Aliases : William Joseph "Billy" Batson.
Base of Operations : Fawcett City, IN; and The Rock of Eternity.
Tag : captain marvel
Important Plots : None.
Journal(s) : jla_extras2 (Batson)
Status : Available

Powers and Abilities : As the champion of the wizard Shazam, Billy Batson is able to speak the wizard's name and transform into his adult alter-ego, Captain Marvel. Though Billy possesses no superhuman powers himself, Captain Marvel has access to 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. Captain Marvel possesses enhanced strength, speed, and durability, and the capability to fly. The wisdom of Solomon grants him mystic knowledge and some enhanced senses as well as resistance to mental influences. The courage of Achilles grants him resistance to some magical effects.

History : Orphaned at a young age, Billy Batson was led to a strange subway tunnel by the ghost of his father - there, he met the ancient wizard Shazam and became the first champion of the wizard in several thousand years. Billy used the power granted to him to fight for justice against such menaces as Dr. Sivana, Mr. Atom, Mr. Mind, and his own fallen predecessor as the Wizard's champion, Black Adam.

In his civilian life, Billy has worked as a newsboy, and later went on to become one of the country's youngest radio commentators. He was reunited with his sister, Mary - she had been separated from Billy when their parents were killed by Theo Adam, the archaeologist who would later unleash the power of Black Adam. Mary, too, met the Wizard - and Billy chose to share his power with both her, and Freddy Freeman. As Captain Marvel, Billy joined the Justice League for a short time, and later joined the Justice Society to keep tabs on the seemingly-reformed Black Adam. While in the JSA, he carried on a brief romance with Courtney Whitmore, AKA Stargirl. The older members of the JSA were somewhat uncomfortable with that relationship, since they were unaware that Captain Marvel was, in fact, a fifteen-year-old boy.

Billy was abducted by then-President Luthor, who was attempting to manipulate the boy's power for his own ends. He was subjected to brainwashing treatments, but was rescued and made a full recovery. The Marvel Family was kept busy thereafter, though, forced to deal with one magical disaster after another, including the temporary death of the Wizard Shazam - an event that forced Billy to step into the Wizard's role for a time. With the recent events of Crisis in Eternity, though, the Wizard has been reconstituted, and Billy is free to fight evil as Captain Marvel once more.

Other Sources :

• Captain Marvel at the DC Database Project
• Captain Marvel at Wikipedia

Divergences : Diverges at Identity Crisis #1. Billy's abduction forced him to reveal his secret identity to certain members of the JSA, so that issue no longer separates him from Courtney, but various magical attacks and events have kept him from being active with the JSA in some time.

Disclaimer - unless otherwise noted, all characters are property of DC Comics, used here only for roleplaying purposes.