Who Gave Shazam His Powers? Billy Batson’s Transformation Into Superhero Explained

From a young orphan struggling to survive on the streets to a powerful superhero fighting evil, Billy Batson’s transformation into Shazam is a tale of epic proportions. But how did Billy acquire his incredible powers? Every superhero has an origin story, and Shazam is no exception. But unlike many other heroes, Shazam’s story begins not with a tragic event or scientific experiment that went wrong but with a chance encounter with an ancient wizard. In this article, we explore the fascinating transformation of Billy Batson into Shazam and the mystical forces that granted him incredible superhuman abilities.

Shazam got his powers from an Ancient Wizard after he was transported to the Rock of Eternity when he was defending a friend in a fight against bullies. The Wizard saw that Billy Batson wasn’t completely good, but Billy’s logic was impressive enough that the Wizard still allowed him to take over a portion of his powers. All that he had to do was yell the acronym of the six gods, S.H.A.Z.A.M., and he would transform into a grown-up version of himself blessed with incredible magic powers. 

One single paragraph is not enough to explain the origin story of Billy Batson, so we’re going to use this opportunity to bring you the whole story. If you’re interested in more, stay with us and keep reading! 

Billy Batson was a rude child marked by his tough childhood

As a young child, Billy Batson lost his parents, C.C. and Marilyn Batson, and was left without a family. This traumatic event left him feeling bitter and resentful toward others, and he became increasingly self-centered and uncaring. As a result, he was frequently moved between different foster homes until he ultimately ended up at an orphanage in Philadelphia.

At the age of fifteen, Billy was placed with the Vasquez family, who had already adopted several children and had experience with fostering. 

Despite the Vasquezes’ kindness and efforts to make him feel welcome, Billy remained closed off and refused to connect with his new foster siblings, including Mary, Freddy, Eugene, Pedro, and Darla.

Over time, however, Billy’s relationship with his foster family changed. Billy softened as he witnessed the Vasquezes’ love and compassion towards him and their other children and let his guard down. Ultimately, his connection with his foster family would play a crucial role in his transformation into the superhero Shazam.

Billy Batson stumbled on Ancient Wizard by pure accident 

One day, while at school, a group of kids bullied Billy Batson’s foster siblings. Billy stepped in to defend his family without hesitation, and a physical altercation ensued. Later that evening, feeling angry and frustrated, Billy snuck out of the house and was followed by his foster brother, Freddy. Together, the boys decided to take revenge by hijacking the bullies’ father’s car.

Unfortunately, their plan went awry, and the police caught them. In an attempt to evade capture, Billy ran into an underground subway station and hopped onto a train. To his amazement, the train transformed into a gateway that transported him to the mysterious Rock of Eternity.

There, Billy met an ancient wizard who saw something special in him.

The Wizard tested Billy’s character and determined that he was not perfect but still deserved the power he was about to bestow upon him. Initially, Billy was angry and resentful towards the Wizard for suggesting that anyone could be completely good. However, after the Wizard looked deeper into his soul and saw all the good he had done in his life, he decided to grant Billy his powers.

With a single word S.H.A.Z.A.M., Billy could transform into the mighty superhero Shazam and wield the power of the Living Lightning, fly, and lift incredible weights. Unfortunately, the Wizard died shortly after giving Billy his powers, leaving him to navigate his newfound abilities independently.

Shazam’s powers can be summarized as the following: 

1. Wisdom of Solomon 
2. Strength of Hercules
3. Stamina of Atlas
4. Power of Zeus 
5. Courage of Achilles
6. Speed of Mercury 

Billy was lost with his powers until he got the opportunity to use them for good 

Since the Wizard died after granting Billy his powers, he never got to explain to them what those powers include. At first, the rest of the future Shazam family had difficulty believing what they saw. One night Freddy and Billy snuck out, and Billy got the chance to use his powers to stop some minor crimes and nuisances from happening. 

They also used Shazam’s newfound powers to buy beer. Things to a turn for the worse when the newly awakened Black Adam sought Shazam to destroy him. Even with his incredible powers, Billy knew his skills and experience were nowhere near enough to destroy Black Adam, that threatened to kill his entire family. 

Luckily, Billy had a different idea in mind. Since there was no way that he could overpower Black Adam, he tried to outsmart him. 

Billy transformed back into his human form and goaded Black Adam into doing the same thing. At this point, Black Adam hasn’t changed back into his mortal form in several centuries, and all the passing of time caught up to him. His mortal body turned to dust instantly.

Saving both Shazam and his family. And that’s it. This is the origin story of Shazam, previously known as Captain Marvel. Even though the character’s origin story changed over time, some elements always stayed the same. Despite the flaws that Billy carried in his heart, the good far outweighed the bad and he ultimately decided to use his powers for good.

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