| Mary Marvel / Lady Shazam | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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_01.jpg) Mary Marvel as depicted in The New Champion of Shazam! #3 (January 2023). Art by Jen Bartel. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publisher | Fawcett Comics (1942–1953) DC Comics (1972–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Captain Marvel Adventures #18 (Dec. 1942) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Otto Binder Marc Swayze | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In-story information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alter ego | Mary Bromfield (current) Mary Willow Batson (previous) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Species | Human | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team affiliations | Justice League Marvel / Shazam Family Black Marvel Family Super Buddies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Partnerships | Captain Marvel / Shazam Captain Marvel Jr. / Shazam Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable aliases | Captain Marvel Lady Shazam[1] Black Mary Shazam | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abilities |
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| Altered in-story information for adaptations to other media | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team affiliations | Sentinels of Magic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable aliases | Sergeant Marvel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mary Marvel (also known as Lady Shazam and Mary Shazam) is a fictional character and superheroine originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 (cover-dated Dec. 1942).[2] The character is a member of the Marvel / Shazam Family of heroes associated with the superhero Shazam / Captain Marvel and is one of the first female spin-offs of a major male superhero, and predates the introduction of Supergirl (also created by Otto Binder) by more than a decade.
In Shazam! and related titles, Mary Marvel is the alter-ego of teenager Mary Batson (adopted name Mary Bromfield) who was granted the powers of the Wizard Shazam alongside her brother, Billy. After DC acquired the rights to Fawcett Comics' characters in 1972, Mary Marvel began appearing in DC Comics, co-starring in DC series such as Shazam! (1973–1978) and The Power of Shazam! (1995–1999). For a time, two limited series from 2007 to 2009, Countdown and Final Crisis, depict an evil version of Mary Marvel (calling herself Black Mary) having acquired powers from Black Adam and Apokoliptian supervillain DeSaad. Following the 2011 New 52 reboot, the character is instead changed to being the eldest of Billy Batson's foster siblings under the name "Mary Bromfield" whose powers were shared by Billy. Following the Lazarus Planet event, the character's powers are instead derived from divine female benefactors led by the newly ascended Hippolyta, removing her connection to the Wizard.
Mary Bromfield and her superhero alter-ego both made their cinematic debut in the DC Extended Universe 2019 film Shazam!, played by Grace Fulton and Michelle Borth, respectively. Fulton returned in the sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, playing both parts.[3]
- ^ Mary Bromfield – DC Comics
- ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 196. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ^ @ponysmasher (June 21, 2021). "Yes, Grace now plays both parts. But her hair and makeup is slightly different when she's super so nobody will ever recognize her. Hey, it works for Wonder Woman!" (Tweet). Retrieved 2021-06-21 – via Twitter.