| Uncle Marvel | |
|---|---|
 Uncle Marvel (fourth from left) standing with theMarvel Family before theWizard Shazam (right) on the cover ofThe Marvel Family #1. Art byC. C. Beck. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Fawcett Comics (1943–1948) DC Comics (1972–present) |
| First appearance | Wow Comics #18 (October 1943) |
| Created by | Otto Binder Marc Swayze |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Dudley H. Dudley |
| Team affiliations | Marvel Family |
| Supporting character of | Captain Marvel Mary Marvel |
| Notable aliases | Uncle Dudley |
| Abilities | Acting Deception |
Uncle Marvel (Dudley H. Dudley) is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books formerly published byFawcett Comics and today byDC Comics, who appears in stories about theMarvel Family team of superheroes.
Uncle Marvel has appeared in various media outside comics, primarily in association with Captain Marvel.Alan Oppenheimer,Corey Burton, andJohn Astin have voiced the character in animation.
Created byOtto Binder andMarc Swayze, Uncle Marvel was created primarily as a supporting character ofMary Marvel and first appeared inWow Comics #18 in October 1943.[1]
An old, rotund man named Dudley, Uncle Marvel did not have any real superpowers and claimed to beMary Marvel's uncle from California. The Marvels, possessing the wisdom ofSolomon, saw through Dudley's machinations, but allowed him to become their manager and supported his delusions. When asked to make use of his supposed superpowers, Dudley would always complain that his "shazambago" was acting up and was interfering with his powers, though the Marvels always knew better.
Though mostly played as comic relief, Dudley plays a key role inMarvel Family #1 as he tricks the rogue MarvelBlack Adam (debuting in that story) into saying the magic word "Shazam" and reverting to his mortal self. InMary Marvel #7, after Mary stops some thugs, Dudley makes Mary promise not to turn into Mary Marvel until midnight, to show that she is helpless without Mary Marvel. He then sends two men to rob the office, not knowing they are actual criminals who kidnap Mary and try to hold her for ransom. The criminals attempt to force Dudley to write a ransom note, but midnight arrives and Mary transforms into Mary Marvel to stop them.
Uncle Marvel continued to appear in the Marvel Family stories through 1948, at which time the character was quietly dropped. He returned to the Marvel Family comics whenDC Comics began publishing new stories and reprints under the titleShazam! in 1973, he was put into suspended animation, along with many other Fawcett characters, explained as an attack gone wrong by the Sivana family. He again takes over Shazam Incorporated. After forty years of appearing in the Marvel Family comics, Uncle Dudley was revamped in 1987 along with the rest of theShazam! franchise. InRoy Thomas andTom Mandrake's four-issue 1987 miniseriesShazam!: The New Beginning, the character is reimagined as Billy Batson's biological uncle.
A second revamped version of Uncle Marvel was introduced inJerry Ordway'sPower of Shazam!graphic novel in 1994 and a resulting ongoing comic book series of the same name, rendering Thomas and Mandrake's version non-canon. In Ordway's stories, Dudley is the janitor at Billy Batson's school, who looks out for him and inadvertently learns his secret identity. This revelation leads Dudley to be involved in a number of Marvel Family adventures, including one story (The Power of Shazam! #11 and #12) in whichIbis the Invincible gives him superpowers. Dudley continued to appear inThe Power of Shazam! for the duration of the series as a recurring supporting character, often paired withTawky Tawny, an anthropomorphic tiger and friend of Captain Marvel.
Following the cancellation ofThe Power of Shazam! in 1999, Dudley virtually disappeared from DC Comics publications, save for cameos in52 andJustice Society of America. He appears more prominently inConvergence andThe Multiversity.
In 2016, DC Comics implemented a relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth" which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52" reboot. Dudley H. Dudley was a homeless man in Camp Pacto who befriendedMary Bromfield when she saved him from a man named Babel.[2] Dudley was later kidnapped and held in the basement of Fawcett Community College by Babel's employers where he would have been experimented on by Georgia Sivana. He was rescued by Mary and Darla Dudley.[3]
Dudley later became Uncle Marvel and helped Billy Batson rescue Mary from some Submen. Billy learned about Mary's connection with Dudley as he did community service and wielded a crowbar to fight anyone who causes trouble. When Freddy gets controlled by the Amber Lightning, he tries to attack Dudley until Shazam comes to his aid.[4]
Uncle Marvel later assists Tawky Tawny into fighting the Jeepers.[5]
Uncle Marvel was an expert actor and was also good at the act of deception.
The Prime-Earth depiction of Uncle Marvel had him sporting charisma where he claims to have enough of it to make a lot of friends.
The Prime-Earth version of Uncle Marvel carries around a crowbar.
Uncle Marvel appears as a character summon inScribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[9]
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