Shazam

The ancient wizard Shazam selected young Billy Batson as champion, granting him the power to transform into a mighty hero by speaking the wizard's name — an acronym encoding the wisdom of Solomon, strength of Hercules, stamina of Atlas, power of Zeus, courage of Achilles, and speed of Mercury.

Few characters carry the weight of comics history quite like Shazam, whose Bronze Age debut arrived in the landmark Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes in 1976 — fittingly shaped by none other than Bill Finger and Bob Kane, two of DC's most legendary creative voices. Over nearly five decades of publication, this figure has kept extraordinarily distinguished company, sharing pages with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman across titles like Detective Comics, Batman, and Justice League of America. With a key-issue appearance to their name and a presence stretching all the way to 2025, Shazam represents a fascinating thread woven through the very fabric of the DC universe — the kind of character that rewards a deeper dig into the long, rich history of the publisher's Bronze Age foundations.