Marvel Family
The Marvel Family are a superhero team that features in Fawcett Comics/DC Comics.
Contents |
History
Fawcett
The Marvel Family were a team of superheroes headed by Captain Marvel. Their creation was traced to the wizard Shazam who had bestowed Billy Batson with the powers of Captain Marvel to fight evil in the world. Captain Marvel shared a portion of his powers with Freddy Freeman, who became Captain Marvel, Jr. Billy hosted the WHIZ quiz show the Mental Marvel Quiz, with the contestants being Freddy Freeman and rich girl Mary Bromfeld. During a commercial break Billy got a note from Sarah Primm, saying she was dying and it was urgent he go to see her. He changed into Captain Marvel to see her, and she revealed that she was his nurse when he was an infant. He had a twin sister, Mary, and when their parents died she despaired at the thought of sending them both to an orphanage, but she was also the nurse of the rich Mrs. Bromfeld, and when her infant daughter suddenly died Primm switched Mary with the dead baby so she would be raised in luxury. When Mary was a young girl Sarah gave her half of a locket telling her that her life would change when she found the other half, not revealing that she intended to find Billy one day to give him the other half. Sarah gave him the other half of the locket and told him to find his sister. Mary won the quiz show, and Billy and Freddy pondered who his sister might be. Mary was abducted by some kidnappers, but saved by Captain Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr. Cap saw her locket, and realizing she was his sister he changed back into Billy and told her the whole story. The kidnappers revived and knocked out Billy and Freddy. Mary said the magic word Shazam, which Billy used to change into Captain Marvel, and found herself transformed into Mary Marvel. She easily dispatched the kidnappers, and the Marvels visited the ghost of Shazam. He told her that he had given powers to Mary, though she drew her strength from different gods than Billy and Freddy. In Mary's case, she was given the wisdom of Selena, the strength of Hippolyta, the stamina of Ariadne, the power of Zephyrus, the courage of Aurora and the speed of Minerva where they became a family. (Captain Marvel Adventures v1 #18)
They travelled to Jupiter to save a scientific expedition on the surface that had been attacked by the native reptilian dinosaurs from the wild jungles. (Marvel Family v1 #5)
The Marvel Family later battled the Shazam Robot that had been constructed by them on behalf of Uncle Dudley. This robot had superhuman abilities as a result of its construction buts its once peaceful personality got altered after an accident causing it to seek out the destruction of mankind. (Marvel Family v1 #5)
Afterwards, Professor Phil Phogg developed a serum that altered human muscles so that they could absorb kinetic energy. He was stopped from trying his creation by a criminal named Jug Jaspers who drank it and developed superhuman powers allowing him to become stronger the more physical strikes made against him. Jaspers then took the name of Mr. Power leading to him fighting the Marvel Family who struggled to fight the villain. The heroes tricked the villain and did not fight him leading to him losing the strength he gained from the physical strikes made against him. (Marvel Family v1 #26)
In their civilian identities, they attended Operation Atom that was a series of experiments in atomic research. At the time, a number of mysterious failures were erupting at the facility with it being determined to be the work of green skinned Gremlins. The creatures claimed to had been peaceful but were in reality extraterrestrials from the planet Zorkia dispatched by their boss Glozzk who sought to plunder Earth of its atomic inventions. The Gremlins succeeded and returned with their spoils as Glozzk intended to use them to attain a profit as his business as a war profiteer ended when conflict was outlawed on his world. The Marvel Family pursued the aliens to their world where they aided in their apprehension by the planetary authorities before returning back to Earth with the stolen atomic inventions. (Marvel Family v1 #76)
DC
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. The Marvel Family were a team of superheroes headed by the heroic Captain Marvel. Billy Batson was gifted with the power of Captain Marvel from the wizard Shazam, and his long-lost sister soon joined him as Mary Marvel. Marvel and Mary visited Shazam, telling him about their recently crippled friend Freddy Freeman, and asked him to share his powers with their friend. Shazam reminded them that his powers were not infinite, and that he had no idea how Mary realized to say the magic word to make herself a Marvel. They revealed that their stuffed toy Mr. Tawky-Tawny guided them along, and Shazam denied using an anthropomorphized tiger to do his will. The Marvels were confused, but Captain Marvel was sure that whoever sent Tawny, Mary was meant to share his power. Shazam urged them to find a solution for themselves, which Captain Marvel thought was an unfeeling gesture, and they left. Billy went back to his radio show, and Mary visited Freddy in the hospital. Captain Nazi attacked Freddy in the hospital, flying off with him, and Mary and the Captain responded. Mart changed back into Bromfield, relinquishing her powers to Captain Marvel, who defeated Captain Nazi. The heroes used their Shazam lightning to get Freddy’s heart started, and took him back to the Rock of Eternity, where they finally realized that Shazam had given his blessing, but they had to be the ones to share their power with Freddy. By saying the name Captain Marvel Freddy turned into an idealized version of himself, tentatively named Captain Marvel, Jr. Shazam told him he now had the responsibility to fight injustice, like the other members of the newly formed Marvel Family. Although he was a demigod with Shazam’s powers, he had returned to being a cripple as Freddy. Freddy understood the drawbacks, and what was expected of him, and in his civilian identity Captain Marvel returned him to the hospital. (The Power of Shazam! v1 #7)
The Marvel Family responded to an incident at Fawcett Pharmaceuticals when the god Heqt manifested on the earthly plane. The goddess was angered when the company was harvesting a gland for cancer treatments with this requiring the death of a hundred frogs to make three pills. As Billy Batson used his magic word, the frog god struck him thus turning him into one of the amphibians with her power affecting the other members of the Marvel Family. This led to Captain Marvel, Jr. stuck in a state of constant speed whilst Mary Marvel would speak either gibberish or incoherent sentences. The two went to Metropolis to get the aid of Superman who they took to Fawcett City where they battled the frog avatar. Ultimately, Superman managed to guess from the two members of the Marvel Family that they needed him to say the magic word leading to him becoming host to the lightning. With both his own power and Captain Marvel, the merged hero managed to speak directly to the goddess Heqt and convinced her to end her rampage on the mortal plane thus returning everything back to normal. (Action Comics v1 #768)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Black Adam then demanded that the Living Lightning be released to him with this being the point when Billy realised he could share the power. He then decided to release the magic but to his adoptive siblings who gained superpowers with them all forming the Shazam Family. (Justice League v2 #21)
They were then beset upon by the Monster Society who had been freed from their prison in the Magiclands and it was revealed that Billy's father C.C. had been possessed by Mister Mind. (Shazam! v3 #11)
Overview
They were at one point referred to as the Shazamily. (Shazam! v3 #11)
It was said that the Marvel Family did not expect thanks for their efforts. (Marvel Family v1 #5)
Members
- Billy Batson :
- Mary Batson :
- Freddie Freeman :
- Eugene Choi : a young Asian male adopted by the Vasquez family where he could hear and communicate with technology. (Justice League v2 #21)
- Pedro Peña :
- Darla Dudley : a young black girl adopted by the Vasquez family where she gained increased speed as a result of calling upon the power of Shazam to her. (Justice League v2 #21)
- C.C. Batson :
- Uncle Dudley :
- Thunder :
- Tanist :
Notes
- The Marvel Family was created by Otto Binder, Ed Herron, C. C. Beck, Mac Raboy, and Marc Swayze where they made their first appearance in Whiz Comics v1 #121 (September, 1941).
- In an interview on IGN, writer Geoff Johns noted, "One of the best parts of Shazam, to me, that’s been in its legacy since the Marvel Family was introduced with Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr., is that there’s always been a family of superheroes. And that power comes from Billy, he shares it with his family, who he has a family bond with. And the whole point of Billy Batson's journey, to me, is, family’s what you make it, not what you’re born with. And it’s about bond and not blood. And I think that was really important for us to continue in our Shazam! series, and although it focuses on Billy Batson, he’s our main character, the rest of the family and the supporting cast are within the book. And the book’s gonna be exploring, why does he have that ability, what does that mean? Who are these champions, and what are they champions of?"
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!, the Marvel Family featured regularly in the Shazam! segment of the 1981 animated television series with them being Billy, Mary and Freddie.
- In Batman: The Brave and the Bold, the Marvel Family consisting of Billy, Mary and Freddie featured in the animated television series episode "The Malicious Mr. Mind!".
Films
- In Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the Marvel Family consisting of Billy, Mary, Freddie, Eugene, Pedro and Darla appeared in the animated film adaptation of the comic storyline with the six merging to become Captain Thunder.
- In Shazam!, the family appeared in the setting of the live-action 2019 film though they were never given a name as a group. Billy Batson came to share the magic with his adoptive siblings who helped him to defeat the empowered Sivana along with the Seven Deadly Sins.
Appearances
- Whiz Comics v1: (1941)
- Marvel Family v1:
- Captain Marvel Adventures v1:
- Action Comics v1:
- Justice League v2:
- Shazam! v3:
External Links
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