Editing Wizard Shazam (section)

=== Golden Age ===

==== Fawcett Comics history ====
Originally, the wizard's name was Shazamo, the last letter standing for the hero of magic [[Oggar]]. However, Oggar became corrupt and tried to take power from Shazamo. The wizard defeated Oggar and cursed him to live in the world of mortals. He was given cloven hooves as a sign of his inner evil, and could cast each magic spell only once. Shazamo then dropped the last letter of his name.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Woolfolk |first=William |title=Captain Marvel Adventures #62 |publisher=[[Fawcett Comics]] |year=1946}}</ref>

Shazam informs Billy that he is an ancient Egyptian [[Magician (fantasy)|wizard]] who has been using his powers for many centuries to fight the forces of evil, but that he is now old and not long for this world. He therefore passes along part of his power to Billy, who shouts his name– "SHAZAM!"– to transform into Captain Marvel/Shazam. He also then explains to Billy that his name: is an [[Acronym and initialism|acronym]] for six ancient heroes. Each letter empowers him with certain attributes:

:S The wisdom of [[Solomon]];
:H The strength of [[Hercules]];
:A The stamina of [[Atlas (mythology)|Atlas]];
:Z The power of [[Zeus]];
:A The courage of [[Achilles]];
:M The speed of [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]].
Although Shazam is killed, as prophesied, by a giant granite block falling on him, Billy/Captain Marvel/Shazam can summon the [[ghost]] of Shazam for guidance by lighting a special [[brazier]] in Shazam's lair (the [[Rock of Eternity]]). More superheroes soon joined the superhero Shazam in carrying on the legacy of the wizard Shazam, including [[Marvel Family|Shazam Family]] members [[Mary Marvel]] and [[Captain Marvel Jr.]] Shazam tells that once, 5,000 years before, he gave powers to Black Adam, but Black Adam was killed while turning back to his regular self. He died due to his advanced age. +In the Marvel Family series, he was shown in some early issues carving the Marvel Family adventures into the Rock of Eternity.

==== Post-Crisis origin and early history ====
[[File:Shazam (Alex Ross).jpg|thumb|Rendition of the Jebediah incarnation of the Wizard. Art by Alex Ross.]]
In a story written by [[E. Nelson Bridwell]] for ''World's Finest Comics'' #262 ([[cover date]] April/May 1980), his gave him a backstory in which he was a young [[shepherd]] who becomes the '''Champion''', one of the world's first superheroes in ancient [[Canaan]], over 5,000 years ago. By speaking the magic word "VLAREM!" (an anagram of "Marvel"). This background is later explored further in the ''Power of Shazam!'' series, in which detailed during his tenure as a Champion,  At one point, the Champion is seduced by a [[demon]]ess disguised as a beautiful woman, and the two of them conceive two half-demon offspring, [[Blaze and Satanus]], much to the displeasure of the gods. The Champion later creates the [[Rock of Eternity]] from two large rock formations&nbsp;– one from [[Heaven]] and one from [[Hell]]&nbsp;– to hold the [[Three Faces of Evil]], a [[European dragon|dragon]]-like demon whose mother is the same demoness as the one who bore his children, captive. Shazam also later trapped demons of the [[Seven Deadly Enemies of Man|Seven Deadly Sins]] in statues of themselves and imprisoned them at the Rock of Eternity.

Many centuries later, the Champion, now going by the name of "Shazam", feels the need to pass along his powers to a successor. He selects the [[pharaoh]]'s son Teth-Adam to receive the power to become the superpowered Mighty Adam by speaking the word "SHAZAM!" However, Blaze interferes with this succession and Adam is given powers from the Egyptian deities instead. As her mother did, Shazam's daughter Blaze takes on the form of a beautiful woman and seduces Adam, convincing him to kill the pharaoh and take over the kingdom. An angry Shazam draws Mighty-Adam's powers out of him and into a large jeweled [[Dung beetle#Scarab in ancient Egypt|scarab]], thereby killing Adam as he ages to death. Shazam then seals his remains and the amulet in a tomb. A wicked reincarnation of Teth-Adam named Theo Adam would steal the scarab many centuries later and use the power of Shazam to become Black Adam. Shazam was upset by this and did not consider passing on his powers for millennia.
The wizard resurfaces as an aide on the 1940 Malcolm Expedition, one of many [[archaeology|archaeological]] expeditions into the tombs and pyramids of ancient Egypt. The [[Sarcophagus|sarcophagi]] of [[Ibis the Invincible]] and his mate [[Princess Taia]] are uncovered and brought to the United States. Shazam follows the sarcophagi. Once they are on display at the [[Fawcett City]] [[Museum]], Shazam uses ancient spells to resurrect Ibis. Ibis then joins [[Bulletman and Bulletgirl|Bulletman]], [[Spy Smasher]], [[Minute-Man]], and others to fight evil during the [[World War II]] era. In 1955, a thug knocks a weakened Shazam across the head with a [[crowbar (tool)|crowbar]] and causes him to lose his memory. A clueless Shazam wanders around Fawcett for the next forty years until C.C. Batson, a young man Shazam had met on the Malcolm Expedition, recognizes the old man and brings him to the museum to restore his memory. Shazam feels that he has truly found his successor in the upstanding Batson, but before he can act on this, a possessed Theo Adam murders Batson and his wife Marilyn for the magic amulet. He therefore decides to enlist C.C. Batson's young son, Billy, as the successor to his power.

==== ''Day of Vengeance'' ====
In ''[[Superman (comic book)|Superman]]'' (vol. 2) #216, Shazam calls upon the [[Spectre (DC Comics character)|Spectre]] to free [[Superman]] from being controlled by the demon [[Eclipso]]. This action breaks a covenant between Eclipso and the Spectre and sets Eclipso permanently at odds with the wizard. Possessing the body of [[Jean Loring]], the [[Atom (Ray Palmer)|Atom]]'s ex-wife, Eclipso corrupts the confused Spectre into joining forces with her, and begins a war against all magic-powered beings in the DC Universe.

Because of his previous action, Shazam is one of the duo's primary targets. In the ''[[Day of Vengeance]]'' mini-series, Shazam enlists Captain Marvel to keep the Spectre at bay while the wizard gathers all of his power to battle him. With the assistance of the newly formed [[Shadowpact]], a band of magic-based heroes, Captain Marvel fights the Spectre nearly to a standstill, but the Spectre escapes and makes his way to the Rock of Eternity to confront Shazam directly. While Shazam is preparing for his bout with the Spectre, he is confronted by [[Mordru]] who has just escaped the Rock of Eternity. Mordru and the wizard fight for a short time while the Spectre begins to approach, despite being delayed by fighting Captain Marvel. More concerned with escaping and staying out of the Spectre's way, Mordru leaves a slightly wounded and tired Shazam to fight the Spectre, who is already more powerful than him at full power.<ref>''JSA'' #78 (December 2005). DC Comics.</ref> The Spectre overpowers the wizard, absorbs his magics, and kills him. As a result, the Rock of Eternity disintegrates above [[Gotham City]] into "a billion pieces" and explodes, freeing the Seven Deadly Sins along with many other demons and sending a depowered Billy Batson falling into the city.<ref name=":5">''Day of Vengeance'' #6 (November 2005). DC Comics.</ref>

In ''[[Infinite Crisis]]'' #1, Billy finds he is still able to transform into the Captain before he strikes the ground by saying the wizard's name as usual. It is also revealed that the entire affair was orchestrated by [[Alexander Luthor Jr.]] and the [[Psycho-Pirate]] to reduce magic to its raw form, the death of Shazam turning his name into a tether for the rest of the raw magic that Alexander could harness to power his tower by acquiring one of Shazam's champions, eventually forcibly 'enlisting' Black Adam for that purpose after failing to capture any of the other Marvels.

In ''Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special'', the Shadowpact teams up with the majority of the DC Universe's surviving magical characters to rebuild the Rock of Eternity and reseal the Seven Deadly Sins. The final piece of the reconstruction, revealed by [[Zatanna]], is that a new wizard has to be appointed to guard the Rock. Billy, as the only real candidate, is chosen to succeed Shazam as the Rock's new caretaker.

In the comic series ''[[52 (comics)|52]]'', Captain Marvel is revealed to be currently headquartered at the Rock of Eternity, acting in Shazam's stead. He has already imprisoned the Sins again, although he claims they cause trouble at the full moon.