Captain Marvel, Jr.
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Template:Superherobox Captain Marvel, Jr. is a fictional character, a superhero derived from the DC Comics (formerly Fawcett Comics) character Captain Marvel. A member of the Marvel Family team of superheroes, he was created by Ed Herron and Mac Raboy, and first appeared in Whiz Comics #25 in December 1941.
Junior is the super-powered alter-ego of Freddy Freeman, a crippled newsboy that Captain Marvel saved from an attack by one of his enemies, Captain Nazi. Freddy was not granted his powers by the wizard Shazam, but by Captain Marvel himself: whenever Freddy says the magic word "Captain Marvel," he is magically transformed into a super-powered version of himself. Unlike Captain Marvel and the modern-era version of Mary Marvel, Junior remains a young teenager in his transformed state.
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History
Fawcett origin: Whiz Comics #25
During a battle with Captain Nazi in Whiz Comics #25 (December 1941), one of Captain Marvel’s punches sends the villain careening into a lake. An elderly man, Jacob Freeman, and his grandson, Freddy, happened to be fishing in the lake near where Nazi has landed, and, not knowing who he is, lift the unconscious man into their boat to prevent him from drowning. Nazi immediately comes to, tosses Jacob into the lake, and knocks Freddy out of the boat with an oar. The old man immediately dies, but Captain Marvel is able to save an unconscious Freddy and bring him to a hospital.
Captain Marvel changes to his regular form of young Billy Batson, and is told by a nurse that Freddy is not expected to last the night. Billy then devises a better way to help the boy: he sneaks Freddy out of the hospital and takes him to the secret underground throne of the wizard Shazam, who first granted Billy the power to become Captain Marvel.
Billy asks the wizard to heal Freddy and save his life, but Shazam cannot, and instead tells Billy that he, as Captain Marvel, can pass along some of his powers to so that Freddy can walk again. Shazam disappears and Billy transforms back into Captain Marvel, just as Freddy awakens. Looking up, he exclaims “Why...it’s Captain Marvel,” and is instantly transformed into a super-powered version of himself. Freddy, who was now called "Captain Marvel, Jr.", resembled a younger Captain Marvel, though with a yellow-on-blue costume with a red cape, rather than Marvel's yellow-on-red with a white cape. Image:Mastercomics30.JPG Captain Marvel informs Junior that he cannot remain in his super-powered form at all times, but that he must allow his human form to heal as best it can. With that, Freddy once again said his mentor's name and returned to his hospital bed. Freddy remains permanently lame in his left leg and is forced to walk with a crutch (although Captain Marvel, Jr. bears no such impediment). As a result, Junior’s sought revenge against Captain Nazi, and the two repeatedly battled over the years.
Fawcett years
Captain Marvel, Jr. proved to be a popular spin-off character for the Captain Marvel franchise, and appeared in solo adventures in both Master Comics and his own Captain Marvel, Jr. comic book. The character's solo adventures feature an art style, devised by co-creator Mac Raboy, that was more realistic and dramatic style than the style used by C.C. Beck and the other Fawcett artists for Captain Marvel.
In most of his adventures, Freddy Freeman is depicted as a character to be pitied for his injury, reminiscent of Tiny Tim from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, until he transforms into his super-powered state. As Captain Marvel, Jr., he is unable to introduce himself to anyone, since he'd transform back into Freddy Freeman after pronouncing the first two words in his name.
Junior, Captain Marvel, and newest Marvel Family member Mary Marvel began appearing together in The Marvel Family comic book beginning in 1945. That title and Junior's own continued until 1953, when Fawcett Publications was forced to fold all Marvel Family related comic books because of a lawsuit from National Comics (later DC Comics). Image:Capt-marvel-jr-59.jpg
Shazam! revival
After Fawcett Comics folded, Captain Marvel, Jr. remained unpublished, alongside the rest of the Marvel Family, for years. In 1972, DC Comics purchased the rights to the Marvel Family characters and revived them in a new series entitled Shazam!. In his 1970s adventures, Captain Marvel, Jr. discovered that fellow superhero Kid Eternity was in fact his long-lost brother (both of their secret identities share the last name "Freeman").
Post Crisis on Infinite Earth
Current origin: The Power of Shazam!
Retconned out of existence after the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths miniseries, Freddy Freeman was reintroduced in The Power of Shazam! #3 (although he makes a very brief cameo in the Power of Shazam! graphic novel). The modern version of the Freddy/Captain Marvel, Jr. origin, depicted in Power of Shazam! #6 - 8, #37, and Outsiders v3 #9 -10, closely follow his Fawcett origin, with the only major additions being details added to the main story.
As a young boy, Freddy Freeman grew up in New England with his parents and his foster brother, Timothy Karnes. Freddy's parents were killed in an auto accident by a drunk driver en route to one of Freddy's Little League games. Freddy was sent to live with his grandfather, Jacob Freeman, while Timothy was forced to live with a string of unstable foster homes. Timothy would eventually grow to blame Freddy for his misfortune, and planned revenge against his former foster brother.
Freddy and his grandfather eventually moved to the Midwest and Fawcett City, where Freddy became an all-star student at the Binder school. An archetypical jock, Freddy was among the school's most popular and successful students. One of Freddy's friends was Billy Batson, Captain Marvel's alter ego, who worked as a boy reporter for WHIZ radio. At a WHIZ radio spelling bee hosted by Billy, Freddy and Billy met Billy's long-lost sister Mary, whom Freddy immediately fell for.
Image:Power-of-shazam-19.jpg A few weeks later, Freddy and his grandfather went fishing in the Fawcett Bay. At the same time, Captain Marvel was engaged in a battle with Captain Nazi, a World War II-era villain who had just awoken after fifty years in suspended animation. The modern origin story follows the Fawcett origin from this point on almost to the letter: Captain Marvel knocks Captain Nazi into the lake, and the Freemans are attacked when they attempt to save Nazi. Captain Marvel intervenes and rushes both injured bystanders to a hospital. Jacob Freeman slips into a coma, and Freddy is found to have a severely injured spine and a broken leg.
The injured Freddy is taken to the wizard Shazam by Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel, who grant the boy the power to become Captain Marvel, Jr. However, Jacob Freeman dies, and Freddy goes on a rampage against Captain Nazi as Captain Marvel, Jr. Nazi is eventually brought to justice after Mary gets Junior to calm down.
An attempt by Junior to ask Mary to be his girlfriend in Power of Shazam! #13 leads to a brawl between Junior and Captain Marvel, who, as Billy, had seen firsthand how Freddy treated his girlfriends. As a result, Junior quits the Marvel Family and leaves to New York City.
In New York, Junior starts a new life, dating a middle-aged woman, Dr. Caitlin Russo, and battling both Captain Nazi and a schizophrenic villainess named Chain Lightning. His Freddy Freeman body eventually healed, although he is left permanently lame in his right leg and forced to walk with a crutch.
Teen Titans
During his time in New York, Junior became a member of the Teen Titans, and briefly dated teammate Argent. While with the Teen Titans, Junior first began calling himself CM3 (short for "Captain Marvel Three", with Billy being CM1 and Mary CM2) to allow him to identify himself without changing. He also periodically ran into his former foster brother Timothy, who, as the super-powered demon Sabbac, repeatedly attempted to kill him.
After the Titans disbanded, Junior eventually returned to Fawcett and the Marvel Family after reconciling with Billy. Much to Billy’s distaste, Freddy and Mary begin dating, although, heeding the wishes of his sister, Billy does not interfere. Junior also briefly served as a member of Titans L.A., a shortlived Teen Titans spin-off group. Today, Junior is a reserve member and helped the Titans defeat Doctor Light when he kidnapped Green Arrow.
Outsiders to Infinite Crisis
Image:Outsiders-10-cmj.jpg In The Outsiders (third version) #9 , Timothy Karnes was later killed by a man named Ishmael Gregor, who murdered Timothy during a satanic ritual in order to inherit his Sabbac powers. Junior came to the aid of the Outsiders to stop the new and more feral Sabbac. In his current incarnation, Junior once again goes by the name "Captain Marvel Junior" (not "CM3"), and wears a white cape like that of the other two Marvels instead of his traditional red one.
As of Outsiders #28, Junior was a member of the Outsiders, although apprehensive about the team's dark tone. He and Marvel Family nemeses Sabbac, The Seven Deadly Sins and Dr. Sivana all played major roles in the series. During his time with the team, Junior and the other Outsiders were fighting the Secret Society of Supervillains.
Junior and the Marvel Family were also involved with the Spectre's war against magic in the current Day of Vengeance miniseries. After rebuilding the Rock of Eternity, Junior and Mary Marvel traveled to New York in Infinite Crisis #5 to help Firehawk with the people escaping the city. However, Junior and Mary were teleported to the newly created Earth-S, which came back into existence by way of Alex Luthor's machine. In Infinite Crisis 6, the machine was destroyed by Conner Kent which Freddy, Mary and Black Adam were brought back to New Earth.
As of the One Year Later relaunch, Captain Marvel, Jr. is no longer an Outsider. He will be a part of the Trials of Shazam mini series, which will be written by Judd Winnick and begin publication in July.
Trivia
- Elvis Presley was a big fan of Captain Marvel, Jr., and styled his trademark haircut after that of the comic book character. In addition, Elvis' stage outfits (with a half-cape similar to those worn by the Marvels) and his TCB logo (with a Marvel-esque lightning bolt insignia) also show inspiration from Captain Marvel, Jr.
- An adult version of Captain Marvel, Jr. appears as a background character in the 1996 Kingdom Come miniseries by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. In this alternate future setting, Junior now goes by the name "King Marvel", and looks remarkably like Elvis Presley. Mary Marvel, now called "Lady Marvel", is his wife, and the two have a superpowered son, "The Whiz", named after Whiz Comics.
- In Teen Titans (third series) #23, Captain Marvel Jr. is revealed to be a huge fan of Elvis Presley. The narrator (Superboy) states that "He's okay, just a little too into the retro thing for my tastes. Loves all that rockabilly crap. Flame shirts and hot dice belt buckles". Captain Marvel Jr. himself quotes Elvis (whom he refers to as "the greatest modern-day philosopher if you ask me") as a role-model "Do what's right for you as long as you don't hurt no one."
- Junior was a reserve member of the superhero team Young Justice. Freddy also helped Martian Manhunter as a member of the Justice League: Task Force.
External links
- Captain Marvel, Jr.'s "Who's Who" file at The Marvel Family Web.
- Captain Marvel, Jr. at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
- The Captains Marvel