SuperFriends Wiki
Register
Advertisement
The Marvel Family
The Marvel Family
Official Name
Marvel Family
Leader
Headquarters
Purpose
Fight Crime
Origin
Formed by Uncle Dudle
First Appearance
Captain Marvel Adventures, #18 (December 1942)


Uncle (Wow Comics 24)
Marvel Family (Shazam 17)

The Marvel Family is a team of superheroes led by Captain Marvel vicariously through Uncle Dudley. They mainly operate in Fawcett City.


Members[]

Allies[]


Earth-S, Past Members[1][]

  • The Lieutenant Marvels: Three other boys named "Billy Batson" (nicknamed "Tall Billy", "Fat Billy", and "Hill Billy"[2] — the latter because he was from the Appalachia — to differentiate themselves from "Real Billy", Captain Marvel) who learned that, because they also were named Billy Batson, they could draw on the power of Shazam. They vowed only to use their power if asked by Captain Marvel, and only if all three were to say the magic word, "SHAZAM!", in unison. The Lieutenant Marvels are fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. They first appeared in Whiz Comics #21 in 1941
  • Captain Marvel Bunny: a spin-off character generally confined to his own series, the pink funny animal rabbit version of Captain Marvel periodically assisted the human Marvels in their adventures. Hoppy debuted in Fawcett's Funny Animals #1, and appears in nearly every issue of that comic's run. He also starred in his own 15-issue series, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny (Dec. 1945 – Sept. 1947), which featured several Hoppy stories per issue, along with stories featuring his old co-stars from Fawcett's Funny Animals. For a span of five issues (#49–54, May–Oct. 1947), Hoppy made no appearances in Fawcett's Funny Animals; these issues featured Billy the Kid and Oscar as the lead feature. Beginning with #55, Hoppy returned as the main feature. In Fawcett's Funny Animals #69 (Feb. 1951), the Captain Marvel Bunny stories were dropped, to be replaced by stories with just Hoppy. There was no further mention of his career as Captain Marvel Bunny. In issue #80 the word "Fawcett's" was dropped from the title, making the remaining issues simply Funny Animals. The final issue of Funny Animals was #83 (1953). After Fawcett cancelled Funny Animals, the rights to many of its characters were purchased by Charlton Comics.


Gallery[]

Marvel Family (Shazam 35)
Marvel Family (SHazam 20)


Appearances[]

Filmation series: The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!

  • Coming Soon!


Notes[]

  • Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and Fawcett artists C. C. Beck, Mac Rayboy, Ed Herron and Marc Swayze.
  • First joint-appearance of Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, and Captain Marvel, Jr. in Captain Marvel Adventures vol.1, #18[3] (1942)
  • Because Marvel Comics trademarked their own Captain Marvel comic book during the interim between the demise of the Fawcett Comics Captain Marvel comics in 1953 and DC's revival in 1972, DC Comics is today unable to promote and market their Captain Marvel/Marvel Family properties under those names. Since 1972, DC has instead used the trademark Shazam! for their comic book titles with the Marvel Family characters, and the name under which they market and promote the characters. When referring to the Marvel Family on comic book covers or various merchandise, they are by this legal necessity called the "Shazam Family".
  • Fawcett sold DC the rights to the characters in 1980, by which time Shazam! had been canceled, and the Marvels had been relegated the back-up feature of World's Finest Comics, and, later, Adventure Comics.[?]
  • In 1986 DC brought Captain Marvel back with their Legends miniseries, establishing him as a solo hero without a team.
  • Writer/artist Jerry Ordway resurrected the Marvel Family in 1995 with his Power of Shazam! series, establishing the team as being made up solely of Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr.
  • Publishing History:
  • Fawcett Comics (1942-1953)
  • DC Comics (1972-present)


External Links[]


References[]

  1. The Lieutenant Marvels and Hoppy the Marvel Bunny are most likely confined to Earth-S and have no Earth-1A counterpart.
  2. . The physical appearance of the three characters was based on three real-life members of the Fawcett Comics staff: Paul Peck (Tall Billy), Ed Hamilton (Hill Billy), and Frank Taggart (Fat Billy). C.C. Beck, "The Human Qualities of the Captain Marvel Characters" in Fawcett Companion, ed. P.C. Hamerlinck (Raleigh, NC: TwoMorrows Publishing, 2001), 28-29.
  3. Go to DC Databse for more on Captain Marvel Adventures, #18 (December 1942).
Advertisement