Captain Marvel Jr.

Golden Age (Fawcett Comics)

Some text adapted from Who's Who #4

When his parents, David and Rebecca Freeman, were accidentally killed during a hurricane, Freddy Freeman went to live with his fraternal grandfather, Jacob Freeman, while his younger brother, Christopher, was taken in by their maternal grandfather, Dan Troop. (World's Finest Comics #276–279) Note: This part of his origin was added by DC Comics.

Years later, while Freddy and his grandpa were fishing in a local bay, they witnessed a oddly garbed man falling from the sky into the placid waters. Unknown to the Freemans, this was the villainous Captain Nazi, who had just been prevented from destroying an experimental fighter plane by the heroic Captain Marvel. When the elder Freeman tried to help Captain Nazi into their small boat, Nazi murdered him with a single blow.

Freddie attacked Nazi with an oar, which was turned back against him, knocking the boy into the water and leaving him for dead as Nazi escaped in the stolen boat.

Spotting the unconscious boy in the water, Captain Marvel flew him to a nearby hospital where he was told that the boy wasn't expected to live out the night.

Cap called down his magic lightning to transform back into teenage Billy Batson and took the dying Freddy out of the hospital. He carried him to the abandoned subway tunnel Billy himself had entered months before. They arrived in the chambers of the ancient wizard Shazam, who had given Billy his Captain Marvel powers.

Summoning the spirit of the ancient wizard, Billy asked him to save Freddy's life. Shazam said he could not change what had already occurred, but that Billy could transfer some of his own super-power to Freddy merely by speaking the wizard's name.

Shouting "Shazam!" Billy changed once more into Captain Marvel. The sound of the magic lightning awakened the dying Freddy. Then when Freddy called out "Captain Marvel!" he was also struck by a bolt of magic lightning and transformed into a super-powerful, healthy young man clad in a blue version of Captain Marvel's costume.

Freddy could now become Captain Marvel Jr. and summon power equal to Cap's own merely by speaking his hero's name. But in mortal form, Freddy would still have to contend with his permanently lame leg. (Whiz Comics #25)

After an encounter with Junior, the dark magician Timothy Karnes enlisted with a gang of Nazi spies. Karnes gambled on a black spell to summon powers from the demons of Hell: Satan (strength), Any (invulnerability), Belia (wisdom), Beelzebub (flame), Amadeus (courage) and Careteis (flight). By speakingn an anagram of their names, he became a fearsome brute called Sabbac. But in the face of Freddy's might, one by one his benefactors deserted Sabbac. (Captain Marvel Jr. #4) The villain convinced them to grant him another attempt and he broke out of jail, but the result was the same. (#6)

The Crime Crusaders Club

Captain Marvel Junior was a member of the auspicious Crime Crusaders Club (where his pal Billy was not). The group came together in the "Minute Man" feature of Master Comics #41 (Aug. 1943).

It began in a residential neighborhood, where four heroes met to trade stories about their recent cases. The group also included Minute Man, Bulletman and Bulletgirl.

Minute Man was lamenting that the criminal class wasn't contributing their fair share to the war effort. Junior came up with the idea to organize a treasure hunt — with the treasure being Minute Man himself! Crooks were offered the chance to take him down without a fight. His friends got the word out, and the underworld went crazy for the idea.

Until midnight, the other members made sure the crooks fought "fair" and Minute Man dodged their assassination attempts. After midnight the heroes mopped up the mobsters and had raised $100,000. (Master Comics #41)

DC Comics (1973)

When Fawcett characters were acquired by DC Comics, the company essentially picked up from Fawcett Comics continuity and explained why the Marvels had been absent for 20 years...

For several years, the Marvels battled all sorts of evil until Dr. Sivana and his evil children, Sivana Jr. and Georgia Sivana, attacked a ceremony honoring the Marvels. The heroes became trapped in a globe of Suspendium, which put them into suspended animation for decades in space. (The plan backfired on the Sivanas, who were also trapped.) Two decades later, the globe approached the sun and the Suspendium began to vaporize. The Marvels and Sivanas were freed and returned to Earth. (Shazam! #1)

Once when Billy asked to be made his real age, the wizard complied, but upon shouting "Shazam!" Freddy Freeman was cut off from the power and turned into stone. (#2)

Freddy opened his own newsstand, continued to fight crime as Captain Marvel Jr. (#9) and took up residence in the cellar of Mrs. Wagner's boarding house. (#15)

He was challenged by Sivana Jr., who perfected a mind-control device that prohibited Freddy from saying his magic word (#18) and aided Cap against the weird Zazzo, from another dimension. (#19)

Note: The letter column of Shazam! #22 declared that Billy, Mary and Freddy were 14 years old.

Reunited with His Brother

During Captain Marvel's "Lost Years," DC Comics had acquired the heroes from Quality Comics, including Kid Eternity. This teen hero could shout the word "Eternity!" in order to manifest helpers from throughout history. Writer E. Nelson Bridwell knew that this character had been based on Captain Marvel Jr. (both als9 lost their grandfathers while boating and had similar power sources) and he seized upon the opportunity to connect the two within DC continuity.

Readers soon learned that Kid Eternity was the brother of Captain Marvel Jr. They had been separated while young after being orphaned; each went to live with a different grandfather and years later, both were transformed into super-heroes! (World’s Finest Comics #268) Kid Eternity — who was technically dead — knew about this but Freddy did not.

Eternity and his helper, Mr. Keeper, first aided the Captain Marvel (Shazam! #27) then continued to help the Marvels by secretly summoning aid during their battles. (World’s Finest #276–278) Freddy even recalled a similar incident during World War II, when he was aided by someone resembling the fabled Sherlock Holmes (this, from an actual tale in Captain Marvel Jr. #2!).

After sending the ancient healer, Asklepios, to help them, Kid Eternity revealed himself as their benefactor. It was then that Captain Marvel Jr. recognized Eternity as his brother, Kit. (#279) Catching up, the brothers realized that their fates had been reversed: on the day that Kit Freeman had been unjustly whisked to the afterlife, Freddy Freeman’s life was saved by Captain Marvel. The Marvels sought the counsel of Shazam, who verified their story. (#280)

Now an unofficial member of the “Marvel Family,” Kid Eternity helped them take down Mister Mind and others. (#281, 282) One of Kid Eternity’s own foes, the Master Man, joined an assembly of Fawcett villains empowered by Satan. (Adventure Comics #491-492) Note: Fawcett Comics also published a hero named Master Man.

Timothy Karnes returned as Sabbac. His infernal patrons allowed him to invade Freddy's dreams, which led Captain Marvel Jr. to check up on Sabbac — and thrash him well. (#269)

Freddy met Prof. Edgewise, who engineered a seed that would grow a tree to the moon! It grew so fast that it ensnared airplanes and satellites, so Junior was forced to uproot it. (#277)

Post-Crisis (1986–2011)

Shazam: A New Beginning (1986)

After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the DC universe was collapsed into a single universe. Earth-S was gone and so the Fawcett characters were left in limbo. Captain Marvel was retooled twice and enjoyed 'screen time' from 1987 on, but Junior did not return until 1995 and his post-Crisis origin was similar to the original.

One day, Freddy and his grandfather were fishing when Captain Marvel was battling Capitan Nazi overhead. Nazi landed in the nearby lake, but was not grateful to be rescued by the Freemans. Instead he killed Freddy's grandfather and crippled Freddy himself. Later in the hospital, Cap imparted his power to Freddy; upon saying "Captain Marvel," Freddy would become Captain Marvel Jr. and share Shazam's powers. (Power of Shazam #6–7)

Freddy later confessed that he did harbor some resentment towards Captain Marvel for causing his tragedy. But any ill will was outweighed by the magnitude of Marvel's gift, which Freddy truly came to own.

When Freddy joined the Teen Titans for a brief time, he went by the name CM3 — so that he could say his own name without triggering a transformation. (Teen Titans vol. 2 #17) He had an disappointing date with his teammate, Toni Monetti, aka Argent. (#20)

Infinite Crisis: The Trials of Shazam (2005)

After the Shazam was killed in battle with the Spectre, Billy assumed the magical powers and duties of the wizard, began calling himself Marvel and made his home in the Rock of Eternity. Freddy was left powerless in New York City. (Trials of Shazam #1-2)

Marvel summoned Freddy and declared that the power of Shazam needed a new acolyte to maintain the balance between magic and humanity. Freddy was chosen to undergo the "Trials of Shazam," where he would be tested by their patron gods. If he failed, the magic would pass to a different lineage. To begin, Marvel sent Freddy to meet the magician Zareb Babak (who turned out to be Zeus).

Freddy's mission was mirrored by Sabina de la Croix, an acolyte of the Council of Merlin, led by a man named Terrom. The Council failed in their attempt to kill Freddy and he successfully completed the trial of Solomon to reacquire the hero's power of wisdom. (#3)

After Freddy beat Sabina to the powers of Achilles (#5) and Hercules (#6), he discovered he could change his form without saying a magic word because the rules of magic had been rewritten.

When Sabina secured the power of Atlas, she killed the hero and Freddy was forced to assume Atlas' burden of holding up the world. Marvel stepped in to do this job while Freddy continued the trials. With Atlas dead, Freddy appealed to the god Apollo for power (#8), but succeeded in claiming only half of Apollo's gift. (#9)

Things were looking grim after failing to secure the power of Mercury (#11), but in Freddy's final play (with the help of the Justice League), he chose self-sacrifice. His act of bravery caused Zeus to reveal himself and call upon all the gods of magic to fully empower Freddy as the new Shazam (II). Zeus mandated that his ongoing mission should be to keep magic in balance and darkness at bay. (#12)

Final Crisis

During Darkseid's takeover of Earth, Freddy's good friend Mary was corrupted by evil gods and he fought to save her from others who wanted to kill her. By holding her while saying his magic word, he caused her to revert to human. (Final Crisis #3-6)

Shazam was impersonated by the villain Prometheus in a long game to take down the Justice League. (Justice League: Cry for Justice #2–6) Freddy was found by the Bulleteer and Mr. Scarlet, bound with his mouth sewn up. (#7)

With Shazam dead, his daughter Blaze attacked Freddy, claiming that his power was rightfully hers. He overpowered her and sent her back to Hell. (Shazam vol. 2 #1)

Powers

By shouting the name of his idol, "Captain Marvel," Freddy Freeman is transformed by a bolt of enchanted lightning into a young super-hero possessed of six legendary elders. From Solomon, he gains wisdom; from Hercules, super-strength; from Atlas, stamina; from Zeus, power; from Achilles, courage; and from Mercury, super-speed. To transform himself back into Freddy Freeman, he has only to speak the name again to summon a second bolt of mystic lightning. Ironically, this makes Captain Marvel Jr. the only known super-hero incapable of speaking his own name, since that would summon the lightning that changes him back Into Freddy.

Other Versions

Kingdom Come

Kingdom Come (1996) by Mark Waid and Alex Ross was set in the future, at a time when most heroes were older and the next generation of heroes was active. Freddy Freeman and Mary Bromfield had taken the names King Marvel and Lady Marvel. Their son, Whiz, also inherited the power of Shazam.

Ross's design for King Marvel was inspired by Elvis Presley's stage costumes from the 1970s. (Also known as "the King," Elvis was a fan of Captain Marvel Jr. comics).