Billy Batson (Earth-22)

*I asked him to choose between **humans** and **superhumans**. But **he alone** knew that was a **false division**... and made the **only** choice that ever truly **matters**. He chose **life**... in the hope that your world and **our** world could be **one** world once **again**.*
—**Superman**[src]

## Characteristics

### Creators

Mark Waid; Alex Ross

**Billy Batson** was active as a superhero known as **Captain Marvel**, until the world had changed around him to the point where he stopped calling on the name of Shazam.

## HistoryEdit

Somewhere along the line as he grew into adulthood, Billy became a servant to Lex Luthor, becoming brainwashed through torture into believing that all superheroes were monsters and that he also had a monster within himself. Bruce Wayne, who temporarily aligned himself with Luthor's Mankind Liberation Front to discover his plans concerning the Justice League and the metahuman prison, the "Gulag", tried to reason with Billy when he also discovered Luthor's torture methods. Instead of listening, Billy fled and called on Shazam to become Captain Marvel, using the lightning power to break open the "Gulag" and to cause a massive meta-human war that threatened to engulf the Earth.

As the Secretary-General of the United Nations sent the Blackhawk Squadron to drop nuclear bombs that would destroy most meta-human lifeforms, Superman found himself relentlessly pummeled by Captain Marvel's lightning bolts until he ended up having Billy be struck by one of them, changing him back to Billy Batson. After Superman told Billy about the nuclear bomb that's about to drop on the warring superheroes, he transformed back into Captain Marvel and outraced Superman to reach the bomb first, calling upon Shazam's lightning power to ignite the bomb before it struck the earth, sacrificing himself in the process. The surviving heroes remembered this sacrifice by having Captain Marvel's cape be hung among the flags of the United Nations member countries as a memorial.

## Powers and AbilitiesEdit

### Powers

As Superman's equal, his power, speed and skill exceeds most of the Superhuman population. His very presence terrifies even the likes of Green Lantern into silence. The Spectre remarked that Superman was in wrong in believing he alone had the power to stop the war, with the implication that Marvel could stop it as well.

* **Divine Empowerment** - All of the powers granted collection of six by gods and figures of legend either directly or through Shazam.
	+ **Accelerated Healing**
	+ **Clairvoyance**: The ability to understand situations from many angles, including future and past consequences with superhuman clarity and accuracy.
	+ **Divine Grace**: Innate luck and divine guidance that allows finesse in actions and dealings with others.
	+ **Eidetic Memory**
	+ **Magic Resistance**
	+ **Enhanced Intellect**: Intellect and wisdom are heightened to superhuman levels. This also provides great or comprehensive knowledge in many areas, including:
		- **Language**
		- **Tactics of War**
		- **Mathematics**
	+ **Flight**: The ability to hover or soar at high speed through an act of sheer will.
	+ **Healing**: The ability to use the transformative lightning to heal others or ones self instantly.
	+ **Indomitable Will**: An incredible amount of willpower that allows perseverance in overwhelming odds and seemingly unbeatable situations.
	+ **Invulnerability**
	+ **Self-Sustenance**: The ability to survive without sleep, food, water, or air.
	+ **Superhuman Speed**: The ability to run or fly at incredible rates of speed. His speed is shown to exceed Supermans easily.
	+ **Superhuman Reflexes**
	+ **Superhuman Agility**
	+ **Superhuman Stamina**
	+ **Superhuman Strength**: Seems to have vast superhuman strength equal to a older Superman, which roughly makes him superior to his mainstream counterpart.
	+ **Teleportation**: The ability to access the Rock of Eternity.
	+ **Transformation**: The ability to transform from a mortal to the entity empowered by the six.

## Related

* Appearances of Billy Batson (Earth-22)
* Images featuring Billy Batson (Earth-22)
* Quotations by or about Billy Batson (Earth-22)
* Character Gallery: Billy Batson (Earth-22)

### Footnotes

This character is or was a member of the *Marvel Family* in any of its various incarnations, and an ally of Captain Marvel and the Wizard Shazam. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "*Marvel Family members*."

**Secret Society of Super-Villains member**This character is or was a member of the *Secret Society of Super-Villains*, a cadre of super-villains who band together to accomplish feats no one super-villain can do alone, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "*Secret Society of Super-Villains members*" category.