Shazam! is an acronym for the gifts of the gods Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury, but what do these deities add to the name Shazam!?
Shazam! It’s the name and exclamation mark that makes heroes of the young and the young at heart, and always precedes a fantastic new adventure.
Do not miss: How did Captain Marvel become Shazam!?
It has long since escaped the realm of comics, permeating 20th century pop culture as a favorite commentary of surprise or excitement among readers of Billy Batson’s early adventures.
And not just because of what it stands for, but because, let’s be honest, it’s a lot of fun to say. But what does the name Shazam really mean? With new Shazam: Fury of the Gods news fast approaching, now is the perfect time to dig in and get acquainted with the most powerful magic word in the DC Universe.
As viewers of the first Shazam movie know, young Billy Batson inherits Shazam’s power by speaking the name of the wizard who gave it to him.
But that wasn’t always the magician’s name. Before the universe-altering Flashpoint event of 2011, the Wizard’s real name was Jebediah of Canaan. After Flashpoint, his original name is given as “Mamaragan”.
Either way, the word Shazam itself is an acronym meaning six protector deities, each granting the Wizard’s champion an aspect of their power. What deities and what aspects? Let’s find out!
S: Solomon (wisdom)
The first of Shazam’s patron gods is Solomon, an ancient Jewish king who lived some 3,000 years ago. Solomon is not even a God, not even a Greco-Roman, as are all the other characters on this list. So what is the problem here?
Well, as Judd Winick tries to explain in the 2006 series Trials of Shazam, the “gods” who lend their powers to Shazam’s champion may not literally be the figures of folklore, history, and legend we know of, but a separate pantheon of magical gods that express themselves through figures within the cultural lexicon that are best recognized for the attributes that each of them embodies.
So while the historical and biblical King Solomon was not a God, the Solomon of the sextumverate Shazam is one, and he takes that name because Solomon is culturally regarded as a universal symbol of wisdom.
The main gift that Billy Batson and other Shazam champions receive from Solomon is wisdom, which is a very broad term… and which raises questions, as Billy himself often gets into trouble by jumping before looking.
The answer is that Solomon’s Wisdom is primarily an active power as opposed to a passive one, and one that Shazam’s chosen must consciously activate in order to channel.
With Solomon’s wisdom comes a perfect memory, battle tactics, mathematical aptitude, charisma in dealing with others, a limited clairvoyance that gives him impeccable arcane knowledge and intuition, and a natural fluency in all languages.
H: Hercules (strength)
The second of Shazam’s gods is Hercules, who is technically more of a demigod. But as we explained, Shazam’s Hercules may be a separate entity from the Greek Hercules, even though he’s married to the same core concept of standing as the ultimate symbol of strength.
The Force is the easiest of Shazam’s powers to explain. With this gift, Billy Batson is super strong, almost as strong as Superman, who by the way is also almost as strong as anyone in the DC Universe. It’s a pretty simple power, but sometimes it’s really all you need.
Before he could fly, which was, in fact, an even shorter time for him between creation and first flight than Superman, the Force of Hercules was the hero then known as Captain Marvel’s way of taking to the air, launching himself to the sky with his powerful leg muscles.
A: Atlas (Resistance)
You might think “Resistance” would imply your typical set of invulnerabilities, but that’s not the gift Atlas provides. Stamina specifically refers to Shazam’s inability to tire himself.
Unlike most transformation-based heroes, there is no time or effort limit on Billy’s transformation into his super-powered counterpart. If he wanted to, he could even remain his super-self indefinitely… and in fact, this proves an important plot point in stories like Kingdom Come.
Atlas’s Resistance also eliminates the small physical needs of eating, sleeping, or breathing, so that Earth’s Mightiest Mortal can operate at maximum efficiency at all times and under all circumstances.
Z: Zeus (power)
Zeus is the deity of the Greek pantheon, and there is nothing more pious than that. As such, all of Shazam’s weird powers can be attributed to Zeus.
The most crucial of Zeus’ gifts is the power of lightning itself. This facilitates the transformation that gives Billy Batson his powers, unlocking each of Shazam’s powers. This also allows him to fire blasts of electricity and lightning himself, and a limited gift of teleportation that allows him to travel to and from the Rock of Eternity with just a thought.
Perhaps most impressive of all, the Power of Zeus allows for the potential to use magic and cast spells, in any way imaginable… But of all Shazam’s powers, this one requires the greatest concentration, study, and discipline, none of which can consider Billy’s strengths.
A: Achilles (Courage)
Achilles is a Greek hero said to have fought and died in the battle of Troy, but notably he is not a god, nor does he have god-like parents. However, he is noted for his near-perfect invulnerability, representing Shazam’s Achilles.
While “Courage” is the term given to describe this Shazam power, it’s pretty much used to represent his maximum physical defenses, making it nearly impossible to hurt him. Strength, heat, energy, disease, and even age are insignificant when it comes to “Courage of Achilles.”
And while Billy Batson is indeed a brave boy, it’s hard to say if it’s the gods speaking or if it’s that aspect that made him worthy of Shazam’s own Power.
M: Mercury (Speed)
At last we come to Mercury, the Roman name for the God of Speed, who is at least a god, but not Greek. (If he’s keeping track, it’s really just two completely genuine “gods” out of the six who give Shazam his name.) For parity’s sake, he really should be called Hermes to match the other Greek names, but “SHAZAH” doesn’t have that satisfying bilabial nasal sound at the end.
The speed that Mercury lends to the Power of Shazam’s name was virtually limitless in the Golden Age, but is now more consistently said to be as fast as, appropriately, lightning.
This speed is not just a matter of locomotion, but carries over to his reflexes and motor skills, allowing him to react to events as they unfold at great speed.
Most importantly, Mercury’s speed is what grants those with the Power of Shazam the gift of flight, a must-have in the package for any top-notch metahuman (sorry, Flash and Aquaman).
Shazam’s True Strength
So what makes Shazam’s powers different from, say, Superman? As you can see, there is a lot of overlap.
The differences really come to the fore when it comes to Wisdom and the Power of the capital P, but these days, what sets the Power of Shazam apart above all else is the power of family, as Billy shares it with each of his adoptive brothers.
It may interest you: Who are the members of the Shazam! family?
Source: DC Comics
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