8 Things You Need To Know About Shazam
7. He Wasn't Always Under DC's Ownership
Shazam's history is a mess of copyright controversy, ugly legal disputes and petty squabbling which dates back all the way to the 1940s.
DC wasn't the first publisher to claim ownership of the character, who was created by C. C. Beck and Bill Parker in 1939, and made his debut in Fawcett Comics' Whiz Comics #2 the following year.
Shazam, known as Captain Marvel back then, was a runaway success, striking a chord with kids as a relatable hero, given that he was no more than a child himself.
When his comics started outselling Superman, this didn't sit right with DC (then known as National Comics) and they chose to take the battle to the courtrooms, accusing Fawcett of ripping off the Man of Steel with their popular creation.
Long story short, DC won, Fawcett eventually went bust and the rights to Shazam ended up under DC's control, allowing them to integrate him into their line of comics.
But the lawsuits were destined to continue. As DC chose to rebrand the character, the publication rights to the name Captain Marvel were snapped up by a company you might have heard of, Marvel Comics.
This, of course, saw the courts involved again and the resulting spat forced DC to settle for the use of the name without the license to market it. Hence why this version of Captain Marvel has always been billed as Shazam.