History:  (Power of Shazam II #10 (fb)) - <millennia ago>  Jebedian of Canaan was a shepherd, and while the young boy tended his flock his parents were murdered by bandits. He cried to the skies, accusing the gods themselves of injustice. They asked if he wanted vengeance, but it was not in his heart. He wanted to form a covenant with the gods to stop injustice in Canaan. He feared his gods, but nonetheless asked them for a potion of their power in times of need, to be their champion. The gods agreed to his covenant, but promised to take away his powers if he abused them. Jebediah was granted the strength of Voldar, the wisdom of Lumiun, the speed of Arel, the power of Ribalvei, the courage of Elbiam, and the stamina of Marzosh. As Shazam he kept law in Canaan, clearing out the bandits, and allowing civilization to thrive. The people treated him like a god, and he became careless. He was seduced by a demoness, who bore him the children Satanus and Blaze. The gods banished the demoness and her spawn, but punished Shazam for his hubris, reminding him that although he had the power of gods he still had the failings of a mortal. Shazam s most epic battle was against the Three Faces of Evil, a dragon that personified the worst of humanity. He had to call on his gods to intercede on his behalf, and together they trapped the Three Faces in the extra dimensional Rock of Eternity. The gods told Shazam that when he was no longer their champion he would have to chose a successor, and was bound to keep the Three Faces prisoner at the Rock of Eternity for all time.

(Power of Shazam II #10 (fb)) - <1000 B.C.> The aged Shazam traveled to Egypt during the reign of Ramses II to find a successor. He chose the pharaoh s son Teth-Adam, impressed by his strength and decency. Shazam gave him his powers, but unbeknownst to him, his daughter Blaze conspired with the Egyptian deity Set, and Adam s powers were stolen from the Egyptian pantheon. Despite Blaze s interference, Mighty Adam turned out to be a worthy champion and successor. Shazam left Egypt, secure in his choice. Many years later Blaze seduced Adam, convincing him to take over as pharoah. Shazam realized that his protégé had become corrupted, and confronted him. He drained the power of the Egyptian gods into a scarab, and the depowered Adam died due to accelerated natural aging. Shazam buried Adam and the scarab at Abu Simbel.

(Power of Shazam II #11 (fb)) - <February, 1940> The mummies of ancient Egyptian magical champions Ibis the Invincible and Taia ended up in Fawcett City in a museum. Fawcett was in desperate times, so the wizard Shazam located them, and cast a resurrection spell to wake them from the grave to act as champions for justice.

Shazam & fbs (Power of Shazam II #12 (fb)) - <winter, 1940> After much wasted time searching for a new champion, Shazam met C.C. Batson, an archaeologist on the Malcolm Expedition. Shazam gre close to the Batson family, and recognized C.C. as having the potential to be a new champion. Batson uncovered the sarcophagus and mummy of Ibis, and Shazam followed him to America to look after Ibis, who would be placed in the Fawcett Museum. He needed somewhere to operate away from prying eyes, so he converted an abandoned subway into a mystical headquarters. Blaze, his daughter, followed him to Fawcett to negate the good he d done, and posed as a human underworld leader. Shazam vowed to fight back by brining back Ibis.

(Power of Shazam II #12 (fb)) - During WWII Shazam knew there needed to be a champion to combat tyranny. He held back on granting his powers to C.C. Batson because a host of Fawcett heroes arrived on the scene to combat injustice, including Bulletman and Bulletgirl, Mr. Scarlet, Spy Smasher and Minute Man.

(Power of Shazam II #9 (fb, BTS), 12 (fb, BTS)) - <1955> Blaze unleashed the Seven Deadly Sins on Fawcett. Shazam combated them with his heroes Spy Smasher, Minute Man, Mr. Scarlet, Bulletman and Bulletgirl. Shazam used a spell of containment to trap the Sins inside ridiculous statues, and he kept them for safekeeping at the Rock of Eternity. Ibis had lost Taia, and was eager to return to his sleep, so Shazam agreed to put him back in his sarcophagus. As his rest began, Shazam had Ibis cast a spell of protection over Fawcett City to keep all demonic influence out. The spell also slowed time, because Shazam had grown fond of Fawcett, and wanted it to stay the same during his long life. He found a flaw in his plan when he realized he d trapped some devilry in Fawcett. A thug roaming the subway bashed Shazam in the head with a pipe, giving him amnesia. Some part of his memory remained, and he lived as a homeless man outside his mystic subway, ignored by all those he'd saved.

(Power of Shazam II #9 (fb, BTS)) -  Shazam restored Black Adam s powers and memory during the War of the Gods. One the battle was over Shazam once again empowered him and made him a mute.

(Power of Shazam II #12 (fb)) - C.C. Batson recognized the homeless Shazam, and jogged his memory by showing him the Malcolm Expedition exhibit at the Fawcett Museum. Shazam returned to his subway, and used the Historama to fill in the details of his lost years. By the time he was done he learned that the Batson family were on an expedition to Abu Simbel, but it was too late to warn them of the dangers.

Shazam was living in the subway system of Fawcett City when he discovered the noble boy Billy Batson. Shazam passed the powers of the gods to Billy, who became Captain Marvel. A granite block suspended by a thread hung over Shazam's head, signaling that his end was coming, and when Captain Marvel was born the thread broke and he was crushed. As a spirit Shazam advised Captain Marvel, and later the Marvel family.

(Power of Shazam II #1, 2) - Shazam saw Captain Marvel attending a dinner party so he could get a free meal, something hard to come by for a poor boy. Shazam summoned him to the Rock of Eternity and scolded him for not taking his job seriously. Marvel let him have it, reminding him he was a kid with the responsibilities of an adult, and then some. He also lashed out at the wizard for not finding his sister Mary. Shazam told him that if he couldn’t dedicate himself to the job, he’d make him a child again, and took away Marvel’s powers. Billy found himself in the middle of an assault on the dinner party by Arson Fiend, who’d set the house on fire. Shazam admitted to himself that Billy was correct in questioning his thoroughness in finding Mary. He searched the Historama, but she was nowhere to be seen, and he knew that if she was dead he’d have seen her soul joining those of her parents. He had one place left to look, but couldn’t go there unprepared. Shazam saw Billy use his ingenuity to save the party guests without his powers, and restored Captain Marvel’s powers.

(Power of Shazam II #3) - Shazam knew he had not done his all to find Mary, so he ventured into Hell. After battling off demons he was confronted by Satanus, who demanded to know his business. When he told Satanus he was looking for the soul of Mary Batson, Satanus banished him from Hell, telling him he was lucky his sister Blaze didn't know what he was up to.

(Power of Shazam II #5) - Shazam and Captain Marvel summoned Mary Bromfield (Batson) to the Rock of Eternity. Shazam was in wonder that he d scoured Hell itself for Mary, but it was she who came to find her brother. She used the power of Shazam to become Mary Marvel, but Shazam cautioned his charges that they were now sharing his power, so when they went into action simultaneously, their powers would be halved, and he told them not to take this lightly.

(Power of Shazam II #7) - Marvel and Mary visited Shazam, telling him about their recently crippled friend Freddy, and asked him to share his powers with their friend. Shazam reminded them that his powers were not infinite, and that he had no idea how Mary realized to say the magic word to make herself a Marvel. They revealed that their stuffed toy Mr. Tawky-Tawny guided them along, and Shazam denied using an anthropomorphized tiger to do his will. The Marvels were confused, but Captain Marvel was sure that whoever sent Tawny, Mary was meant to share his power. Shazam urged them to find a solution for themselves, which Captain Marvel thought was an unfeeling gesture, and they left. After saving Freddy from a revenge attack by Captain Nazi the heroes used their Shazam lightning to get Freddy s heart started, and took him back to the Rock of Eternity, where they finally realized that Shazam had given his blessing, but they had to be the ones to share their power with Freddy. By saying the name Captain Marvel Freddy turned into an idealized version of himself, tentatively named Captain Marvel, Jr. Shazam told him he now had the responsibility to fight injustice, like the other members of the newly formed Marvel Family. Although he was a demigod with Shazam s powers, he d return to being a cripple as Freddy. Freddy understood the drawbacks, and what was expected of him, and in his civilian identity Captain Marvel returned him to the hospital.

(Power of Shazam II #9) - Shazam used the historama to view the Marvel Family fighting Captain Nazi, and fighting among themselves. He never intended their power to be shared, but he had to respect what they wanted. He was still puzzled by their account of Mr. Tawky-Tawny coming to life, and wished to ponder his situation. Blaze appeared, having retraced Shazam s route when he visited her brother Satanus. Blaze had restored Black Adam s powers, and together they trapped the wizard. Blaze freed the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man, allowing them to once again roam the world. As Blaze dragged Shazam to her realm he tried to cast a spell, and she mocked him for his feeble state.

(Power of Shazam II #10) - Blaze tortured Shazam, and mocked him for giving the wisdom of Solomon to Billy Batson. He knew that Shazam was in Hades, and when he heard Earth s superheroes were battling Neron he joined them, assuming Neron was Shazam s abductor. She had only hatred for her father, his human blood kept her from the uper echelon of Hell, but she wanted the Rock of Eternity for its dimensional acess, and she planned to free the Three Faces of Evil. Blaze soon grew tired of hurting Shazam, and left to tend to other affairs. Mary Marvel had found the entrance to the Rock of Eternity, and the spell Shazam tried to cast before being kidnapped. It was a spell of resurrection, and she found the intended subject in the subway leading to the Rock.

(Power of Shazam II #12) - Ibis, already tiring of being awake, made a plan to end Blaze s villainy. He sent Captain Marvel and Mary to Hades to free Shazam, and sent Cap Jr. and Bulletman outside the Rock of Eternity to delay her from freeing the Three Faces. He warned Cap and Mary not to trust anything they saw in Hades, as it was full of lying demons. Cap found himself in school taking a history test, but realized it was an illusion cast by demons. Mary was greeted by her deceased parents, but this too was a trap. After battling the demonic forces Cap freed Shazam, who told him he must explain their predicament, and how he knew Cap s father. He told of how he d battled his daughter Blaze through the ages, and how C.C. Batson, who he met during the Batson s Malcolm Expedition of the 1940s, was his original choice of champion. Since Ibis was the one to contain the recent escape of the Seven Deadly Sins, Shazam had more power to share with his Marvel Family. Blaze and Black Adam defeated Cap Jr. and Bulletman. Dudley and Tawny joined the fight, but were soon overwhelmed. Mary found Sarah Primm in Hades, and freed her with the help of Satanus, sending her to Heaven. Black Adam no longer had a reason to be loyal to Blaze, and told Mary he owed her one. Shazam and Ibis cleaved the Rock, freeing the Three Faces, and at Shazam s command Black Adam battled it. The Marvel Family forced the Rock back together, trapping Blaze alongside the Three Faces and Adam. Ibis took pity on Adam, and sent him to a distant star. Shazam had lost his zeal for guarding the Rock, and Ibis agreed to take his place while Shazam would live in Fawcett among the people. The Marvels returned home, and found Sinclair Batson burned to a crisp, yet still alive. Sinclair was a demonic construct created for Ebenezer, who dearly wished for a son, by Blaze. Mary saw an od caterpillar crawling toward Sinclair s ear, and stepped on it.

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #10) - With the death of Highfather Scott Free was set to inherit his father’s rule of the New Gods, although he doubted his fitness. Scott had a secret meeting with Shazam during his coronation. He wished to know if, in addition to granting god power to immortals, he could remove power from gods. Shazam said it was, in theory, possible, and Scott asked him to find a way to remove from him the power he felt unworthy of. Scott attended the coronation, and was crowned by Takion, who promised the New Gods a new age of miracles, while Scott hung his head and scowled.