Whether they’re pushing the boundaries of the human body, fighting for justice, or simply being awesome, both Captain Marvel and Shazam embody the word “marvel,” and so it makes sense that we would pit them against each other in this Death Battle. But which one will come out on top? This fight will test both heroes to their limits – with Carol’s otherworldly alien heritage and her years of experience as a combat-tested superheroes going up against Billy’s divine blessings from the ancient legends and tons of youthful ingenuity.
This is actually the second time these two titans have squared off – the first was in an Elseworlds one-shot that took place in the DC Universe, and featured a different version of both characters. That particular fight was a lot closer, but Shazam still came out on top.
In the real world, both of these heroes have starred in their own standalone miniseries, as well as the main DC comics that they’re part of. They’ve also appeared in a few crossovers and guest appearances, as well as the Justice League movie and its subsequent animated series.
The name “Shazam” has a funny history, too. This is because the character was originally called Captain Marvel in the golden age — and he was probably the most popular and profitable superhero of his day until DC got sued over him for being too much like Superman.
Two decades later, DC cheekily purchased the rights to the original Fawcett Comics version of the character and integrated him into the DC universe — but always referred to him as “Shazam,” as a tribute to the wizard who gave him his powers.