Shazam/Characters

Good ol' Captain Marvel has built up quite a supporting cast over his 70+ years of existence. Read more about them here.

The Marvel Family
Chosen by the wizard Shazam, the Marvel Family are empowered by six ancient gods and heroes, possessing 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.


 * Badass Family / Badass Crew
 * By the Power of Greyskull: For most of them, "Shazam!"
 * The Cape (trope): Seriously. Even more than Superman.
 * Henshin Hero
 * Lightning Can Do Anything
 * Flying Brick / Superpower Lottery
 * Flight
 * Super Strength
 * Super Speed

Captain Marvel / Marvel / Shazam III
"AKA: Billy Batson"

The World's Mightiest Mortal himself, Captain Marvel is one of Earth's most powerful heroes. Clad in his red uniform and white-and-gold cape, Cap stands as a symbol of courage, strength, and kindness. What few know, however, is that he is in fact Billy Batson, a young orphan empowered by the great wizard Shazam to be his champion. Whenever he speaks the wizard's name--"SHAZAM!"--Billy is transformed into the mighty Captain Marvel!

Billy's parents, famous archaeologists, were murdered by Theo Adam. After spending most of his childhood penniless and alone on the streets of Fawcett City, Shazam helped Billy find his long-lost twin sister, Mary, with whom he shared some of his vast power; he was then adopted by Mary's surrogate parents, the Bromfields. When not fighting evil as Captain Marvel, Billy is a schoolboy who moonlights as a novelty DJ for Whiz Radio.

After Shazam was killed during the Infinite Crisis, Captain Marvel gained his power as the new wizard, Marvel. This was short-lived, as Shazam was resurrected a couple years later. Due to mistakes Billy, his sister, and Black Adam made in the wizard's absence, Billy is currently powerless, but the time will surely come when he regains his power as Captain Marvel once again.


 * Adult Child
 * Alternate Company Equivalent: Originally Fawcett's version of Superman. Now effectively an Expy, since DC now owns both characters.
 * Death by Origin Story: His parents. In modern continuity, they were killed by Black Adam's descendant/reincarnation.
 * Embarrassing Nickname: The Big Red Cheese. Endowed upon him by Doctor Sivana.
 * Evil Counterpart: Black Adam. Though Adam's "evilness" tends to vary. A lot.
 * Follow the Leader: Obviously created to cash in on Superman's popularity. Then wound up getting so popular, Superman started to copy his trends.
 * Friend to All Children: The original hero for all children everywhere.
 * Fun Personified
 * The Good Captain
 * Incorruptible Pure Pureness: In the '90s Crisis Crossover Underworld Unleashed, Billy's soul was so darn pure that not even the demon prince Neron could corrupt him. In fact he was stated out loud as having the most virtuous spirit of all DC heroes, even Superman. Justice League Unlimited even made a specific point of this. Superman is sometimes played as an older mentor to an even more idealsitic younger brother, who can help out whenever there is magic or kryptonite involved.
 * The Messiah
 * Nigh Invulnerability: When transformed, he has no weaknesses whatsoever, as his magic invulnerability works against pretty much any area of assault. Basically the most invulnerable DC hero around. During battle with the galaxy-ravaging Void Hound, he was hit by an attack that warped space to teleport him inside out, but was only dazed, and it was stated outright that if any other hero had been hit (including Wonder Woman and the Kryptonians) they would probably have died. A major plot point of his original stories was that he and Black Adam weren't strong enough to overcome their own invulnerability. Hence, Superman is probably a bit stronger, and has a greater range of powers, but Captain Marvel is a bit swifter, much more invulnerable, and has no weaknesses in his transformed state.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: His appearance was based on actor Fred MacMurray.
 * Older Alter Ego
 * Put on a Bus: The general treatment ever since Marvel Comics appropriated his name.
 * Sexier Alter Ego - Not that Billy Batson is ugly, but Cap is better looking (not to mention Not Jailbait).
 * Top-Heavy Guy: In some of his cartoonier incarnations.
 * White-Haired Pretty Boy: His "Marvel" incarnation. Not-so-affectionately called "Captain Elric" by some fans.
 * Will They or Won't They?: With Stargirl. They didn't.

Mary Marvel
"AKA: Mary Batson Bromfield"

Captain Marvel's twin sister. While Billy was consigned to poverty after their parents died, Mary was taken in by a kindly rich couple, the Bromfields. When the siblings became teenagers, they met by chance when Mary entered a contest emceed by Billy. When Billy was captured by a gang of thugs, Mary was granted the powers of Shazam and saved her brother. They were reunited at last and the Marvel Family was born.

When Shazam died, Mary lost her powers, leading her on a quest to regain them. After gaining the powers of Black Adam, she fell victim to the silver tongue of the demon Eclipso, who brought her to the evil god Darkseid. Darkseid brainwashed Mary and his minion, Desaad, possessed her. After using Mary's body to fight the heroes of Earth, Desaad was cast out when Freddy Freeman used Shazam's power to exorcize him. She is currently powerless, her corruption by Darkseid having proven her unworthy to the resurrected Shazam; whether this will change is yet to be seen.


 * Action Girl
 * Beware the Nice Ones: In Superbuddies, she's portrayed as incredibly sweet and naive... and then gets Mind Controlled and proceeds to almost kill Captain Freaking Atom.
 * Brainwashed and Crazy: In Countdown to Final Crisis.
 * Clark Kenting
 * Cute Bruiser
 * Dangerously-Short Skirt: Look any further under it, and she'll shock you.
 * Demonic Possession: By Desaad in Final Crisis.
 * Distaff Counterpart: Possibly the first superhero example, although Namora was introduced near the same time.
 * Drunk on the Dark Side: In Countdown. WHAP WHAP WHAP WHAP WHAP
 * Expy: In an odd series of developments, an editor ordered his writers to base Captain Marvel on Superman (although he turned out quite different and more lighthearted); Wonder Woman was apparently based on Captain Marvel (with the similar grounding in magic, and more specifically the divine gifts); Mary Marvel seemed based on Wonder Woman; Supergirl was based on Mary Marvel; and Power Girl was based on Supergirl.
 * Evil Costume Switch
 * Face Heel Turn: In Countdown to Final Crisis. In Final Crisis, it was Retconned as Demonic Possession.
 * Fetish Fuel Station Attendant: The whole "Black Mary" thing. Deconstructed by taking it to ludicrous extremes in Final Crisis, which is when she went back to her old self.
 * Friend to All Children
 * Fun Personified
 * Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Before Countdown, including the wonderful handling in the 12-part "I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League" story.
 * The Messiah
 * Mini-Dress of Power
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: Her appearance was originally based on Judy Garland.
 * Older Alter Ego: Sometimes (in the '90s series), sometimes not (originally and currently).
 * Put on a Bus: Almost.
 * This Is Your Brain on Evil: Again, Countdown.

Captain Marvel, Jr. / CM3 / Shazam II
"AKA: Freddy Freeman"


 * Breakout Character
 * By the Power of Greyskull: Unlike Billy and Mary, his "magic word" was "Captain Marvel!", not "Shazam!" (meaning that he couldn't even say his own name, hence the "CM3" apellation). This changed when he became the leader of the Marvel Family.
 * Clark Kenting
 * Darker and Edgier: But just a little bit, and the drawing style for his original stories was never nearly as goofy as for the others, nor was the tone, which may be why he was chosen to replace Billy.
 * Death by Origin Story: His grandfather, killed by Captain Nazi.
 * Legacy Character: His switch to the second Shazam.
 * Nice Guy
 * Shout-Out: Elvis Presley was a huge Captain Marvel, Jr. fan when he was a kid, and his iconic Vegas outfit was in fact based on Freddy's costume. Modern writers have returned the favor by making Freddy a huge music fan with a love of Elvis in particular.
 * Sidekick Graduations Stick

Shazam I / The Old Wizard / The Champion
"AKA: Jebediah of Canaan"


 * The Archmage: Shazam is the most powerful sorcerer in The DCU, bar none. So powerful he could actually defeat The Spectre in a fight.
 * Back from the Dead
 * Elderly Immortal
 * Ethnic Magician: He's an ancient Canaanite.
 * Mage Tower: The Rock of Eternity is the ultimate example.
 * The Obi-Wan: In some versions of the story, Shazam dies as soon as he empowers Billy.
 * Physical God: Very nearly. He could probably stand toe-to-toe with Darkseid if it came to it.
 * Heck, back in the 90's, one storyline actually had him become a New God, with all the powers that entails.
 * Superpower Lottery: He has the exact same powers as the Marvel Family and near-omnipotent mastery of magic.
 * Wizard Beard
 * Wizards Live Longer: Thanks to the powers of the gods, he is over 5,000 years old.

Uncle Dudley / Uncle Marvel
"AKA: Dudley H. Dudley"


 * Coattail-Riding Relative: Well, a fake relative, anyway, and a relatively benign example. For a short time in the late 1940s, his daughter Freckles pulled the same stunt, essentially riding on his coattails!
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Tawky Tawny, the other oddball of the Marvel Family.
 * Older Sidekick
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: He was based on W. C. Fields.

Mister Tawky Tawny

 * Battle Butler
 * Beware the Nice Ones: He's very kind-hearted and friendly, but push him too far and you WILL see the business end of his claws.
 * The Dandy
 * Funny Animal / Talking Animal: In his first appearance, he was just a regular tiger who decided to walk on two legs, wear a suit, and come to the United States. Later stories Retconned him into an anthropomorphic tiger spirit.
 * Furry
 * Heel Face Turn: It's all but forgotten today, but Tawky was a villain when he first started out, sort of a feline Gorilla Grodd. Heck, he even tried to murder people!
 * I Am Not Left-Handed: When the kid gloves come off, watch out.
 * Nice Guy
 * Panthera Awesome
 * Older Sidekick
 * Took a Level in Badass: In Final Crisis, he kills Kalibak, the son of Darkseid, in single combat. Take note: He may be a kind-hearted dandy, but he's still a freaking TIGER.

Marvel Bunny
"AKA: Hoppy"


 * Breakout Character: He actually had his own series in the Golden Age.
 * Funny Animal: He actually lives in a town called "Funny Animalville".
 * Real Men Wear Pink: He is pink.
 * Ret-Gone: Does not exist post-Crisis.
 * He has appeared in Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew, however

The Lieutenant Marvels (Tall Marvel, Fat Marvel, and Hill Marvel)
"AKA: "Tall" Billy Batson, "Fat" Billy Batson, and "Hill" Billy Batson"

Three young boys from across the United States who just happened to share the same name as Billy "Captain Marvel" Batson--"Tall" Billy from Texas, "Fat" Billy from Brooklyn, and "Hill" Billy from down south. Travelling to Fawcett City to meet the famous kid radio star, the four formed the "Billy Batson Club". When the quartet were kidnapped by Doctor Sivana, Billy gave the other three the ability to transform into the Lieutenant Marvels by saying "Shazam". Afterwards, the three became members of the Marvel Family, aiding the Big Red Cheese on a part-time basis.

The three Lieutenant Marvels were erased from history by the Crisis on Infinite Earths (though post-Crisis versions of them were briefly seen in Trials of Shazam!, only to immediately lose their powers).


 * Big Applesauce: Fat Marvel (who is not an example of Brooklyn Rage despite being from Brooklyn).
 * Deep South: Hill Marvel.
 * Everything Is Big in Texas: Tall Marvel.
 * One Steve Limit: Averted hard.
 * Punny Name: "Hill" Billy Batson. Seriously.
 * Ret-Gone

The Black Marvel Family

 * Badass Family
 * Lightning Can Do Anything
 * Flying Brick / Superpower Lottery: Adam and Osiris; Isis has a different set of powers.
 * Flight
 * Super Strength
 * Super Speed

Black Adam / Mighty Adam
"AKA: Theo Adam / Teth-Adam"

Black Adam was an Egyptian champion of Shazam given his powers, who was sent into suspended animation after corrupting them upon the deaths of his family. In modern times, he was reincarnated in the body of a descendant, a thief and a murderer. Eventually, his original personality took hold, though before long, it was revealed that he was pretty brutal in the old days as well. Twisting various other legacy heroes to his ways, he formed his own team, took over his home country (killing the dictator in charge), and became a huge Anti-Hero character. He gained and lost a new family once his new team broke up, as Isis and Osiris were brutally killed in the 52 event, and he became a genocidal maniac as a result. Shazam has finally decided to punish him by turning him into a statue, and as of 2011, he remains stuck that way.


 * Anti-Hero: Type V; a defining modern example. Despite being a hero on the JSA, he had no problem with killing people, finally quitting the team when they let Kobra go rather than see anyone die.
 * The Atoner: Initially, he joins the JSA to prove himself a hero, decrying the actions of Theo Adam. It doesn't turn out too well.
 * Badass
 * Breakout Character / Breakout Villain
 * By the Power of Greyskull: "Shazam!"
 * Deliberate Values Dissonance: 5,000 years ago, his methods were grade-A heroic.
 * Evil Counterpart: At first, though Character Development made him more morally ambiguous.
 * Gorn: Various writers and artists could be said to indulge themselves to this with Adam stories, as he has Superman-level powers and no problems with killing. His mini-series was particularly bad. He's shred limbs, torn people in half, stomped people into goo, and punched a guy's metal mask through his face.
 * Heel Face Revolving Door
 * Knight Templar
 * Pointy Ears: Inexplicably. At first it was probably to give him a demonic appearance, but now it's just The Artifact (and makes him look like the Sub-Mariner's long-lost twin).
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge: He demolishes an entire country, a Libya-stand-in called Bialya, when he finds out they allied with those who murdered Osiris and Isis.
 * Taken for Granite
 * Thou Shalt Not Kill: Heavily averted.
 * Token Evil Teammate: During his tenure with the JSA.
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist

Isis
"AKA: Adrianna Tomaz"


 * Back from the Dead: She was killed by the Horseman of Pestilence, but revived by Evil Sorcerer Felix Faust to torment Adam. It backfired when she castrated him with her bare hands.
 * By the Power of Greyskull: "O Mighty Isis!"
 * Canon Immigrant: She was originally the star of a short-lived TV show from the '70s, though the comic version bears little resemblance to the original.
 * Elemental Powers
 * Friend to All Children / Friend to All Living Things
 * Fertile Feet
 * Heel Face Revolving Door: Currently good.
 * Knight Templar: After her resurrection.
 * Stuffed Into the Fridge
 * Taken for Granite: Unlike Adam, she was freed from this fate.
 * With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Not originally, but she slips into genocidal mode after Black Adam frees her from Felix Faust's control. After Osiris reverts her back to normal from her stone state, she keeps slipping back from maniacal to good until Osiris is able to get her back to sanity.

Osiris
"AKA: Amon Tomaz"


 * A God Am I: Thinks it's okay to kill normal people because of his godlike powers.
 * Ax Crazy
 * Back from the Dead: Thanks to the White Light in Blackest Night.
 * By the Power of Greyskull: "Black Adam!"
 * Evil Counterpart: To Captain Marvel, Jr.
 * Heel Face Turn
 * Face Heel Turn: No longer cares who he kills so long as he gets results.
 * Psycho Electro / Shock and Awe: Emits lightning bolts by speaking his sister's name.
 * Stuffed Into the Fridge
 * Token Good Teammate: To Deathstroke's Titans at first, but he quickly slips into evil.
 * Unwitting Pawn: Of Blaze, in Titans.

Sobek / Famine
"AKA: Yurrd the Unknown"


 * Back from the Dead: Although his "soul" is still "alive", his mortal remains were reanimated as a Black Lantern.
 * Big Eater: On account of being a crocodile. And, y'know, the living personification of hunger.
 * Dark Chick: Of the Four Horsemen. He's the least powerful and most erratic.
 * Evil Counterpart: Of Tawky Tawny.
 * Fan Nickname: "Tawky Crawky".
 * The Farmer and the Viper: "What use is love to a reptile? My blood is cold!"
 * Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Or rather Apokolips. He's Famine.
 * I Am a Humanitarian: Again, Famine. He's pretty hungry.
 * The Mole: For Intergang.
 * Obfuscating Stupidity
 * Phrase Catcher: "Oh, Sobek!"
 * Reptiles Are Abhorrent
 * Sealed Inside a Person-Shaped Can: His essence is currently inside Dr. Veronica Cale.

Blaze
"AKA: Angelica Blaze"


 * The Corrupter: Of both Black Adam and Osiris.
 * Demon Lords and Archdevils
 * Half Human Hybrids
 * Lean and Mean
 * Rogues Gallery Transplant: Originally a Superman villain, but shifted to the Shazam cast when it turned out the Wizard was her father.
 * Sibling Rivalry: With her brother Lord Satanus.
 * Wicked Witch

Captain Nazi
"AKA: Albrecht Duhrer"


 * Anthropomorphic Personification: May or may not be one for Nazis.
 * As Long as There Is Evil: Once, Black Adam asked how he came back after a sure death. He explains that as long as at least one person in the world believes in the ideals of Nazism, he can never die.
 * Blond Guys Are Evil
 * Famous-Named Foreigner: Shares his name with a woodcut artist famous for depicting the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
 * For the Evulz / Kick the Dog: In the middle of a battle with Captain Marvel, Captain Nazi took time off to murder Freddy's grandfather and cripple him. Why? For the heck of it. He later came back and tried to finish Freddy off. Why? Once again, for the heck of it.
 * The Good Captain: Averted so hard.
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast
 * Super Soldier
 * Those Wacky Nazis
 * Ungrateful Bastard: Freddy and his grandfather saved Captain Nazi from drowning. He promptly killed the latter and crippled the former. Why? As he puts it, "Might as well ask, 'Why is the sky blue?'"
 * Wearing a Flag on Your Head: Has a swastika on his chest.

Doctor Sivana
"AKA: Thaddeus Bodog Sivana"

The world's foremost Mad Scientist, Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana is a spiteful, petty, raving troll of a man who will settle for nothing less than total global domination... if only he can get rid of that Big Red Cheese first. Originally the CEO of Sivana Industries, Sivana's battles with Captain Marvel led to his financial ruin, which caused him to slip deeper and deeper into insanity. He was also the employer of Theo Adam, and accidentally provided him with the scarab that turned him into Black Adam; he later helped create the Four Horsemen who killed Isis and Osiris. Today, Sivana is a rogue scientist who has allied himself with the Secret Society of Super-Villains, the Injustice League, and the Oolong Island Science Squad.


 * Arch Enemy: Originally, though he's not crossed paths with Cap in the mainstream DCU for about a decade.
 * Bald of Evil
 * Big Bad
 * Card-Carrying Villain: He proudly proclaims himself the World's Wickedest Scientist.
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive
 * Dastardly Whiplash: He invokes a few of these traits, including his Evil Laugh and Catch Phrase "Curses! Foiled Again!"
 * Embarrassing First Name / Embarrassing Middle Name: Thaddeus Bodog Sivana.
 * Evil Genius
 * Evil Laugh: "Heh! Heh! Heh!"
 * Mad Scientist: The Ur Example in The DCU.
 * Scary Shiny Glasses
 * Shorter Means Smarter: He's a genius, and incredibly short.
 * Take Over the World: His stated goals are, in no particular order--1) Become Rightful Ruler of the Universe in fact as well as in name; 2) Spread evil, wickedness, and nastiness throughout the cosmos; and 3) humiliate, discredit, and ultimately KILL CAPTAIN MARVEL! Heh heh heh!
 * Ugly Guy, Hot Wife

Ibac
"AKA: Stanley "Stinky" Printwhistle"


 * Bald of Evil
 * The Brute
 * By the Power of Greyskull: "Ibac!"
 * Dumb Muscle
 * Evil Counterpart

King Kull

 * Genius Bruiser
 * Super Strength
 * Ultraterrestrials: He comes from a race of super-advanced cavemen.

Mister Mind

 * Big Bad: Of the Monster Society of Evil.
 * The Chessmaster
 * Evil Genius
 * The Napoleon
 * Psychic Powers
 * Puppeteer Parasite
 * Starfish Aliens: He's a two-inch alien worm.

Sabbac I
"AKA: Timothy Karnes"


 * By the Power of Greyskull: "Sabbac!"
 * Demon Lords and Archdevils: Sabbac is powered by six of them: Satan, Any, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Crateis.
 * Evil Counterpart
 * Flying Brick
 * Playing with Fire
 * Super-Powered Evil Side

Sabbac II
"AKA: Ishmael Gregor"


 * Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: He's grown to giant size once or twice.
 * Breath Weapon
 * Evil Counterpart
 * Flying Brick
 * Genius Bruiser
 * Husky Russkie
 * Legacy Character
 * Man of Wealth and Taste
 * Playing with Fire

Other Heroes
In addition to the Marvel Family, Fawcett City is home to various other heroes, mostly drawn from DC's acquisitions from Fawcett Comics.

Bulletman and Bulletgirl
"AKA: Jim and Susan Barr"

Ibis the Invincible
"AKA: Amentep"

Minute-Man
"AKA: Jack Weston"

Mister Scarlet and Pinky the Whiz Kid
"AKA: Brian and Pinkerton Butler"

Spy Smasher
"AKA: Alan Armstrong"

The Squadron of Justice
A team of super-heroes brought together by the god Mercury, the informally-named Squadron of Justice was the Earth-S counterpart to Earth-1's Justice League and Earth-2's Justice Society. Comprised of Captain Marvel, the Lieutenant Marvels, Bulletman, Bulletgirl, Ibis, Mister Scarlet, and Pinky, they came together to rescue Shazam from the clutches of King Kull. They won the day with the aid of the JLA and JSA. The Squadron of Justice does not exist post-Crisis.


 * Canon Discontinuity