For almost 50 years at DC Comics, Shazam has caused a lot of confusion at the publisher

At the moment, Shazam He is considered one of the best-known characters from DC Comics, having his own seat in the Justice League and having his own series of publications. And, as if that weren’t enough, the superhero has also gained space in animations and solo films for the cinema.

The charismatic Shazam has been building his space within the publisher and with fans over the last few decades, but it all started with a process.

Initially published by Fawcett in the 1940s, the superhero amassed a large readership, even outselling Superman for a period.

However, in 1941, DC Comics – which was called National Comics – filed a lawsuit against Fawcett, alleging copyright infringement. The case in question was marked by the company’s claim that it had copied Superman for the Fawcett version, a character that at the time was called Captain Marvel.

The case went to trial in 1948 and the judge confirmed that DC’s copyright had been violated, however, after the episode, the publisher failed to obtain the copyright for Captain Marvel.

Unsuccessful in obtaining the rights that Fawcett held, DC Comics appealed for a new trial, but the situation was in fact resolved out of court years later.

After all, the decline in superhero sales calmed the situation, since it was necessary to fight for the reader’s attention again. The character appeared as Captain Marvel for the last time in 1953.

In 1972, DC attempted a new negotiation, until finally obtaining the rights to the character, which ended up needing to adopt a new name, since the publisher Marvel Comics had registered a character with the name “Captain Marvel” during the hiatus period in which this character was without publications.

Within the DC Comics stories, the character received his own series called “Shazam” #1. The authors responsible for creating the series were Dennis O’Neil, CC Beck, Elliot S. Maggin, Bob Oksner, Nelson Bridwell, Kurt Schaffenberger and Tenny Henson.

After being inserted into the DC universe, he gained even more space to call his own. In addition to his own comic book series, he gained a seat in the Justice League International and other projects, his story was adapted for the period he was on hiatus, serving as the basis for new adventures of the hero.

With the return to publications, Shazam began at DC in 1973 and this year completes its 50th year of publication within the brand.

Many stories have already been told alongside Billy Batson, with the world’s greatest heroes. Today, the former Captain Marvel is consecrated as one of the most well-known pop culture figures in the world and with an iconic Shazam for his fans to scream.