Shazam's Darkest Form Flipped the Idea of His Superhero Family
In DC's infamous Flashpoint reality, readers met a dark version of Shazam, one that flipped the script on the family aspect so integral to the character. This version of Shazam, referred to as “Captain Thunder,” skewered the traditional concept of the Shazam Family by merging its individual members into one - a la Captain Planet - as opposed to the individual members being granted powers by Shazam.
Family has been an important part of the Shazam mythos from its earliest days; indeed, Shazam was one of the first characters to have a “Family,” with characters such as his sister Mary Marvel and his best friend Freddy Freeman, who went by the name Captain Marvel Junior (and was a direct inspiration for Elvis Presley's stage persona.) Then there was Uncle Dudley, Tawky Tawny and the Lieutenant Marvels. Many of these characters also derived their powers from the wizard Shazam, a concept that has stayed true in every reboot of the concept, ranging from Jerry Ordway’s seminal Power of Shazam to Geoff Johns’ reinvention of the character during the New 52 era. Flashpoint (written by Geoff Johns, drawn by Andy Kubert, inked by Sandra Hope, colored by Alex Sinclair and lettered by Nick J. Napolitano) helped usher in the New 52, but before it did, it presented dark visions of some of DC’s most beloved heroes, including Shazam!
In Flashpoint #1, readers encounter a reality created when the Flash accidentally breaks the timeline. There, they meet Captain Thunder, the broken timeline's version of Shazam. The children comprising the family: Billy, Mary, Freddy, Darla, Eugene and Pedro, along with Tawny the Tiger, are each imbued with an aspect of Shazam’s power; that is, Eugene has Solomon’s wisdom, Billy the courage of Achilles, and so forth. When they say the magic word “Shazam,” they combine to form Captain Thunder. Unlike his Earth-0 counterpart, however, Captain Thunder is much darker, with a stoic demeanor and deep scars on his face. The children bring Captain Thunder forth to ask for his help in the Atlantean-Amazon war. Captain Thunder, whose scars came from a fight with Wonder Woman, agrees to help.
Captain Thunder upended everything readers knew about the Shazam Family. Since the Family’s inception in the early 1940’s, they have shared their abilities and an unshakable bond. Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Junior were just as strong and fast as Billy. Captain Thunder was a radical reinvention of the concept, turning a family of superbeings into a single hero. The arrival of Captain Thunder pointed out one of the Shazam’s family greatest strengths - that they're able to work together and support each other, regardless of their powers. None of this was present with Captain Thunder.
Instead, the Shazam Family were at odds with each other, unable to truly reach a decision. Captain Thunder was a grim hero who wore scars of battles lost, and was discussed by his constituent parts as a separate being that not all of them seemed to like. At the same time, the children mentioned not seeing each other as a true family - a world away from the unshakable bonds the character usually enjoys. Easily separated, the event includes the death of Billy Batson as the makeshift group fall apart.
However, all was not doom and gloom. Flash ultimately managed to create a new timeline where the family were together again, and this storyline was the first appearance of Darla, Eugene and Pedro, who would join Billy, Mary and Freddy in forming the New 52 Shazam Family, which followed a more traditional model. Yet the Flashpoint Shazam remains one of the darkest takes on the character to date, emphasizing how thoroughly the hero is defined by his familial bonds in DC's main continuity.