CAPTAIN MARVEL
ORIGINS:
When young William Joseph (Billy) Batson's parents were killed by their treacherous assistant Theo Adam (who was revealed to be the ancient villain Teth-Adam - better known as the nefarious Black Adam), he was separated from his sister Mary and sent to live with their Uncle. Unfortunately, his uncle soon kicked Billy out and stole his inheritance. Living on the streets, Billy survived by selling newspapers until one day a strange cloaked man lead him to a part of the subway which he had never seen before. A marvelous train awaited them, covered in hieroglyphs and runes. Billy and the stranger boarded and rode the train deep into the bowels of the Earth eventually stopping in a long cavern which housed statues of the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man. There Billy met the ancient wizard Shazam who had protected mankind from the Seven Deadly Enemies for thousands of years. Shazam had observed Billy as he dealt with and endured the trials and hardships of his young life. Shazam was impressed with Billy's irrepressible altruism and optimism. He determined Billy was the worthy and proper recipient of the power of the Elders, and it was thus that Billy was chosen to become Shazam's latest champion and granted the powers of the Elders; Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury whenever he spoke the wizard's name (SHAZAM!) aloud. Billy Batson is a bright young man with a warm and light-hearted personality. He is kind, optimistic, courageous and altruistic. Although he will usually try to avoid physical confrontation, he will always stand up for what is right no matter the personal risks or cost. Billy idolizes Superman and, despite their many clashes, has tried to follow the Man of Steel's heroic example. Billy is quite protective of his twin sister Mary, both before and after she was also given the power of the elders and became Mary Marvel. Billy's altruistic and protective side was also evident when he defended Freddy Freeman against Captain Nazi and even persuaded the wizard SHAZAM to give the injured/crippled Freddy a share of the elders' power transforming him into Captain Marvel, Jr. In this new super-powered identity, Freddy used his powers to fight crime, injustice and evil as a member of the Marvel Family. Throughout the super-human community Billy is generally perceived as a Boy Scout, perhaps even more so than his idol Superman. Captain Marvel's pure heart, good nature and irrepressible optimism have made him extremely hard to dislike, thus, appropriately, he gets along with the vast majority of people he meets.
POWERS, ABILITIES, AND FEATS:
The wizard's name, SHAZAM, is an acronym with each letter standing for an Elder who grants his power to Shazam's champion. When young Billy Batson speaks the wizard's name, a magical lightning bolt charged with the power of the Shazam Elders transforms Billy from an adolescent boy into the adult hero, Captain Marvel/Shazam, empowered by the gods. As Captain Marvel/Shazam, he is granted powers from these Elders:
S for Solomon:
S is for the wisdom of Solomon. The wisdom of Solomon gives Billy great knowledge, perception, comprehension and insight. By mystical means, Solomon is actually able to speak to Billy during his times of need. The wisdom of Solomon gives Billy many intellectual abilities, some known and others yet unknown. Some of these specific abilities are a photographic memory, omni-linguistics and advanced knowledge of war strategy and tactics.
H for Hercules:
H is for the strength of Hercules, strongest of the gods. Billy is empowered with Hercules' nearly limitless superhuman strength which is often compared to and even rivals/matches, maybe even possibly surpasses that of Superman. As such, Captain Marvel's strength is of the highest level and is sufficiently vast enough that it enables him to lift/move unbelievably massive and/or heavy objects possibly on a planetary scale or higher with little effort. Because his strength level is so high and potentially dangerous, Billy Batson constantly uses great restraint, thus he usually only uses as much strength or force as is necessary to accomplish whatever his given task or challenge requires. Because of this he is not often seen moving objects of a planetary scale though accomplishing such tasks are well within his abilities. Captain Marvel has the ability to lift well over 100 tons with minimal effort and has battled top tier beings such as Superman, Wonder Woman and Black Adam. Captain Marvel has stalemated Superman in an arm wrestling contest and has at least matched Wonder Woman in raw strength. The limits, if there actually are any, of Captain Marvel's strength are unknown. When Billy Batson transforms into Shazam he gains the added muscle of a very well developed full-grown man as well as the accompanying height and weight, often appearing larger and more muscularly bulky than Superman himself.
A for Atlas:
A is for the stamina of Atlas, Titan who bears the heavens on his shoulders. This means he doesn't need to sleep or eat as Captain Marvel and has virtually limitless superhuman endurance. Due to Atlas' stamina, Captain Marvel doesn't fatigue during or after any exertion; no matter how strenuous or how long in duration. While in the form of Captain Marvel, Billy Batson does not need to eat. sleep or breathe. The godly energies that transform his body into Earths Mightiest Mortal is enough to sustain his body. From Black Adam, who also shares the same powers as Billy Batson (but from different sources) we have seen that he was able to survive crossing the universe in his return to Earth which took him 5,000 years to accomplish. Captain Marvels godly energies do not require him to rest because they prevent any kind of fatigue toxins from building in his body. This grants him a virtually inexhaustible amount of endurance regardless of how strenuous the physical activity he engages in or how long it lasts. His endurance may indeed be limitless.
Z for Zeus:
Z is for the power of Zeus, most powerful of the gods. Though the term "Power of Zeus" is vague, this grants Billy many abilities, with many possibly unknown as of yet. Through Zeus, Captain Marvel has high-level magic resistance and can call down the lightning that changes him back and forth between his two personas. He has even used the lightning as a weapon before; calling it down and then dodging it while allowing it to strike an enemy. Captain Marvel has also stated that with this power also comes the "Wrath of Zeus." This implies supreme, righteous anger/rage, though it's unclear how this ties into Billy's powerset. The power of Zeus is vast and hard to define completely. It may augment some of Captain Marvel's other powers and abilities and it may grant him powers and abilities even he has yet to discover. From Zeus, Captain Marvel inherits sheer unbelievable power rendering him utterly invulnerable (Captain Marvel Adventures 144, DC Comics Presents Annual 03). The power of Zeus adds to the other powers of Captain Marvel giving him the wisdom of Solomon and Zeus, the strength of Hercules and Zeus, the stamina of Atlas is beeded up with the immortality of Zeus (World's Finest 254 and Shazam the Monster Society 04). Captain Marvel can still blend all the strength of Hercules, stamina of Atlas and power of Zeus to increase his strength (Adventure Comics 492 and Power Of Shazam 46). Magical Resistance - The power of Zeus gives Captain Marvel a resistance against magic and only magic of the highest order is able to harm him. Captain Marvel gains his power from a lightning bolt, and can use it as a weapon as well by interrupting the flow between the bolt and himself. In certain situations, Marvel has been known to spark lightning off of his body, and even direct it as a projectile at a target. Captain Marvel is a being of pure and ancient magic. This gives him the ability to resist the negative effects of magic. Although Captain Marvel has the power of the Gods it is possible to harm him. Captain Marvel is able to call down the lightning that gives him his powers in order to heal his body if he is injured. Captain Marvels healing factor is also of a godly level and is able to heal himself from almost all injuries in an incredible amount of time.
A for Achilles:
A is for the courage of Achilles, greatest hero of the Trojan War. This grants him an inner strength and confidence. Captain Marvel usually protects others before himself and also often putting himself in harm's way to protect another. He also tends to stand up for the little guy and asserts himself between larger fights to find a mutually beneficial solution. Achilles has bestowed onto Captain Marvel great fighting abilities (Captain Marvel Adventures 144). Captain Marvel is virtually invulnerable to all forms of physical harm. His resistance to harm is comparable to that of Superman's but he does not share his weaknesses to Kryptonite or magic. Captain Marvel is a combination of the Wisdom of Solomon as well as the child personality of Billy Batson which create a fairly optimistic character in the DC Universe. He is able to stay positive and keep his spirits up even in the most dire and desperate situations.
M for Mercury:
M is for the speed of Mercury, swiftest of the gods. This grants Marvel his god-like speed and his power to fly. Captain Marvel is able to move at incredible speeds and is able to move so fast that he can seem invisible to the eye of the human being. Captain Marvel's speed is said to surpass even that of Superman and rival that of the Flash. The power of Mercury grants Captain Marvel the ability to defy gravity. With this, he is able to travel through space and through the atmosphere of the Earth at incredible speeds. Captain Marvel has the ability to transport to the Rock of Eternity from wherever he is at by speeding between the space between dimensions.
WEAKNESSES:
If Captain Marvel is attacked with enough magic power, it can revert him back to the form of Billy Batson. However, all he must do to transform once more is speak SHAZAM'S name.
VS.
CAPTAIN MAR-VELL
CAPTAIN MAR-VELL
ORIGINS:
A Kree Sentry was defeated on Earth by The Fantastic Four and subsequently so was Ronan the Accuser. Astonished by these events, the Kree sent a starship to monitor Earth and gather information on its advancements in missile and space technology. On the way to Earth, Mar-Vell was ordered to take a small crew and make contact with the missing Grand General Devros on a Brood infested planet. Captain Mar-Vell and Una barely escaped a now Brood infected Devros and the Brood Queen. They were rescued by the Shiar guard led by Deathbird and re-united with their ship bound for Earth. Mar-Vell was given orders to infiltrate Earth by his commander, Colonel Yon-Rogg, who was jealous of both Mar-Vells reputation as a warrior and his relationship with the ships medic, Una. One day while Mar-Vell was returning to the ship to renew his supply of breathing potions, Yon-Rogg tried to assassinate him by accidentally firing the ships laser beams at him, but a small private plane came between the beams and Mar-Vell, and it was destroyed instead. Mar-Vell went to the aid of the plane, where he found the only occupant to be the now-deceased Dr. Walter Lawson, whom Yon-Rogg had just murdered and who bore an astonishing resemblance to Mar-Vell himself. Lawson was an expert on missiles and robotics who had just been transferred to the nearby military base called The Cape. Seeing this opportunity to infiltrate The Cape, Mar-Vell decided to assume Dr. Lawson's identity and pose as him. Yon-Rogg would continue trying to assassinate Mar-Vell and activated a dormant Kree Sentry hoping it would kill him. Mar-Vell defeated Sentry #459 in his Kree uniform and during the battle, bystanders misunderstood the Kree soldier, thinking he had called himself Captain Marvel." Thus a new super-hero was born.
"I just heard that masked guy say his name was Captain Marvel -- and then WHAMMO!" - Anonymous Soldier, Captain Marvel #1 (1968)
POWERS, ABILITIES, AND FEATS:
Mar-Vell is a warrior. The "best of the best" of the soldiers of the Kree Empire whose tyrannical rule spans many planets as recorded in Marvel Comics History. This means that Mar-Vell has the best in hand to hand combat skills and war strategy before the addition of any superpowers, as evidenced in the characters evolution through encounters with "Zo", "Eon", the "Nega-Bands", or any of the character's adventures or natural progression.
He had the ability to absorb solar energy. By doing this, he was able to greatly increase his strength. It also gave him the ability to fly and to fire blasts of energy from his body. Captain Marvel was "cosmically aware", meaning that he was semi-omniscient. He could see an enemy's weakness simply by thinking about it, thus having a superhuman insight coupled with his already proven warrior skill, leadership and intelligence. Mar-Vell had achieved a mental "nirvana" of sorts, the complexity of which being that he was both warrior and protector.
Thanks to the Nega-Bands, Mar-Vell became able to store much more solar energy and focus his photon blast. By hitting the Nega Bands together, Mar-Vell was able to switch places with Rick Jones, who resided in the Negative Zone. Mar-Vell was a captain in the Kree Army. In the military, he received advanced training in hand-to-hand combat as well as armed combat with a multitude of weapons. He also had a firm understanding of warfare and was an apt tactician. Mar-Vell can fly unaided in space at, or in excess of, light speeds, no longer needing food for sustenance. He appears to be stronger in the day when on Earth as to siphon solar energy.
Mar-Vell's leadership is often an underrated category in his skillset, but is evidenced in his categorical role of leader when teaming with with Earth's mightiest heroes, namely The Avengers (as evidenced in the first cosmic cube saga involving Thanos, which is chronicled in CM #25-#33 and spotlighted on the cover of CM #31) in any of his incarnations. Another misconception is that Mar-Vell needed the nega bands for the power of flight, which is erroneous journalism at best, as he was granted this and other powers (teleportation and illusion casting) by the being called "Zo" which ended up being a form for an internal conspiracy in the Kree Supreme Council. Captain Marvel is said to have been 6'2" tall, and around 240 lbs, and would have knowledge of most mechanical and war devices of the Kree Empire. He did have some degree of what could be referred to as superhuman intelligence, however this seems to be overlooked in the known rating systems. He was able to shoulder the burden of cosmic awareness in it's fullest scope without going insane. The scope of Cosmic awareness does touch upon omniscience and as evidenced in his comics, this power grew in magnitude as the comic went on, actually using it to channel life force in CM #61 and to speak with animals, eventually becoming such an asset he could turn it inward for the use of medical scans as well as a communication tool without any movement of body (see Hulk #246). Though Mar-Vell's body was not one with the universe, his spirit was, thus adding to the controversy surrounding his physical death.
Another aspect of Captain Marvel's powers is that once he was separated from Rick Jones, he can create a portal to the negative zone by simply concentrating and clanging his bands together. (Captain Marvel #57)
Mar-Vell has been shown being able to dodge lasers at point blank range and anticipate an enemy's method of attack before they do it themselves. Mar-Vell 's original power assessment in the early works, was simply to turn the psionic energy into the physical energy, leaving a touch of ambiguity. So the scope of Mar-Vell's powers have never really been accurately described in printed form, at any of his various power enhancements, especially with Cosmic Awareness. It is also of note, that the true gauge, or 'scope' as they say, of Marvel's cosmic awareness has never been truly defined though it did grow and expand as the character progressed. It went from determining a villain's weakness to out of body contact. Ex. Hulk #246 where Mar-Vell communicated with the Hulk at the most fierce point of his rage simply by touching him and again in Captain Marvel #60 where he managed to calm the beasts commanded by the alluring Elyisius and win her heart simultaneously.
WEAKNESSES:
None that I'm aware of.
WHO WILL WIN?
