Shazam Officially Admits What We Already Knew: Giving a Child Superpowers Is a Terrible Idea

Summary Shazam and Billy Batson's feud reaches a boiling point over whether a child is fit to have god-level powers.

Shazam questions Billy's worthiness of the Champion's power due to his age, creating a divide between the two personas.

Shazam's increased wisdom may lead to him separating himself from Billy altogether, raising questions about the future of Shazam's legacy.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Shazam #12!Even Shazam is finally saying what his biggest critics have been saying this whole time: A child is not fit to have god-level powers. A divide has grown between Billy Batson and his superhero alter ego and their feud is reaching a boiling point.

Batson was warned that a boost to one of his amazing senses could have drastic ramifications for both himself and his more powerful half. That warning has proved true as Billy and the Earth's Mightiest Mortal reach a pivotal point in their relationship, putting the future of Shazam's legacy in question.

Shazam Doesn't Think Billy Batson is Worthy of Powers

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In a preview for Shazam #12 by Josie Campbell, Mike Norton, Emanuela Lupacchino, Trish Mulvihill, and Troy Peteri, Billy Batson’s world has begun to crumble around him. Billy’s mother Marilyn has returned and brought the Shazam Family’s wellness check to a grinding halt, putting the kids' adoption by Victor and Rosa Vasquez in jeopardy. Billy looks inward and realizes that something has gone wrong with his memories thanks to the changes of the magic within him. To get answers, Billy confronts the Captain (aka Shazam) in the Rock of Eternity.

Shazam outright tells Billy that he doesn’t think Batson is worthy of the Champion’s power...

Billy and the Captain discuss the recent changes they’ve been through in the space that one of the entities inhabits when the other is in control. Shazam tells Billy that in this place they can always see through the other’s eyes, causing Billy to accuse the Captain of sabotaging Batson’s memories. Shazam apologizes, saying that his recent boost in wisdom provided by Solomon has caused the Captain to think independently. The Captain also admits that he believes Billy was forced into the Shazam role and never should have been given the Wizard’s power.

Shazam outright tells Billy that he doesn’t think Batson is worthy of the Champion’s power due to Billy’s age. Billy is furious, both at Shazam’s judgment and at his decision to keep Billy separated from his mother and wipe his memories. Shazam argues that he’s simply trying to protect Billy, but the hero refuses to tell the boy why. Billy attempts to leave the Rock of Eternity and fights back against Shazam’s attempt to get Batson to speak their magic word.

Why Shazam is Turning on Billy Batson

In the wake of Lazarus Planet, things changed big-time for Billy Batson and his family. Freed from his imprisonment on the Rock of Eternity, Billy resumed his duties as the Champion of Shazam. While most of his foster siblings remained powerless, the Captain still had Mary Marvel by his side to deal with any magic threats to the DC Universe. Unfortunately, while in his magical hero form, Billy found himself acting in ways that Shazam ordinarily wouldn’t, yelling at civilians and acting like a real jerk.

...whenever Shazam was in control, he would refer to Billy and himself as separate people...

Unbeknownst to Billy, the mythological figures whom Billy borrows his power from (Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury) decided to compete for control of the Captain. While in his Shazam form, the various gods began to influence Billy’s better half. However, Billy appealed to Solomon, who agreed to make the Captain wise enough to resist magic influence. But Solomon warned Billy that increasing Shazam’s wisdom could wind up creating a schism between the two halves. Regardless, Billy agreed and the Captain broke free from the gods’ control.

Things between the two seemed fine. That is until Billy started experiencing gaps in his memory that he couldn’t explain. Not only that, but whenever Shazam was in control, he would refer to Billy and himself as separate people rather than two halves of the same person. Billy’s sister Darla also noticed how odd Shazam was behaving when she caught him burning letters that were addressed to Billy, letters that Billy later found out were being sent to him by his long-lost mother.

Shazam is Changing His Dynamic With Billy Batson For Good

Shazam isn’t the first person in the DC Universe to criticize the Wizard for choosing a child to be his Champion. Superman was furious when he discovered that the Captain’s alter ego was a child and even traveled to the Rock of Eternity to chew the Wizard out. While Billy is far from the only young person with powers in the DC Universe, Shazam’s abilities didn’t come from an accident or happenstance. They came from an adult who made an offer to an impressionable youth.

Superman epically calls out the Wizard for his treatment of Billy in Superman/Shazam! First Thunder (2006)!

Billy, of course, has always loved having powers and his thoughts were reflected by his other half, even with the wisdom of Solomon. However, Shazam is far more wise than he was before and it’s finally dawning on him that a kid who has lived a hard life like Billy shouldn’t also have to bear the weight of being the DC Universe’s greatest magical champion. Now that Shazam is thinking for himself, he’s likely about to make some major changes to his and Billy’s life.

The real question is what is Shazam going to do? His desire to protect Billy seems genuine, so he’s likely not going to take over Billy’s body permanently. But he’s also likely not going to sit back and waste the Wizard’s power either. The likeliest route is that Shazam may try to separate himself from Billy altogether. That way the Captain gets to continue serving in his role as Champion while Billy is finally freed from his duties and can simply be a normal kid.

Billy and Shazam's Days are Numbered

Shazam has already come this far trying to drive a wedge between himself and Billy. Solicitations for future issues have also hinted that the warring halves’ feud won’t be ending anytime soon. While Billy may want to hold onto his powers, the Captain’s not going to let that happen as long as he still has his increased wisdom. Having two distinct personas like that in one body isn’t tenable, and it might not be long before Shazam finds a way to remove himself and de-power Billy for good.

Shazam #12 is available on June 4th from DC Comics.