Shazam Gifts Its Gods a Big Change, Paving the Way For One Hero to Take Center Stage

Warning: contains spoilers for Shazam #19!

Shazam just gifted its gods a massive change, paving the way for a member of his family to take center stage. Freddy Freeman is an integral member of the Shazam Family, but in recent months, long-standing issues between him and Billy have come to the surface. Matters come to a head in Shazam #19, establishing a bold new status quo for Freddy, one that will make him a great hero.

Shazam #19 is written by Josie Campbell and drawn by Dan McDaid. Freddy has taken a new source of power: the Amber Lightning. Forged by the god Hephaestus and a band of “misfit” gods, the Amber Lightning was given to the wizard Shazam for safekeeping on the Rock of Eternity. It lay dormant for thousands of years until Freddy found it, and has been drawing his power from it since. Freddy’s current struggle with Mister Mind was a test by Hephaestus to see if Freddy was worthy of the power–and he was.

Who is Freddy Freeman? Shazam's Oldest Ally Explained

Tensions Have Been Building Between Freddy and Billy For Months

Shazam #19 marks the beginning of a new era for Freddy Freeman, one of Shazam’s oldest allies. Freddy’s origin has changed over the years, but in every incarnation he is an orphan like Billy. Originally going by the name “Captain Marvel Jr” during the Fawcett and early DC years, he adopted other monikers as well, such as “CM3.” Each of these names was an attempt to distinguish Freddy from Shazam (or the Captain, as he is now calling himself), but he still operated in his foster brother’s shadow, and lingering tensions are now boiling to the surface.

The deteriorating relationship between Billy and Freddy made the latter easy prey for Mister Mind. Mister Mind took over Freddy’s body and harnessed the power of the Amber Lightning for himself. The Venusian worm has tried many times in the past to destroy the Shazam Family, and thanks to Freddy, he came as close as he ever had before. Yet the Amber Lightning was too much for Mister Mind, and Freddy overcame the villain. Freddy, now calling himself “the Commander,” was worthy of the Amber Lightning, and is ready to begin a new heroic career.

Freddy's New Powers and Gods Are a New Beginning For Him

Freddy Is Now An Equal to Shazam

Freddy’s new magic word and power source playfully pokes fun at another aspect of Shazam’s lore. When the character was published by Fawcett Comics, he changed by yelling, “Captain Marvel” instead of “Shazam.” This quirk became one of Freddy’s hallmarks, and remained a part of the character all the way through the New 52, after which he simply said “Shazam.” Now, Freddy has a magic word of his own again, sort of–it is spelled the same, he just invokes a different set of gods.

Finally, Freddy/the Commander’s new power source upends conventional Shazam lore. In most incarnations of Shazam, his powers come from six patron gods, and the first letter of each of their names spells the magic word Billy invokes to transform. Freddy still uses the word “Shazam” to access his powers, but each letter represents a different god (see table). DC has experimented with giving Shazam different patron gods, most notably in Jerry Ordway’s Power of Shazam, but it always swings back to the classics. Freddy’s new patrons represents a major leap forward in his heroic career.

Shazam #19 is on sale now from DC Comics.