![]() ![]() Instead, DC was forced to write titles based off the word Shazam to avoid infringing on the trademark. They took DC’s money, and Captain Marvel joined DC – with one proviso.ĭespite securing the rights to the original Captain Marvel character, DC couldn’t lay claim to the comic book title because Marvel had already scooped it up. When DC Comics offered to lease the character they had forced into retirement some twenty years previous, Fawcett didn’t hold any grudges. See, Fawcett was still sitting on a hero with national brand recognition and a history of success in print and on film, and they had already divested themselves of their comics division. ![]() The Captain Marvel debate might’ve ended there if DC hasn’t gotten hungry for more superhero properties in 1971. They rejigged his powers and characterization a few times, but he soon settled into a prominent role in the Marvel Universe. Captain Marvel, warlike alien turned defender of Earth: super strong, able to fly, and capable of blasting his enemies with energy.Ĭaptain Marvel in his not-so-alien red and blue costume.Ĭaptain Marvel quickly ingrained himself in the fabric of Marvel, primarily because the company had to produce a comic using his name at least once a year. In 1967, with the company now firmly entrenched, Stan Lee at Marvel said “Gee, we should probably lock down the hero with our name, shouldn’t we?”įawcett had thrown the keys on the table a decade previous, so all Marvel had to do was publish a Captain Marvel book to claim trademark on the title.Įnter Kree soldier Mar-Vell, a.k.a. Marvel exploded in popularity under Lee’s guidance by focusing on flawed, struggling characters like Spider-Man and the X-Men, in contrast to DC’s squeaky-clean Superman and moneybags Batman. The dust settled, National became DC Comics, and Jack Kirby and Stan Lee gave birth to Marvel Comics in 1961 with the debut of Fantastic Four #1. National Comics received a $400 000 payout, and the promise that Fawcett would never publish a Captain Marvel comic again. They appealed the decision and dragged the proceedings out until they won the case with a new judge in 1954.įinally, with superhero comics on the wane anyway, Fawcett cashed in its chips and folded the entire comic book branch of its business. The judge agreed with National Comics but let Fawcett off the hook thanks to some complicated copyright rules National had bungled.īut National refused to give up. That didn’t sit well with the company that would become DC Comics – called Detective Comics and National Comics through the ’40s – so they sued Fawcett Comics for creating a knockoff of their prized Kryptonian. He collected a large cast of supporting characters and even beat the Big Blue Boy Scout to the big screen with a serialized film series called The Adventures of Captain Marvel in ’41. The attack worked, too: debuting in 1939, Captain Marvel’s popularity soon outshone even Superman’s. That, and Captain Marvel doesn’t lift cars – he chucks them!Ĭaptain Marvel was a direct attack on the popularity of Superman, and you can see it above in their first cover – a clear response to the iconic Action Comics #1 cover where Superman lifts a car. Or, if you want to read between the lines, he’s got Superman’s powers, with a touch of magic to differentiate. When kid radio Billy Batson speaks the name of the wizard Shazam, he transforms into an adult superhero 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. The first Captain Marvel was a Golden Age superhero created by Fawcett Comics and designed as a wish fulfillment fantasy for young boys. That’s not the case, because the DC Comics version of the character actually predates Marvel – and DC. The name Captain Marvel occupies a singularly peculiar corner of comics history because – quite unintentionally – it sounds like it ought to be the name of the flagship hero for Marvel Comics. “The red guy with the lightning bolt? Isn’t that the Flash?” Tell someone your favourite superhero is Captain Marvel and you’re likely to get some very mixed responses.
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