CAPTAIN MARVEL versus SUPERMAN

Living Daylights (DC)
Where: Action Comics Annual #4 When: 1992
Why: Dan Vado How: Chris Wozniak

The Story So Far...
The shadow of rage and vengeance is threatening to eclipse a world besieged by Eclipso! The ancient demon has been returned upon the world, exploiting the darkness within mortal souls to possess an ever growing army of eclipsed soldiers!

The situation grows increasingly desperate as Earth's greatest defenders fall under Eclipso's control. What's left of the Justice League of America must work with Professor Emil Hamilton and Lex Luthor to devise a means of combatting Eclipso's plague-like influence!

Desperate to buy the heroes time needed to enact a technological light trap; Superman volunteers himself in exchange for the souls Eclipso has hoarded from a small fishing village. Becoming a vessel for Eclipso himself -- even Superman is unaware of the League's ace in the hole: The Power of Shazam!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Captain Marvel 5 (Professor)
Speed: Superman 6 (Mach Speeds)
Stamina: Superman 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Draw 2 (Average)
Fighting: Draw 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Superman 5 (Lasers)
Total: Superman 33 (Super)

They really ought to be the best of friends, but when one serves with the Justice League - the other often isn't required. They're two of the toughest heroes in the cabinet, possessing peak power capable of knocking planets off their axis!

The key differences that separate their basic similarity helps make this one of the most compelling super-heavyweight showdowns in comics. It also doesn't hurt that they battled it out on the newsstands during the Golden Age, and even went head-to-head in the courtrooms of the 1950s!

Captain Marvel is Earth's mightiest mortal, endowed with a plethora of powers supplied by a pantheon of inspirations! By speaking the wizard Shazam's name, good young soul Billy Batson summons an acronym of abilities to his place:

Captain Marvel possesses the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury! Together these sources spell the magic word: SHAZAM!

Superman was sent to Earth as an infant, escaping the destruction of his home world, Krypton, aboard a lonely rocket ship. Crash landing in Kansas, baby Kal-El was adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent. On their farm he learned to use the abilities gifted by Earth's yellow sun for the betterment of mankind.

Superman possesses super-human strength, stamina & endurance, speed, flight, and heat vision! Despite these amazing abilities; Superman can be stripped of his awesome powers by exposure to the mineral Kryptonite. These irradiated remnants of his destroyed planet - or close simulations - come with a variety of side effects. It remains Superman's best known and deadliest weakness!

Does he also have an innate weakness to magic? Around these parts we say - no.

Superman's abilities naturally leverage advantages over the material world. Phenomena deemed "magic" exists to subvert established understandings of material reality and causality. Superman has no natural defense against this type of magic -- but he also isn't uniquely vulnerable to it.

Captain Marvel's strength may be supplied by magic, but it should be debated that it has no unique effect on Superman. It isn't spellbound strength designed to specifically be greater than any others'. It's merely an infusion of incredible might unto Captain Marvel -- strength akin to Hercules, and power like Zeus! Speaking of...

In Kingdom Come #4 we saw how Shazam's magic lightning bolt could be weaponized in combat. Instead of receiving its transformative effects, Captain Marvel can narrowly avoid it at high-speed - directing it against an opponent. This tactic was enough to give him an advantage over Superman, at least until Superman used super-speed to turn the tables, and silence Billy Batson.

In today's featured fight Superman will be possessed by the wicked entity known as Eclipso. An Eclipsed Superman will fight Captain Marvel again a decade later in Superman #216. The lightning ambush had a role to play in that later struggle, but it was the intervention of The Spectre that secured victory.

Captain Marvel also relied on a tag team partnership with Hawkman to resolve his stalemate against Superman in Superman/Batman #4! Our records show this as a victory to Captain Marvel, but it's an asterisk where determining the winner of this classic rivalry is concerned.

Personally, I just have such a soft spot for Captain Marvel. I always go into the rivalry viewing him as a slight underdog determined to win. Will that be the case today? Eclipso's malice will add a significant twist to Superman's attacks, but it also means a less experienced hand, and a new spectrum for vulnerability: light!

Captain Marvel comes into the fight with the element of surprise. Let's find out if that's enough to secure a victory over his compromised legendary rival!

History: Captain Marvel (1-0-2)
The Tape: Superman Ranking: Superman (#5)

What Went Down...
Steered by the malice of Eclipso; The Man of Steel looms menacingly over Fire, preparing to finish her off with intense beams of Kryptonian heat vision!

Suddenly -- an unseen force strikes like lightning! With the swiftness of Mercury; Captain Marvel collects the unsuspecting Eclipso Superman - rocketing him through a surrounding wood to a slamming halt in the dirt!

Apparently unaware of Eclipso's possession, Captain Marvel wonders what's gotten in to his usually heroic contemporary.

The compromised Man of Steel replies by leaping from the dirt to uproot a mighty wood -- turning it into a giant bat with a single swing at the mighty Marvel!

Eclipso Superman immediately closes the space between them, following with a devastating left cross to the Captain's chin! The big red cheese absorbs the blow, firing back with his own punch that sends Superman hurtling away!

The villainous entity is thrilled by the prospect of facing an opponent worthy of Superman's strength, but Captain Marvel is reluctant to cause him harm.

Earth's mightiest mortal makes peace with his predicament, flying at Superman like a big red battering ram! The awesome impact launches Superman careening across the small town conquered by Eclipso - sending him into nearby water.

Remorse overwhelms Captain Marvel as he skims the water, failing to find an emerging Superman. The villain's gambit pays off. He explodes from the liquid veil directly beneath - catching Marvel unprepared with a flying uppercut!

This time it's Captain Marvel's turn to get wet! He lands in another section of water, but Eclipso Superman is immediately upon him! A bicep of steel wraps around Marvel's throat, tightening to choke the air from his body!

Cap desperately pushes the fight back up to the surface - breaking for air. Now hovering above the water, Marvel breaks Superman's chokehold and delivers a point blank punch direct to the face!

The mighty Marvel catches up with Superman back on land. The docks have provided Eclipso's grounded vessel with plenty of weapons. He hoists a massive part of the pier above his head and hurls it at the apologetic big red cheese!

In an effort to dispel the misunderstanding that he's still Superman - Eclipso quickly catches Captain Marvel by the throat and slams his hammering fist onto the top of the mighty mortal's skull!

The vicious assault convinces Marvel of his mistake. He swats Eclipso Superman's hand from his throat, and sends him involuntarily airborne with another all mighty punch to the jaw!

This time the Man of Eclipsed Steel's trajectory takes him into a nearby silo that immediately explodes!

Just when Marvel thinks he's finally slowed his rival down - a flaming fist tugs at his collar and sends him flying with an epic, full swing haymaker!

The power of Zeus ensures the landing doesn't destroy Captain Marvel - but it's hard luck for the tanker his body cut through!

Doused in leaking gasoline - he can do nothing but dread the burst of igniting heat vision that causes the tanker to explode!

Marvel lets out a roar as his body is engulfed in flames! Fortunately, he soon recovers - standing across the burning battlefield to face-off with Eclipso again!

The two super heavyweights collide! Eclipso wants the mighty mortal's death - but there's no quit in the big red cheese! He swings the back of his right fist across Superman's face! Eclipso signs his work - firing back with his own fist!

The vicious counter-strike sends Captain Marvel hurtling into a construction site across town! His landing destroys a large crane, but still he refuses to stop.

The Marvel hoists the massive machine above his head and greets Eclipso Superman by hurling it at him!

Eclipso attempts to reduce the machine to slag with a blast of heat vision, but it doesn't stop the mangled metal's trajectory toward him!

They head for the sky, but Captain Marvel follows the shrapnel with a devastating right hand that forces Superman earthbound! His impact causes the balanced house of girders to come crashing down upon him, as well!

Again, Captain Marvel makes the mistake of believing the fight is finally over.

Again, the Eclipsed Superman rises from the rubble. Only this time he rises to a glimmering of hope from high atop an overlooking mountain...

The light signals the activation of a solar trap devised to wash away the taint of Eclipso with a cleansing light! The untested device was designed by the brilliant Professor Emil Hamilton and Lex Luthor - but its demand for power is too great!

Marvel locks Superman in a full nelson and points him towards the flickering light. Eclipso cannot escape the hold, but he may not have to. The failing solar trap returns the darkness of night, much to Captain Marvel's dismay!

Buoyed by escaping a near-miss, Eclipso frees himself with a mighty flexing of Superman's muscles - and a thrust of his elbow! He topples Earth's mightiest mortal anew, looming over him with designs for a killing blow!

Another flicker of the solar trap curbs Eclipso's murderous intent. Unwilling to risk losing control of Superman's power, he opts instead to fight another day. He leaves a bruised and battered Captain Marvel to contemplate his fortunes.

The Hammer...
All in all it was a fairly straight forward slugfest, but boy! There was plenty to recap! It probably deserves its place as one of the less celebrated fights between Superman and Captain Marvel, but it has its sneaky moments...

The over-sized Action Comics Annual #4 can roughly be divided into two main fights. The other half is a battle between Superman and a ragtag JLA trio, who will help him combat Doomsday later the same year [see; Superman #74].

The issue generally suffers from inconsistent artwork throughout, but the moments involving Captain Marvel produce some of the best looking pages of the issue. That panel late in the fight, when the two are flying straight at each other, has a particularly well rendered Captain Marvel! I think you'll know the one.

Chris Wozniak is penciller, but there's a small army of inkers contributing: Karl Altstaetter, Trevor Scott, Karl Kesel, and Steve Mitchell are all credited.

If you've ever wondered how much an inker can affect an artists work, this is a pretty good study. There's considerable variance from page to page. Even the character models vary a surprising amount.

I can't confidently identify which inker contributed to which pages, and I'm not sure I'd want to judge too harshly. I imagine the Eclipso: Darkness Within event -- featured in various DC Annuals in '92 -- threw a lot of extra work into the mix. Deadlines probably had an influence on a lot of what we see [in this issue].

As a matter of quality and personal taste: I obviously prefer the smooth, simply rendered panels containing Captain Marvel.

It seems like those images show a genuine affection for the classic version of the character, who'd been slightly let down by his post-Crisis integration into the DC Universe through Shazam: The New Beginning, Legends, and Justice League.

This appearance may be one of the earliest indications of walking the character back from contemporary trappings for a more deliberate, classically tinged, slightly anachronistic depiction. Jerry Ordway kept that ball rolling a few years later with a strong new vision in graphic novel format, in '94, which in turn launched the Power of Shazam on-going series, in '95.

The dueling styles of Action Comics Annual #4 remind me of the growing pains DC Comics seemed to be going through in the early nineties.

The considered cool of DC's post-Crisis relaunch seemed to prolapse into pretty slapdash reactions to the rise of Image, more nasty revamps, and of course self-flagellating stunts informed by Death of Superman. They navigated their way back to a pretty strong 2000s, but the identity crisis that gave way to some real trash  in the 90s feels all too familiar again in the 2010s.

Eclipso: The Darkness Within clearly left an impression on someone - and not just my friend who was quite enamored with Eclipso's wanton decimation of second-tier characters, and the gimmick of a "real gem" stuck on covers.

Revamping the villain as a high-concept precursor of The Spectre made for some memorable return appearances, including the better remembered Eclipso Superman rematch of 2005 [see; Superman #216]. Geoff Johns mined some lower stakes fun from the possession angle in the pages of JSA, as well.

I've found myself with a curious taste for Eclipso, so we may just find our way back to the villain sometime in the near future. For now, we record another draw in the classic rivalry between Superman and Captain Marvel!

[Note: Eclipso Superman may've been trending toward the upper-hand, but he left the fight to avoid defeat. Captain Marvel may be worse for wear, but he's still trucking. The record will show that this result is an inconclusive draw.]

If you'd like to find more from any of these characters, be sure to follow links throughout this post, or in the labels listed below. You can also dive into the Secret Archive for featured fights index by publisher, series, and issue number.

You can also follow Secret Wars on Infinite Earths on Twitter and Facebook to get daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day! A like, share or retweet is a nice way to support the site and bring the fight to your friends! Shazam!

Winner: Inconclusive (Draw)
#5 (--) Superman
#112 (--) Captain Marvel
#534 (+40) Eclipso

SUPERMAN versus CAPTAIN MARVEL
Lightning Strikes Twice: Part 3 (DC comics)
Where: Superman #216 When: June, 2005
Why: Judd Winick How: Ian Churchill

The story so far...
Madness tears through the bustling hum of Metropolis calm, as a rock star's suicide appears to set-off a chain reaction of violent deaths and destruction.

When the chain reaches STAR Labs' Dr. Jeannie Tracey, she kills an over zealous admirer, and uses her privilages to access a LexCorp security powersuit.
With the suit, she begins a rampage of destruction designed to attract the attentions of Superman.

Battle with Dr. Tracey reveals the hidden threat of Eclipso, the villain who possess those when weakened by anger.
Superman is able to curb his emotions, but finds himself under attack where he least expected it -- in his home. Unknown to Superman, Lois Lane has been possessed, and when she manages to anger him, Eclipso takes hold.

Enter Captain Marvel.

Recommended reading:
Action Comics #826/Adventures of Superman #639: Previous two chapters of the "Lightning Strikes Twice" storyline.
Kingdom Come #1-#4: Prolific mini-series that set the precedent for the rivalry, and pioneered the "lightning ambush."
Marvel versus DC #3: Superman battles the might of Marvel's strongest champion - the Hulk.
Marvel versus DC #2: Captain Marvel faces a man who has felled Superman himself: Marvel's god of thunder, Thor.
Day of Vengeance #1-#6: Continues the magical qualms presented in this story.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Draw 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Captain Marvel 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Superman 6 (Sound Speed)
Stamina: Superman 6 (Generator)
Agility: Superman 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Captain Marvel 3 (Street Wise)
Energy Powers: Superman 5 (Lasers)

As discussed in the previous instalment, there can sometimes be some confusion as to elements of a superhero's assault. Discussed around Daredevil #163, we looked at the Hulk's speed, and to the degree his power reflects on it.
Another such issue emerges here between two of the most iconic characters to exist during the Golden Age of comic books: Superman, and Captain Marvel.

Actually, it's this very conundrum that features as one of the vital ingredients that sets these character's value apart both canonically, and outside the realm of the pages, in the creative field.

If you should any contemporary fanboy what Superman's weaknesses are, there are probably two clear-cut, one-word answers that will be delivered -- kryptonite (the traditional answer), and magic.
[Bonus points to anyone who might like to throw in various deviating shades of solar energy, but if you're talking to that kind of fanboy, you should probably start running. - Malevolent Mike]

Superman is a character who has been both blessed and burdened by his encompassing invulnerabilities. He has become the living embodiment of the greatest of superhero qualities, but for many fans in the current climate, and perhaps even writers, these abilities have made the character bland and uninteresting.

Thankfully, there was a very logical counterpoint waiting amidst the wackiness of the fifties and sixties. An element of comic books that even the super-man himself would struggle to deny. A force that escapes the boundaries of what is normal, and skips process, going directly to result. Magic.

Superman's abilities have evolved to account for most typical comic book threats. There are few physical obstacles and powers that can overcome him, in fact, even death itself has no dominion over the man of steel.
Yet, how can someone with the ability to realise their every whim through backward-speak be denied? What possible solve is there when a character like Superman finds his great prowess in ability to curb the physical aspects of attacks?

As comics attempt to explain more and more of their content, this spaceman from the planet Krypton, far fetched as he may be, suddenly finds himself in a limbo of comic book reality, and so, Superman's psuedo-science itself exposes his vulnerabilities to the inherently illogical.

The question that now arises from this is: How far does his weakness to magic travel?
In an effort to humanize the character through weakness, does magic provide a broad answer, or are we free only to recognise this weakness in context to the truly unexplainable?

Kingdom Come, the prolific mini-series from Alex Ross and Mark Waid, originates the concept of the "lightning ambush" [as it is credited in Superman #216 - Multifunctional Mike], in which Captain Marvel dodges his magic lightning bolt, allowing it to strike Superman.

Captain Marvel, as we all know, is a character powered by the Wizard Shazam.
When youngster Billy Batson utters the cry of the wizard's name, he is embued with fantastic abilities of Gods represented by the anagromous SHAZAM.
One such ability is super strength, and thus we encounter the dilemma of whether or not Superman should be effected above and beyond the norm when struck by the mighty fist of Captain Marvel.

In matters involving kryptonite, Superman has been seen to react on a plane not dissimilar to an average homosapien. However, it simply does not seem right that he be so vulnerable to the magic strength of his big red opponent.
Truth be told, there is no definitive answer based on sources available.

Like the Hulk and his capacity for growing strength, I would like to think Marvel's magic fuelled strength is lower in the ballpark than many fans tend to describe.
While there may be an inherent weakness to magic, the fact that these are physical assaults suggests to me that there should be minimal advantage. Truly Captain Marvel can match the Kryptonian in strength, but these blows should roughly fall somewhere around equal to those of the Superman.

Of course, this argument for the physical starts to arise question as to the effectiveness of the lightning ambush, which feels far more comfortable as an attack.

Thus, we have to assume some kind of compromise concerning the magic of Captain Marvel, and perhaps even speculate that his prowess is enough to fell the mighty man of steel.

What went down...
The Eclipso possessed Superman knocks Captain Marvel so damned hard, he sends him hurtling all the way out of Metropolis to Hawaii, creating a sonic boom as he missiles along.

At the coast of California Superman catches up with his opponent and strikes him again, sending him into an island mountain below.
Having already experienced the longevity of Superman's resolve, Eclipso takes delight in recognising his ability to go toe-to-toe with Captain Marvel as long as is required.

Marvel, with the wisdom of Solomon, swears he won't take the bait of his foes rises. He blocks an incoming punch, and locks up with the super vessel of the beast.

As the two titans duel, Captain Marvel reveals his awareness to Eclipso's true plan to capture a more suitably permanent vessel for his existence, namely the magic body of Captain Marvel himself.

Unable to achieve his goals through fisticuffs, Eclipso goes in search of means to stir the vengeance of Earth's mightiest mortal.
Finding a large ship in the waters, Eclipso threatens mass casuality by using the strength of Superman to hurl the ship into the air toward the Californian coastline.

Marvel is able to halt the ship's descent, minimizing the loss of life.
Still Eclipso maintains his vigil, threatening further violence through the body of Superman, prompting Captain Marvel into action.
He plows into the hovering Kryptonian, and pushes him across the globe to a more barren setting somewhere in the arctic.

Eclipso strangles Marvel, and scoffs his defiance, threatening in detail the lives of men and children and his ability to exact such events in the blink of an eye.
Marvel retaliates with a stiff headbutt, drawing blood, and in return assures Eclipso that he need recognise his ability to always stand in his way. To always protect the innocent.

Marvel floats into the sky and bellows his cry, "SHAZAM!"
The magic lightning bolt that descends reverts Marvel back into his human form of Billy Batson, who begins to tumble earth-bound, threatening the vessel Eclipso hopes to possess.

Faster than a speeding bullet, Eclipso races to the boy's rescue, taking him in his arms.
With a stern look of determination, the young boy again says the magic word, returning to him the power of Zeus.

Marvel locks his powerful arms around Superman's neck and transforms again and again until Eclipso is subdued enough for the man inside to speak.
Locked in a full nelson, Superman emplores Captain Marvel to kill him.

Eclipso resumes control and throws his head back into Marvel's face, but the powerful hold does not break. Marvel again cries SHAZAM, but though weakened, Eclipso is this time quick enough to snatch the feeble Billy Batson by the throat, preventing him from calling for magical aid.

Eclipso, furious at his inability to possess that which he desires, instead vows to destroy the boy.
But then, seemingly from nowhere, a bolt of lightning strikes Superman's battered body again. A bolt borne of the wizard Shazam's ancient hand.

Eclipso attempts to meet his obstacle head on again, and again, to no avail.
Realising Eclipso will not stop until Superman is destroyed, Shazam reveals his trump card, "So, it is time for darkness to meet light."

The divine counter balance to the Eclipso force -- the Spectre -- emerges from the clouds and threatens to engulf the possessed Superman.
Energies swirl to the hero's heart, and Eclipso is forced from his very being.

Though he tries to escape his prison, Eclipso cannot escape the blackheart diamond. Sucked back into his cell, the spirit is hurled across the Earth to again seek the opportunity of a host.
Order, for now, is restored anew.

The hammer...
Though the fight began as Captain Marvel's, it was the intervention of the Wizard Shazam and the Spectre that facilitated Eclipso's defeat. Though Spectre's involvement was minimal, under the sternest of rulings, and treating X-Men vs Wolverine as precedent, I'll have to give the victory to him, with assists to Shazam and Marvel.

Meanwhile, both Superman and Eclipso will share the defeat.
Unlike Wolverine's stint mind controlled by HYDRA [Wolverine #25/New Invaders #6], Superman was not in control of his faculties, instead possessed by an intelligent entity. Therefore, they share the defeat both physical and metal.

If you're joining Secret Earths for the first time, these closing remarks are relevent to the cumulative assessment of characters by their performance in each featured battle.
A running tally is maintained, with the top five ranking characters featured at the beginning of each month. Likewise, in the left menu, you can find a running tally of the top creators as determined by review scores of each issue featured.

After declaring a winner, usually I like to use the hammer to discuss the comic in more general terms, not allowed by previous sections of the format.
Among the many functions of this blog website is to inform and expose readers new and old to interesting, and fun comic books in a level headed manner.

Yes, it's with a level head that I again have something positive to say about Judd Winick.
Currently number four on the top ten by virtue of his work on Batman, this particular issue of Superman defies his reputation as a heavy handed, personally motivated, mediocre writer.

While the issue does not rate among comics best, it is suitably the business end of a three-issue story that was apparently prepared as emergency fill-in.
While previous issues may have meandered, this issue serves to do what a good action, fight-orientated comic should: It delivers story and characterization through and throughout the exchange of blows.

In the case of this issue, and particularly through a slightly overbaring introduction, it characterizes forces that intend to assert themselves in future stories in the DC Universe. While these elements pertain to other stories, there is still plenty of enjoyment to be found within these pages.

Captain Marvel and Superman are a character rivalry that really dates back to the forties, where Captain Marvel managed to surpass his predecessor in sales and popularity right through to the fifties.
Cap was published by Fawcett Comics in direction competition with National/DC, and the character eventually spurred a lawsuit casting Fawcett in the role of defendent, accused of creative intellectual infringments.

The suit would be settled out of court, and eventually DC would obtain the rights to many Fawcett creations, including the entire Marvel family, after licensing the property years earlier.

The rivalry between the characters was maintained, and reached it's greatest heights in the Kingdom Come mini-series already mentioned, which brings up to the contemporary argument of Superman versus magic, and this very story where the famous lightning ambush becomes canon.

There are a lot of great things about the Captain Marvel character, but it remains a travesty that he is unable to attain the popularity once at his command over half a century ago.
In fact, mirroring Superman to a greater degree [much like their powers], Marvel lacks characterization and placement in the contemporary world of comics, and the DC Universe.

Recent efforts have to be praised in titles like JSA headed by comics doyen, Geoff Johns, where Marvel finds a role within the context of the DCU, but one can't help but feel he remains out of place, destined to repeat the role of physical foil to characters like Superman.

If this is the worst fate Marvel suffers, then it could be a lot worse.
As this issue aptly reveals, there's still a lot of fun to be had with this rivalry, despite the definitive account presented by Waid and Ross.

Still, it just seems like the character could be so much more.
Like Batman or Swamp Thing or the Charlton characters, Captain Marvel might just be the ultimate vehicle for something truly inspired. We can only hope.

The Fight: 5 The Issue: 4.5

NEXT: The Hulk battles the man who will trap him in space. A man at the heart of a civil war. Tony Stark -- the Iron Man. Don't miss it, as we wrap up Hulk Month at Secret Earths!