| Captain Marvel Jr. Shazam Jr. The Commander | |
|---|---|
.png) Captain Marvel, Jr. on the cover ofCaptain Marvel Jr. #1 (November 1942). Art byMac Raboy. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Fawcett Comics (1942–1953) DC Comics (1972–present) |
| First appearance | Whiz Comics #25 (December 1941) |
| Created by | |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Frederick Christopher Freeman |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Marvel/Shazam Family Teen Titans Outsiders Young Justice Justice League |
| Partnerships | Captain Marvel Mary Marvel |
| Notable aliases | CM3 Lieutenant Marvel King Shazam Shazam Sky Shazam Captain Shazam Jr. The Commander |
| Abilities |
|
Captain Marvel Jr., also known asShazam Jr. (Frederick Christopher "Freddy"Freeman), is asuperhero appearing inAmerican comic books formerly published byFawcett Comics and currently published byDC Comics. A member of theMarvel/Shazam Family team of superheroes associated withCaptain Marvel/Shazam, he was created byEd Herron,C.C. Beck, andMac Raboy, and first appeared inWhiz Comics #25 in December 1941.
In the original Fawcett Comics and DC continuity, Captain Marvel Jr.'s alter-ego was Freddy Freeman, a disabled newsboy saved by Captain Marvel from the villainousCaptain Nazi. To save the dying boy's life, Captain Marvel shares his powers with Freddy. By saying the name "Captain Marvel", Freddy is transformed into Captain Marvel Jr., a blue costumed version of himself possessing powers of superhuman strength, speed, wisdom, and more. Junior derived his powers from Captain Marvel himself, while the other Marvels derived their powers from the wizardShazam. Unlike Captain Marvel, Junior remained a teenager in his transformed state.[1]
ATrials of Shazam!maxi-series published from 2006 to 2008 featured Freddy Freeman undergoing six trials to prove himself worthy of succeeding Captain Marvel, who takes over the wizard Shazam's post on theRock of Eternity. Upon completion of the Trials, Freddy assumed the superhero nameShazam. Following DC'sNew 52reboot in 2011, Freddy Freeman is depicted as Billy Batson's foster sibling.
Captain Marvel Jr. has appeared in various media outside comics, primarily in association with Captain Marvel.Barry Gordon, John DeVito, and Georgie Kidder have voiced the character in animation, whileJack Dylan Grazer andAdam Brody portray him in theDC Extended Universe.
AfterFawcett Comics' success with their first superhero character,Captain Marvel, the company decided to introduce aspin-off character.[2] Although Captain Marvel had been given part-timesidekicks in the form of the look-alikeLieutenant Marvels inWhiz Comics #21 (September 1941), Fawcett editorEd Herron wanted to introduce a distinctive spin-off character.[2] Captain Marvel transformed from teenage boy to adult superhero with a magic word; Herron decided his new character would remain a teenager to differentiate him from Captain Marvel.[2] Fawcett staff artistMac Raboy designed the new character, named Captain Marvel Jr., using a more realistic style parting withC.C. Beck's more cartoony artwork for the Captain Marvel stories.[2] Whereas Captain Marvel changed identities by saying "Shazam", Captain Marvel Jr. says "Captain Marvel" to transform; this was intended to serve as a frequent reminder to readers to buy the Captain Marvel Sr. books.[3]
Captain Marvel Jr.'s first appearance inWhiz Comics #25 (December 1941), written by Herron with art by Beck and Raboy, was part of a three-issuecrossover betweenWhiz Comics and another Fawcett publication,Master Comics, in late 1941.[3] The crossover, printed during the height ofWorld War II, foundBulletman and Captain Marvel at odds withAdolf Hitler's superpowered champion,Captain Nazi. During a battle with Captain Nazi inWhiz Comics #25, one of Captain Marvel's punches sends the villain careening into a lake. An elderly man and his teenage grandson happen to be fishing in the lake near the place Nazi lands and, not knowing who he is, lift the unconscious man into their boat to prevent him from drowning. Nazi immediately comes to, tosses the old man into the lake, and knocks the boy out of the boat with an oar. The old man immediately dies, but Captain Marvel is able to save the unconscious boy, named Freddy Freeman, and bring him to a hospital.
Captain Marvel, in his alter ego as young Billy Batson, learns from a nurse that Freddy is not expected to last the night. This leads Billy to take Freddy to the underground throne of the wizardShazam, who originally granted Captain Marvel his powers. Billy asks the wizard to heal Freddy and save his life, but Shazam cannot, and instead tells Billy that he, as Captain Marvel, can pass along some of his powers so that Freddy can walk again. Shazam disappears and Billy transforms back into Captain Marvel, just as Freddy awakens. Looking up, he exclaims “Why...it's Captain Marvel,” and is instantly transformed into a super-powered version of himself. Freddy, now called Captain Marvel Jr., resembles a younger Captain Marvel, though with a yellow-on-blue costume with a red cape, rather than Marvel Sr.'s yellow-on-red with a white cape.
Captain Marvel informs Junior that he cannot remain in his super-powered form at all times, but that he must allow his human form to heal as best it can. With that, Freddy once again said his mentor's name and returned to his hospital bed. Freddy remains permanentlylame in his left leg and is forced to walk with acrutch (although Captain Marvel Jr. bears no such impediment). As a result, Junior sought revenge against Captain Nazi, and the two repeatedly battled in a number of World War II-era comic stories.
Immediately following the crossover chapters inMaster Comics #21–22, Captain Marvel Jr. began starring in the series with issue #23 (February 1942).[3] His ownCaptain Marvel Jr. comic book launched nine months later. Mac Raboy's darker, more dramatic art style illustrated adventures with more serious themes than those often seen in the often whimsical Captain Marvel stories. Marvel Jr regularly dealt with espionage, organized crime, murder, and Nazis in more-or-less straightforward adventure styles with often somber overtones.[citation needed]
The stories depicted the plight ofworking class andworking poor people duringWorld War II. Even as he fought Japanese air attacks, conferred with United States presidentFranklin D. Roosevelt and United Kingdom Prime MinisterWinston Churchill, and even came close to capturingAdolf Hitler himself, Freddy continued to live in a run-down hovel and to dress in shabby rags. His one valuable possession appeared to be his diary, which was written in a large, richly ornamented book.
In most of his adventures, Freddy Freeman is depicted as a character to be pitied for his injury, reminiscent ofTiny Tim fromCharles Dickens'A Christmas Carol, until he transforms into his super-powered state (C.C. Beck described the character as resembling Tiny Tim as Freddy Freeman, andPeter Pan as Captain Marvel Jr.).[4]
Junior, Captain Marvel, andMary Marvel began appearing together inThe Marvel Family comic book beginning in 1945. That title and Junior's own ran until 1953, whenFawcett Publications discontinued all the Marvel Family comic books as the result of a lawsuit brought by National Comics (laterDC Comics).
After Fawcett Comics folded, Captain Marvel Jr. remained unpublished, alongside the rest of theMarvel Family, for years. In 1972, DC Comics purchased the rights to the Marvel Family characters and revived them in a new series entitledShazam! In his 1970s adventures, Captain Marvel Jr. discovers that fellow superheroKid Eternity is his long-lost brother, Christopher Freeman. Thisretcon took place because of the characters' very similar origins. Both characters' origins involved the death of a grandfather, and both characters also rely on magic words that form part of their superhero names (and therefore neither hero can speak his name without triggering his powers). Kid Eternity had been published by another company,Quality Comics, whose characters DC had also purchased.
Freddy Freeman was reintroduced in 1995, withThe Power of Shazam! #3. His origin as Captain Marvel Jr. was reworked and represented, with Junior making his first Post-Crisis appearance in heroic form inThe Power of Shazam! #7 (Sept. 1995). Beginning withThe Power of Shazam! #13, writerJerry Ordway began focusing the book on Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel, relegating Junior to periodic solo stories. During this period, Junior began appearing inTeen Titans, and the character's name was changed toCM3, so that he could identify himself without triggering his transformation.
Junior continued to appear inTeen Titans until its cancellation in mid-1998. The character then returned to regular appearances inThe Power of Shazam!, until that book was cancelled at the end of the year. After the demise ofThe Power of Shazam!, Captain Marvel Jr. made sporadic guest appearances throughout the DC Universe. One of these appearances was as an adult Captain Marvel in "Titans Tomorrow", a story-arc inTeen Titans vol. 3 #17–19 (2005). By this time, the character was once again identified by the name Captain Marvel Junior, rather than CM3, and his costume was slightly modified, substituting his traditional red cape for a white one like that of the other two Marvels.
A guest appearance inThe Outsiders vol. 3 #10 in 2004 led to Captain Marvel Jr. briefly joining the team the following year. The Junior-featuredOutsiders stories featured the team battling Marvel Family villains such asDr. Sivana,Sabbac, and Chain Lightning.[1] Captain Marvel Jr. also made brief appearances in the 2005–2006Infinite Crisis miniseries and its 2006–2007 maxiseries sequel,52. One of the key supporting characters of52 wasOsiris, Captain Marvel Jr.'s analogue inBlack Adam'sBlack Marvel Family. Junior vouches for him when he tries joining the Teen Titans, as he is mistrusted due to his alliance with Black Adam.
WriterJudd Winick, who had writtenOutsiders (vol. 3), was given the task of revamping theCaptain Marvel franchise. The events ofInfinite Crisis included the death of the wizard Shazam, and in a 12-issue maxiseries titledThe Trials of Shazam!, Winick began exploring Freddy Freeman's quest to prove himself worthy of wielding the power of Shazam in the new age of magic, which began with the end ofInfinite Crisis. As Winick felt theShazam! characters were too light-hearted and not being taken seriously,[5]The Trials of Shazam! series features a much darker tone than earlier DC ComicsShazam! stories, reflecting more of the darker tones of the original Fawcett Captain Marvel Jr. stories. Freddy Freeman is now a young adult, forced to battle various beings powered byblack magic, including a new female archenemy named Sabina, a witch who is planning to take the power for herself. The Shazam gods are presented inThe Trials of Shazam! in reimagined forms (Solomon is a female tattoo artist inNew York City, Hercules aLatino convict, etc.), since they are all hiding from the various evils of the new age.
The first eight issues ofThe Trials of Shazam!, as well as a prequel written by Winick forBrave New World #1, were illustrated byHoward Porter. Porter broke his drawing hand during the course of production on the series, which led to a number of extended delays between issues.[6] Mauro Cascioli took over the artist's chores for the final four issues.
At the conclusion of the series, Freddy takes over the mantle of Captain Marvel under the name Shazam (assuming the red costume and adult form of Captain Marvel with longer hair), while Billy Batson, the former Captain Marvel, was given the role of the wizard Shazam as keeper of the Rock of Eternity, under the name Marvel.
Freddy Freeman, still using the name Shazam, is one of the characters appearing in the seven-issueJustice League: Cry for Justice miniseries written byJames Robinson and illustrated by Mauro Cascioli, started in late 2009.[7] While Freddy appears to be working with the JLA in the first five issues, issue #6 reveals that all the time it has been the supervillainPrometheus impersonating him – a clue being that he once says "Shazam" without transforming. The real Freddy appears in the final issue, discovered by theBulleteer andMr. Scarlet.
According to Captain Marvel Jr.'s current DC origin story, Freddy Freeman was born and raised in aNew England fishing village, living with his parents and his foster brother, Timothy Karnes.[8] When Freddy's parents drowned in a storm, Freddy's maternal grandfather Jacob took him in, while Timothy was sent to live with various foster families.[8] As an adult, Karnes would harness the powers of the underworld and becomeSabbac, one of Captain Marvel Jr.'s enemies.[9]
The teenage Freddy Freeman, living in MidwesternFawcett City, was shown to be an all-star student and athlete at the Binder school in Fawcett City, and a friend of Captain Marvel's alter ego Billy Batson.[10] One afternoon, after winning a baseball game for his school team, Freddy and his grandfather Jacob went on a fishing trip in Fawcett Bay.[10] At the same time, however, Captain Marvel found himself engaged in a battle with the supervillainCaptain Nazi. As in the Fawcett origin, one of Marvel's punches knocks Captain Nazi into the lake near Grandpa Jacob's boat, and Freddy and his grandfather are attacked when they attempt to save the villain from the water, as Freddy thinks he is Captain Marvel.[1]
Captain Marvel intervenes and rushes both injured bystanders to a hospital. Grandpa Jacob slips into a coma after being thrown into the lake by Nazi, and Freddy is found to have a severely injured spine and a broken leg, which will prevent him from ever walking again. After a second attack from Captain Nazi, the injured Freddy is taken to the wizard Shazam by Captain Marvel and his sisterMary Marvel, who both grant the boy the power to become Captain Marvel Jr. However, Jacob dies, and Captain Marvel Jr. goes on a rampage against Captain Nazi until the other Marvels intervene. Nazi and Captain Marvel Jr. would become archenemies, regularly pitted against one another.
Junior becomes an integral member of the Marvel Family until he draws Billy's ire by making a pass at his sister.[11] The resulting conflict (created essentially to write Junior out ofThe Power of Shazam! from issue #13 on) causes Junior to leave Fawcett City and seek refuge inNew York City, where he joins theTeen Titans. At this time, the character's name was briefly changed toCM3 (short for Captain Marvel Three, with Billy being CM1 and Mary CM2), a name he could identify himself with in dialogue without triggering his transformation.[1] After some time spent with the Titans, Junior returns to Fawcett (andThe Power of Shazam! comic with issue #42) and makes amends with Captain Marvel.
Another superhero team, The Outsiders, found themselves in a battle against Ishmael Gregor, who had killed Timothy Barnes and stolen his Sabbac powers.[8][9] Captain Marvel Jr. arrived to help the Outsiders dispatch Sabbac, and some time later Junior would join the team for a brief period.[12] Following theInfinite Crisis crossover event, Junior briefly joins the depleted Teen Titans roster during the weekly52 comic book series, and is part of the wedding party for his former enemy Black Adam's marriage toIsis, where he is in charge of crowd control.
Later, Junior attempts to vouch for Black Adam's protégé, Isis' brother Osiris, who wants to join the Titans as well, but is distrusted from his connection to Adam. The Marvels and Black Marvels later help fight of the demon-empowered Sabbac, now several stories high. However, Osiris accidentally murders a supervillain, leading to the Titans being investigated for terrorist affiliations. Osiris is eventually murdered by Sobek, a crocodile monster who posed as the boy's friend. After the death of Osiris, Freddy and Mary are the pallbearers of his casket at his and his sister's funeral. His last appearance was inWorld War III where he fought and lost to Adam. He and Mary break the amulet into four pieces and scatter it around the world.
DuringInfinite Crisis, an event designed to significantly alter the status of the DC Universe, the wizard Shazam was destroyed by theSpectre who had declared a war on magic,[13] and the Rock of Eternity destroyed, causing Captain Marvel Jr. and Mary Marvel to lose their powers a year later.[14] Captain Marvel is transformed intoMarvel, a white-robed being who assumes Shazam's old post as caretaker of the Rock of Eternity, although he can only leave for up to 24 hours at a time.[15] Marvel drafts the now-powerless Freddy Freeman to undergo a quest to prove himself worthy of replacing Captain Marvel. Each of the six gods who contributed their powers —Solomon,Hercules,Atlas,Zeus,Achilles, andMercury — present Freddy with a trial (similar to theLabors of Hercules), which he would have to complete successfully to be granted with that god's particular power. If he completes all six tasks, he will take on the name Shazam.[1] Zareb Babak, a demotednecromancer, guides Freddy during his trials. At the same time, however, a dark organization known as theCouncil of Merlin are backing their own candidate, aCreole sorceress named Sabina. If she wins the trials, then the power of Shazam will be lost to the Marvel Family and she will control it.
Freddy and Sabina compete nearly neck-and-neck for many of the trials, eventually becoming equal in power as each earn the various powers of each god. One trial, the trial of Atlas, ends prematurely when Sabina kills Atlas, and Zareb is forced to convinceApollo to take his place among the Shazam collective of gods. Freddy claims the powers of Solomon and Achilles, but Sabina steals half the power of Hercules before he can share it with Freddy, Apollo divides his power between Freddy and Sabina as he resents being forced to take on Atlas's role, and Sabina steals Mercury's full power before Freddy can claim it. The competition culminated in a large battle, with Freddy, Marvel, and the Justice League battling Sabina and an army of demons summoned by the sorcerer Merlin, with the goal of sacrificing a million souls (by turning them into demons) to force Zeus to grant Sabina his power. By being willing to sacrifice himself to save the world by throwing himself into the portal used to summon the demons, along with losing the power of Shazam as a whole rather than let Sabina possess it, Freddy proves himself worthy of the power of Zeus, and Zareb reveals himself to be Zeus in disguise. Freddy says the magic word "Shazam" and gains the full powers of Shazam.
Freddy has appeared in several stories set following theTrials series. Freddy, as Captain Marvel Jr., appears as a supporting character in DC's 2008/2009Final Crisis miniseries event, joining forces with a small band of superheroes (including his enemyBlack Adam) to fightDarkseid and theAnti-Life Equation he has used to take over the Earth and many of its heroes. Captain Marvel, Adam, andTawky Tawny fight an evil, possessed Mary Marvel, whose body has been possessed by theNew GodDeSaad; she is defeated after Shazam seizes her and uses his magic lightning bolt to transform himself back to Freddy and the evil Mary Marvel back to a normal Mary Batson.[16] Freddy appears briefly in the concurrent "New Krypton" (2009) storyline inSuperman #684 andAction Comics #873, in which he joins forces withZatanna and a band of other magic-based superheroes to help stop the invading Kryptonians by using the magic lightning of Shazam. In a 2009Justice Society of America story, the wizardShazam returns from the dead, and, angry at the state of affairs, strips Billy and Mary Batson of their powers and banishes them from the Rock of Eternity upon stating that they have failed him. Shazam vows to come after Freddy for "stealing his name". He does acknowledge, however, that Freddy's powers come from the gods themselves and not the wizard.[17]
Captain Marvel's profile is raised when he becomes part of aJustice League miniseries byJames Robinson, which establishes a newJustice League of America line-up. In the second issue ofJustice League: Cry for Justice (2009), Freddy Freeman appears at theFlash Museum after an attack there and onS.T.A.R. Labs inFawcett City. He meets up withJay Garrick andRay Palmer who are not sure whether he goes by Captain Marvel or Shazam, which he says to call him Freddy. Freddy and Ray talk about their time on theTeen Titans, then head toGotham City where they meetHal Jordan andGreen Arrow, as well as declaring they want Justice.[18] Freddy ends up joining Hal and Ollie's group of heroes, developing a mutual attraction withSupergirl. Freddy also saved the team fromClayface himself acting as a bomb to blow up a building.[19] Freddy joins Ollie and Hal's team after saving them from an explosion.[20] Justice League members were attacked in theJustice League Watchtower, Supergirl discovers Freddy was apparently attacking the team.[21] It is revealed thatPrometheus impersonating him throughout the series to gain access to the Watchtower.[22] The real Freddy is found by theBulleteer andMr. Scarlet in Fawcett City, tied up with his mouth sewn shut to prevent him from saying his magic word. Afterward, his mouth is unsewn and he transforms into Captain Marvel.[23]
Freddy appeared in one panel ofBlackest Night #8, fighting off the remainingBlack Lanterns with fellow Lanterns and Earth's heroes.
Freddy is later called to Billy and Mary's home, where he is seemingly poisoned by Mary, who had made a deal withBlaze, who wanted Freddy's powers, in exchange for restoring Mary and Billy's. However, it is then revealed to be a set-up. Freddy gets up and fights Blaze. With a little help from Billy and Mary, defeats her and sends her back toHell. Later, Freddy promises Billy and Mary that he will find a way to restore their powers.[24] Shortly after the incident with Blaze, Freddy travels to Philadelphia, where he findsOsiris in the process of killing a group of gunmen.[25] The two Marvels battle, with Osiris telling Freddy that he has to continue killing people to free his sister Isis from her stone prison. Freddy eventually convinces Osiris that his sister would not approve of the bloodshed that he has caused and offers to help him find another way to save her, but Osiris instead betrays Freddy, using his abilities to summon a mystical bolt of lightning that reverts him back to his human form. Freddy immediately attempts to transform back into Captain Marvel, but is horrified to discover that he no longer possesses his abilities. Osiris then departs, leaving a distraught Freddy to be frustrated over his loss.[26]
In September 2011,The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Freddy Freeman is reintroduced in 2012'sJustice League vol. 2 #8 as part of Billy's new foster family along with Mr. and Mrs. Vasquez, Mary Bromfield, Pedro Pena, Eugene Choi, and Darla Dudley. Freddy is now depicted with blond hair instead of black, and has been disabled at least since early childhood.[27] He is the good-natured "prankster" of the foster home, prone to mischief and pick-pocketing.[27]
The first of the Shazam kids placed with the Vázquez family in Philadelphia, Freddy was placed into foster care after his parents went to prison, and he has not seen them since age 10.[28] Despite Billy's standoffishness when he is first placed with Freddy and the Vázquezes, Freddy ends up befriending his new foster brother – despite swiping his wallet when they first met.[27] Freddy is also the first person to learn that he has the power to become Shazam.[29]
In the finale of the series ofShazam! backups inJustice League vol. 2 #21, Billy shares his powers with his foster siblings. Afterwards, by saying "Shazam!", Freddy becomes an adult superhero with shoulder-length blond hair and the traditional "Captain Marvel, Jr." color of blue for his costume.[30] When he first gets his powers, Freddy remarks that he wants to be called "King Shazam," a nod to the character's connection toElvis Presley.[28] Following Billy's decision to be called "The Captain" followingLazarus Planet, Freddy adopts the name "The Commander".[31]
Captain Marvel Jr./Shazam Jr. can transform between his human form and demi-god like form by saying, rather than Shazam's name, his hero's name, "Captain Marvel".
| Traditional combination | |||
| S | Wisdom ofSolomon | The Wisdom of Solomon grants Freddy several abilities, including perfect memory, strategic combat skills, exceptional mathematical aptitude, charisma in interpersonal interactions, limited clairvoyance for acquiring arcane knowledge and intuitive insights, as well as a natural fluency in all languages. Unlike some other powers, this is considered an active one a champion must channel to activate.[32] | |
| H | Strength ofHercules | This bestows on Freddy an exceptional level of superhuman strength. He gains the ability to exert immense physical power, surpassing the capabilities of ordinary individuals. With this heightened strength, he can effortlessly lift and manipulate objects of tremendous weight, overpower adversaries with ease, and deliver devastating blows in combat.[32] | |
| A | Stamina ofAtlas | The stamina attribute from Atlas enables Freddy to maintain his empowered state for an extended period without any time limitations. Additionally, the empowerment provides Freddy with substance, eliminating the need for eating, sleeping, and even breathing. As a result, Freddy can operate at peak efficiency, unaffected by the physiological requirements that typically apply to ordinary individuals.[32] | |
| Z | Power ofZeus | Zeus's Power attribute facilitates the transformation that grants Freddy access to the full range of his powers, including the ability to shoot bursts of electricity and lightning. He also possesses a limited gift of teleportation, allowing him to effortlessly travel to and from the Rock of Eternity with a single thought. Notably, the Power of Zeus empowers him with the potential to use magic and cast spells. This power is considered the most difficult, requiring the most study, focus, and discipline.[32] | |
| A | Courage ofAchilles | The Courage of Achilles grants Freddy peak physical defenses, rendering him nearly invulnerable. This heightened level of invulnerability provides significant protection against physical harm. Additionally, the empowerment grants Freddy resistance to various elements, including heat, force, disease, and the effects of aging. This attribute allow him to withstand extreme conditions and maintain his health and vitality against formidable challenges.[32] | |
| M | Speed ofMercury | The Speed of Mercury grants Freddy super speed, enhanced reflexes, motor skills, and flight, enabling him to move at incredible speeds, react swiftly, perform precise maneuvers, and soar through the air.[32] Thus far, Freddy is remarked to be capable of achievinghypersonic speeds.[33] | |
| Direct empowerment | |||
| S | Wisdom ofSolomon | Comparable powers to his previous level. As Captain Marvel, Freddy's abilities were channeled through a magical tattoo that was permanently etched onto his body by Rachel Zallman, the reincarnation of Solomon. This tattoo served as a conduit for his powers, allowing him to access and utilize them effectively. Freddy also proved himself to be a skilled swordsman and adept in hand-to-hand combat. His proficiency in these fighting techniques further complemented his powers, making him a formidable combatant in both armed and unarmed combat.[34] | Freddy's powers were directly derived from entities that represented divine or other extraordinary beings instead of the Wizard Shazam's magic.[34] |
| H | Strength ofHercules | Comparable powers to his previous level. Freddy's overall prowess was also comparable to Osiris when he wielded the full extent of Black Adam's powers.[35] | |
| A | Healing ofApollo | In place of the "Stamina of Atlas," Freddy gained the healing attribute of Apollo, which provided him with enhanced self-healing capabilities. This healing factor enables Freddy to rapidly heal various injuries, including those that were previously beyond the capabilities of the Stamina of Atlas. Additionally, the healing powers bestowed by Apollo's attribute allow Freddy to effectively purge poisons and toxins from his system. This enhanced healing ability empowers Freddy with increased resilience and recovery, enabling him to endure and recuperate from injuries more effectively.[34] | |
| Z | Power ofZeus | Comparable powers to his previous level. | |
| A | Courage ofAchilles | Comparable powers to his previous level. | |
| M | Speed ofMercury | Comparable powers to his previous level. | |
In the New 52 onward, the character would possess a portion of the Living Lightning derived from his empowerment by Captain Marvel/Shazam. Freddy would potentially possess the same powers as Black Adam and Shazam, with magical abilities including lightning control, amplification of spells, further enhancement of strength, and enhanced healing capabilities, among others.[36][37]
Freddy later derived his power from the Amber Lightning, a magical artifact created byHephaestus as one of his earliest creations and later given to the Wizard Shazam for safe-keeping. The Amber Lightning can bestow similar powers from the Living Lightning and Powers of Shazam derived from variousGreek,Irish, andNorse entities. The Amber Lightning also contained an evil core, serving as a test of worthiness which Freddy later passes.
| S | Strength ofSamson | Grants powers similar to the Strength of Hercules. | |
| H | Skill ofHephaestus | Grants powers similar to the Courage of Achilles. | |
| A | Power of theAll-Father | Grants powers similar to the Power of Zeus. | |
| Z | Speed ofZagreus | Grants power similar to the Speed of Mercury. | |
| A | Agility ofAirgetlám | Grants powers similar to the Stamina of Atlas. | |
| M | Cunning ofMidas | Grants powers similar to the Wisdom of Solomon. | |
In April 1950, theBelgian comicBravo published its own version ofCapitaine Marvel Jr, drawn byAlbert Uderzo, later known as the artist ofAsterix. In this version Freddy Freeman, although crippled, tries to save the life of Doctor Satano who has built a machine designed to help him rule the world but has caused a series of explosions in his laboratory. The machine gives superpowers and blue Captain Marvel outfits to both Freddy and Satano and they become sworn enemies.[38]
An adult version of Captain Marvel Jr. appears as a background character in the 1996Kingdom Come miniseries byMark Waid andAlex Ross. In this alternate future, Junior now goes by the nameKing Marvel, and resembles Elvis Presley. Mary Marvel, now calledLady Marvel, is his wife, and the two have a superpowered son namedthe Whiz, named afterWhiz Comics.
In this future, the adult Freddy Freeman has taken the Captain Marvel mantle and is a member of theTitans East. He is implied to have competed with Superman (Conner Kent) for the love ofCassandra Sandsmark (NowWonder Woman).
In the final issue of the maxi-series52 (#52, May 2, 2007), a newMultiverse is revealed, originally consisting of 52 identical realities. Among the parallel realities shown is one designated Earth-5. As a result of Marvel Family foeMister Mind eating aspects of this reality, it takes on visual aspects similar to the Pre-Crisis Earth-S, including the Marvel Family characters. The names of the characters are not mentioned in the panel in which they appear, but a character visually similar to Captain Marvel Jr. appears.[39]
Based on comments by52 co-authorGrant Morrison, this alternate universe is not the pre-Crisis Earth-S.[40]
Freddy Freeman first appeared in issue 13 of this book; he was shown crippled and in a wheelchair, the result of being inadvertently injured in a previous battle involving the Marvels. At a museum, he accidentally witnesses the Batsons transform and tells Theo Adam the magic word they used to transform back intoBlack Adam. Theo Adam then talks Freddy into becoming a Marvel as well, so he can do everything including walk again. He then transforms into Black Adam Junior and attacks the Marvels.
However, Freddy soon realizes Black Adam's evil, rebels and makes partial peace with the Marvels, although he keeps aloof from them. However, Captain Marvel is later traumatically drained and aged by the supervillain The Vampire Burglar; Mary Marvel and Tawky Tawny come to Freddy in desperation to help them get the Captain to the wizard Shazam's chamber. With much persuading, Freddy agrees; but they encounter Black Adam there, having claimed Shazam's power for himself. Although Shazam soon reappears, the battle against the renegade is complicated by the fact that the only way to help Billy is give him his Shazam power as Black Adam Jr., which would permanently strip himself of it. With much consideration, Freddy agrees and restores Captain Marvel. When Marvels inquire how they can make it up to Freddy for his sacrifice, Shazam suggests Captain Marvel that his name has great power of its own. Inspired, Captain Marvel gets Freddy to speak his name and, upon doing so, the boy is bestowed the power and form of Captain Marvel Jr. This version is apparently able to say his own name without an unwanted transformation and his costume emulates the Captain's by being looser than the traditional costume, complete with a lapel.
In the twelve-issue series of Justice, Freddy and Mary are taken captive by Black Adam and brainwashed to fight Billy Batson. Freddy, along with Mary and the Teen Titans, are sent to fight theDoom Patrol, which they defeat. Soon after,John Stewart frees Freddy, Mary, and the Teen Titans with hisGreen Lantern Ring, after which they join the fight against the villains. He is last shown with Hal Jordan and other heroes fixing the Watchtower.
In issue 21 ofTiny Titans,Hoppy the Marvel Bunny comes to the Tiny Titans Pet Club where Tiny Captain Marvel Junior joins him. Supergirl asks him his name and he replies "Captain Marvel Junior". He then transforms back to Freddy Freeman. When asked again he says "Captain Marvel Junior", but adds "You can call me Freddy." This is one of the few transformations in which Freddy's mobility aids do not re-materialize when he powers down; instead he's seated on the floor with his legs in front of him.
Freddy Freeman, Billy and Mary all possess different powers of Shazam. Freddy holds the Power of Zeus. He is still disabled and has a lightning bolt necklace.
The musicianElvis Presley was a fan of Captain Marvel Jr.,[41][42] and styled his trademark haircut and some of his clothing after him.[43] Presley's childhood comic book collection is kept in the attic at hisGraceland estate inMemphis, Tennessee, while a copy ofCaptain Marvel Jr. #51 (1947) is placed on the desk in the recreation of his childhood room at Memphis' Lauderdale Courts housing complex.[44]
In reference to Elvis's admiration for the character, Captain Marvel Jr. has often been shown as either a fan of Elvis or inspired by him.
Freddy Freeman, known asLieutenant Marvel, appears inYoung Justice: Targets. He was intended to appear in the series' first tie-in comic prior to its cancellation.[50][51]
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