{"id":4160,"date":"2006-12-20T17:25:04","date_gmt":"2006-12-20T22:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/?p=4160"},"modified":"2023-09-13T23:38:19","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T03:38:19","slug":"captain-marvel-addendum-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/2006\/12\/captain-marvel-addendum-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Captain Marvel addendum, part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Captain Marvel<\/a> debuted, he was a pretty standard hero: secret identity, supervillains, all that. He had a mildly interesting character arc, in that he came to Earth as a conqueror but was won over by humanity (like Silver Surfer<\/a>); he was initially Earth's protector, but the role was eventually expanded to include the entire galaxy (like Green Lantern<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Eventually, writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane gave Marv a quick revamp, switching him from a melange of superhero origins to a pastiche of the other<\/b> Captain Marvel - the SHAZAM!<\/a> one. Check out the parallels:<\/p>\n

A young boy (Rick Jones, Billy Batson) is lured by a vision (the Kree Supreme Intelligence, the wizard Shazam) to a secret underground location (an abandonned Kree base, the Rock of Eternity) where he gains the ability to change, in a flash of light (clanging the nega bands together, calling forth the lightning), into a red-suited superhero (Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel) with a golden symbol on his chest (a star, a lightning bolt). Eventually, the hero joins the greatest superteam around (the Avengers, the Justice League).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yeah, I just don't see the similarities.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

As a further in-joke, Marv also met Professor Savannah, a nod to Cap's Doctor Sivana<\/a>. Though Savannah was an ally, not a villain. Also, neither DC nor Marvel have had any luck turning their respective Captains Marvel into commercial successes in the past few decades. Though that one's probably not intentional.<\/p>\n

<i>And now, some more OAFEry:<\/i><\/H5>