Fans of the original incarnation of Freddy will often call him "CM3," because while he used the Captain Marvel Jr. Freddy was just given a cool costume and superpowers, but otherwise remained a kid.
Known as "Captain Marvel Jr," Freddy was empowered to be one of Billy's sidekicks, and instead of using the magic word "Shazam!," he used the magic word-er, phrase "Captain Marvel!" But back in the ’40s and ’50s, Freddy’s superheroic alter ego was pretty different than it is today. An original Golden Age "Marvel Family" member, Freddy has been one of Billy's very best friends for longer than many of us have been alive. Billy's a foster kid who wound up creating his own family almost by accident after the Wizard Shazam empowered him and now he's a 14-year-old superhero.īilly exemplifies the powers each member of the Shazamily is endowed with: 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.įreddy has gone through a bit more of a transformation overtime than Billy has. And to be honest, Billy hasn't really changed all that much from his Golden Age roots, other than his superhero name, of course. The boy who started it all is, obviously, Billy himself. Here's what you need to know about the modern Marvel Family-er, Shazam Family. So, if that’s you, let’s clear things up with a little “Who’s Who.” Only, it’s clear that not everyone seeing Shazam! in theaters know who the Shazam Family-or, as I like to call them, the “Shazamily”-actually are. Things have since been updated and we don't call Billy's alter ego "Captain Marvel" anymore, but the family aspect that existed during his Golden Age adventures is still very much there.Īs you already know if you’ve seen Shazam!Yes, spoiler alert in case you still haven’t seen the Zachary Levi film, but the Shazam Family makes quite a memorable appearance in it. The name comes from the original comics, back before DC was even DC, starring Billy Batson and his super-powered friends. If you've ever poked around the DC Universe of days gone by, there's a chance you've stumbled across a group of characters referred to as the "Marvel Family," which, let's be honest, sounds a bit strange now.