History Awesome / Shazam

** This carried over once DC Comics licensed and then purchased the Fawcett characters for their own use. While many writers consider Superman to be the most powerful hero in DC Comics, often downplaying other heroes to showcase this, Captain Marvel has been one of the few heroes who can consistently fight Superman as an equal. While writers Grant Morrison and Jeph Loeb attribute this to Cap's magical nature, most other writers simply write Cap as being powerful, skilled and determined enough to match Superman strength for strength and blow for blow. In Comicbook/KingdomCome, even when Superman is at the height of his power and all but immune to Kryptonite, Lex Luthor feels Captain Marvel can still match the Man of Steel (at least physically; Lex's brainwashing allows Clark to outwit Billy during their battle).

* Comicbook/UnderworldUnleashed has Cap as part of a Justice League team sent into Hell itself to rescue Superman from Neron, who is basically DC's version of The Devil at this point. However, once they arrive they discover that Superman isn't there, and that it was Captain Marvel's soul that Neron wanted all along due to its purity. The influence of Neron and the center of Hell warps the other heroes, letting Neron goad them into attacking the Captain. Despite starting the fight with a broken arm, Cap holds his own and seemingly defeats the League, and then offers up his soul to Neron willingly. The purity of both Cap's soul and with which it was given defeats Neron and saves the day. That's right, Cap's soul was so pure it DEFEATED THE DEVIL.

* [[ComicBook/{{Justice}} Justice]] issue 5 qualifies. Superman has just been blindsided by Bizarro, who tackled the Man of Steel into the middle of the street so Solomon Grundy could help beat him down. Then Metallo shows up and begins weakening Superman with his Kryptonite heart while the Parasite drains Superman's powers and begins to join in the beat down. All in all, Superman is helpless, wondering why none of the JLA are responding to his distress call, and finally cries out for help. Just then a lightning bolt flashes across the sky and all of the villains get an "oh shit" look on their faces as a red and gold blur comes down and proceeds to take them apart. Bizarro? Punched into orbit. Metallo? Kryptonite yanked out of his chest. Parasite? Had that Kryptonite jammed in his chest, and since he had stolen Superman's powers, was instantly defeated by it. Solomon Grundy? Beaten unconscious into a crater. In the space of a page, these four powerful villains are handily and decisively dealt with. The blur finally slows down enough to reveal who it is, offering a hand to help Superman up.

---->'''Franchise/{{Superman}}:''' What have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!\\

** At the same time, Shazam is absolutely right. The Wizard spent 5,000 years looking for someone to trust with his power, and since the fall of Black Adam, Shazam will only trust someone completely incorruptible. The only person he judged worthy of his power is Billy. Not [[BewareTheSuperman Superman]], not [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmericaTowerOfBabel Batman]], not [[ComicBook/ZeroHourCrisisInTime Hal Jordan]], [[ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}} Barry Allen]], [[ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis Wonder Woman]], etc. Only Billy. Shazam doesn't back down from his decision, however well intended Superman's argument is. In a way, Shazam is sticking up for Billy by making it clear that his chosen champion is the only one for the job. And for all his might, Superman knows he can't force Shazam to do anything, since Shazam is vastly more powerful than even Clark. But instead, Shazam just calmly, even sadly, points out that Billy is "a young boy... who could use some guidance." Shazam not only cuts all of the energy out of Superman's argument, but he uses the moment to give Billy and Clark something they both need: a friend.

** Supes also gets one hell of an awesome and heartwarming moment (what else would you expect from the Big Blue?) in the mini-series: after learning that Captain Marvel is, in reality, JustAKid, he has one question:
--->'''Superman''': ...who did this to you?

---->'''Franchise/{{Superman}}:''' WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!\\

** At the same time, Shazam is absolutely right. The Wizard spent 5,000 years looking for someone to trust with his power, and since the fall of Black Adam, Shazam will only trust someone completely incorruptible. The only person he judged worthy of his power is Billy. Not [[BewareTheSuperman Superman]], not [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmericaTowerOfBabel Batman]], not [[ComicBook/ZeroHourCrisisInTime Hal Jordan]], [[ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}} Barry Allen]], [[ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis Wonder Woman]], etc. Only Billy. Shazam doesn't back down from his decision, however well intended Superman's argument is. In a way, Shazam is sticking up for Billy by making it clear that his chosen champion is the only one for the job. And for all his might, Superman knows he can't force Shazam to do anything, since Shazam is vastly more powerful than even Clark. But instead, Shazam just calmly, even sadly, points out that Billy is "a young boy . . . who could use some guidance." Shazam not only cuts all of the energy out of Superman's argument, but he uses the moment to give Billy and Clark something they both need: a friend.

---'''Superman''': ...who did this to you?

** Not to cramp Cap's style, but Supes also gets one hell of an awesome and heartwarming moment (what else would you expect from the Big Blue?) in the mini-series:
--->'''Franchise/{{Superman}}:''' WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!\\

-->'''Blue Devil''': Want to see real bravery? Take a look at this guy. He calls himself Captain Marvel, the Earth's Mightiest Mortal. Who knows? Maybe he is. Now he's in the middle of a one-on-one throwdown with the Spectre -- an immortal being so incalculably powerful that our Mightiest Mortal's like a paraplegic child taking on a heavyweight prize fighter. From what I understand, Captain Marvel can survive only so long as his magical power source holds out. But the Spectre is bleeding it dry so quickly, Marvel's continued life span can be measured in a matter of seconds, double digits at most. And every one of those precious seconds will be spent in indescribable agony. Regardless, Marvel fights on. Take a note, boys and girls: that's what real bravery looks like.

** At the same time, Shazam is absolutely right. The Wizard spent 5,000 years looking for someone to trust with his power, and since the fall of Black Adam, Shazam will only trust someone completely incorruptible. The only person he judged worthy of his power is Billy. Not [[BewareTheSuperman Superman]], not [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmericaTowerOfBabel Batman]], not [[ComicBook/ZeroHour Hal Jordan]], [[ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}} Barry Allen]], [[ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis Wonder Woman]], etc. Only Billy. Shazam doesn't back down from his decision, however well intended Superman's argument is. In a way, Shazam is sticking up for Billy by making it clear that his chosen champion is the only one for the job. And for all his might, Superman knows he can't force Shazam to do anything, since Shazam is vastly more powerful than even Clark. But instead, Shazam just calmly, even sadly, points out that Billy is "a young boy . . . who could use some guidance." Shazam not only cuts all of the energy out of Superman's argument, but he uses the moment to give Billy and Clark something they both need: a friend.

** It's made even better by just ''how'' the Big Red Cheese does this. He offers his soul to Neron in exchange for Neorn setting everyone else [[DealWithTheDevil he made a contract]] with free. If Neron accepts, he loses everyone he worked to get, and has to let Cap's soul go too because he asked for something selfless. If he refused, Neron would have violated his basic nature, and he'd STILL lose everyone. No matter what choice he made, Neron was beaten. [[BewareTheNiceOnes The goody-two-shoes Billy Batson]] pulled a XanatosGambit ''on Satan himself''.

** At the same time, Shazam is absolutely right. The Wizard spent 5,000 years looking for someone to trust with his power, and since the fall of Black Adam, Shazam will only trust someone completely incorruptible. The only person he judged worthy of his power is Billy. Not Superman, not Batman, not Hal Jordan, Barry Allen, Wonder Woman, etc. Only Billy. Shazam doesn't back down from his decision, however well intended Superman's argument is. In a way, Shazam is sticking up for Billy by making it clear that his chosen champion is the only one for the job. And for all his might, Superman knows he can't force Shazam to do anything, since Shazam is vastly more powerful than even Clark. But instead, Shazam just calmly, even sadly, points out that Billy is "a young boy . . . who could use some guidance." Shazam not only cuts all of the energy out of Superman's argument, but he uses the moment to give Billy and Clark something they both need: a friend.

-->'''Franchise/{{Superman}}:''' WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!\\
'''Wizard:''' I bestowed the powers of the gods upon a mortal. it is my province to do so.\\

** Related to that is those grand moments when knowledgable villains go OhCrap finding Billy is free to speak and yelling the magic word, "'''Shazam!'''" That especially goes with great artists like Don Newton who are able to convey that awesome moment for all it's worth.
* His life long rivalry with Superman could also be considered this. Back in the Golden Age, when Clark and Billy were owned by different companies, their constant competition to outdo each other is what resulted in them from going from 'leaping tall buildings' to flying and from 'more powerful than a locomotive' to 'moving mountains'. They were both so popular that who was selling more than whom would change month to month. In the age of superheroes that Superman created, Captain Marvel was one of the few characters Clark could be considered a true peer.
** This carried over once DC Comics purchased licensed and then purchased the Fawcett characters for their own use. While many writers consider Superman to be the most powerful hero in DC Comics, often downplaying other heroes to showcase this, Captain Marvel has been one of the few heroes who can consistently fight Superman as an equal. While writers Grant Morrison and Jeph Loeb attribute this to Cap's magical nature, most other writers simply write Cap as being powerful, skilled and determined enough to match Superman strength for strength and blow for blow. In Comicbook/KingdomCome , even when Superman is at the height of his power and all but immune to Kryptonite, Lex Luthor feels Captain Marvel can still match the Man of Steel (at least physically, Lex's brainwashing allows Clark to outwit Billy during their battle).

* Comicbook/UnderworldUnleashed had Cap as part of a Justice League team sent into Hell itself to rescue Superman from Neron, who is basically DC's version of The Devil at this point. However, once they arrive they discover that Superman isn't there, and that it was Captain Marvel's soul that Neron wanted all along due to its purity. The influence of Neron and the center of Hell warps the other heroes, letting Neron goad them into attacking the Captain. Despite starting the fight with a broken arm, Cap holds his own and seemingly defeats the League, and then offers up his soul to Neron willingly. The purity of both Cap's soul and with which it was given defeats Neron and saves the day. That's right, Cap's soul was so pure it DEFEATED THE DEVIL.

* WesternAnimation/SupermanShazamTheReturnOfBlackAdam showcases a slightly tweaked, animated version of Capt. Marvel's origin, with Superman protecting Billy from Black Adam until the wizard Shazam can make Billy his new champion. Initially, Black Adam has an edge on Billy and Clark despite all three being roughly as powerful as each other; Adam has more experience than Billy and has a magical attack that gives him an unfair advantage against Clark. However, once the two start working together, Adam find himself outmatched. It gets worse for Adam later when he threatens an innocent civilian. Billy gets so mad at this that he delivers unto Adam a VERY satisfying NoHoldsBarredBeatdown.

*** To older fans, the above rant by Clark sounds a bit ironic, given his pre-Crisis career as ComicBook/{{Superboy}} (starting off at age 8, no less).

-->'''Blue Devil''': Want to see real bravery? Take a look at this guy. He calls himself Captain Marvel, the Earth's Mightiest Mortal. Who knows? Maybe he is. Now he's in the middle of a one-on-one throwdown with the Spectre -- an immortal being so incalculably powerful that our Mightiest Mortal's like a paraplegic child taking on a heavyweight prize fighter. From what I understand, Captain Marvel cansu rvive only so long as his magical power source holds out. But the Spectre is bleeding it dry so quickly, Marvel's continued life span can be measured in a matter of seconds, double digits at most. And every one of those precious seconds will be spent in indescribable agony. Regardless, Marvel fights on. Take a note, boys and girls: that's what real bravery looks like.

* In the mini-series ''Superman/Shazam: First Thunder'' Billy and a friend are attacked by gunmen hired by Dr. Sivana. Billy turns into Capt. Marvel to stop them but his friend is hit. He races him to the hospital but the surgeons are unable to save him. Showing an outrage unlike him, Captain Marvel storms into police headquarters, brushing past the cops trying to tell him "let us do our jobs!" He grabs one of the gunmen, slams his head into a desk and demands to know who hired him or "I will rip your head off your shoulders, take it to show your friends and see if one of them talks!" After the terrified gunman spills his guts, Marvel flies to Sivana's office and wrecks the place, barely stopping himself from crushing the man like a bug. Moral of the story: Marvel may seem a friendly guy but ''do not'' piss him off.

'''Superman:''' What is ''wrong'' with you? [[ChildrenAreInnocent He is a child!]] His life shouldn't be about ''this!'' Little boys go to school, play with their friends and go to bed at night. Their biggest concerns should be homework and school-yard crushes - ''Not'' if their best friends are going to be murdered by assassins!\\

** At the same time, Shazam is absolutely right. The Wizard spent 5,000 years looking for someone to trust with his power, and since the fall of Black Adam, Shazam will only trust someone completely incorruptible. The only person he judged worthy of his power is Billy. Not Superman, not Batman, not Hal Jordan, Barry Allen, Wonder Woman, etc. Only Billy. Shazam doesn't back down from his decision, however well intended Superman's argument is. In a way, Shazam is sticking up for Billy by making it clear that his chosen champion is the only one for the job. And for all his might, Superman knows he can't force Shazam to do anything, since Shazam is vastly more powerful than even Clark. But instead, Shazam just calmly, even sadly, points out that Billy is a young boy . . . who could use some guidance. Shazam not only cuts all of the energy out of Superman's argument, but he uses the moment to give Billy and Clark something they both need: a friend.

* Film/TheAdventuresOfCaptainMarvel was the first superhero film in history, starring the Big Red Cheese himself.

* Meta example, but TheAdventuresOfCaptainMarvel being the first superhero film of all time stands out, especially when it's likewise considered one of the best film serials of all time, along with the Flash Gordon serials.

* WesternAnimation/SupermanShazamTheReturnOfBlackAdam showcases a slightly tweaked, animated version of Capt. Marvel's origin, with Superman protecting Billy from Black Adam until the wizard Shazam can make Billy his new champion. Initially, Black Adam has an edge on Billy and Clark despite all three being roughly as powerful as each other; Adam has more experience than Billy and has a magical attack that gives him an unfair advantage against Clark. However, once the two start working together, Adam find himself outmatched. It gets worse for Adam later when he threatens an innocent civilian. Billy gets so mad at this that he delivers unto Adam a VERY satisfying NoHoldsBarredBeatdown.

** This is actually backed up in universe, as people such as the Martian Manhunter, the Flash, Batman, Aquaman, Starman, Eclipso, the Atom and Superman himself have all commented on Cap being as powerful, as strong, or the logical choice to face Superman.

* Comicbook/UnderworldUnleashed had Cap as part of a Justice League team sent into Hell itself to rescue Superman from Neron, who is basically DC's version of The Devil at this point. However, once they arrive they discover that Superman isn't there, and that it was Captain Marvel's soul that Neron wanted all along due to its purity. The influence of Neron and the center of Hell warps the other heroes, letting Neron goad them into attacking the Captain. Despite starting the fight with a broken arm, Cap actually holds his own and seemingly defeats the League, and then offers up his soul to Neron willingly. The purity of both Cap's soul and with which it was given actually defeats Neron and saves the day. That's right, Cap's soul was so pure it DEFEATED THE DEVIL.
** It's made even better by just ''how'' the Big Red Cheese does this. He offers his soul to Neron in exchange for Neorn setting everyone else [[DealWithTheDevil he made a contract]] with free. If Neron accepts, he loses everyone he worked to get, and has to let Cap's soul go too because he asked for something selfless. If he refused, Neron would have violated his basic nature, and he'd STILL lose everyone. No matter what choice he made, Neron was beaten. [[BewareTheNiceOnes The goody-two-shoes Billy Batson]] pulled a XanatosGambit ''[[BeyondTheImpossible on Satan himself]]''.
** This actually isn't the first time Cap has faced the Devil. During his World's Finest days when Don Newton drew the book, one of Cap's regularly occurring foes was Satan himself. Yes, Cap actually had Satan himself as a regular opponent.

* WesternAnimation/SupermanShazamTheReturnOfBlackAdam showcases a slightly tweaked, animated version of Capt. Marvel's origin, with Superman protecting Billy from Black Adam until the wizard Shazam can make Billy his new champion. Initially, Black Adam has an edge on Billy and Clark despite all three being roughly as powerful as each other; Adam has more experience than Billy and has a magical attack that gives him an unfair advantage against Clark. However, once the two start working together, Adam find himself outmatched. [Spoiler It gets worse for Adam later when he threatens and innocent civilian. Billy gets so mad at this that he delivers unto Adam a VERY satisfying NoHoldsBarredBeatdown.

--> '''Captain Marvel''': "It's okay Superman. I got your signal. It's going to be okay."

** Related to that is those grand moments when knowledgable villains go OhCrap finding Billy is free to speak and yelling the magic word, "'''Shazam!'''" That especially goes with great artists like Don Newton who are able convey that awesome moment for all it's worth.

* First and foremost, the simply premise of the comic itself: a kid is granted the magic power to instantly become an adult FlyingBrick SuperHero anytime he wants.