Back in the 1940s and 1950s, Fawcett Comics published one of the most popular comic book characters of the age, Captain Marvel. Cap came with a large cast of supporting characters to include: Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., Shazam, Tawky Tawny, the Lieutenant Marvels, Uncle Dudley Marvel, Black Adam, Dr. Sivana, and many others. Comics featuring Captain Marvel and his extended family made significant inroads into the comic book market. DC Comics (then National Comics) sought to limit the effect of these characters upon their own bottom line brought suit against Fawcett for copyright infringement claiming Cap was stealing Superman's thunder. (Alright, that's a bad pun but I'm the one writing this!) Fawcett ceased publishing Captain Marvel (and company) stories in the 1950s. Marvel Comics copyrighted the name Captain Marvel in the 1960s for a new character (Captain Mar-Vell).

In the 1970s, DC initially licensed the original Captain Marvel and his supporting cast from Fawcett and with the help of former Cap artist C.C. Beck, brought back the Big Red Cheese to a new generation. Unfortunately, the name Captain Marvel could not be used on the cover because of Marvel's copyright of the name. The new series was titled SHAZAM! after the wizard who bestowed Cap's powers upon young Billy Batson. The older and newer tales of Captain Marvel and his family took place on Earth-S prior to COIE. By the 1990s, DC owned all rights to Cap and his kin and hold them to this day.

Back to the Multiverse Main Page