Captain Marvel, Jr.
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Junior is the super-powered alter-ego of Freddy Freeman, a crippled newsboy that Captain Marvel saved from an attack by one of his enemies, Captain Nazi. Freddy was not granted his powers by the wizard Shazam, but by Captain Marvel himself: whenever Freddy says the magic word "Captain Marvel," he is magically transformed into a super-powered version of himself. Unlike Captain Marvel and the modern-era version of Mary Marvel, Junior remains a young teenager in his transformed state.
History
Fawcett origin: Whiz Comics #25
During a battle with Captain Nazi in Whiz Comics #25 (December 1941), one of Captain Marvel’s punches sends the villain careening into a lake. An elderly man, Jacob Freeman, and his grandson, Freddy, happened to be fishing in the lake near where Nazi has landed, and, not knowing who he is, lift the unconscious man into their boat to prevent him from drowning. Nazi immediately comes to, tosses Jacob into the lake, and knocks Freddy out of the boat with an oar. The old man immediately dies, but Captain Marvel is able to save an unconscious Freddy and bring him to a hospital.Captain Marvel changes to his regular form of young Billy Batson, and is told by a nurse that Freddy is not expected to last the night. Billy then devises a better way to help the boy: he sneaks Freddy out of the hospital and takes him to the secret underground throne of the wizard Shazam, who first granted Billy the power to become Captain Marvel.
Billy asks the wizard to heal Freddy and save his life, but Shazam cannot, and instead tells Billy that he, as Captain Marvel, can pass along some of his powers to so that Freddy can walk again. Shazam disappears and Billy transforms back into Captain Marvel, just as Freddy awakens. Looking up, he exclaims “Why...it’s Captain Marvel,” and is instantly transformed into a super-powered version of himself. Freddy, who was now called "Captain Marvel, Jr.", resembled a younger Captain Marvel, though with a yellow-on-blue costume with a red cape, rather than Marvel's yellow-on-red with a white cape.
Captain Marvel informs Junior that he cannot remain in his super-powered form at all times, but that he must allow his human form to heal as best it can. With that, Freddy once again said his mentor's name and returned to his hospital bed. Freddy remains permanently lame in his left leg and is forced to walk with a crutch (although Captain Marvel, Jr. bears no such impediment). As a result, Junior sought revenge against Captain Nazi, and the two repeatedly battled over the years.
Fawcett years
Captain Marvel, Jr. proved to be a popular spin-off character for the Captain Marvel franchise, and appeared in solo adventures in both Master Comics and his own Captain Marvel, Jr. comic book. The character's solo adventures feature an art style, devised by co-creator Mac Raboy, that was more realistic and dramatic style than the style used by C.C. Beck and the other Fawcett artists for Captain Marvel.In most of his adventures, Freddy Freeman is depicted as a character to be pitied for his injury, reminiscent of Tiny Tim from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, until he transforms into his super-powered state. Ironically, as Captain Marvel, Jr., he is unable to introduce himself to anyone, since he would transform back into Freddy Freeman after pronouncing the first two words in his name.
Junior, Captain Marvel, and Mary Marvel began appearing together in The Marvel Family comic book beginning in 1945. That title and Junior's own ran until 1953, when Fawcett Publications discontinued all the Marvel Family comic books as the result of a lawsuit brought by National Comics (later DC Comics).
Shazam! revival
After Fawcett Comics folded, Captain Marvel, Jr. remained unpublished, alongside the rest of the Marvel Family, for years. In 1972, DC Comics purchased the rights to the Marvel Family characters and revived them in a new series entitled Shazam!. In his 1970s adventures, Captain Marvel, Jr. discovered that fellow superhero Kid Eternity was in fact his long-lost brother, although in reality Kid Eternity had been published by another company, Quality Comics, the line-up of which DC had also purchased.Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths history
Current origin: The Power of Shazam!
Retconned out of existence after the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths miniseries, Freddy Freeman was reintroduced in The Power of Shazam! #3 (although he makes a very brief cameo in the Power of Shazam! graphic novel). The modern version of the Freddy/Captain Marvel, Jr. origin, depicted in Power of Shazam! #3 - 8, closely followed his Fawcett origin, with the only major additions being details added to the main story.In this new origin story, Freddy Freeman was an all-star student at the Binder school; an archetypical jock, he was also among the school's most popular and successful students. One of Freddy's friends was Billy Batson, Captain Marvel's alter ego, who worked as a boy reporter for WHIZ radio. At a WHIZ radio spelling bee hosted by Billy in Power of Shazam! #3, Freddy and Billy met Billy's long-lost sister Mary, whom Freddy immediately fell for.
In Power of Shazam! #6, Freddy and his grandfather went on a fishing trip in the Fawcett Bay, while Captain Marvel was engaged in a battle with Captain Nazi. Just as in the Fawcett origin, Captain Marvel knocks Captain Nazi into the lake, and the Freemans are attacked when they attempt to save Nazi. Captain Marvel intervenes and rushes both injured bystanders to a hospital. Jacob Freeman slips into a coma, and Freddy is found to have a severely injured spine and a broken leg.
The injured Freddy is taken to the wizard Shazam by Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel, who grant the boy the power to become Captain Marvel, Jr. However, Jacob Freeman dies, and Freddy goes on a rampage against Captain Nazi as Captain Marvel, Jr. Nazi is eventually brought to justice after Mary gets Junior to calm down.
Teen Titans
In Power of Shazam! #13, Captain Marvel, Jr. was written out of the book so that he could begin appearing in Teen Titans. In the issue, Junior gets into a fight with Captain Marvel and quits the Marvel Family. Junior appeared in solo adventures in three special issues of Power of Shazam! (#14, #19, and #37), with art by guest artists such as Gil Kane and Joe Staton. These issues find Junior starting a new life in New York, during which he joins the Titans team beginning with Teen TItans #17. A possible romance of Argent with CM3 was explored, but after a particularly horrible date (CM3 was unable to cover the bill), it was abandonedAt this time, Junior first began calling himself CM3 (short for "Captain Marvel Three", with Billy being CM1 and Mary CM2), so that he could identify himself without changing. After Teen Titans was cancelled in mid-1998, Junior returned to Power of Shazam! and the Marvel Family, after reconciling with Captain Marvel. He remained in Power of Shazam! until its cancellation at the end of the year.
Outsiders to Infinite Crisis
After the demise of Power of Shazam!, Captain Marvel, Jr. made sporadic guest apeparances throughout the DC Universe. Beginning in 2004, Junior once again went by the name "Captain Marvel Junior" (not "CM3"), and now wears a white cape like that of the other two Marvels instead of his traditional red one.
In The Outsiders (third version) #10, Captain Marvel, Jr. made a guest appearance to battle a new version of Sabbac, an old Fawcett Marvel Family foe. As of Outsiders #28, Junior was a member of the Outsiders, although he was apprehensive about the team's dark tone. He and Marvel Family nemeses Sabbac, The Seven Deadly Sins, and Dr. Sivana all played major roles in the series.
In the Teen Titans Titans Tomorrow storyline, Freddy has dropped 'Junior' from his name (though he still obtains his powers with the magic words 'Captain Marvel') and is a member of the heroic Titans East team. As the sole remaining member of the Marvel Family, Captain Marvel Junior is at his most powerful, and is shown to be easily as strong (if not stronger than) the future version of Superman.
Freddy also battled against Dr. Light when all the Titans came to help the team.
Junior and the Marvel Family were also involved with the Spectre's war against magic in the Day of Vengeance miniseries. In addition, Junior, Captain Marvel, and Mary Marvel made brief appearances during the Infinite Crisis miniseries. As of the One Year Later relaunch, Captain Marvel, Jr. is no longer an Outsider. The time at which he quit the team and the reason have yet to be revealed.
The Trials of Shazam!
Captain Marvel, Jr. will be the main focus of Judd Winick and Howard Porter's Trials of Shazam! limited series, which will redefine the Shazam! characters and their roles in the DC Universe. An eleven-page prequel to the limited series was printed in DC's Brave New World one-shot comic book, which was published on June 28, 2006. In the prequel, Junior and Mary Marvel lose their Shazam powers, while Captain Marvel becomes more powerful -- both after-effects of the death of the wizard Shazam in Day of Vengeance #6.Trials will feature Junior, powerless and left in his human form of Freddy Freeman, being required by the gods who empower the Marvels to undergo a series of trials (ala Heracles) to prove himself worthy of the Shazam powers. Writer Judd Winick has hinted that, after the series, Captain Marvel. Jr. will be promoted to Captain Marvel, with the current Captain taking over the role of the wizard.
Trivia
- Elvis Presley was a big fan of Captain Marvel, Jr., and styled his trademark haircut after that of the comic book character. In addition, Elvis' stage outfits (with a half-cape similar to those worn by the Marvels) and his TCB logo (with a Marvel-esque lightning bolt insignia) also show inspiration from Captain Marvel, Jr.
- In Teen Titans (third series) #23, Captain Marvel Jr. is revealed to be a huge fan of Elvis Presley. The narrator (Superboy) states that "He's okay, just a little too into the retro thing for my tastes. Loves all that rockabilly crap. Flame shirts and hot dice belt buckles". Captain Marvel Jr. himself quotes Elvis (whom he refers to as "the greatest modern-day philosopher if you ask me") as a role-model "Do what's right for you as long as you don't hurt no one."
- An adult version of Captain Marvel, Jr. appears as a background character in the 1996 Kingdom Come miniseries by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. In this alternate future setting, Junior now goes by the name "King Marvel", and looks remarkably like Elvis Presley. Mary Marvel, now called "Lady Marvel", is his wife, and the two have a superpowered son, "The Whiz", named after Whiz Comics.
- Captain Marvel, Jr. was a reserve member of the superhero team Young Justice, and a member of Justice League Task Force. He is today a reserve member of the Teen Titans.
- As of recent, Judd Winnick has alterted the spelling of Freddy to "Freddie", no reason has been known of why.
External links
- [Captain Marvel, Jr.'s "Who's Who" file] at The Marvel Family Web.
- [Captain Marvel, Jr.] at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
- [The Captains Marvel]
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