Shazam's Villains - Part 2

 I've written before about villains that were defeated by the wizard Shazam (see my article here).  I'm going to add to this list of villains in this article!  

In Captain Marvel Adventures #137 (August 1, 1952) we are told of seven deadly villains defeated by Shazam!

These villains were:

• Pride
• Envy
• Greed
• Hatred 
• Selfishness
• Laziness
• Injustice

These seven villains were evil gods that Shazam had defeated centuries ago.  He defeated them and turned them to stone!  These seven deadly enemies of man were capable of destroying mankind had Shazam not defeated them!

The Mad Mummy, Black Adam, and the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man are all villains defeated by the wizard Shazam long before he created Captain Marvel!

Introducing the Red Crusher

The Red Crusher was a villain first introduced to us in the pages of Captain Marvel Adventures #139 (published October 3, 1952).  

The Red Crusher was a brutal commander of communist North Korean forces during the Korean War and was greatly feared!  He is described as having a "mind of scientific genius but a soul of blackest evil."  Not only did he have a great scientific mind, he also was a bulking brute with great physical power.

Captain Marvel faced off against the Red Crusher three times, and each time Cap soundly defeated the Crusher!  The first time Cap met Crusher was in CMA #139 where the Red Crusher used jet powered spike balls in an effort to defeat American and United Nation's forces in the Korean War.  

Then, in Captain Marvel Adventures #142 (January 2, 1953) the Red Crusher used a lightning gun that almost turned the tide of the war.  

Finally, in Captain Marvel Adventures #144 (March 4, 1953) the Red Crusher captures an American secret weapon that creates a blinding fog that halts the advance of the soldiers.  Captain Marvel destroys the Red Crusher's plane but the Red Crusher escapes by parachute landing safely among his own troops.  

While the Red Crusher only appeared in a few Captain Marvel comics, he has become one of my favorite villains.  He has the genius of Sivana and the bulking strength of IBAC, but those attributes do not make him mightier than the world's mightiest mortal - Captain Marvel!

Did You Know...

Did you know that the villains IBAC and Mr. Banjo made their first appearance in the same comic?

In Captain Marvel Adventures #8 (published February 6, 1942*) we are introduced to IBAC in the story "Captain Marvel and the Curse of IBAC!"  In this story we learn how a criminal named Stinky Printwhistle becomes the super-villain IBAC and is ultimately defeated by Captain Marvel.

The very next story in the comic is "Captain Marvel and the Amazing Case of the Code in Music!"  This adventure introduces us to Mr. Banjo, a "master criminal, an ingenious plotter of crimes" who uses his banjo as a weapon of sabotage against the war efforts of the United States.  Captain Marvel beats Banjo, thus defeating this malevolent maestro!

Both IBAC and Mr. Banjo made their first appearance in Captain Marvel Adventures #8 in different stories.  They both appeared throughout Cap's golden-age comics and have even shown up in some present day ones as well!


*According to Mike's Amazing World of Comics

Shazam's Villains

Captain Marvel's adventures provide us with some great villains from Dr. Sivana to Mr. Atom!  However, did you know that there are at least two villains Captain Marvel faced that were originally villains defeated by the wizard Shazam?  I want to look briefly at these two villains that Shazam defeated but came back and had to be defeated by Captain Marvel.

The first villain Shazam defeated was Black Adam.  Black Adam sought to use his powers for his own gain and so Shazam banished him to the farthest star in the universe.  

Black Adam returns 5,000 years later and seeks to get his revenge on Shazam.  The Marvel Family defeats Black Adam in the pages of Marvel Family comics #1 (published November 21, 1945)!

The second villain defeated by Shazam was the Mad Mummy!  The Mad Mummy appears in Marvel Family comics #79 (published November 21, 1952).   In the pages of this comic we discover that the Mad Mummy had once been the ruler of the netherworld and had sought to take over the world of the living.  The Mad Mummy was defeated by Shazam's white magic.  

Shazam had buried the Mad Mummy and his evil pyramid under the sea, but it was discovered and opened by archeologists and the Mad Mummy was on the loose again.  It took the combined efforts of the Marvel Family to defeat him and once again send him to the bottom of the ocean!

So there you have it!  Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family had to face two villains that were previously defeated by the wizard Shazam!  I really enjoyed finding these characters and will be sure to update this article if I run across any more villains like them!

Introducing Uncle Blacky

Uncle Blacky is Uncle Marvel's dastardly doppelganger introduced in Mary Marvel #9 in the story, "Mary Marvel and Her Thrilling Birthday Party!"  Like Black Adam, who he gets his uniform ideas from, Uncle Blacky makes only one appearance in the pages of Captain Marvel related comics.  

The first we hear of Uncle Blacky is on the opening page of the story.  In the list of characters he is described as "Uncle Blacky, who has donned a black Marvel suit and is determined to get rid of all the Marvels."

Uncle Blacky is secretly hiding out on the floor above Shazam, Inc., and is eavesdropping on what's happening with the Marvels in an attempt to get rid of them.  We learn that he has recently formed a new gang called Crime Inc., so he needs the Marvels out of the way to carry out his criminal plans.  He even invents high-tech weapons to use against the Marvels!

Uncle Blacky's first attempt on the Marvels happens when he sends his henchmen Monk and Limpy to "bump off" Mary and Freckles Marvel.  Monk and Limpy try to dispatch Mary with Uncle Blacky's rocket pistol.  Monk and Limpy end up on the receiving end of some Marvel wallops courtesy of Mary and Freckles!

Upon realizing his first plan failed, Uncle Blacky mobilizes Slug and Spike to take care of Mary Marvel but this time using Uncle Blacky's atomic fire flame thrower!  Did it work?  Mary might have felt the heat, but she quickly dispatches Uncle Blacky's lackeys with two well placed punches!

Not to be deterred, Uncle Blacky launches his final assault.  Using potent poison gas - which could kill an elephant with one whiff - Blacky tries to wipe out everyone in the office at Shazam, Inc.  Mary quickly rushes everyone to safety and then returns to take on Uncle Blacky herself!  With a mighty Marvel swing, Uncle Blacky crashes against the wall and Mary let's him know he'll be making a visit to the warden!  Three strikes and Uncle Blacky is out - his plan foiled and his gang and him in jail.

I really enjoyed this story as there's plenty of action and humor.  I love the characters - Mary Marvel, Uncle Dudley, Freckles Marvel and Uncle Blacky - they all contribute in their own way to make this story great.  Even though Uncle Blacky makes only one appearance in the Fawcett comics, he makes a lasting impression on Captain Marvel fans!  

Introducing Oggar, the World's Mightiest Immortal

Captain Marvel Adventures #61 introduced us to Oggar, the World's Mightiest Immortal!  His back-story was told by Oggar himself in Captain Marvel Adventures #62.

Oggar was one of the wizard Shazam's heroes along with Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury.  As one of Shazam's heroes they did great work among mortal man.  Shazam taught Oggar both wizardry and magic during his time in ancient Egypt.  There was great camaraderie among the heroes - but that wouldn't last.  (See my related post here.)

One day Oggar was given a mission by Shazam to go help a tiny nation that was being attacked by a powerful conqueror.  Oggar rebelled and refused to go.  He accused Shazam of being old, weak, and unfit to lead the seven mighty heroes.  Shazam gave Oggar an opportunity to prove his strength, but Oggar failed.  For his rebellion, Shazam banished Oggar to wander the world of mortal men, no longer to return to the home of Shazam and the heroes.

Oggar's attempt to rule the world and get his revenge on Shazam is told in the six-part serial "The Cult of the Curse" which began in Captain Marvel Adventures #61 and concludes in #66.  

Captain Marvel spends much of his time in this serial trying to defeat Oggar.  Billy Batson visited Shazam to tell him of Oggar's arrival and to learn how Captain Marvel can defeat him.  Shazam could only tell Billy that Captain Marvel must know that Oggar has one weakness and he must discover what that one weakness is.  Armed with that knowledge, Captain Marvel can then defeat Oggar! At the end of the serial, Cap does indeed discover Oggar's one weakness and it does end to Oggar's demise.

Interestingly, Oggar set up his own temple on top of the Rocky Mountains.  His temple was complete with his own version of the seven deadly enemies of man.  Oggar's version was the seven deadly enemies of Oggar and they included some familiar names - Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, Mercury, and Captain Marvel!

I really enjoyed reading the "Cult of the Curse" serial.  It had lots of plot twists and turns and some parts that just had me laughing out loud.  It's a typical whimsical adventure for Captain Marvel.  It shines some more light into the wizard Shazam's past and gives us even more reasons to love Captain Marvel - the World's Mightiest Mortal!!

Introducing Black Adam

Black Adam was literally a one-hit-wonder villain making only one golden age appearance in Captain Marvel comics.  The wizard Shazam himself tells us Black Adam's story in Marvel Family Comics #1.      

Over 5,000 years ago in Egypt, the wizard Shazam chose a man named Teth-Adam to be his champion.  Shazam told Teth-Adam, "The world needs a powerful champion to combat the evil which infests it!"  Because Shazam thought Teth-Adam's soul was good and pure, he picked him to be that champion.  When Teth-Adam spoke Shazam's name, he transformed into Mighty Adam and was to go and fight evil in the world.  (Note:  This comic was published in 1945, so 5,000 years from that time places this event in 3055BC!)

However, after discovering his mighty powers, Mighty Adam decided he would be the ruler over all mankind.  He stormed into Pharaoh's palace and killed him by breaking his neck and took Pharaoh's place on the throne.  He immediately made plans to send out armies to conquer the world in his name.  Shazam appears and confronts Mighty Adam.  He tells him, "You have turned evil, Mighty Adam! I change your name to Black Adam!  You must be punished."  And punish Black Adam he did!  Shazam banished Black Adam from the earth and hurled him through space to the farthest star in the universe!  Black Adam vowed to return and get his revenge on Shazam as he was being cast into the darkness of the universe.

Black Adam does return to the earth after flying for 5,000 years across the universe.  He not only lands back on earth, he lands in Fawcett City, home of the mighty Marvel Family!  Black Adam makes his intentions known as he proclaims, "The world is certainly different today from what it was when I last knew it!  But I will conquer and rule it!"  Black Adam then squares off in a fight against Captain Marvel, Jr. and Captain Marvel.  Realizing he needs to rethink his plans, Black Adam hides in the crowd while Captain Marvel, Jr. and Captain Marvel decide to visit Shazam for insight into Black Adam.  They change back into Freddy Freeman and Billy Batson before their meeting with Shazam.

Unbeknownst to Freddy and Billy, they are being followed by Black Adam.  Black Adam captures Freddy and Billy, preventing them from changing into Captain Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr.  Meanwhile, Mary Marvel and Uncle Dudley decide to visit Shazam as they realize both Billy and Freddy have gone missing.

A tremendous battle between Black Adam and the Marvel Family ensues!  While the battle rages, Uncle Dudley summons Shazam and asks how they can defeat Black Adam and Shazam tells him that he must get Black Adam to speak Shazam's name.  Uncle Dudley tricks Black Adam into saying, "Shazam!" and immediately the magic lightning strikes Black Adam, transforming him back into Teth-Adam.  Captain Marvel gives Teth-Adam a mighty punch before he can say the magic word and transform back to Black Adam!  Teth-Adam ages 5,000 years in an instant and is turned to dust and bones, thus destroying the villainous Black Adam!

Here's a few things to ponder about Black Adam and his story.  

• Mighty Adam was to fight evil as Shazam's champion but he became corrupted by the power he had.  Shazam bestowed the Black Adam title on him as he no longer deserved the champion's name of Mighty Adam.
• Mighty Adam was decidedly different than Captain Marvel.  While the uniforms of both were pretty much the same except for color, Mighty Adam was never given a regal cape such as the one Captain Marvel wears!
• Black Adam's pride was his downfall.  As soon as he reached the farthest star where he was banished, he immediately set out back to earth to conquer it and get his revenge on Shazam.
• Good came out of the wizard's 'most terrible mistake.'  Realizing he chose the wrong person, Shazam waited 5,000 years before choosing a new champion.  This time he did not choose an adult but instead chose an orphan boy named Billy Batson.  When Billy speaks Shazam's name, he transforms into Captain Marvel and has been commissioned as Shazam's new champion in the fight against evil.

That is the story of Black Adam as told by Shazam in Marvel Family Comics #1. 

Did You Know...

Did you know how Dr. Sivana got his name?  Dr. Sivana was the very first villain Captain Marvel faced (Whiz Comics #2).  C. C. Beck disclosed how Sivana got his name in an 1980's interview.  Beck said, "He (Bill Parker, Fawcett comic writer) created the word “Sivana” by combining the name of the Indian god Siva with the word Nirvana."  So there you have it - combine Siva and Nirvana and you get the scheming scientist Sivana!!!  I had no idea that that is how Sivana got his name!  It's always very interesting to me to learn these behind-the-scenes facts about Captain Marvel and his cast of supporting characters.

Did you know how Dr. Sivana go his name?  Now you do!!!

Introducing Mr. Atom

Mr. Atom was introduced to us in Captain Marvel Adventures #78, and interestingly it is Mr. Atom himself who tells us his origin.  As I read through this story I couldn't help but think of Mr. Atom as an atomic version of Frankenstein.

Dr. Charles Langley created Mr. Atom when he focused an atomic energy ray onto a robot he had built.  A huge explosion leveled Langley's lab and Mr. Atom came to life out of the wreckage.  Captain Marvel rescues Langley from the debris while Mr. Atom begins to walk around Fawcett City gaining a lot of attention.

We soon catch up with Mr. Atom at the United Nations where he begins to threaten the world with force but is interrupted by a confrontation with Captain Marvel.  In this first fight between Cap and Atom, Cap is a bit surprised that Mr. Atom can stand up to his punches.  The fight ends when Mr. Atom punches Cap right out of the building!

No, Mr. Atom didn't win the fight!  Instead, Captain Marvel realized that he needed to develop a plan to deal with Mr. Atom so he allowed him to think he had defeated Cap. Then, using the wisdom of Solomon, Cap devises a fool-proof plan.

With his plan in place, Captain Marvel re-engages Mr. Atom in combat and with one final mighty blow, Mr. Atom is defeated. 

Mr. Atom says, "Captain Marvel was too much for me--that time!  But he could not finally destroy me.  Like the atom that gave me birth, I exist forever."  Mr. Atom then gives us a final warning, followed by some closing comments by Billy Batson.

I really enjoyed this story and especially the artwork showing Captain Marvel and Mr. Atom delivering their mighty punch.  I also liked the fact that Captain Marvel used his wisdom to devise a plan that would fully deal with Mr. Atom - he just didn't trade punches with him all day long!  

Mr. Atom would return and try to rule the world in Captain Marvel Adventures #81 but that would be the last appearance for Mr. Atom in Captain Marvel's golden age adventures.  

That is the origin of the nuclear nightmare known to Captain Marvel fans as Mr. Atom!