In ancient times, there was the man called Mamaragan, wielder of “Living Lightning.” One account says this man was a sorcerer native to the country of Kahndaq, while another says he was not a human being but the god Mamaragan of Aboriginal mythology. In either event, he became part of a council of magic wielders and wizards that oversaw the balance of magic on Earth and punished those who tampered with the progress of humanity or upset the balance of magic. Their fortress was the Rock of Eternity.
For a time, the Council of Wizards of the Rock of Eternity empowered Black Adam, but then the man abused his power and turned on them. Mamaragan was left the soul survivor and he imprisoned Black Adam in a hidden tomb, frozen in time. He then remained as the sole protector and keeper of the Rock of Eternity for thousands of years, and became known simply as “the wizard.”
The scientist Thaddeus Sivana sought out secrets of magic and discovered Black Adam’s prison in Iraq, freeing him in the process. In response, the now aged wizard of the Rock of Eternity decided a new champion was needed to defeat Black Adam and became the protector of magic on Earth. He brought several human beings to the Rock of Eternity, dismissing each one for not being heroic or “pure” enough in their nature and intentions.
Meanwhile, fifteen-year-old orphan Billy Batson was an embittered, suspicious, thrill-seeking troublemaker as a result of mistreatment at many foster homes. Soon after being adopted by the Vasquez family of Philadelphia, Billy entered a subway car that then transformed into an old-fashioned transport and delivered him to the Rock of Eternity. The wizard Mamaragan was surprised to see that his magic had brought him a boy, and one seemingly selfish and ill mannered when his champion needed to be pure of heart. Billy remarked that while he had tried to be good many times, his experience was that good people were victimized and disappointed too easily.
Mamaragan believed that Billy had “embers” of a good person and preferred to protect rather than victimize. With no time left to search for yet another candidate, he decided to trust Billy, naming him as the new Keeper of the Rock of Eternity and telling him to say the magic word “Shazam.” Billy did so, and Mamaragan’s “Living Lightning” transformed him into a representation of his full potential, a magical super-powered warrior named Shazam!
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Character History
CREATORS: C.C. Beck & Bill Parker
FIRST APPEARANCE: Whiz Comics #2 (1940)