10 Unpopular Comic Book Character Reboots (That Were Actually Perfect)

Though he's gotten more media attention in recent years thanks to his successful film and appearance in the first Injustice game, Shazam, formerly known as Captain Marvel, has been long-overlooked by the comic audience. And this is, unfortunately, by design.

During the golden age, Billy Batson's adult alter ego regularly outsold DC's Superman comics. As soon as they were able, the publisher bought the character from Fawcett Comics and relegated him to smaller roles for decades as punishment for daring to outshine their flagship comic line.

It didn't help that for years, Billy was kept as the naive, childish, gee-whiz character he'd been back in the late thirties. His auxiliary characters, such as his sister Mary Marvel and his buddy Freddy Freeman, were taken more seriously than him for a long time. It was only in the New 52 company-wide reboot that Captain Marvel - rechristened Shazam for copyright purposes - was drawn back into prominence and modernized.

Fans initially bemoaned these changes as they saw Billy Batson as the last of the old guard, the only remaining figure from the golden age of comics to retain his childhood innocence. And now, he was reimagined as a bratty, arrogant kid with more power than he could be responsible for.

However, not only was this a more realistic and interesting version of the character, but without it the stellar Shazam! film might never have been made.