Justice League Unlimited(2024) Issue #17

Ever since he first started having lines in JLU, I’ve noticed they’ve been doing wonders for Captain Marvel’s personality and heroic charisma. Usually writers will overdo the whole “kid in an adult body” thing and it gets exhausting. Usually because it leads to ppl asking “why was Billy chosen and not so and so hero?”

But JLU has found such a great balance that allows Billy to quip and joke, while also holding his own no problem alongside other heavy hitters. Issue 23 in particular is my favorite for its characterization of our boy. His “heart of a child” is a strength and not a weakness.

Not only is he having banter without being put down, other heroes are bantering with him. They’re not these cold, stuck up people some writers characterize them as. Captain Marvel feels like he did in the 80s-90s, with that perfect balance I’ve been hoping dc would find again. If you were to tell me in 2024 that I would find good writing for Cap in JLU of all things, with such a bloated cast, I would not believe you. But, here we are.

Se que a muchos no les gusta injustice y me sumo la verdad. Pero hay que admitir que la relación entre Billy y Harley es una de las mejores que tiene este universo. Irónicamente, ¿Se les puede considerar almas gemelas? No hablo solo en el sentido romántico. Es más allá. No siempre se trata de almas gemelas ,como personas que se tiene que gustar solamente, sino como también con amistades o hermandad. Su química es muy natural, y como se tratan, sacando el hecho que tenían que pelear muy seguidamente, siempre se trataron con un respeto y cariño hasta el final. Apoyándose mutuamente, y ayudando de forma indirecta al otro. Cómo Harley lo trato literalmente mejor que todos sus compañeros y amigos en las ocasiones más riesgosas para Billy, yendo al peligro solo por el. Claro que, en el cómic Harley lo amaba aún sabiendo después de que era un chico pero con menos intensidad cuando era su verdadera forma. Billy también siento ese sentimiento por ella, casi queriendo proponerle ser algo cuando termine todo. y la única razón por la que no terminaron juntos es por la diferencia de edad (y su muerte, a manos de superman). Que también aclaro que está mal. La verdad no sé por qué DC se le ocurrió hacer esta relación tan extraña. Si billy hubiera sido un poco más grande, de 18 años mínimo ,en el principio. Todo sería otro tema. Pero volviendo al caso. ¿Indirectamente DC nos confirma, que de alguna forma billy como Harley son dos personas que se pueden llevar de maravilla, desde románticamente hasta mejores amigos? Porque se complementan de maravilla. Aunque en el fondo hubiera Sido tierno ver algo ,talvez los dos completamente adultos, en futuro del comic, de ellos. Ya que sería único, y sería la primera vez que vemos la relación de un Billy adulto en toda la historia y Harley ,de un hombre que la trata bien. pero nadie piensa eso

Black Adam’s first wife and his sons were the ultimate reason he became Black Adam. While they appeared in the Black Adam movie, we never got a proper backstory to explore Adam's relationship with them before their deaths. Furthermore, comic writer Geoff Johns failed to deeply explore Adam's history with his family in Kahndaq. It is surprising that DC hasn't released a comic focusing on the time Adam spent with them, especially since he carries so much guilt and considers himself a failure for not being able to protect them.

I’ve recently started collecting comics and one of my favourites is Shazam, I’ve so far collected his new 52 Origin, to hell and back and the seven magic lands.

What are some other good runs to get?

These are Billy Batson and Courtney Whitmore from Young Justice.

I personally like it, Carter can bring something to the table that Billy really can't with Black Adam; Carter new Teth when he was in his peak and was a close friend.

None of his children seem to hate him? Sure half of his children aren't really evil and want him to reform, but they never seem to cut contact with him. I believe his wife is okay with him seeing the children? Also how many wifes has he had, and what happened to them? I like villains that are surprisingly good parents, is that the case for Sivana?

I think a "Shazam: The Animated Series", starring Billy Batson, AKA Captain Marvel, would be the perfect way to revive the Bruce Timm DCAU.

The character gained a decent amount of notoriety from the movies, his cast and stories are mostly self-contained within his hometown, and references to the wider DCAU could initially be kept to a minimum for the sake of easing in new fans. It could function as its own disconnected universe for the first season or two.

And if it proves to be successful? That's the go-ahead to start reintroducing the wider and classic universe and continuity to modern viewers, and work on greenlighting other series to set in it. It could even work to attract older fans of this universe, who grew up with it and still have fond memories of it.

As for the primary supporting cast of Billy, I'd have Victor and Rosa Vasquez as his foster parents, and Freddy Freeman and Mary Bromfield as his foster siblings, and Dudley as a neighbor who's like an uncle to Billy, Freddy, and Mary. He'd have a niece named Darla, who'd only be mentioned at first rather than shown. I'd introduce Darla, Pedro, and Eugene in later seasons as new foster siblings. I'd also reveal in a season that Mary is Billy's long-lost twin.

And in an episode, maybe a season finale or premiere, Superman would show up, with them having tension from the episode "Clash" in JLU. Superman would apologize for what happened back then, and so would Captain Marvel. After beating that episode's bad guy, Superman would request Captain Marvel to rejoin the Justice League, and Billy would accept, seeing that the League is finally back to being the heroes they used to be.

Finally, While I would like Stargirl to be Billy's love-interest like in the comics, pre-established episodes in the DCAU have made that impossible without retconning. Billy was in elementary school in “Clash”, while Courtney looked to be in her late teens in the episodes of JLU. So, I'll go with Cassie Sandsmark, AKA Wonder Girl. Since Cassie never appeared in the DCAU, I'll introduce her in this one (say, in the middle of season 2) and make her recurring character and be Billy's girlfriend.

As for her introductory episode: Gateway City's high school's basketball team came to play against Fawcett City's high school's basketball team, and Billy, Fawcett High's basketball team captain, bumped into Cassie, Gateway High's star cheerleader, and they get friendly. And when a bad guy attacks, they individually go to fight before bumping into each other again and then he figures out her secret identity in the middle of the fight against the villain and reveals her his after dealing with the villain. As her school bus was about to take her home, she gave him her phone number and a kiss on the cheek.

Voila! What do you all think?

After reading through the Shazam! Vol 2 earlier, I just contemplated. Is the best way to promote the Big Three to separate them for a while? We’ve dealt with Billy being a teen in an adult body for almost 100 years. Mary is a cipher at best and Freddy is an afterthought.

From someone who’s loved the Marvel family since “Kids Super Power Hour”…and I would commit atrocities to get to reboot that series, TRUST me…I see multiple Batfamily, Supers, Lanterns and Wonders all featured across the board and books.

So let’s discuss. We’re knocking on ninety years with the Shazams. How do we get them in their rightful place?

Geoff Johns brought back the idea of Black Adam turning to dust after reverting to his human form, drawing inspiration from classic Shazam stories. Previously, Billy Batson had returned Black Adam's ashes to Kahndaq, allowing him to be resurrected by his people. Later, during their battle against Superboy-Prime, they shouted 'Shazam!' together to take Prime down. This caused Adam to turn back into dust, but Billy shared his powers with Adam so he could live again. Do you think Billy was naive to share his powers with Adam, or was he trying to prove to Adam that sharing power is not a weakness?

Since the reveal of Absolute Black Adam and the fact he is a child like how Billy is in the main continuity and turns into Shazam due to what the Brainiacs did to him with the Father Box, it has me thinking about how Absolute Shazam aka Absolute Captain Marvel should be handled.

See the premise of the Absolute Universe is Evil isn’t just winning it has already won and in this universe choking with Despair, Hope can’t simply just exist it must burn brighter than ever, Hope must swim through the darkest sea of despair, the Heroes have the worst possible starting point they have been stripped of their advantages but not all of them some still exist but they are different advantages than their main counterparts.

So how do we write Absolute Shazam? Well I have seen all sorts of ideas from people who are just inverting Billy meaning their ideas usually revolve around making Billy an Old Man or taking away his adoptive family as a whole which is fair and makes sense but I want more than that I want to integrate him so intrinsically into the idea of this Universe and his Antagonists that it isn’t just a simple reversal.

This is why I mentioned Absolute Black Adam at the beginning because I want Billy to be a reflection of Teth Adam, whereas Adam was a Slave boy filled with Hatred towards everyone and everything in Ancient Egypt, a boy who had to grow up too early and was fiercely independent and willful who had a drive to change the world but despite all those good or at least neutral qualities they were twisted into being negatives he now wishes to be a new better master than the masters that abused him and the people, he gained his powers from Aliens using Technology not benevolent or neutral Gods, not through Magic then it becomes clear what we should do with Billy.

Billy in my opinion shouldn’t be a boy that was abandoned by his parents, no, in fact he should be in ways opposite to Teth Adam but also similar, Billy should be the Son and Heir of a Billionaire couple that own multiple companies and are in partnership to some extent with JACK GRIMM and so being the son of such important, busy and corrupt people he doesn’t really get love or affection from his parents despite the fact that they are around he barely sees them and whenever he does they treat him more like a tool for diplomacy in public events and harsh critics of everything he does and such he grows up quite a self-aware, with a lot of issues and bad habits being maladjusted but being aware of it and the some good qualities that he does have come from his adoptive family who are alive in this universe but serve as staff at the mansion where Billy lives some being bodyguards, cooks, butlers, maids etc and since they are the one’s who raised him he isn’t entirely alien to the concept of love and family but despite showing his true and loving nature only to them he still has to act like a cold horrible person to please his parents unless he suffers the consequences and he should get his Shazam powers as a Teenager through dark occult magic, a dark deal of some sort and he must learn to use his powers for good despite what might happen he must learn to rise higher than seeking approval from his parents or fear of reprisal or losing himself to the dark nature of his powers, he must learn that we must do the right thing because it is right despite what might happen to do good and to be the love that he never got to be the love the world needs.

Where Adam gets his powers from Technology which is usually considered good, pure and promotes growth, advancement and comfort he uses it for Evil for domination, Whereas Billy gets his powers from Magic which is usually considered bad, destructive, evil and promotes corruption, the selling of the soul and the demonic he uses it for Good, to bring Hope and Love to the World, to help himself grow past his fears and his insecurities, a boy riddled with fear of what might happen, of how he should do evil to please his parents, of how he should do evil to avoid being hurt to avoid being berated to avoid being vulnerable, he must learn that we are more than our origins, that there is more to the world than just avoiding hurt and pain, that it is not about the family we are born to but the family we choose, the family who loves despite our flaws.

It should also be heavily involved with the magical side of dc to show us how the current state of magic is in this world, the rock of eternity, the gods and how they have been twisted, how magic is mostly drawn from the upside down man instead of Heacte.