformed into with the magic word “Shazam!” There was a distinct difference between the two. Where Billy Batson was a wily, at times irreverent, and expectedly immature young man, Captain Marvel was more serious and as you might expect with a man with “god-like powers,” much more sure of himself. His vision of the world however leaned more to the black and white, good and evil philosophy and he was definitely more straightforward. It was these separate personalities that differentiated boy and hero. No one would ever mistake Captain Marvel for a teenage boy, at least not in the Parker/Beck version.
In those days, Captain Marvel comic rivaled Superman in popularity, actually outselling the “Man of Steel” during the early years. It was not long after that the legal issues started. First with National Comics Publications (later known as DC) who sued Fawcett for copyright infringement as they claimed Captain Marvel was based in part on Superman. This case went on for seven years before the parties finally settled. By the time the smoke had cleared, sales had diminished to the point that by 1954 due to the legal agreement and the poor sales, Fawcett stopped producing the Marvel family of comics.
In 1972, DC licensed the rights to Captain Marvel from Fawcett hoping to add the character to it’s lineup. But by that time, Marvel had trademarked the “Captain Marvel” name for their own character in 1967. DC released their comic under the name of Shazam. They had attempted to give it the tag line “The Original Captain Marvel” (which he was) but for some reason (are you notating the sarcasm? I’m laying it on pretty thick) Marvel objected and went to court to stop DC from using it. They were ordered to remove that tag line. So instead, it became “Earth’s Mightiest Mortal.”
In the 1980’s, a new writing team of comic veteran’s Roy and Dan Thomas made some changes where instead of separate personalities Shazam would maintain Billy’s youthful personality, immaturity and all. This was done to make some distinctions between Superman’s persona and Shazam’s. It also opened the door to new stories and at times, some humor. It was this version of the character that it appears the current movie makers decided to explore. Much to the chagrin of those who find their hero behaving in an immature manner offensive.
In all honesty, I did not grow up with the character as some have. So I obviously do not have the emotional capital built up as those who did have. I can easily sympathize with those who have the opinion that Shazam should not behave like a kid. It is understandable and I get it. However, I also know how easy it is to make a quick judgement by first appearance. Let me give you a personal analogy. I know a young man who just turned 16. On the exterior, he looks like a normal, good looking young man. But if you watch him, you might see him walking covering his ears, endlessly jabbering about what he saw on the internet and jumping about very unlike you would think for someone of his age. That young man is my son and he has severe autism. Just looking at the exterior, you would never know. In my experience, it is unsettling to see someone act in manner you do not expect. But he is awesome and this may be true for Shazam as well. His behavior is not what those who had a picture of how he should behave were expecting. Again, I understand. I for one was skeptical when it was revealed that Zachary Levi was cast as Shazam! Why? Because I pictured a serious, no holds barred superhero and as big a fan as I am of Zachary, I didn’t see it in him. I then saw the trailer and I understood what the premise was. I decided to withhold judgement until the movie was released. I would urge those who shared my angst to do the same. You cannot judge a person, or a movie by outward appearances. If after watching the movie it still upsets you, by all means vent…hopefully with us at GVNation. Share your views, bring your concerns as our learned reader did. We can all learn something and perhaps improve our own “Wisdom of Solomon.”
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
