CAPTAIN MARVEL versus WONDER WOMAN

Hellfire's Web (DC)
Where: War of the Gods #1 When: September 1991
Why: George Pérez How: George Pérez & Cynthia Martin

The Story So Far...
The gods must be mad! Turmoil grips the returned deities of New Olympus as they travel to Themyscira to recruit a champion most favoured to fight a coming war on their behalf: Princess Diana -- Wonder Woman!

From beyond their purview the sorceress Circe has enacted a spell to incite a holy war amongst the many pantheons overseeing the Earth! Preying upon their arrogance, she spurs them to seek dominion in their own image, demanding conflict of the mythologies that would inevitably reach contradiction!

Summoning the hellfire of Hecate, Circe unleashes chaos upon the Earth as its heroes scrambled to thwart the various deities wreaking its destruction. While in New Olympus, the Roman gods bring a champion of their own to face Wonder Woman and their Grecian counterparts!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Captain Marvel 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Captain Marvel 5 (Professor)
Speed: Captain Marvel 5 (Super-Human)
Stamina: Captain Marvel 6 (Generator)
Agility: Wonder Woman 2 (Average)
Fighting: Wonder Woman 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Captain Marvel 3 (Explosives)
Total: Captain Marvel 30 (Super)

What's the deal with Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman? Although they don't really have a lot to do with each other, they compare relatively well, with similar high level super-human abilities, and ties to the gods & legends of ancient times.

They teamed up on the big screen in Shazam: Fury of the Gods and have both been on the same Justice League roster, but back in 1991's War of the Gods they came to blows -- and it isn't the only time!

Wonder Woman and the heroes of Earth-One fought a befuddled Marvel Family during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, where Captain Marvel Jr got the drop on Wonder Woman, attacking to free Mary Marvel from the Lasso of Truth.

Mary picked up her own win in Final Crisis #3 when the powers of SHAZAM were usurped by the evil New Gods, and she managed to turn Wonder Woman's close quarters advantage against her, using under-handed chemical warfare!

Years later it was Captain Marvel who found himself outnumbered by Wonder Woman and the corrupted Justice League. He managed to steal the Lasso of Truth for his own use, surviving Wonder Woman and the League's attacks through Hell, to restore them to their senses with his magic lightning!

Marvel's Storm defeated the Amazon icon with repeated lightning strikes during the Marvel versus DC crossover, and Captain Marvel's lightning ambush is a compelling tactic for defeating Wonder Woman!

The lightning ambush worked well against Superman, but their famous Kingdom Come struggle also hints at how Wonder Woman could turn the tables on the mighty Marvel: his magic word!

Forcing his transformation back to young Billy Batson was how Black Adam stole victory in Hawkman #23, and the Lasso of Truth might just compel The Captain to speak his word if asked. Failing that, the Lasso also showed it could undo brainwashing when Wonder Woman used it on a Grodd-controlled Tasmanian Devil in JLA: Classified #3. Food for thought! Let's see how it went.

History: Draw (1-1-0)
The Tape: Captain Marvel Ranking: Wonder Woman (#10)

What Went Down...

Confronted with the arrival of Wonder Woman at the side of the Greek gods, their Roman counterparts produce their own human champion -- a non-descript, small boy, who at their behest speaks a greeting in his own words: "... Shazam."

The raging tempest over New Olympus begins to swirl and funnel at the simple utterance, delivering a spectacular focused bolt of lightning to the boy, who is replaced with the mighty figure of Captain Marvel, surrounded by brilliant energy!

The magic lightning is enough to stir Zeus from his slumber. He confronts Jupiter and the Roman pantheon in full armor with promise of war, and Wonder Woman desperately attempts to intervene -- only to be attacked by The Captain!

A powerful left knocks Wonder Woman off her feet, sending pain radiating through her body as the roar of Zeus and Jupiter's colliding lightning thunders overhead.

The many gods wage war across New Olympus, their turmoil echoed across the Earth as nature is thrown into chaos, and Circe's efforts to unleash the Armageddon of Hecate's fire go completely unchallenged!

Instead of taking his place fighting to save the world, the entranced Captain Marvel continues to pursue Wonder Woman with callous indifference.

Seeing that a youthful spark has left his eyes, Wonder Woman does her best to keep one step ahead of the mighty marvel's devastating blows.

The Captain buries his fist into New Olympus with a powerful and speedy strike, but the Amazon knows she must fight back if the day is to be saved.

Wonder Woman seizes her opportunity to spring nimbly into a backflip that throws her feet into Captain Marvel -- launching him across the battlefield!

A Doric column snaps like a stick of chalk as Captain Marvel smashes through it!

He remains undeterred, quickly recovering and stalking his opponent.

Under the watchful gaze of Zeus Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman launch themselves -- only for their collision to be interrupted by another lightning strike!

Zeus accuses Jupiter, but it was none other than Halciber Filius, Son of Vulcan, whose bolt tore through the wall of reality surrounding Olympus so as to free Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman from further exploitation.

The pair tumble through the dark void of Chaos itself, drifting between time and space where further lightning and conflict finds them still!

Blown in separate directions by a wayward blast of energy -- the heroes find the glowing scepter of Mercury locked in combat with his Greek counterpart, Hermes!

As one of the pantheon that empowers Shazam's champion, Mercury orders Captain Marvel to destroy Hermes. An instruction Marvel can barely process as the bewitching influence of the gods begins to fade: "Destroy...Me?... Destroy?"

Wonder Woman senses the change in demeanor and tosses her lasso of truth around the befuddled hero to continue his restoration.

The well-meaning Amazon appears to trigger some unknown chain of events that rips through the fabric of the Chaos realm and grips the trembling Captain Marvel in a convulsing stasis of energy.

Around the Captain swirls a maelstrom of visions showing anguished faces. For a moment, Wonder Woman believes she recognises one of them, but the verge of realization is elusive as Hermes commends her efforts.

Mercury responds with his glowing caduceus unleashing a massive field of energy that Hermes is unable to contain!

Mercury and Hermes remain locked in battle as they disappear into the void, while Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel are thrown in separate directions through holes in the dark puffs of Chaos!

The Hammer...

The more time passes and we're removed from the classic Captain Marvel -- or at least some recognizable version of it -- the more I come to appreciate the thesis of Underworld Unleashed #3: The idea that Captain Marvel is an incorruptible hero, defined by an unwavering good nature and pure heart.

I don't know that Mark Waid intended it to be a defining and enduring landmark for the character, but it's a pleasing and functional iteration on the general sense of "innocence" that's led to less satisfying characterizations, particularly the New 52 revamp that Waid has now been enlisted to walk back, at least a little.

Sure, it's a simplistic, allegedly anachronistic idea, but it's also inherent to the aspirational nature of comic book heroes.

Writers, artists, and fans might not live up to these altruistic ideals every waking hour of their lives -- but we can dream that such a thing were possible through the pages of a comic book. Super-Heroes, stalwart and true.

The Power of Shazam! #11 flirted with the possibility of Captain Marvel being corrupted by The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man, but also directly acknowledged the contemporaneous work of Underworld Unleashed #3, and ultimately held true to it.

Today, we featured a fight from several years before both issues, with a similar dilemma to Power of Shazam! #11, and arguably a similar conclusion.

Fans have always delighted at the dream match of Captain Marvel versus Superman, and the fight with Wonder Woman continues in that tradition, as well as the similar circumstances of an Anti-Monitor enhanced Psycho-Pirate twisting the fundamental emotional spectrums of entire worlds, including The Marvel Family's "Earth-S", in Crisis on Infinite Earths #6.

I suppose I'm more forgiving of a momentary lapse caused by some intuitive or grand subversion of cosmic forces, rather than a prolonged twisting or redefinition of the man himself. A short subversion to get us a marquee title bout. Like I said: fans might not always live up to purely altruistic ideals.

Objectively you might call it a "corruption" of Captain Marvel, but I really enjoy the way the entire War of the Gods story intuitively derives interesting conflicts from mythical influences already existent in the DC Universe.

War of the Gods is ultimately a rare DC Comics event drawn from Wonder Woman, but in an interview with Fantazia magazine, George Perez explained that he was also inspired by Captain Marvel, and a long-held curiosity about why disparate figures such as Roman god Mercury, Greek demigod Hercules, and Judaic leader Solomon would "get together to create a superhero".

The sextet of gods & legends who grant Captain Marvel his powers of wisdom, strength, stamina, power, courage, and speed, make for a natural submission into the empyrean conflict, and his manipulation to fight on their behalf. A gentler direction of his actions than the more malignant corruption of Mary Marvel that occurred during Final Crisis, when the evil New Gods replaced her pantheon.

To that end, Perez massages the concept slightly, anchoring Captain Marvel to the Roman gods in this story, allowing Zeus counterpart Jupiter license to produce Billy Batson alongside his mirrored pantheon of deities, which includes a Hercules as counterpart to the Greek gods' Herakles.

All this ancient mythology can read a little bit dry, but the slog is worth it for the bold & colourful superhero highlights that are sprinkled throughout. A meeting of ancient and modern mythology, sewn together with a respect for the canon of both pantheons, informing intuitive, logical connections.

I rather like that Perez went out of his way to utilize Son of Vulcan: an acquisition from Charlton Comics that had dwelled in relative obscurity since coming under the DC banner. In War of the Gods, he was invited to be the Roman gods' champion, but refused, returning from banishment to the River Styx to strike back during today's featured fight.

It might seem like a lot to unpack, but with any luck that's something we'll be able to do together, revisiting some of the lighter moments and interesting curious little conflicts occurring throughout the series, some time in the future.

If you'd like to help make that happen consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! As a thank you for being a champion of the site you'll receive additional updates, options to sponsor featured content such as the Rank & File Top 10, and an invite to the new Discord server. Do it because you like what we're all about!

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured more than 700 battles and ranked well over 1,000 characters! Find them all, and future entries, by following topics linked throughout this post, or by diving into the Secret Archive for an index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

Get free daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing to Twitter and Facebook, or by becoming a freebie follower on Patreon. Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday on Twitter & Patreon!

Winner: Inconclusive (Draw)
#10 (--) Wonder Woman
#40 (--) Captain Marvel
#642 (new) Son of Vulcan [+1 assist]

BLACK ADAM versus JUSTICE SOCIETY

Thunderstruck (DC)
Where: JSA #27 When: October 2001
Why: Geoff Johns How: Rags Morales

The Story So Far...
In ancient times Teth-Adam was considered a champion, but the Black Marvel has a long road to walk if he's to undo centuries of damage and restore his reputation as a hero.

Submitting himself to the Justice Society of America, Black Adam begins probationary tenure with the heroic ensemble -- but not everyone is convinced he should be there.

As Captain Marvel pays a visit to vouch for his predecessor, tensions are boiling over with Atom Smasher, who believes Black Adam will inevitably turn on the group like every other villain who attempts to reform.

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Black Adam 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Mr. Terrific 5 (Professor)
Speed: Captain Marvel 5 (Super-Human)
Stamina: Black Adam 6 (Generator)
Agility: Sand 7 (Unlimited)
Fighting: Black Adam 7 (Living Weapon)
Energy: Stargirl 6 (Mass Destruction)
Total: Black Adam 34 (Super)

Black Adam is the ancient champion of Shazam, who gains the stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru, the strength of Amon, the power of Aten, and the courage of Mehen, when he speaks the wizard's name and receives his magic lightning!

The Justice Society are: Sand, Mister Terrific, Wildcat, Hawkgirl, Doctor Mid-Nite, Star-Spangled Kid, and Atom Smasher, with Captain Marvel.

The JSA have Black Adam outnumbered, but they don't particularly have him out-gunned. The Black Marvel has gone toe-to-toe with Superman and only Atom Smasher gets close to matching his incredible strength!

The enlarging strongman is generally in a lower class than Black Adam, but we saw him handle himself relatively well when Atom Smasher led the Suicide Squad against the Black Marvel Family, many years later, in 52 #34.

Fortunately for the JSA: Captain Marvel has come calling! With his own godly gifts supplied by SHAZAM, he's every bit Black Adam's equal, enduring his own battles with Superman, and besting the likes of the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man, an all-star Monster Society of Evil, and Neron corrupted Justice League.

Black Adam had the help of Brainwave when he defeated Captain Marvel some years later in Hawkman #24. This time the dynamics are very different, and it's Captain Marvel who has the entire JSA to back him up! Will it be enough?

The Tape: Justice Society & Captain Marvel Ranking: Black Adam (#22)

What Went Down...

Black Adam has Atom Smasher by the throat as Captain Marvel makes his entrance into the JSA brownstone.

"I heard you were seeking salvation, Black Adam. That you were looking to prove to the world that you've changed your ways. I came to vouch for you[,] but a bit of advice -- Don't choke potential teammates."

The Black Marvel releases his grip, blaming his impulse on the temper of the mortal Theo Adam. He apologises to his teammate, who preemptively responds in kind -- delivering a giant-sized uppercut he'll be sorry for later!

Adam explodes through the glass ceiling as he's launched into the night sky!

Atom Smasher knows he's made a bigger mess of things as Captain Marvel takes flight to pursue his fellow. He meets an enraged Black Adam in mid-flight -- cutting off his furious path back to the JSA brownstone.

The powers of SHAZAM collide in spectacular fashion as the strength of Hercules meets the might of Amon-Ra!

The Captain maneuvers himself to wrap a mighty bicep around Black Adam's throat and hold him back. He compels his comrade to reject the influence of Theo, but the anger incited by Atom Smasher's insult is great!

The Justice Society arrive on the scene just in time to see Black Adam power through Captain Marvel's hold and torpedo dive Atom Smasher!

Team chairman, Sand, draws his sleep gun and orders Atom Smasher to subdue the probate, with Hawkgirl looming in support holding a spear.

Atom Smasher leans in to Black Adam and pins an arm over his shoulder, while shoving Captain Marvel out of the way.

In the ensuing chaos, Black Adam's out reaching hand grabs Sand's gun and crushes it -- unleashing a bursting cloud of sleep gas that stuns Atom Smasher and Hawkgirl!

Wildcat darts around the room, questioning Black Adam's loyalties, as Doctor Mid-Nite looms behind the peril. The query appears to snap Adam out of his rage and pause him in introspection, but the zipping of two of Terrific's T-Spheres around his face renew his aggravation.

Sand commends the tactical potential for beaming holograms directly into Adam's eyes, but Mister Terrific finds himself unable to command his T-Spheres to execute the strategem!

He can only speculate the lightning storm and rain raging overhead is disrupting communication channels. It leaves his T-Spheres autonomously whirring around Adam as he bats Wildcat and Mid-Nite away with each hand.

With imminent threats dealt with, Adam sets his scornful sights on Sand and Mister Terrific.

Slamming his hands together -- Black Adam unleashes a shockwave that launches Sand and Terrific flying through the air!

While Stargirl spurs Captain Marvel to rejoin the fray -- Adam looms over Sand, cast in shadow by the lightning cracking behind him.

Whatever the Black Marvel's intentions for the Chairman may've been, they go unfulfilled as a spiked mace smashes into the ground at his feet, and Hawkman descends from the storming skies to declare: "This fight is over."

The Hammer...

The authoritative word of Hawkman helps bring Black Adam out of his rampage, but the intervention of the former-chairman only creates further divisions as he appears to undermine the leadership of Sand.

Inter-personal dynamics are criss-crossed all over this battle, with Hawkman returning from a night's flight after witnessing Sand kissing Hawkgirl, and Black Adam's admission to the JSA creating tensions with Atom Smasher, and his well meaning old rival Captain Marvel.

Atom Smasher echoes the expectations of readers who'd doubt the long-term viability of Black Adam as a hero, but the twist in their relationship comes when Atom Smasher actually sees things Adam's way, joining him in his attack on Kobra, and subsequent conquest of Khandaq.

To the uninitiated: JSA might've seemed like an attempt to capitalize on the late-nineties magic of JLA, but the 1999 collaboration between David Goyer and Geoff Johns had so much more to offer, laying the groundwork for significant foundational storylines that continued under Johns throughout the next decade!

Black Adam arguably became a minor sensation with his nineties revamp in Power of Shazam, and lingering appearances in various nineties DC Comics events -- but it was his return in JSA that began the ascent to breakout superstar!

Stories running through JSA, 52, and a Black Adam mini-series, minted the once obscure Captain Marvel villain into a full-fledged icon destined for the big screen, but for a while there, JSA was also the best place to find Captain Marvel himself.

DC seemed to effectively lose confidence in Captain Marvel as a viable property throughout the 2000s, leaving JSA to carry the flag in the ensemble series after Power of SHAZAM was cancelled in early '99. It was then in issues like JSA #27, and the Black Reign crossover of Hawkman #24, that fans could again see the two Marvels renew their seemingly settled rivalry.

Issues like these highlight the absurdity of emerging reports that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson blocked Captain Marvel from appearing with the Justice Society on the big screen, but there's a lot more to the JSA than was seen in the movies.

Once everyone has calmed down, the team decides to resolve their leadership issues with a vote, which installs Mister Terrific as the new Chairman.

An exciting new role for the genius successor to Terry Sloane's legacy of fairplay, which at least sidelines any issues brewing between Sand and the returned Hawkman, but comes at a time when his trademark T-Spheres have been infiltrated by a similar device controlled by Roulette!

The infiltration was the real reason Terrific's devices weren't responding during today's featured fight! The mistress of competition sent her drone to whisk the team away for more adventures in the next issue.

I very much intend to take a closer look at that adventure some time in the future. There are a few different sessions with Roulette that are surely right up our combat-loving alley, and I look back upon this period of DC Comics, and its revival of classics like JSA and Hawkman with great fondness. A time when Geoff Johns mastered intuitively fusing the old with the new alongside artists like Rags Morales.

As for today's contest: Although Hawkman brought proceedings to a relatively peaceful conclusion, you can clearly see that Black Adam had the best of the Justice Society. A majority of the team was subdued. A win's a win.

If you'd like to see more from the characters featured in today's entry you can follow links throughout this post, or dive into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured more than 700 battles and ranked well over 1,000 characters! You can help keep us in the fight by showing your support for all this content by becoming a Patreon backer. As a thank you you'll receive access to various additional updates and customizable content options at the higher tiers, including Rank & File Top 10 lists.

Get free daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing to Twitter and Facebook, or by becoming a freebie follower on Patreon. Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday on Twitter & Patreon!

Winner: Black Adam
#19 (+3) Black Adam
#40 (--) Captain Marvel
#51 (-3) Hawkgirl
#369 (-186) Wildcat
#429 (-48) Atom Smasher
#430 (-23) Sand
#653 (-108) Mister Terrific (Michael Holt)
#654 (-110) Doctor Mid-Nite (Pieter Cross)
#27 (--) Hawkman [+1 assist]
#100 (+3) Stargirl [+1 assist]

CAPTAIN MARVEL & SQUADRON OF JUSTICE versus SEVEN DEADLY ENEMIES OF MAN

The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man (DC)
Where: Power of Shazam #11 When: January 1996
Why: Jerry Ordway How: Pete Krause

The Story So Far...
The Wizard Shazam has been taken captive and held in the depths of the Netherworld by his evil demon daughter Lady Blaze. Only a powerful magic can restore him to The Rock of Eternity -- but Blaze has other plans!

Her agent, Black Adam, failed to prevent the resurrection spell that summons Ibis the Invincible and his amazing Ibis-stick to the modern age, but her allies of darkness continue to plague Fawcett City, and threaten to consume the heroic spirit of Captain Marvel!

The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man are on the loose! It's up to Mary Marvel and Ibis to put a stop to their terror and return them to the statues Shazam created to hold them!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Captain Marvel 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Captain Marvel 5 (Professor)
Speed: Captain Marvel 5 (Super-Human)
Stamina: Captain Marvel 6 (Generator)
Agility: Bulletman 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Captain Marvel 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Ibis 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Captain Marvel 30 (Super)

It's good to have friends. People you can trust to pull you into line when the shadow of pride, or hatred, obscures your view. Captain Marvel can usually rely on the Marvel Family to have his back, but he's also got some other great friends in reserve, ready to lend a hand when the going gets tough!

The Squadron of Justice are: Ibis, Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr, Uncle Dudley, Tawky Tawny, and Bulletman.

Though not officially acting as The Squadron, these seven heroes are summoned for the expressed purpose of going man to man against adversaries that have plagued mankind throughout its history!

The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man are: Pride, Envy, Greed, Hatred, Selfishness, Laziness, and Injustice.

More forthright incarnations include Wrath, Sloth, Gluttony, and Lust, but today we feature the above list. By any name or configuration, The Seven Sins are some of the most ancient evils to vex humanity -- bad news for our heroes!

Ibis the Invincible is the one calling in reinforcements, which speaks volumes about the insidious threat! We saw his magic Ibis-Stick effortlessly remove Black Adam from play earlier in Power of Shazam #11, but this time his magic seems unable to simply sweep the problem aside.

To join Mary Marvel and he in the fight he'll imbue Uncle Dudley with the powers of Shazam, Tawky Tawny with unlimited life, summon Captain Marvel Jr from hospital, and even pluck Bulletman from the distant past! One opponent for even enemy -- assuming the spirits don't turn them against one another!

We saw Psycho-Pirate's influence befuddled the Marvel Family during the chaos of Crisis on Infinite Earths #6, and the evil New Gods corrupt Mary Marvel against Wonder Woman and Supergirl during Final Crisis, but it was only a month before today's battle that Underworld Unleashed #3 showed us that Captain Marvel's spirit is good & true -- resilient against the corrupting darkness of Hell itself!

Cap defeated the corrupt Justice League and an Eclipsed Superman before that, and who could forget the Marvel Family's fan-favourite triumph over the Monster Society of Evil from Convergence Shazam? With their friends beside them, how could they possibly lose? Let's find out how it went!

The Tape: Squadron of Justice Ranking: Captain Marvel Jr (#50)

What Went Down...

Dudley, Mary Marvel, and Ibis race from the subway underground to the streets above where they find a stampeding mob.

The frightened masses flee from the darkened figure of Captain Marvel who shouts "SHAZAM! SHAZAM!" in vain! A vile voice from within taunts Captain Marvel with the absence of the wizard's lightning, but the hero refuses to yield!

Ibis attempts to return the dark spirits to their place in The Rock of Eternity, while Mary Marvel rushes to support her brother. The Ibis-stick's magic somehow fails and Mary is met with a backward swing from her brother's possessed fist!

Mary endures to warn that the wizard Shazam is unable to answer their cries.

With that, Captain Marvel abandons his gambit and focuses on resisting -- aided by Ibis the Invincible, who uses his Ibis-stick to purge the corrupting spirits from Marvel's body and give them physical form!

The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man float through the air -- revealed!

Captain Marvel posits their solid presence may now allow for physical ushering back to The Rock of Eternity. A plan Ibis agrees could work -- if they even the odds a little!

With a simple command the Ibis-stick inducts Uncle Dudley, and the stuffed Tawky Tawny toy he's carrying, into the burgeoning Marvel Family!

A misunderstood remark from Mary soon adds Freddy Freeman to the team -- teleported instantly from the hospital in a body cast. A predicament soon remedied when Freddy says the name "Captain Marvel" and bursts free from the cast as an uninjured Captain Marvel Jr!

Bulletman makes seven as Ibis reaches into the past to bring forth an old ally for a new fight. It's not a minute too soon as terrified citizens cry for help from the stalking Enemies of Man!

The heroes fly valiantly into battle! Captain Marvel puts Uncle Dudley's nerves at ease with some calm assurance, whilst targeting the personification of Hatred with a snappy uppercut from his good arm!

Mary beats back Envy, with everyone doing their part to repel the wicked creatures! Bulletman with a flying fist! Tawky Tawny a pouncing paw! Captain Marvel Jr riding the bucking back of evil! Even Uncle Dudley has a stiff left for the vile spirits that remind him so much of bugs infesting Miss Wormwood's school!

Mary Marvel locks one of the stunned wraiths around the throat and drags it through the air towards a magical doorway!

The other heroes follow her advice, finding the stairwell within that leads to a hidden interdimensional cave. They brave the forces of eternity within to emerge in a hall of shattered statues.

Mary notices the absence of their ace player, but Ibis the Invincible has already made his way to the Rock of Eternity through other means. He steps forward with the squirming dark figure of Sloth in the grip of his left hand.

In his right, Ibis wields the awesome Ibis-stick, with magic enough to return the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man to the bondage of the seven corresponding statues created by the wizard Shazam himself!

The dark shadows are pulled back into figures that once held them -- trapped again as they previously were by the missing wizard and his old allies!

The Hammer...
The powerful magic of Ibis the Invincible saves the day, resealing the Seven Deadly spirits back in their statue prisons.

Perhaps he could've done it all on his own, but it's nice that he didn't have to -- sharing the victory in even measure with Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, and their four courageous comrades!

You might remember I mythologized this issue, and Ibis' involvement, a few years back, following up with a closer look at his rousing return against Black Adam.

I thusly set out to revisit the action-packed second half in conjunction with the impending theatrical release of Shazam: Fury of the Gods, but it seems this much-loved comic was again destined to find me in a time of need, as I struggle with the somewhat sudden loss of a loved one, now exactly two weeks ago.

The Power of Shazam! #11 hits with the right balance of action, adventure, and nostalgia, filtered through the then-new lens of a series that would define Captain Marvel and his crew for the nineteen-nineties, even as it occupied its own insular world -- a retro reality where magic encases Fawcett City in anachronisms.

This battle sees the return of a lot of "old fashioned" ideas that are received with enthusiasm. Tawky Tawny is restored to the side of angels after serving as a pawn for Lady Blaze, and being ripped in half by Black Adam when he was turned back into a helpless stuffed toy. Even better: Bulletman is plucked from the past!

I've gotta admit: If Ibis had me jazzed for the earlier parts of this issue, it was Bulletman that I was most excited to see in this back half. He doesn't particularly stand out when the group battles the Seven Deadly Enemies, but the silver-helmeted hero is nevertheless a thrillingly unique visual throughout. I quite enjoy it when he light heartedly hastens Ibis to the conclusion: "Uh-- Can we cut the chatter... I'm an old man, and I can't do this all day!"

It's interesting that the Seven Deadly Enemies go very much in a different direction. These incarnations take forms reminiscent of HR Giger's Xenomorph from the Alien film series. It feels like a decidedly modern intrusion upon the old fashioned heroes and their retro-tinged world -- even as the fanged shadow forms are seen terrorizing decidedly nineties Fawcett City citizenry.

You could mistake this for the present intruding upon the past, but I don't see the nostalgia of Power of Shazam as regressive. I see it as still moving forward, but without a broad discarding of things. Retaining a character like Bulletman to give the present something it doesn't otherwise have, but still moving it forward in a modern context. Even if that context is in part an interesting culture clash.

The fight begins when Mary and Ibis convene with a semi-possessed Captain Marvel. His struggle, and attempts to call upon the wizard's lightning, directly reference his trip to Hell in Underworld Unleashed, which proposed the thesis that the good-natured Captain would be incorruptible -- or something close to it.

Released a month later: The Power of Shazam #11 honors this idea, even as it flirts with undermining it. Though the Seven Deadly Enemies briefly inhabit his body, they never quite gain control, and ultimately fall to a combination of Captain Marvel's will to resist, and the magic of the Ibis-stick.

Freddy Freeman's transformation into Captain Marvel Jr may momentarily seem like a lapse in attention as well, but his lightning presumably comes directly from Captain Marvel, and with a little help from the Ibis-stick. Remembering that his magic words are "Captain Marvel", unlike Billy & Mary's "SHAZAM".

The whole adventure is a happy time of good triumphing over evil. I figure we could all use a few more happy times like this. I know I sure could.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured more than 700 battles and ranked well over 1,000 characters! Find them all by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number -- or by following links throughout each entry to discover more from your favourite topics or tangents.

Keep the good times coming by showing your support for the site on Patreon. As a thank you for becoming a patron you'll find additional updates and subscription tiers to sponsor featured content, including Top 10 Rank & File lists, and more.

Get free daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing to Twitter and Facebook, or by becoming a freebie follower on Patreon. Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday on Twitter & Patreon!

Winners: The Squadron of Justice
#39 (+11) Captain Marvel Jr
#40 (+14) Captain Marvel
#77 (+63) Mary Marvel
#120 (+200) Ibis the Invincible
#121 (+213) Tawky Tawny
#138 (+252) Uncle Dudley
#357 (new) Bulletman
#991 (new) Pride
#992 (new) Envy
#993 (new) Greed
#994 (new) Hatred
#995 (new) Selfishness
#996 (new) Laziness
#997 (new) Injustice

SUPERMAN versus BLACK ADAM

Chapter Three (DC)
Where: DC Comics Presents #49 When: September 1982 Why: Roy Thomas & Paul Kupperberg How: Rich Buckler

The Story So Far...
Superman flies the night sky over Egyptian desert, listening carefully for a broadcast that spells certain doom!

Terrorists are threatening to blow the Aswan Dam unless the government surrenders to their political demands! Fortunately, The Man of Steel intervenes to send their nuclear device into deep space, and rescue the dam from breaching, but the explosion has set off tremors that threaten the nearby Temple of Abu Simbel!

A super-human feat to lift the ancient 13th Century landmark saves it from destruction, but despite Superman's best efforts, the building sits a few inches lower once returned to its modern resting place. That slight difference aligns the entrance with the rising sun, inadvertently opening a gateway that allows entry from an inter-dimensional interloper -- Black Adam!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Superman 6 (Mach Speed)
Stamina: Draw 6 (Generator)
Agility: Draw 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Black Adam 7 (Living Weapon)
Energy: Superman 5 (Lasers)
Total: Black Adam 34 (Super)

Superman has challenged the power of SHAZAM many times over the years, but usually he's come up against his magic-powered equivalent: Captain Marvel!

Earth's mightiest mortal had to struggle to stand his ground against an Eclipso compromised Superman in Action Comics Annual #4 and Superman #216, but was much more in control while radicalized in Kingdom Come #4, and when sent into a tag team match alongside Hawkman, in Superman/Batman #4.

Black Adam represents a far deadlier opponent, wielding the power of Shazam as the dark-hearted ancient champion who fell from the Wizard's grace.

No example demonstrates Teth-Adam's corruption of Shazam's power greater than 52 #45. Having slaughtered the other Horsemen of Apokolips in 52 #44; Adam relentlessly pursued Azraeuz into the politically corrupt nation of Bialya, where he conducted a bloody rampage that cost the lives of millions!

Like Captain Marvel; Black Adam summons the power of a pantheon of gods & legends by speaking the Wizard's name. His magic lightning endows him with the stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru, the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti, the power of Aten, and the courage of Mehen.

It's debatable whether the magic of his abilities should have any real special effect on Superman. Kryptonians have no natural defenses against magic, but this should really be considered a vulnerability, rather than an innate weakness akin to Kryptonite. Black Adam was himself similarly defenseless against the vast magics of Ibis the Invincible in Power of Shazam #11.

We saw the uniquely invulnerable Superboy-Prime laugh off Black Adam's magic lightning when they came to blows in Infinite Crisis #6. Of course, the Kal-El of Earth Prime proved to be unique for a variety of reasons, matching Black Adam in his intensity and aggression while using incredible super-human strength.

We saw Black Adam earn a tactical victory against Captain Marvel in Hawkman #24, negating the stalemate of their physical strength. It might be speculated that Black Adam is the more powerful of the two, but to find out how he stacks up against Superman we should just take a look...

The Tape: Black Adam Ranking: Superman (#5)

What Went Down...
Standing atop Umpire Rock: Black Adam holds court with a car held aloft over an audience of helpless Manhattan police.

The would-be conqueror declares himself king of the world, but the destruction of effortlessly tossing the vehicle across the park draws the attention of a red-caped hero who can stop him -- Superman!

Black Adam instantly recognizes his challenger from a previous encounter and reveals the hero's unwitting hand in bringing him to this world.

The villain takes confidence from their previous battle -- and a plot to manipulate Earth's electric fields to prevent Captain Marvel following him and surviving the breach with his powers in tact. It's all Superman needs to hear to end the chit-chat and spring into action!

The Man of Steel launches himself wildly at his deadly new adversary, connecting with a stiff left to the jaw! Adam shakes it off immediately and fires back with a roundhouse punch that sends Superman hurtling through the air!

The spiteful villain uproots a nearby tree and lobs it like a spear, but Superman manages to duck and charges in to bury his fist deep in Adam's vile gut!

Superman gave his punch everything he had, but still Black Adam prevails, taking advantage of their close quarters to crack the Kryptonian with another hard right to the face!

As Superman drops to the ground, a young boy named Billy Batson rushes from the crowd of onlookers. He knows all about Black Adam's exploits from reading his Uncle's old comic books and can't stand to see him get the upper-hand.

The sudden sight of the familiar young man shocks Black Adam to distraction. For a moment he believes Captain Marvel has made it to this world, but the Billy Batson before him is too young to be the alter-ego of his arch-nemesis.

Seeing an opportunity to twist the indomitable will of his opponent, he snatches the boy by the collar and issues an ultimatum: Superman must remove himself from sight forever or the boy will suffer the consequences!

Unwilling to compromise the life of the child -- Superman leaps into the air and gives his word he won't attack in the city. Black Adam believes his conquest is all but assured. He under estimates the Man of Steel's resolve...

The Hammer...
It might look as if Black Adam has manipulated Superman into submission, but it all amounts to another inconclusive result. He may've had a slight advantage blow for blow, but both men were still in the fight when the action breaks.

Superman swings by the crowd on his way out to pick up Jimmy Olsen, keeping a watchful eye on Black Adam from afar with his x-ray vision.

Jimmy's journalistic instincts help connect Superman with the young Billy Batson, who eventually makes a break for it, and helps to inspire a plot that will bring Captain Marvel to their world using a similar method to Black Adam's!

This may be the only time Earth-One Billy Batson makes an appearance. Despite an extended dream sequence this issue, he never receives the magic lightning. Instead he'll be lost in the shuffle to various attempts by DC to utilize their Fawcett Comics acquisition. Captain Marvel persists on Earth-S for a time, but eventually joins the streamlined DC Universe and Justice League after Crisis on Infinite Earths.

It's all a little bit convoluted, but I enjoy seeing a crossover where the heroes are actually on the same page. It's become an underrated phenomenon!

Villains like Black Adam exist to be the dark shadow of their heroic counterparts. They function in dream match scenarios almost as well as two heroes who might be commonly compared -- without requiring any real compromises.

It might be fun to occasionally see what happens when Superman fights Hulk, but I think it quickly becomes much less interesting than those other, far less obvious encounters, like when Superman met Venom, or Batman met Scorpion.

The degradation of good-natured superheroes has been a real problem of the last decade or more of superhero in-fighting. It's kind of absurd. The world really doesn't need another evil version of Superman when you've got perfectly good stand-ins like General Zod or Bizarro ready to explore those ideas with lasting consequence. That's what they're there  for.

The conviction that Superman's moral fibre is somehow alienating, or in need of mitigating in a modern context, completely ignores its value as a defining character trait, and the fundamental honor of stories about good versus evil.

It might be interesting to explore characters who are morally complex, or grey, but that really shouldn't diminish our aspirations for good, or the conceivable existence of it. Superheroes remain at their core aspirational figures, and Superman should offer a blueprint to inspire us to be greater than ourselves.

Heroism doesn't have to be equal to simplicity, but obviously if, and when, you can routinely rely on characters like Superman or Captain Marvel to be pure bred heroes, it is very interesting to read about other archetypes, as well.

In DC Comics Presents #49 we see a Black Adam who is still very much a figure of villainy. His scheme is simply to rule the world: simplistic megalomania that later inspired a more nuanced take when he conquered Khandaq during Black Reign, and committed mass murder while pursing vengeance against Azraeuz.

The moral flexibility found in modern incarnations of Black Adam draws from his earliest appearance as a former champion chosen by Shazam.

Black Adam is ultimately a study in absolute power corrupting absolutely. A man of incredible means seduced to act on base desires of wrath, greed, and pride. In many ways he is the answer to what would happen if Captain Marvel went bad, but over the years he has become complicated with his own innate references, circumstances, and backstory. Which is all very interesting.

If you want to find more of Black Adam's exploits you should follow the links littered throughout this post! Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 650 battles and ranked more than 950 characters! You can find 'em all indexed by publisher, series, and issue number in the Secret Archive!

If you'd like to read today's featured fight in its entirety, you can find it collected in Superman vs SHAZAM! and Shazam! A Celebration of 75 Years. Use the Amazon links provided to do your shopping and you'll not only get a good deal -- you'll also be supporting the site!

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Winner: Inconclusive (Draw)
#5 (--) Superman
#26 (+1) Black Adam
#50 (--) Billy Batson (Captain Marvel) [+1 assist]