A weird quirk about Shazam‘s powers makes him way more powerful than fans realize. Every letter in the name Shazam stands for a god or mythological figure, and in 1979’s World’s Finest #254, it is revealed that one particular god, Zeus, acts as a supplement to the powers Shazam draws from other gods. This enhanced strength then allows Shazam to complete a task beyond even Hercules’ abilities.
Since his introduction over 80 years ago, Billy Batson has but to say the magic word “Shazam” and he transforms into the World’s Mightiest Mortal. In his first appearance, it is explained that Shazam draws his powers from six different gods or mythological figures: The wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zues, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury. When taken together, this makes Shazam one of the most powerful beings on Earth, capable of taking on heavy hitters such as Superman and Wonder Woman down to the wire. Yet there is an interesting quirk about Shazam’s powers and the gods he invokes to obtain them.
Shazam’s Power of Zeus Doesn’t Work How You Think
In the story ‘The Devil and Captain Marvel,’ written by E. Nelson Bridwell and drawn by Don Newton, Shazam (then known as Captain Marvel) learns his uncle Ebenezer is about to meet a dark fate. Traveling to Ebenezer’s house after a quick pit stop at the Rock of Eternity, he finds his uncle under siege from Satan himself, having previously sold his soul. Satan agrees to free Ebenezer from his contract if Shazam can defeat six of his champions. One by one, Satan throws the worst at Shazam, but he is able to defeat each one. The evil sorceress Medea is Shazam’s last challenge, and he repels her using moly, a mythical herb, obtained from the Rock of Eternity. Both Medea and Satan are astonished, and he asks how Shazam was able to uproot the moly, as doing so is beyond even Hercules’ ability. Shazam replies that thanks to drawing on the power of Zeus, all the other abilities he derives from the gods are supplemented; for example, the power of Zeus adds to the stamina of Atlas, or the wisdom of Solomon. Using the combined strengths of Zeus and Hercules, Shazam was able to perform a feat of strength even Hercules couldn’t.
The Power of Zeus Is Shazam’s Most Important Power
This interesting quirk makes Shazam far more powerful than initially thought, as Zeus’ power gives him an extra boost over his stated abilities. In Greek mythology, Zeus is regarded as the father of the gods, and was the most powerful among them. Shazam draws his “power” from Zeus, but this has always been a nebulous concept. In this story, Bridwell offers a coherent explanation for what the power of Zeus means – it works as a supplement to Shazam’s other powers, enhancing them further and giving him an extra edge; one that he used to free his uncle from Satan’s clutches. This is the only time this quirk has been mentioned; no other creators came along to explore this idea further, however Shazam has come into conflict with the gods whose powers he uses in the past, defeating them easily (when he was corrupted by the Batman Who Laughs), suggesting it remains an aspect of his lore.
Shazam Needs This Power Boost Now More Than Ever
This is big news considering that in the current Shazam! series by Mark Waid and Dan Mora, the gods whose powers Shazam uses have turned against him, taking turns to puppet his body. Fans had believed Shazam couldn’t match the gods, but given he has a slight upgrade on their iconic powers, he may yet be able to free himself, once again proving that he’s Earth’s Mightiest Mortal.
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