Fawcett City is an idyllic city located in the American Midwest and the home of the Marvel Family.
History
Many years ago, the wizard Shazam took notice of the immorality and urban sprawl that had been infecting neighboring communities and took measures to protect Fawcett from similar misfortunes. Enlisting the aid of a sorcerer known as Ibis the Invincible, they succeeded in creating a distortion effect, which slowed time in Fawcett City allowing the city to maintain an aesthetic art-deco atmosphere similar to the trends popularized during the 1940s and '50s.
Fawcett City is not without its corporate hierarchy however. As Metropolis is dominated by Lex Luthor, so too is Fawcett City the chosen territory of the mad industrialist Thaddeus Bodog Sivana. Sivana's need for money and power is unrelenting. In a bid to obtain even more wealth, he hired C.C. and Marilyn Batson to excavate the temple of Rameses II in Egypt. During this venture, Sivana's enforcer, Theo Adam murdered the Batsons, and the controversial fallout from the incident nearly ruined Sivana's position in Fawcett City.
A short while later, the wizard Shazam decided that it was now time for Fawcett City to have an official protector. He manipulated the Batsons' orphaned son, Billy, into finding him at the Rock of Eternity. There, he bestowed upon him the power of seven ancient elders, transforming young Billy Batson into Earth's mightiest mortal - Captain Marvel.[1]
Captain Marvel became Fawcett's chosen protector and shared his power with two other heroes - Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr. Unofficially known as the Marvel Family, the three heroes routinely fought against Dr. Sivana and the likes of villains such as Black Adam and Mister Mind.
Points of Interest
- Beckville
- This is a neighborhood located in Fawcett City. The name is derived from Shazam creator C.C. Beck.
- Binder Square
- This is a recreation area located in Fawcett City. The name is derived from Otto Binder, a longtime writer of the Captain Marvel family of titles.
- McKeon History Museum
- One of several natural history museums found in Fawcett City.
- Sivana Industries
- One of the largest and most successful business operating out of Fawcett City. Sivana Industries is owned and operated by millionaire entrepreneur Thaddeus Bodog Sivana.
- Solar Center
- This was the name of a front company owned by Doctor Sivana in Fawcett City. Dr. Bruce Gordon was the designer and chief architect of the Solar Center.[2]
- Binder Subway Station
- Beckoned by a mysterious figure, young Billy Batson was lured into the subway where he entered a mystic portal that brought him to the Rock of Eternity. It was here that he first met the wizard Shazam who granted him the ability to transform into Captain Marvel.[3]
- WHIZ Radio
- This is the news/radio affiliate station where young Billy Batson worked as an amateur newscaster.
Residents
Heroes
Villains
Others
- Bruce Gordon
- C.C. Batson
- Ebenezer Batson
- Hoppy the Marvel Bunny
- Lisa Sutton
- Marilyn Batson
- Sinclair Batson
- Sterling Morris
- Tawky Tawny
Sports
- Binder High Marvels (high school baseball)
- Fawcett City Bullets (high school basketball)
- Fawcett City Lightning (baseball)
- Fawcett City Tigers (football)
- Fawcett Tech Trojans (high school baseball)
Notes
- Fawcett City is named after Wilford H. Fawcett, the founder of Fawcett Publications.
- In the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity, the Marvel Family lived in an unnamed metropolis, implied to be an original fictional city since most major American cities (including New York[4]) would be mentioned as distinct from the heroes' hometown on various occasions. This would be contradicted in Shazam!, which indeed suggested Billy Batson's city to be New York, however in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #4 (1985), the base of operations of Captain Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr. was stated to be Fawcett City in their respective entries. Months later, writer Marv Wolfman established Fawcett City in-story in Crisis on Infinite Earths #7. The New Earth version of the city first appeared in the 1994 graphic novel The Power of Shazam! (graphic novel) by Jerry Ordway. Previously, Captain Marvel had lived in San Francisco (Shazam! The New Beginning).
- Fawcett City's location had never been firmly established, though it was in the Midwest. Differing sources indicate:
- Indiana[5]
- Minnesota, at the location of Minneapolis[6]
- Wisconsin, based on implicit hints in The Power of Shazam! (Volume 1)
- However, the New 52 made Fawcett City a suburb of Philadelphia.[7]