Shazam (wizard)
Shazam is a male comic character who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Shazam
Thousands of years ago, the wizard assembled a band of heroes in the ancient world that included Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, Mercury and Oggar. These powerful warriors were brought together with the goal of protecting mortals and aiding them from danger as well as evil. (Captain Marvel Adventures v1 #62) Oggar stood as an immortal god who served as a pupil to the wizard around 3,000 years ago who taught him the arts of magic. (Captain Marvel Adventures v1 #61) Serving as the groups leader, he took on a name that combined the first letter of the various champions and thus became known as Shazamo. At one point, he sensed a small nation facing the threat of invasion from a powerful conqueror with Shazamo commanding Oggar to defend the innocent from the invaders. However, Oggar scoffed at the command and refused to serve Shazamo anymore. Instead, he claimed that Shazamo was both old and weak thus unfitting to serve as their leader with such a position being the province of the young. As such, Oggar intended to take control of the heroes with Shazamo challenging him to a battle. Though he viewed Shazamo as being too old to fight, Oggar was defeated and failed to harm the wizard. For his rebellion, Shazamo enacted a punishment on the immortal though he could not kill the god so instead he banished him to wander the face of the Earth and the world mortal. Oggar vowed vengeance stating that he would seek a means of destroying Shazamo whereupon he would take over the world. Shazamo himself also knew that he could not live indefinitely but prophecy stated that in the 20th century a champion would arise that would be empowered by the great heroes of the ancient world who would carry on the wizard's work. As a result of Oggar's rebellion, the wizard cast out the letter from his name and thus became known as Shazam. (Captain Marvel Adventures v1 #62) For centuries, he and others had kept an eye on the danger posed by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. (Marvel Family v1 #48)
At one time, he encountered seven evil gods that represented one of the seven deadly sins. Shazam was responsible for defeating them and imprisoning them in stone statues. (Captain Marvel Adventures v1 #137) During the Egyptian First Dynasty, the great wizard regularly aided and helped the ruling Pharaoh. One day, a thief pretended to be the old Shazam and blackmailed the Pharaoh of his jewels and riches. As a result, history records called the wizard an evil man for this act. A time traveling Captain Marvel managed to get a signed confession from the thief but lost the culprit in a sandstorm. Despite that, the confession was hidden and dug up in the modern age thus clearing the old wizard Shazam in the modern age. (Captain Marvel Adventures v1 #79) He at one point created a champion that he called the Mighty Adam but he turned evil with the wizard then calling him Black Adam who he banished to the farthest star. (Marvel Family v1 #1) At some point, he resided among the Olympian Gods where he assisted them during troubled times when they were I'm discussions over heavenly matters. He greeted the lost Ithacan King Ulysses who had come seeking aid. The Wizard decided to intervene to help him by summoning his champion in the future Captain Marvel thus bringing the hero back in time to Ancient Greece. Captain Marvel was instrumental in re-uniting Ulysses with his wife Queen Penelope and their son Telemachus as well as foiling a plot to take the throne. With his task complete, the wizard Shazam returned Captain Marvel to the future. (Marvel Family v1 #12) Around 5,000 years ago, the wizard encountered the villainous undead being called Mad Mummy who ruled the nether world and sought to conquer the world of the living. He and his demons sought to inherit the world but were oposed by Shazam who defeated him with white magic. He them trapped the Mad Mummy in his evil pyramid that he hid at the bottom of the sea. (Marvel Family v1 #79)
Whilst he fought injustice and cruelty all his life, the Wizard had grown old where he decided that his time was up and sought a successor. (Whiz Comics v1 #2) During World War II, the sorcerer Shazam operated in the guise of a General in the United States Army and directed Captain Marvel in support of the Allies forces. (Captain Marvel Adventures v1 #12)
DC
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Long ago, the person who became known as Shazam was a young boy that on the hillside in Canaan. He tended to the birth of the lamb but when he returned home he discovered that his parents had been killed by nomads. In despair, he cried to the heavens on why this deed was allowed with his words bringing forth the attention of the gods that included Voldar, Lumiun, Arel, Ribalvei, Elbiam and Marzosh. They attempted to gauge what the child desired for them but the boy told them that he did not desire revenge or the resurrection of his parents. Instead, he asked that the six deities empower parts of their attributes into himself which they agreed so long as he proved himself worthy. Thus, the boy was transformed into a powerful adult who became the Champion of man. He began seeking to enforce law and order on the lands by first targeting the bandits that killed his parents to end their predations. In time, the champion's exploits began to spread and the grateful inhabitants sought to all his needs. (Power of Shazam v1 #10) Around 9,000 years ago, the Champion faced the menace of the returning threat of the demonic entity known as Evil who had not appeared for centuries. Unable to defeat him, the Champion journeyed into the future to find his successor Captain Marvel to seek his aid. Together, the two met with the deities that empowered him at the mountain of the gods before confronting Evil himself. After a brief fight, Evil splintered his form into three and escaped whilst he had his servants the Deadly Enemies of Man to achieve his goals. The Champion and Captain Marvel together fought and defeated the Deadly Enemies before working together to fight Evil where they forced his scattered selves into his single body. They then found a large piece of rock in space that they placed above his lair to imprison him with this becoming the Rock of Eternity. (Worlds Finest v1 #262) On one occasion, he became blinded by lust and mated with a woman only to discover too late that she was in fact a demon in disguise. The union between the two had produced a two offspring that were a boy named Lord Satanus and a girl named Blaze that shared their mothers traits. This act did not please the deities and they banished the demonic woman and her children to the netherworld whereupon they reminded their Champion of he shared the frailties of mortals. (Power of Shazam v1 #10)
He continued his role as the Champion for the next 3,000 years until the gods that empowered him were forgotten by the world. (Worlds Finest v1 #262) One of his champions from ancient Egypt was the Queen Pharoah Hatshepsut of the 15th Dynasty who used the scarab amulet's power to bring peace to her kingdom and upon her death the relic became dormant. (52 v1 #12) For centuries, he was charged with keeping the peace and ensuring that justice prevailed but grew weary of his charge leading to him seeking a successor. One of the candidates he found was the Pharaoh Kha-ef-re who had performed many mighty deeds and the wizard believed he had found someone that possessed the same zeal he once had in the past. Shazam went to recruit the Pharaoh but arrived too late as he had been slain by his enemies with Kha-ef-re buried in a tomb with his mystical scarab. (DC Universe Legacies v1 #9) As a young wizard, he sought out knowledge and heard of the ruler of Israel that brought peace and prosperity to his kingdom leading to the wizard seeking him out Jerusalem to meet with King Solomon the Wise. Solomon took Shazam as a pupil who he taught despite his many responsibilities to the kingdom and his own thirst for knowledge. He continued to serve the king until the ruler was on his deathbed whereupon Shazam conducted the greatest act of wizardry he had ever attempted as he gathered a fraction of Solomon's wisdom into himself. He then departed Israel with Solomon speaking of a champion for all mankind with lightning signalling Shazam's destiny. The wizard determined that the world needed a champion and thus journeyed to the banks of the River Styx where he drew the essence of fearless Achilles leading to him attaining the power of invulnerability. Afterwards, he travelled to the edge of the world where he implored Atlas's aid who passed onto Shazam part of his infinitesimal stamina. At Thebes, the wizard called upon the power of Heracles but the Greek champion's power was inaccessible with instead his Roman counterpart Hercules gifting part of his strength to Shazam. The Roman god Mercury heard of the wizard's endeavours and sought to join his coalition by bequeathing his great speed. Shazam had also sought a Greek god to instil their power to him and despaired when none came until Zeus appeared one night where he imparted a portion of his power. With the powers gathered, the wizard sought out a champion in Egypt and selected Teth-Adam who was a descendant of the lands first Pharaoh Menes. As he sought to empower his champion, the god Set corrupted the spell which substituted the collected essences with those of the Egyptian pantheon. (War of the Gods v1 #4) Centuries later, he found the next possible candidates for a champion being Prince Khufu and his love Chay-Ara but both were slain once more by Hath-Set before he could pass his duty onto them. (DC Universe Legacies v1 #9)
Though Black Adam was defeated, Shazam's body died that night with the gods and heroes that empowered the spell losing all knowledge of it. (War of the Gods v1 #4)
During an expedition to the Temple of Ramses the Second, the Wizard appeared before the Batsons and their assistant Theo Adam. The trio of explorers had discovered a sarcophagus containing a scarab that belonged to the Wizard's former champion Black Adam who was Theo Adam's ancestor. The Wizard warned them of the danger of the power that was going to be unleashed as Theo sought the scarab necklace for himself. The Batson's were murdered by Theo Adam leaving their children orphans as a result. (Justice Society of America v3 #24)
This spirit was actually Billy Batson's father who had entrusted his son's care to the Wizard. (Justice Society of America v3 #24)
When Superman was possessed by Eclipso, the demon attacked Captain Marvel and sought to claim his power. During the fight, he was turned back into his mortal form of Billy Batson and nearly killed by the possessed Superman. It was only the direct intervention of the wizard Shazam was he saved as he used his power to knock the demon to the side. He then summoned the Spectre who drove Eclipso from his host body thus freeing Superman. (Superman v2 #216)
Whilst at the Rock of Eternity, an intruder came to infiltrate his sanctum from the abyssal plane with this being Johnny Sorrow. Using his powers, he came to petrify the wizard and freed the seven sins that were unleashed to possess members of the Justice League and Justice Society. Sorrow then took the Rock to above Mount Rushmore as he sought to enact his revenge against his enemies. Ultimately, he was forced from the sanctum allowing the heroes to restore Shazam who then cast a spell that brought the sins back to their prison. As a result, his possessed champion Captain Marvel was freed from their influence where he informed Billy Batson that his family was safe. (JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice v1 #1)
Later on, the wizard came to witness that the Spirit of Vengeance had become corrupted by Eclipso. This led to the Spectre waging a war against magic and looking to expunge it from the world. Shazam came to make preparations for his greatest battle and bade his campion Billy Batson to delay their foe until he was ready for the confrontation. (Day of Vengeance v1 #1) Captain Marvel was unable to stop this threat but had managed to delay him long enough for Shazam's preparations to be complete. Batson though believed that the wizard might not need to battle as the Shadowpact were engaged in a plot to stop the Spectre. However, the wizard told Captain Marvel not to put much stock in the Shadowpact as they were a team that had formed many times in the past and tended to fail. Regardless, he told his champion that this was a battle he must take part in and was ready for the Spirit of Vengeance. (Day of Vengeance v1 #5) After defeating the Shadowpact, the Spectre arrived at the Rock of Eternity and depowered Captain Marvel. At first, he attempted to reason with the Spirit of Vengeance as he knew the Spectre was not in his right mind. However, his foe had no interest in talk and commenced their battle where despite the wizard Shazam's strength he ultimately cam to be killed by the Spectre. The battle was so great that it destroyed the Rock of Eternity causing its pieces to fall onto the Earth and releasing many great evils. (Day of Vengeance v1 #6) The Earth's magical heroes worked together to contain these threats which included the freed Seven Deadly Enemies of Man. They then proceeded to recreate the Rock of Eternity to help house the escaped mystical threats. (Infinite Crisis Special: Day of Vengeance v1 #1)
After the death of his physical form by the Spectre, the Wizards soul was lost on its way to the afterlife along with that of Billy Batson's father. However, the Wizard's soul was captured by an unknown force and turned to stone where he was kept imprisoned at the Rock of Finalty. Batson's father with the aid of Jay Garrett travelled to the Rock of Finality to recover the Wizard who was returned to the Rock of Eternity. However, the Wizard remained trapped in stone and could only be released if Black Adam returned his power to him. Teth-Adam did so reluctantly after being convinced that the Wizard would cure Isis of her madness. Thus, the Wizard was reborn and was angry where he depowered Billy Batson, Mary Marvel, and Isis turning them into their mortal forms. A happy Teth-Adam sought to embrace his wife Adrianna as they were reunited but the vengeful Wizard believed they did not deserve happiness causing him to curse them turning them to stone. Despite the pleas of Batson, the Wizard told the boy that he had failed him and decided not to return the power of Captain Marvel abilities to him. He then sent away the heroes whilst he planned to take away Freddy Freeman's power at a later date. (Justice Society of America v3 #25)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new timeline was created with a different history of events. Originally, he was a deity who went by the name of Marmagan. (Justice League - Darkseid War: Shazam v1 #1) He along with others skilled in the arts of magic formed the Council of Eternity where they served as custodians of the world. Centuries ago, they had three individuals that they believed were guilty of great crimes. Such individuals were sentenced and punished by the council who named them the Trinity of Sin. (DC Comics - The New 52 FCBD Special Edition v1 #1) At some point, the council had selected a champion who became Black Adam but he murdered them until the surviving wizard imprisoned the killer and his magic from the world. (Justice League v2 #0)
During this time, he sought a successor with numerous people brought before him that he declared not worthy of the power with thirty-seven around the world experiencing this event. (Justice League v2 #7) The latest to be brought to him was a young boy named Billy Batson to which the last of the council of wizards found the embers of a purely good soul. He conferred on the boy his power allowing him to transform into a mystical form named Shazam before the wizard seemingly died as his body disappeared but not before warning the new champion of Black Adam who had been freed from his imprisonment. (Justice League v2 #0)
Though seemingly dead, the Wizard actually joined the other deities in the Source. (Justice League - Darkseid War: Shazam v1 #1)
After the death of Darkseid, the pantheon that empowered Billy Batson as Shazam became disrupted forcing the Wizard to seek new replacements for him. He selected himself as Marmagan, Ate, Zonuz, Anapel, H'ronmeer and S'ivaa. However, Zonuz was name taken by Yuga Khan who sought to escape the Source in order to take his son Darkseid's seat and bring destruction to the cosmos leading to a battle for the powers of Shazam. The Wizard battled Zonuz in the Source but was defeated until Batson arrived where as Shazam he defeated Yuga Khan. With Zonus defeated, Batson manage to bring under the control the new pantheon that empowered him. (Justice League - Darkseid War: Shazam v1 #1)
He attended a gathering of immortals that were seeking to stop the coming of Barbatos. (Dark Nights: Metal v1 #2)
Overview
Personality and attributes
Fawcett : He regarded himself as the ancient guardian of mankind. (Whiz Comics v1 #47)
DC : Among the names he was known by was Shazam the Elder. (DC Universe Legacies v1 #9) Long ago in Canaan, he beseeched the gods for power and was empowered by a group of deities where he had name of Vlarem. (Power of Shazam! v1 #10)
He demonstrated a vengeful streak as following his resurrection he believed that Black Adam and Isis did not deserve happiness. As such, in his anger he cursed the re-united lovers by turning them to stone. Furthermore, in his anger he told Billy Batson not to lecture him and that the boy had failed him. Thus, he decided not to return Billy or Mary's power that derived from him.
As the champion Vlarem, he was seduced by a demon disguised as a beautiful woman where she became pregnant with his children that were the demons Lady Blaze and Lord Satanus. (Power of Shazam! v1 #10)
New 52 : One incarnation of him claimed to had been the god Mamaragan who was a thunder god of the Dreamtime. (Justice League: The Darkseid War: Shazam! v1 #1)
Powers and abilities
Fawcett : According to the Wizard, over a span of 3,000 years he had used the powers of wisdom, strength, stamina, power, courage and speed that the gods had given him. He used them in order to battle the forces of evil that everyday sought to extinguish man from the face of Earth. (Whiz Comics v1 #2) The wizard was noted for being a wielder of white magic. (Marvel Family v1 #79) It was claimed that there was no magic greater than that of the all-powerful Shazam. (Captain Marvel Adventures v1 #18)
With his power, he was capable of summoning his champion from the future to his present and returning them back to their era. (Marvel Family v1 #12)
He wore the Robe of Immortality that protected him from harm and made him immortal. (Captain Marvel Adventures v1 #144) As a spirit, could only manifest in corporeal form by use of a special bracelet made of an element unknown to Earthly science called Shazamium. Anyone wearing it could adopt an ethereal form and it allowed the wizard to be whisked away from the Rock of Eternity to Earth in the blink of an eye. (Captain Marvel Adventures v1 #100) An item within his possession was the Historama that was able to allow him to see past, present and future events. (Whiz Comics v1 #2) One item in his possession was a tome called the Book of All Knowledge. This was written long ago and contained all the knowledge that will ever be granted to mankind. This inckuded all the wisdom of the past, the present and the future that was gathered in its pages. (Captain Marvel Adventures v1 #93) The Wizard also recorded his chronicle of the adventures of the Marvel Family in a tome which was where he wrote about the means to reach the Rock of Eternity. (Marvel Family v1 #7)
DC : As the Champion, he gained his power by calling upon the name of various ancient gods that empowered him. These were Voldar master of strength, Lumiun patron of wisdom, Arel swift messenger of the deities, Ribalvei most powerful of gods, Elbiam lord of courage and Marzosh god of stamina. Upon calling the name Vlarem, he was transformed from a mortal boy into an adult being of great power giving him the traits of the various gods. Among these included great strength allowing him to lift mountains of rock and super-speed to the point that he could travel through time. (Worlds Finest v1 #262)
The Wizard was able to cast powerful curses that could turn mortals to stone.
Through preparation, he could empower himself to battle against powerful magical beings though this took sometime before he was ready. (Day of Vengeance v1 #1) It was said that he was stronger in the Rock of Eternity which was his place of power. (Day of Vengeance v1 #6)
From the Cauldron of Knowledge, he was able to seek out anything on the Earth. (DC Universe Legacies v1 #9) The Rock of Eternity contained a great many powerful relics that he could use against enemies. (Day of Vengeance v1 #6)
It was said he stood amongst the ranks of the Lords of Order. (Infinite Crisis Special: Day of Vengeance v1 #1)
New 52 : Following the Flashpoint, he was shown to had actually been a thunder god named Mamaragan who ruled the Dreamtime. As a deity, even death was not the end of him as he manifested within the Source. (Justice League: Darkseid War: Shazam! v1 #1)
He was armed with the Staff of Living Lightning though it was claimed that this was more of a lightning rod to the magical lightning. (Justice League: Darkseid War: Shazam! v1 #1) Among the relics attributed to him were the Seven Spells of Shazam. (The New 52: FCBD Special Edition v1 #1)
Notes
- The Wizard was created by C. C. Beck and Bill Parker where he made his first appearance in Fawcett Comics Whiz Comics v1 #2 (February, 1940).
- The character was later introduced into DC Comics following their acquisition of the Fawcett Comic characters.
In other media
Television
- In The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!, the wizard made appearances in the animated cartoon series where he was voiced by actor Alan Oppenheimer.
- In Justice League Action, the Wizard appeared in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Carl Reiner. He was an ancient powerful wizard that had lived for generations and was a champion of magic with him residing at the Rock of Eternity to guard the various Monsters of Eternity imprisoned there.
Films
- In Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam, Shazam appeared in the animated movie where he was voiced by James Garner. He was discovered by Billy Batson who accidently made his way into the wizard's lair where Shazam told the boy that he was the next chose one. Shazam told Batson about Black Adam who was his former champion that was chosen 5,000 yeas ago but Teth-Adam used that power instead for personal gain and became corrupted by his gift. As a result, the wizard banished him to the furthest star but Black Adam returned in order to seek revenge. Shazam later caused a cave in but not before telling Batson that he intended to atone for the mistake of creating Black Adam. Before disappearing, he told Billy that if he ever needed his name than he simply need to speak the Wizard's name.
- In Shazam!, the wizard Shazam appeared in the live-action film set in the DC Extended Universe where he was portrayed by actor Djimon Hounsou. He was shown as being one among the council of wizards that were the custodians of magic based at the Rock of Eternity. Long ago, they empowered a champion who went rogue and released the Seven Deadly Sins into the world where the demons killed millions until they were eventually defeated. The entire council except for Shazam were killed leaving him alone as the warden for the sins and he sought out a successor to inherit his power. The previous champion had convinced the wizard that he needed to seek one pure of heart and thus sought out children to test them but they typically failed. As time went on, Shazam's power began to grow weaker allowing the sins to grow stronger leading to the wizard becoming more desperate to find one worthy of the mantle of the champion.
Video games
- In Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, the wizard Shazam appeared in the videogame where he was voiced by Joe J. Thomas. Following a battle with Raiden, Captain Marvel was met by the presence of Shazam who told him that Dark Kahn was behind the merging of the worlds after the merging between Darkeid and Shao Kahn. Shazam told Captain Marvel that he needed to gather an army of both dark and light before the Kombat Rage consumed everyone from both books. In Superman's ending, Superman sought out Shazam's aid in preparing protection against future magical threats where they made use of Kryptonian lore to create a costume that made him immune to magic. In Captain Marvel's ending, Captain Marvel was guided by the wizard through a focusing ritual in order to regain control of his powers.
- In Injustice: Gods Among Us, the wizard Shazam appeared as a support card in the mobile version of the fighting video game.
- In Injustice 2, the Wizard was referenced in the setting of the campaign mode of the video game and during character dialogues.
Appearances
- Whiz Comics v1: (1940)
- Captain Marvel:
- Power of Shazam! v1:
- JSA v1:
- Day of Vengeance v1:
- Justice Society of America v3:
- Justice League v2:
- Justice League: The Darkseid War: Shazam! v1:
- Shazam! v3:
External Links
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