Captain Marvel, Shazam, Oh My!

[shenron]

Alright people, so Shazam has been in my top 3 favorite supers since as long as I can remember. So, I started refreshing my memory on some of his stories and history but now I am all confused.

So, I have discovered there are two versions of Captain Marvel or Shazam. There is the Rick Jones version and the Billy Batson version. I am confused? Why is there two versions? I know Captain Marvel has been called Shazam and vice versa.

Also, I know that Billy Batson and Rick Jones actually switch places with these super powerful beings.

From what I remember and read about Black Atom, he doesn't. He just gets super powered?

Am I missing something? Can someone help enlightenment me? What I am missing?

[shazam]

Rick Jones is Captain Marvel from the Marvel Universe, a Kree Warrior created by, I believe bonding a Kree Warrior with Jones by the Supreme Intelligence. There was also another Kree called Captain Marvel, I know he died from cancer from Nitro and he was before Rick Jones there was a special about his death and his death is significant cause I don't think he's ever come back yet.

Edit: Okay so I checked, turns out that Genis Vell, the Rick Jones Marvel, is the genetic son of the original Captain Marvel and that Rick bonded with the original in addition the 3rd Captain Marvel.

Billy Baston is Captain Marvel from...I forget the company before DC bought the rights but essentially he's a magical origin orientated hero, his powers come from powers bestowed upon him from the Wizard Shazam.

Edit: The publisher's name is Fawcett, I know it doesn't matter much but...

Black Adam...I'm not sure why he doesn't switch perhaps after a while he just joined together the two components more from experience then say Billy.

[scrimshank]

Black Adam. Has to switch too, but he's been switched for a long time and hasn't changed back to his original self. I cant't remember if he has to say shazam as well or if it's something else, but he's in the same boat as captain marvel. He just stayed that way. Have you read the 52 series?

[Beacon]

There are a bunch of Captain Marvels

DC’s Captain Marvel IS Billy Batson (he doesn’t just swap places with him)* after he’s been magically enhanced with the abilities of various mythological heroes and gods.

*Most of the time. Every once and a while you’ll get a writer who wants to write them as separate people.



Marvel has a TON of Captain Marvels (Mar-Vell, Monica Rambeau, Genis-Vell, Phyla-Vell, Khn'nr, and Noh-Varr).

Mar-Vell was an alien (Kree) who swapped places with Rick Jones. At any given time one was in the Negative Zone and the other was in the “Normal” Marvel universe. He died of cancer.

Monica Rambeau is a human with energy powers who has no real connection to the other Marvels. She’s still around but she changes code names a lot.

Genis-Vell was an alien (Kree/Titan hybrid) who swapped places with Rick Jones. At any given time one was in the Mircoverse and the other was in the “Normal” Marvel universe. He’s an artificially-aged test-tube baby that Mar’s girlfriend made with his genetic material. He’s crazy powerful (and sometimes crazy AND powerful). He’s died and come back more times than Jean Grey but he’s currently dead.

Phyla-Vell was a refugee from a dead alternate universe. She’s basically got the same origin as her “brother”, Genis. IIRC Thanos killed her recently.

Khn'nr was an alien (Skrull) sleeper agent who thought he was Mar-Vell. I think Norman Osborn killed him (though I didn’t actually read most of Secret Invasion).

Noh-Varr is an alien (genetically engineered Kree) refugee from a different alternate universe. He’s … really weird. He has no real connection to the other Captain Marvels aside from the Kree.




There’s also an old superhero (so old I’m pretty sure he’s in the public domain) named Captain Marvel whose power was to separate and reattach his limbs to his body. No, really.

[ironfox]

Fawcett is also the name of the city that Billy Bastion lives in. Kind of an homage to the company DC bought him from.

[shenron]

Alright, just to get this straight...

Rick Jones actually switches places with his multiple versions of Captain Marvel...

Billy Baston does not switch places when he says his magic word but just transforms into badassery. Then you will have writers that will make them two different people and "switch" places.

Black Adam switches places but just stays switched? Yes, Black Adam (I cannot think of is real name, he has had three different incarnations) used the magic word Shazam!. He was the person who first got the powers from the Wizard Shazam who became evil..ooops. The Wizard made a small mistake.

So, I have talked to my various comic book people and they said Shazam (The magic, Billy Baston version) was actually bigger then Superman back in the 40's and 50's and his whole family got empowered by the Wizard in one story arc. Then DC bought the title from Fawcet and kinda buried the character until the late 60's early 70's. Dc has seemed to since keep Shazam! on the back burner ever since.

Thanks for the help and clearing up my confusion.

[Beacon]

Actually Black Adam is even more confusing than Captain Marvel but the current interpretation (unless things have changed in the DCnU) is as follows …

There are multiple Black Adams.

Teth-Adam was a Pharaoh’s son who became the Mighty Adam in the same way Billy would later become Captain Marvel.

Theo Adam (the guy who made Billy an orphan) somehow tapped into the Mighty Adam’s powers and became the villain, Black Adam.

Eventually Black Adam was purged of Theo and Teth took over the body again. This version of Black Adam was a little too “Old Testament” to really fit in with the hero community.

[shenron]

Ya, Black Adam has been reincarnated a few times. From here...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Adam

[roxolid]

It's only my opinion, but I expect DC to at some point 'big up' certain of its lesser known big hitter characters to fill in if they should ever lose the Superman rights. That goes for Captain Marvel, Captain Atom and some of these other 'big hitters' that melded with the DC mainstream (from Wildstorm I think). Having read a few of the DC52 comics I get the idea that Superman is no longer the most powerful hero on the block, but will confess to not being a big fan of DC these days. Marvel confuses the hell out of me, but if you ignore whatever storyline you come in part way through on, then read from the start of the next, you can sort of muddle your way through.

DC I have no idea what's going on.

That said, 'Fear Itself' has me wondering 'eh?'

With regards Captain Marvel I think he's a fun character but DC didn't really know what to do with him in the mainstream. I recall him in the JLA when that team restarted after the Legends mini series (after the team consisting of vibe, gypsy and some other no-names fell by the wayside). Cap Marvel was mostly there as comic relief for Guy Gardner to take the p*ss out of. Must admit I quite liked that series until the lead artist changed and things got a bit weird. I can say the same about Excalibur for Marvel - they didn't really have a clue what to do with Captain Britain so just made his life worse by default.