Pitch Week: The Shazam Family

I’ve never really read Shazam or the Marvel family except for that Shazam one shot that came out last year. That thing made no sense because of the continuity and it was pretty confusing.
I want a reboot of the series though because there are these elements that aren’t really touched because of how the DC Universe works. For instance the gods give their powers who say Shazam and those heroes then go under new names, separate from the gods and even fighting their icons (in which I refer to Black Adam, Osiris and Isis).
My thought for a reboot is that the beginning is the same, orphan Billy Batson is granted powers from the gods through the wizard Shazam after entering a mysterious tunnel. After that though, things change when upon exiting Batson meets archeologist Carter Hall in a cave in Egypt. Hall has been dreaming of the cave for his entire life and used his extensive wealth to find it. Upon finding Billy though, Hall attempts to return BIlly home only for a great sandstorm to pick up – a storm caused by Black Adam, a former prince turned immortal with the powers of the wizard Shazam whose death was caused by Black Adam who wished to prevent any other mortals from gaining powers to match his.
As Billy rushes in to use his new powers as Captain Marvel, Hall collapses on the ground and transforms into Hawkman the new appointed guardian of the new Captain Marvel. The two are able to chase off Black Adam leaving the two heroes confused on what to do. Hall, dealing with Hawkman or Ra’s personality taking over returns them to his mansion only to find a tiger waiting at the door.

I want a story that is sort of like a superhero sitcom where the Marvel family lives in this giant house and squabbles and fights like a real family – something more lighthearted. The series is about youth and idealism and how you can lose those dreams and the value of keeping them. It isn’t something we see often enough in comics and it is something that we need more of.

Characters:
Billy Batson – an orphan granted the power to turn into Captain Marvel by the wizard Shazam. Billy wants to do the right thing and ultimately believes in the good of all people. He would rather not fight but understands the need to defend himself. He enjoys reading and cooking – the two main things that preoccupied his time growing up alone and dreams of writing stories when he is older. Over the time Billy has to face the fact that doing good is not always easy and fighting is sometimes needed.

Black Adam – a prince given the powers of Shazam thousands of years ago before Egypt was the desert it is now. Black Adam used his powers for good establishing a rich and flourishing kingdom. As times changed though Black Adam saw his entire kingdom and his legacy destroyed by nature and wars. His desire to prevent others from going through the same fate left him deranged and he wished to kill Shazam to prevent others from gaining his powers and to hopefully free himself from the curse (as in his madness he has forgotten how to return to his human form). Black Adam is not necessarily evil, only lost to the ages and part of the journey of Captain Marvel will be returning him to the hero he once was.

Carter Hall/Hawkman – the rich and generous millionaire who has had the same dream for his entire life. Hall was raised by a generous couple who adopted him when he had been abandoned as an infant. Now heir to the Hall fortune in computers, he uses his money to help those around him. The truth though is he is the god Ra who dies and is reborn eternally. As Ra’s memories of being a king will start to return, Hall will struggle to be the person he was raised to be while raising Billy. Hall was raised to be polite in company but fighting is not his passion as it is for Ra. As he gains back Ra’s memorises he will also develop sun powers.

Mr. Tawky Tawny – A mysterious tiger who appeared in Carter Hall’s home upon the return from Egypt. Tawky Tawny is the wild person of the group who was some long forgotten deity who got lost when the other gods ended up disappearing. Tawny enjoys parties and adventures but he isn’t suited for living at home causing issues with the more straight-laced Carter Hall. Mr Tawky Tawny also possesses the ability to transform into a human as well as a few other assorted tricks.

Mary Marvel – Mary Jones was an English orphan granted the power of Shazam by the wizard before Billy. She has been hesitant to use her powers out of fear since being attacked by Black Adam while she talked to Shazam. She faced Black Adam who simply left her when Shazam left leaving her to question her worth and causing confidence issues. When Carter and Billy arrive in London though, they sense her power and offer her a new home which she accepts. Mary is the voice of reason for the family who can offer a somewhat dark viewpoint due to her confidence issues. Mary, by being given a loving home will start to change and become a more energetic and happy character.

Captain Marvel Jr – Freddy Freeman was a college student in Washington DC interning for a local senator when Doctor Sivana attacked DC hoping to take over as the president. When he tried to move Billy Batson out of the way while transforming, Freddy gained the powers of Captain Marvel but he also ended up turning into a 12 year old version of himself. Freeman has lost his childish ideals and hope but ironically by turning into a child hero, he is able to regain that. Freddy does not move in with the Hall family but is there in case things go bad.

Doctor Sivana – the mad scientist who wishes to rule the world to fix it. Doctor Sivana by the age of 8 had gained 4 PhDs due to his immense intellect. When he found out that others were going after his inventions and research though he turned evil. Now age 16, Sivana wishes to ruin the world that did not respect him because really, he is just a super smart brat.

Luke Herr

Luke is a writer and an aspiring professional comic writer who is also the editor in chief of Nerdcenaries. He currently is working on a graphic novel called Prison Spaceship.