A group of secondary
heroes and members of the
Marvel Family. The
Lieutenant Marvels were published by
Fawcett Comics and first appeared
in
Whiz Comics #21 in 1942.
Most of us have had the experience of meeting someone who has the
same name we do. It is often a bit of a disconcerting experience.
A shared name is the basis for the creation of the Lieutenant Marvels.
Billy Batson was a former paperboy and now famous radio announcer.
Unbeknownst to the world, Billy Batson is also the alter-ego of the
hero Captain Marvel. Because of Billy's fame, the radio station
he worked for found three other men in the U.S. who answered to the
same name as their famous announcer. The three were quickly given
descriptive adjectives at the front of their names to distinguish them
from their more famous counterpart. Tall Billy Batson hailed from
the Lone Star State, Hill Billy Batson was from the mountains
of Kentucky, and Fat Billy Batson was from Brooklyn.
Feeling a familial bond because of the names that all their parents chose
for them, Billy Batson revealed to his namesakes his secret, calling
out the magic word Shazam! and transforming into Captain Marvel. The
three other men agreed never to tell a soul and went their separate ways.
Not long after, a group of villains were sent out to capture Billy
Batson, but as their leader didn't specify which Billy Batson, he
ended up with four. Like any good villain, he tied his victims to a
conveyor belt with a sawmill blade and left them to their inevitable end.
The sound of the saw drowned out Billy's cry of Shazam and so all
four tried together. They were all transformed into versions of
Captain Marvel, but the new ones kept their adjectives to indicate
that they were not the original. So they became Tall Captain Marvel,
Hillbilly Captain Marvel, and Fat Captain Marvel - the Lieutenant Marvels.
The three Lieutentant Marvels agreed never to use their powers without
the original Captain Marvel, but later had to break this oath to help
Billy Batson.