Bill Batson, was once the hero known as Captain Marvel. After the nuclear war that ravaged Earth, Bill was one of the survivors living in a community. Initially in a relationship with Wonder Woman, she left him for Superman, setting Bill on a dark path.
History
When he was a child, Bill was gifted with a magic lightning that transformed him into the superhero Captain Marvel. However, despite having similar powers, Bill always felt second-rate in comparison to Superman, a resentment that remained even as an adult.
After a nuclear holocaust, Bill survived, but at the cost of his powers, like many other superheroes and supervillains. They then formed a community where they had to contend with tribes of mutants, with Bill being on the side advocating for war. At some point, he formed a romantic relationship with Diana of Themyscira.
When Clark Kent arrived to the community, Diana left Bill to be with him, rekindling Bill's resentment towards Clark. Though the community eventually grew to thrive and Bill helped in peace talks with the mutants, when he saw Clark and Diana kiss, he stormed into the forest in rage. In a burst of emotion, he called down the lightning, which turned him into Captain Marvel once more, only for the powers to leave as quickly as they came.
Over the course of many weeks, Bill called down the lightning to increase the time he retained his powers, which also returned the powers of the other members of the community, which was now named Champion. However, the lightning also destabilized what was left of the planet and hurtled it towards total destruction. Bill then convinced a large portion of Champion to leave with him to conquer the world, proclaiming that humanity would serve them for a change.
For three years, the renegades formed Marvel City and allied with Metallo's army of mutants. Bill also sired three children with different mothers. One day, when Diana, J'onn J'onzz, and Barbara Minerva were heading to a meeting with Arthur Curry, they were ambushed and killed by Bill, his children, and Metallo.
During the final battle between Champion and Marvel City, Clark tried to make Bill see that the latter's actions were causing the Earth's destruction, only for Bill to mock him by bringing up Diana. In their fight, the Earth's fate was sealed. When forced to see the fruit of his actions, Bill callously proclaimed "it was meant to be," and expressed his god complex, only for the lightning to immediately take away his powers. Now mortal, Bill was tossed by Clark into the lava.[1]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Living Lightning Empowerment: By calling the word "SHAZAM," Bill was able to transform himself into the superpowered Captain Marvel.[1]
Related
- 1 Appearances of Billy Batson (Distant Fires)
- 1 Images featuring Billy Batson (Distant Fires)
- Quotations by or about Billy Batson (Distant Fires)
- Character Gallery: Billy Batson (Distant Fires)
Footnotes