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Summary
The dramatic play around the nameCaptain Marvelis the stuff of legend , and now a hilarious comical settles whether DC or Marvel can claim the name . Both publishers have featured type with the name Captain Marvel , but the legality of who can publish what is a messy one . CartoonistKerry Callen , ofMAD Magazinefame , has release a comic that weighs in on the argument .
TheKerry Callencomic hilariously pokes fun at thedebate surrounding Shazam and Captain Marvel . It depicts Loki , in his Greco-Roman “ villain ” look , walking off from the Rock of Eternity , with the earmark for “ Captain Marvel ” steadfastly secured in his hand and a smirk on his face . The Wizard protests , recite Loki he will not get away with this . He goes on to say he is Shazam and the hero sandwich is Captain Marvel , who is standing behind him .
Meanwhile , Uncle Dudley squall Loki a “ thief . ”
Captain Marvel Was a Golden Age Icon
He Even Beat Superman to Live-Action
Thesaga of the “ Captain Marvel ” name is a long and wind one , delineate its roots back to comics ’ Golden Age . create by CC Beck and Otto Binder for Fawcett Publications , the Golden Age Captain Marvel first appear inWhiz Comics#2 , and became an overnight sentience . His whimsical dangerous undertaking were all the rage , and in his blossom , Captain Marvel was outselling Superman . Captain Marvel is also notable for being one of the first live - action superheroes , asterisk in his own Saturday sunrise in series adventure . There was also a Captain Marvel fan club as well as merchandise .
Superman and Shazam ’s most acerbic fight revealed their long - put up score , kill a major hero , and permanently damage the satellite dry land .
Since Captain Marvel ’s debut , Fawcett had fudge allegations the character reference was a Superman rip - off . The similarity are there : both are passing warm and can fly , and both wear cape – but that is where it ends . The similarities are surface - level at best . However , the society that would one solar day become DC did not see it that way , and bring a lawsuit against Fawcett Publications , alleging plagiarism . The case drag out on in the courts for well-nigh a decade , bleeding Fawcett dry financially . This , coupled with a downswing of stake in superheroes , guide to Fawcett end publishing in 1953 .
From there , Captain Marvel , Mary Marvel and the rest of the Marvel Family slip into obscurity , remembered and hash out only among older readers and in fanzines . Then , in the other seventies , DC , looking for newfangled properties , license Captain Marvel and some of the other Fawcett character , and in 1973 , DC released the first comedian starring the character in almost 20 years . The book feature some of DC ’s top talent , including Denny O’Neill and Cary Bates , and was launched with a great deal of fanfare .
Marvel Beat DC By Creating Their Own Captain Marvel
Legends Say It Was Done to Secure the Trademark
There was just one problem plaguing DC before the launch : Marvel had secured the trademark to the name “ Captain Marvel ” year earlier . harmonize to legend , rumor were swirling in the late 1960s and early 1970s that DC was seeking to licence the character and release new escapade . As the floor last , Marvel got wind of this and decided to create their own Captain Marvel . Instead of a young boy transforming into a muscle - tie hero , this Captain Marvel was an alien , a member of the Kree . While not ab initio popular , the grapheme found his vitality under writer / creative person Jim Starlin .
Copyright and earmark law can be a delicate and nuanced subject , but Marvel clear beat DC to the biff , forcing them to guess of a body of work - around . Because Marvel secured the trademark before DC , they could not employ the name Captain Marvel in the tile . When the book launched in 1973 , it was titledShazam , a stark dividing line to the Golden Age , which prominently have the name Captain Marvel on its covers and advertising . However , DC attempted to have their patty and eat it too by declaring him “ the original Captain Marvel ” on the cover , which was permitted .
Mar - Vell was created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan
Shazamran into the former 1970s , but it was percipient the creative squad was having exit put to work the ostensibly out - dated character into a more New context . Shazamwas canceled but went on to star in features inAdventure Comics . While the striptease was titledShazam , hewas still called Captain Marvel . In the 1980s , DC incorporated Captain Marvel and his friend into the DC Universe proper inCrisis on Infinite globe , even though they still did not outright own the character . Roy Thomas and Tom Mandrake assay a modernistic reboot in the late eighties .
However , by the 1990s , DC owned the character reference . They still had to cite to him as Shazam in the title , but still called him “ Captain Marvel ” in the stories . This bear truthful in Jerry Ordway’sPower of Shazamgraphic novel and follow - up serial publication . By the 2000s , the name “ Captain Marvel ” was increasingly downplayed , and by this gunpoint , many lover simply telephone him “ Shazam . ” When he was boot for the New 52 , the name Captain Marvel was all disposed of , and his newfangled name was Shazam . lately , in his young title , he has taken to forebode himself “ the Captain . ”
Supergirl is Kara Danvers , Captain Marvel is Carol Danvers ; are all the similarity between the two just one giving coincidence ?
Meanwhile , Marvel ’s rendering would become integral to their universe . He headline his own championship for most of the 1970s but met his end in theDeath of Captain Marvelgraphic novel by Jim Starlin . Mar - Vell has the distinction of being one of the few comic volume characters who have stay dead . Since his demise , there have been others , including Monica Rambeau , Genis - Vell and Carol Danvers . Several incarnations of the character made it into 2019 ’s MCU entryCaptain Marveland its sequelThe Marvels . Each version ofCaptain Marvel has ensured the fictitious character ’s legacy .
Captain Marvel’s Name Leads to Questions of Ethics
Kerry Callen Calls Them Out in His Cartoon
Theethics of the trademark situation surrounding the name Captain Marvel are refutable . If the story of Marvel create the character to simply secure a trademark is dead on target , it was an extremely underhanded move . While it may have devote the Marvel Universe some of its greatest hero , it also effectively counteract DC out of the gate . Even if the urban fable about Captain Marvel is not truthful , Marvel still had the stylemark , and DC still would be unable to use the name in the statute title .
Furthermore , by not allowing DC to habituate the name Captain Marvel in the book ’s title , Marvel hamperedShazam’slaunch . While the character reference may have not seen the light of day in 20 long time , some fan still remember him – but by the name Captain Marvel . These fans may not have known what Shazam meant , and thus skipped over the book on the stands . Shazam / Captain Marvel ’s career has been hobbled by lawsuits and trademark disputes , and now Kerry Callen is promise it all out .
A summary of the over-the-top events and foreign technical school that transform government prescribed Carol Danvers into the iconic Captain Marvel .
Callen ’s toon leaves no doubt in fans ’ minds over who should be called Captain Marvel . Loki , a classic trickster form , is stealing the right of first publication flop out from under Shazam / Captain Marvel ’s nose . What is notable is that Callen choose to depict Loki in his classic villain appearance . Thanks to his appearances in the MCU , the publisher begin softening Loki ’s edges , making him slightly more heroic , but Callen call down a classical flavour to make a spot : Marvel outright slip the nameCaptainMarvel , and he prognosticate this out in a hilarious manner .
Source : Kerry Callen
