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Shazam (wizard)
Shazam (/ʃəˈzæm/), also known as The Wizard or Wizard Shazam, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Fawcett Comics and DC Comics, first appearing in Whiz Comics #2 (February, 1940) created by C.C. Beck and Bill Parker. A major supporting character in Shazam! comic book titles, he often serves as the wise old man. The original version of the character was Jebediah, a young boy who of Egyptian and Canaanite origin who served as the Champion, gaining his power through Canaanite gods. In his later years, he forgoes their powers and learned wizardry before seeking a successor to empower. A revised version of the character is introduced after the New 52. At first introduced as a Kahndaq native who ascended to godhood, this origin was retconned and he is revealed to be Mamaragan, a figure based upon the deity in Kunwinjku culture.[1] This version served as a adjudicator on Earth's supernatural matters as leader of a cabal of six other wizards, making up the Council of Eternity until a betrayal forces him to seek a successor to both his power and the fallen Council.[2] Although the character's motivations and background history differ, they're intended to be incarnations of the same character.[3] The core of the character serves as an ancient sorcerer who battled the forces of evils for centuries until the betrayal of Black Adam, one of his earliest champion and proposed successors, forced him to seal him away and seek another champion to take his place. This would eventually come in the form of Billy Batson, who becomes the hero known as Captain Marvel/Shazam, and the rest of the Marvel Family (currently known as the Shazam Family). He often serves as a mentor to the group[3][4] and is a notable member of the Quintessence, a powerful group of beings who watch over events unfolding in the universe.[5] The Shazam character has been featured in various media and adaptations relating DC Comics series. The original Golden Age incarnation has appeared in live television serial such as the Adventures of Captain Marvel, portrayed by Nigel De Brulier. He also appeared in animated features such as Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam, voiced by James Garner. Notably, Djimon Hounsou portrayed the character in DC Extended Universe films Shazam! (2019), Black Adam (2022), and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) whose appearance and portrayal is inspired by the New 52's earlier version of the character. Publication historyCreated in the 1940s by Bill Parker and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics, he is an ancient wizard (Whiz Comics #2 gives his age as 3,000 years) who gives young Billy Batson the power to transform into Captain Marvel. Despite the new comic's popularity and theatrical success, Captain Marvel was similar enough to Superman that a court ruled against Fawcett in 1952. Two decades after gaining the rights to Captain Marvel, DC Comics began publishing new stories under the title Shazam!. This became a problem for DC's lawyers, as the company had abandoned any rights to the Captain Marvel name, and it was now owned by rival Marvel Comics. While not part of the first wave of DC's The New 52 2011 line wide relaunch, it was announced at New York Comic Con on October 15, 2011, that Billy Batson would be featured in a backup story, "The Curse of Shazam!" beginning in Justice League (vol. 2) #7 in March 2012.[6] It was confirmed by Geoff Johns, DC Comics' chief creative officer and the author of the story, that Billy Batson's alter ego would be called "Shazam" rather than "Captain Marvel" from now on.[7] In DC's, 2012 Free Comic Book Day offering called The New 52 FCBD Special #1, it was revealed that seven wizards representing seven different mythologies occupied the Rock of Eternity at the dawn of time in The New 52.[8] They harnessed the power of magic to cast out a "Trinity of Sin", which acted as a precursor to the 2013 Trinity War crossover event.[9] A younger version of the Wizard is part of this group of wizards. Both the wizard and his champion shared the name "Shazam" in the comic book stories published from then until June 2013,[10] but the Wizard later revealed that "Shazam" is an adopted name, and that his original name is Mamaragan.[1] Fictional character biographyGolden AgeFawcett Comics historyOriginally, the wizard's name was Shazamo, the last letter standing for the hero of magic Oggar. However, Oggar became corrupt and tried to take power from Shazamo. The wizard defeated Oggar and cursed him to live in the world of mortals. He was given cloven hooves as a sign of his inner evil, and could cast each magic spell only once. Shazamo then dropped the last letter of his name.[11] Shazam informs Billy that he is an ancient Egyptian wizard who has been using his powers for many centuries to fight the forces of evil, but that he is now old and not long for this world. He therefore passes along part of his power to Billy, who shouts his name– "SHAZAM!"– to transform into Captain Marvel/Shazam. He also then explains to Billy that his name: is an acronym for six ancient heroes. Each letter empowers him with certain attributes:
Although Shazam is killed, as prophesied, by a giant granite block falling on him, Billy/Captain Marvel/Shazam can summon the ghost of Shazam for guidance by lighting a special brazier in Shazam's lair (the Rock of Eternity). More superheroes soon joined the superhero Shazam in carrying on the legacy of the wizard Shazam, including Shazam Family members Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. Shazam tells that once, 5,000 years before, he gave powers to Black Adam, but Black Adam was killed while turning back to his regular self. He died due to his advanced age. +In the Marvel Family series, he was shown in some early issues carving the Marvel Family adventures into the Rock of Eternity. Post-Crisis origin and early history.jpg) In a story written by E. Nelson Bridwell for World's Finest Comics #262 (cover date April/May 1980), his gave him a backstory in which he was a young shepherd who becomes the Champion, one of the world's first superheroes in ancient Canaan, over 5,000 years ago. By speaking the magic word "VLAREM!" (an anagram of "Marvel"). This background is later explored further in the Power of Shazam! series, in which detailed during his tenure as a Champion, At one point, the Champion is seduced by a demoness disguised as a beautiful woman, and the two of them conceive two half-demon offspring, Blaze and Satanus, much to the displeasure of the gods. The Champion later creates the Rock of Eternity from two large rock formations – one from Heaven and one from Hell – to hold the Three Faces of Evil, a dragon-like demon whose mother is the same demoness as the one who bore his children, captive. Shazam also later trapped demons of the Seven Deadly Sins in statues of themselves and imprisoned them at the Rock of Eternity. Many centuries later, the Champion, now going by the name of "Shazam", feels the need to pass along his powers to a successor. He selects the pharaoh's son Teth-Adam to receive the power to become the superpowered Mighty Adam by speaking the word "SHAZAM!" However, Blaze interferes with this succession and Adam is given powers from the Egyptian deities instead. As her mother did, Shazam's daughter Blaze takes on the form of a beautiful woman and seduces Adam, convincing him to kill the pharaoh and take over the kingdom. An angry Shazam draws Mighty-Adam's powers out of him and into a large jeweled scarab, thereby killing Adam as he ages to death. Shazam then seals his remains and the amulet in a tomb. A wicked reincarnation of Teth-Adam named Theo Adam would steal the scarab many centuries later and use the power of Shazam to become Black Adam. Shazam was upset by this and did not consider passing on his powers for millennia. The wizard resurfaces as an aide on the 1940 Malcolm Expedition, one of many archaeological expeditions into the tombs and pyramids of ancient Egypt. The sarcophagi of Ibis the Invincible and his mate Princess Taia are uncovered and brought to the United States. Shazam follows the sarcophagi. Once they are on display at the Fawcett City Museum, Shazam uses ancient spells to resurrect Ibis. Ibis then joins Bulletman, Spy Smasher, Minute-Man, and others to fight evil during the World War II era. In 1955, a thug knocks a weakened Shazam across the head with a crowbar and causes him to lose his memory. A clueless Shazam wanders around Fawcett for the next forty years until C.C. Batson, a young man Shazam had met on the Malcolm Expedition, recognizes the old man and brings him to the museum to restore his memory. Shazam feels that he has truly found his successor in the upstanding Batson, but before he can act on this, a possessed Theo Adam murders Batson and his wife Marilyn for the magic amulet. He therefore decides to enlist C.C. Batson's young son, Billy, as the successor to his power. Day of VengeanceIn Superman (vol. 2) #216, Shazam calls upon the Spectre to free Superman from being controlled by the demon Eclipso. This action breaks a covenant between Eclipso and the Spectre and sets Eclipso permanently at odds with the wizard. Possessing the body of Jean Loring, the Atom's ex-wife, Eclipso corrupts the confused Spectre into joining forces with her, and begins a war against all magic-powered beings in the DC Universe. Because of his previous action, Shazam is one of the duo's primary targets. In the Day of Vengeance mini-series, Shazam enlists Captain Marvel to keep the Spectre at bay while the wizard gathers all of his power to battle him. With the assistance of the newly formed Shadowpact, a band of magic-based heroes, Captain Marvel fights the Spectre nearly to a standstill, but the Spectre escapes and makes his way to the Rock of Eternity to confront Shazam directly. While Shazam is preparing for his bout with the Spectre, he is confronted by Mordru who has just escaped the Rock of Eternity. Mordru and the wizard fight for a short time while the Spectre begins to approach, despite being delayed by fighting Captain Marvel. More concerned with escaping and staying out of the Spectre's way, Mordru leaves a slightly wounded and tired Shazam to fight the Spectre, who is already more powerful than him at full power.[12] The Spectre overpowers the wizard, absorbs his magics, and kills him. As a result, the Rock of Eternity disintegrates above Gotham City into "a billion pieces" and explodes, freeing the Seven Deadly Sins along with many other demons and sending a depowered Billy Batson falling into the city.[13] In Infinite Crisis #1, Billy finds he is still able to transform into the Captain before he strikes the ground by saying the wizard's name as usual. It is also revealed that the entire affair was orchestrated by Alexander Luthor Jr. and the Psycho-Pirate to reduce magic to its raw form, the death of Shazam turning his name into a tether for the rest of the raw magic that Alexander could harness to power his tower by acquiring one of Shazam's champions, eventually forcibly 'enlisting' Black Adam for that purpose after failing to capture any of the other Marvels. In Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special, the Shadowpact teams up with the majority of the DC Universe's surviving magical characters to rebuild the Rock of Eternity and reseal the Seven Deadly Sins. The final piece of the reconstruction, revealed by Zatanna, is that a new wizard has to be appointed to guard the Rock. Billy, as the only real candidate, is chosen to succeed Shazam as the Rock's new caretaker. In the comic series 52, Captain Marvel is revealed to be currently headquartered at the Rock of Eternity, acting in Shazam's stead. He has already imprisoned the Sins again, although he claims they cause trouble at the full moon. Post-Flashpoint The Shazam character is late reintroduced within the New 52 onward, having several origins. The earliest origin cast Shazam as a Kahndaqi-born sorcerer who ascended to godhood and leads the Council of Eternity, a group of wizards overseeing mystic matters on Earth, and was a keeper of magic.[14] An alternate origin was retroactiely introduced later, revealing himself to be the Kunwinjku deity Mamaragan. This retcon instead explains that the character's songlines guided him to a seat on the Council of Eternity, where he adopted the title of "Wizard" and the name Shazam.[15] One sources suggest both origins are known but the latter is the true one[16] while another suggests he was a Kahndaqi-born wizard who became powerful enough to ascend to godhood early in his life, granting him both Kahndaqi and Aboriginal ties.[2] As leader of the Council, the character would be responsible for numerous incidents such as being the one to punish Phantom Stranger, an interpretation of Judas Iscariot, for his betrayal of Jesus Christ on behalf of the Presence and Pandora, based on Greek mythology, by granting her immortality and scars that constantly burn as a consequence of unleashing the Seven Deadly Sins upon humanity.[2] In the latter case, he later believed his and the Council's punishment was too harsh.[17] He was also responsible for empowering the young Amun as his champion, who shared his with his uncle, Teth-Adam. Teth later killed his nephew to consolidate his power and became the Wizard's primary champion. Teth eventually betrays the Council and kills them off save Shazam, who seals him away.[2] The Shazam! backup in the Justice League comic book title shows an elderly Shazam in the modern era later apologizing to Pandora for giving her a harsh punishment as his demise nears and Black Adam is resurrected by Dr. Sivanna[17] and like past stories, he bestows his powers onto Billy Batson, whom is more abrasive and ill-mannered than previous incarnations but sees potential goodness in him.[18] Unlike previous depictions, he explains to Billy he must say the word "Shazam!" with intent to transform, as the word itself won't do so before seemingly passing on.[17] He later appears in the Darkseid War crossover title, where he replaces Billy's collection of god following Darkseid's supposed death, which disrupted his connections to his old gods. Both Mamaragan and Billy come into conflict with Yuga Khan (known as Zonzu) when he wishes to usurp the Powers of Shazam. After his defeat, the wizard makes him part of Billy's pantheon as pentice for his crimes and reveals his aboriginal ties and being among Billy's new set of empowered gods.[15] DC Rebirth onwardDuring DC Rebirth, he is also a member of the Council of Immortals.[19] He also plays a significant role in the 2018 "Shazam! and the Seven Magiclands" storyline, revealing himself to the Shazam Family as they explore the titular Seven Magiclands. This set into motions of events plotted by Mister Mind and his Monster Society of Evil, manipulating events for the family to choose Billy's biological father, C.C. Batson, as the seventh champion to gain access to their magic as his secret host while pitting the family against him. After he, the society, and surprise adversary Superboy Prime is defeated, Mamaragan becomes aware of a potential future with a redeemed Black Adam as the eventual seventh champion.[20] Mind disrupts the Wizard's efforts to unearthing the threat and manipulates him and Billy into a clash which results in him being sealed away. Mamaragan watches the family battle the society and later a returned Superboy Prime, who was previously imprisoned with magic generating Red Sun energies. Remorseful of not trusting Billy, he comes to believe in his decision and witnesses a potential future where he helps redeems Black Adam and the Shazam Family becomes the spiritual successors of the Council of Eternity.[20] Mamaragan is also referenced in the 2021 Shazam! limited series, his presence disrupted when his future counterpart is killed by the Unkindness, a future version of Raven, as well as the Rock of Eternity being displaced, causing all of the Shazam Family's power to be disrupted and unreliable. These references also restores his connections with Blaze and Satanus, with Billy referencing events connected to the past Power of Shazam! comics and merging aspects of the Golden Age incarnation.[21][22][23][24] In Infinite Frontier, Shazam is shown as a member of a reintroduced incarnation of the Quintessence and appears alongside other members shortly after the defeat of the Batman Who Laughs at the hands of Wonder Woman, whom is invited as a member. The heroine rejects it and shortly after taking her leave, the group is seemingly an empowered Darkseid.[25] Later, it was revealed that the Quintessence was under the control of the Great Darkness (namely Pariah's manipulation of a fraction of its power), eventually leading to the seemingly death of the core members of the Justice League. At the end of the event, after Pariah's defeat and restoration of the Justice League members, the Quintessence, including the Wizard, was revived by the Spectre. In the Black Adam limited ongoing series. The "East of Egypt" storyline includes the Wizard in flashbacks set thousands of years before the present day, in which the events depicted are an altered version of the flashbacks depicted in Marvel Family #1 (December, 1945). These flashbacks also explore Black Adam's history as Mamaragan's champion, Mighty Adam, with several changes made to previous accounts expressed earlier in the New 52 and DC Rebirth, including the methodology of how Black Adam was sealed away. After killing his nephew Aman, Black Adam deceived the Wizard and kept the truth hidden although he remained suspicious. He later betrayed the Council of Eternity, eliminating the others but sedates Mamaragan through magical potions. As pharaoh under the name "Userkare," Black Adam was confronted by his vizier, Mereruka, who employed Ibac to force him to step down. Black Adam prevailed, but Ibac freed the Wizard and he banished Black Adam from Earth after a confrontation over Aman's fate, sent among the stars.[26] In the Lazarus Planet crossover, the Wizard is unexpectedly ousted from his role as Keeper of the Rock of Eternity and believes Billy to be responsible. He aligns himself with Hera, who plans to depose Zeus and seek revenge on mortals. Billy and Yara Flor unite to stop Hera, but are surprised to find the Wizard on her side and Billy is subsequently depowered and captured. The Wizard is later summoned by Hera to enhance her powers against Wonder Woman, but when Hera's agenda becomes unpopular, he doubts and abandons her. Billy later calls upon the Wizard through the Rock of Eternity, where it is revealed that the Wizard initially believed Billy had betrayed him. However, witnessing Mary sacrifice her powers to aid Wonder Woman, the Wizard realizes his mistake and deems Mary worthy to be the Champion. Despite his intention to empower both Billy and Mary, Hippolyta intervenes and chooses to bless Mary's powers through her and seven other gods. Both Billy and Mary regain their powers, with Mary's connection maintained through the blessings of the seven goddesses instead of the Wizard's magic, despite still utilizing the "SHAZAM" method.[27] In the Shazam! 2023 comic book series, the Wizard makes a brief appearance and is mentioned by Billy Batson as he recalls his transformation into Shazam. The series reaffirms Billy's previous origin of falling asleep in a subway, but with some subtle changes. These changes include acknowledging Billy's status as a foster child from his New 52 origin and expressing reluctance regarding the Wizard's intentions. It is revealed that the character eventually entrusts Billy with the Rock of Eternity, hoping that he will treat it with reverence.[28] CharacterizationThe character is depicted as an ancient wizard who bestows powers upon several champions and a staunch defender against evil. In both incarnations of the character, he often seeks a worthy successor to his power and is unable to engage in active combat himself due to his advanced aging.[29][3] In more recent stories, the character is also depicted to be more jaded and fickle due to the betrayal of Black Adam overtime, causing him to constantly question the worthiness of his chosen champions. This is a reoccurring conflict for the character in various storylines.[17][27][20] Throughout the character's history, the Wizard is depicted as a member of the Quintessence, a council of influential beings within the DC Multiverse. The Quintessence is renowned and considered among the most formidable entities in the universe,[5] capable of slaying Darkseid individually.[30] As such, the Wizard stands as a peer to other notable beings within the council such as the Phantom Stranger and the Spectre.[5] Significant relationshipsBilly BatsonOne of the most significant relationships depicted in the Shazam! comic book series with Shazam is with Billy Batson. He often assumes the role of a mentor to Billy and provides assistance in the form of a ghost when needed, utilizing his supernatural knowledge to aid the young hero. In the Power of Shazam! comic book title, the Golden Age version of the character extensively explores his connection with Billy. Alongside his mentorship, the character also expresses his thoughts on Billy's worthiness of his power and even acts as his guardian, assuming the identity of "Jebediah O'Keenan," posing as Billy Batson's grandfather.[31][32] In the modern version, the Wizard's relationship with Billy Batson differs from previous iterations. Reluctantly, the Wizard grants Billy the power, considering his selfish tendencies resulting from a difficult upbringing. However, recognizing Billy's potential for goodness and influenced by specific circumstances, the Wizard chooses him as his champion.[29] Writer Steve Orlando, discussing their relationship in Darkseid War, described it as initially antagonistic but evolving into a "pseudo father-and-son relationship." This makes the Wizard another parental figure in Billy's life, alongside the Vasquez family.[33] Teth-AdamThe character Black Adam also serves to be significant to the Wizard, being the champion before Billy who was initially good but betrays him, influencing the character's actions throughout the centuries as he searches for his replacement.[34] This aspect is explored more extensively within the current version, where it depicts Teth Adam (then known as White Adam) as the secondary champion who ascended by killing Aman, the original chosen champion and his nephew. Unaware of what transpired, Shazam learns centuries later of his fate and seals Teth in return and renames him Black Adam. Although he despises Shazam, he also refers to him as a fatherly figure.[26] Powers and abilitiesThe character is often depicted as a sorcerer with vast godly-level[35] magical abilities, reality alteration powers,[36] and immortality[37] at his peak. In a diminished state, he is only capable of utilizing thunderbolts offensively and advising the Shazam/Marvel Family.[35] Powers of ShazamThe character's most reoccurring power is the Powers of Shazam, a set of superpowers acquired from aspects of different divine entities and notable figure, either from mythology or original creations within the DC Universe, whose names align with the "SHAZAM" acronym. They have the ability to grant power to a chosen champion, whether willingly or under the coercion of the Wizard. When a champion is empowered, the associated divine entities are bound by specific parameters and rules that govern their connection to the champion.[38] Following the New 52, the Powers of Shazam are retroactively associated with the Living Lightning, which is channeled through the distilled essence of six divine entities.[38]
Golden Age versionPowers of VLAREM!The Golden Age version of the character uses a predated version of the Powers of Shazam, in which instead used the acronym "VLAREM", in which the combination aligns within that specific acronym derived from Cannanite gods.
Modern versionWithin the modern depictions of the character, he is described as a sorcerer transcending conventional notions of space-time, allowing for the simultaneous existence of different versions of him across the multiverse as a singular being[24] and was potent enough to be one of the few characters to break Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth.[51] Living LightningThe Living Lightning refers to the unique form of magic in the DC Universe often portrayed to be intrinsically tied to the Mamaragan, lineages of the Marvel Family, and the Rock of Eternity. Debuting in 2011 the New 52,[16] the Rock of Eternity acts as a conduit of the magic[52] and is connected to his life, as his death would result in the and disruption or cessation of these powers for any chosen empowered champion lest he has chosen a new heir to bear the power.[26] The Living Lightning can take the form of a lightning bolt or lightning itself and possesses a wide array of magical abilities. These include spell-casting, enhancing specific powers, and more.[46] It also has safeguards in place that deter usurpation, resulting in the slow demise of the usurper, even with the enhanced stamina provided by the Powers of Shazam.[53] In the New 52, the power associated with the Champion's ability to share their power was retroactively attributed to a sharing spell. Selected champions have the ability to share their powers with their chosen family, and the power level depends on the number of individuals transformed at a given time. All champions draw from the same power pool. The strength of the power is influenced by the emotional connection between the champion and those they empower. The champions' powers can be disrupted by emotional distress related to these relationships. The Wizard Shazam bestows power upon a chosen champion, and once granted, it cannot be revoked. However, the Wizard can depower individuals who were included in the sharing spell. This limitation is established before the events of Lazarus Planet.[20] Equipment and resources
Other versions
 Marvel (Billy Batson)After the events of Infinite Crisis, Billy assumes the role of the wizard Shazam, now known as Marvel, while Freddy Freeman, without powers, attempts to prove himself worthy of the Shazam powers and becomes the new Captain Marvel. Mary loses her powers and falls into a coma but later accepts power from Black Adam. In this new incarnation, Shazam resembles the original Captain Marvel, with only having long, white hair. During the Trials of Shazam!, Sabina gains some Powers of Shazam with the help of the Council of Merlin. She kills Atlas, leading Freddy and Marvel to temporarily shoulder Atlas's burden. Freddy convinces Apollo to take on Atlas's burden, but Apollo shares his powers with Freddy and Sabina out of bitterness. Sabina and the Council of Merlin plot to assault New York City to disrupt the magical balance. The Justice League intervenes, and Freddy battles Sabina. Freddy sacrifices himself and is deemed the most worthy by Zeus, who grants him the full power of Shazam. Sabina is killed, and the demons disappear. Later, Black Adam, Isis, and the corrupted Mary Marvel take control of the Rock of Eternity. Billy and Mary's father recruits Jay Garrick to retrieve Shazam's spirit from the Rock of Finality. Shazam is restored, removes powers from Isis and the Marvels, and turns Black Adam and Adrianna to stone. Shazam cuts off Billy and Mary's access to his power, returns Stargirl to Earth, and mentions dealing with Freddy before closing the Rock of Eternity.[57][58] In other mediaTelevision
FilmAnimated
Live-action
Video games
References
External links
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