One of DC's Strongest Heroes Is Losing His Powers | Screen Rant
Warning! Spoilers for Teen Titans Academy #4 by DC Comics below.
One of DC Comics' strongest heroes is losing control of his powers, as Billy Batson is having tremendous difficulties turning into Shazam. In a new issue of Teen Titans Academy, Billy tries his best to summon his powerful magical alter-ego, but when he calls out "Shazam," he's left wondering why he isn't changing into the mighty Justice League hero.
Batson originally received his powers from a wizard named Shazam, who granted the teenager the ability to transform into a magical superhero after saying his name and being struck by a lightning bolt. As Shazam, Batson gained the powers of the gods - including the strength of Hercules, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury. In DC's dark Future State timeline, Batson was forced to split with Shazam in order to stop a corrupted Raven from destroying the entire multiverse. But, before that reality can come to fruition - if it even does - Billy is struggling with even becoming Shazam in the first place.
In Teen Titans Academy, Batson's powers were already teased as giving the young hero trouble, as he accepted a spot in the school in order to figure out what's causing them to go haywire. While some teachers and students have wondered if Batson is actually the villainous Red X, the latest issue of the series reveals he's got much bigger problems. In Teen Titans Academy #4 by Tim Sheridan, Steve Lieber, Dave Stewart, and Rob Leigh, a group of recruits try to figure out who the mysterious Red X really is. When they investigate Billy, the comic flashes to Batson on a rooftop yelling "Shazam" at the top of his lungs. He has no luck transforming into Shazam.
Billy is met on the roof by Beast Boy and Raven, who tell him they'll figure out what the problem is. Batson admits he doesn't understand why his powers are being unpredictable and asks if he should just become a masked vigilante instead of Shazam. Clearly, Billy is struggling with his powers going on the fritz.
With Batson unable to transform into Shazam whenever he likes, one of the Justice League's most powerful members is stuck as his normal, mortal self. Can Billy discover what's causing his power outage? Or will he be forced to become a new kind of vigilante - one without his tremendous abilities - like Nightwing? With Shazam being sidelined, the DC Universe is losing one of its strongest heroes. Hopefully, Batson can figure out what's creating the issue and reconnect with his god-like form soon. A new miniseries will explore what's happening to the hero. Teen Titans Academy #4 is in comic stores now.