![]() ![]() Thaddeus Bodog Sivana (yes, his middle name is “Bodog” although that is never mentioned in the movie) first appeared in the very first Shazam story in Whiz Comics #2 in 1939. Oh, by the way…why did the first Shazam story appear in Whiz Comics #2 and not #1? Because there wasn’t REALLY a Whiz Comics #1…at least not one that was made available to the public. But speaking of that villain, we’d better get to… Who is Dr. The story, by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, was a brand new take on the character’s origins, and it is the heaviest, most obvious influence on the movie, from the look of the costume, to Billy having an extended foster family who all gain costumes of their own (traditionally, it had only been Freddy and Mary), to giving Dr. DC finally gave in to the inevitable and just changed the character’s actual name to Shazam in 2011.Īnd the 2011 story that did that is especially significant for this movie. For the next 30 or so years, the character’s actual name never appeared on books, toys, shirts, cookies, whatever (even though he was still called Captain Marvel in the stories). The solution? Instead of calling the new book Captain Marvel, the title was simply, Shazam!. ![]() And Marvel had cannily created their OWN Captain Marvel a couple of years earlier. The problem was that in 1972, DC had a notable competitor named…Marvel Comics. By 1954, Fawcett finally agreed to cease publication of all Shazam related publications…and then DC revived the character in 1972. That didn’t sit well with National Periodical Publications (who are now, of course, DC Comics), who sued the red and yellow pants off Fawcett, claiming that Cap and friends were ripoffs of Superman. The simplicity of the character really touched a nerve with young readers, and for a period in the 1940s, Shazam comics were outselling Superman comics. The character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2 in 1939, where he went by the name of (wait for it) Captain Marvel. You’re probably already aware of the confusing history surrounding the Shazam name and franchise. It’s only the recent comics that have given him the power to throw lightning, something which makes a lot more sense for a character with “Zeus” as a key part of his power set. What’s interesting is that “the power of Zeus” was always pretty vague in the comics, and was often just interpreted as the explanation for the character’s general invulnerability. Beck in 1939. And just in case you missed it in the film, the magic word “Shazam” grants you 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. OK, first thing’s first…the character who, for the sake of simplicity and sanity we’re going to call Shazam for the rest of this article was created by Bill Parker and C.C. But if you think you’ve spotted something I missed, drop us a note in the comments or hit me up on Twitter and if it checks out, we’ll get it added. I’ve put everything I’ve found from the movie (so far) here. We’re trying to track down all the bits of Shazam and DC Universe lore peppered throughout the latest DCEU adventure…but we need your help. The movie is based heavily on one specific Shazam! story, the 2011 origin tale by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, but throughout there are elements drawn from 80 years of Shazam history. Shazam! marks the first time the character has come to the big screen as a big budget movie (1941’s The Adventures of Captain Marvel was a serial, not a feature film). We have a spoiler free review of the film here. Other than that though, Shazam really is a ton of fun.This article consists of nothing but Shazam! spoilers. Yeah Zachary Levi feels like a kid, but just not this kid. With this, it's two different actors, and it really does feel like two different characters. I guess it's supposed to be something like with Spider-Man where when he's in the suit, he lets loose and feels more free to get all his quips going, but with Spider-Man that works better because the character is still played by Tom Holland. Billy is this brooding sad character, and Shazam is fun and wacky. I don't quite buy Shazam and Billy Batson as the same character. Where it doesn't quite work for me, and really my only nitpick, is the blending of the two elements. The villain is a bit standard, but still enjoyable enough, and the movie is just a great time. Zachary Levi is absolutely fantastic as an adult superhero with a child's mind, and he's just damn funny. The superhero comedy stuff all works too. I didn't think I'd like all the other orphan kids, his new family, but I really enjoyed their stories. ![]() The other funny this is, it kind of works! Kind of. The funny thing with Shamaz is it almost feels like half of it is an indie film about an orphan boy finding a family and the other half is this wacky superhero movie. ![]()
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