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Newsboy Freddy Freeman was gifted powers by Captain Marvel; upon speaking his benefactor's name, he becomes Captain Marvel, Jr..

Origin

Early in the Second World War, the Third Reich unleashed a superhuman agent named Captain Nazi to clash with the American super champion Captain Marvel. Their clash was wide-ranging and extremely violent, and at one point, Marvel had punched Nazi unconscious and into a lake. An elderly man, Jacob Freeman, and his grandson, Freddy, happened to be fishing in the lake near where Nazi has landed, and, not knowing who he was, lifted the unconscious man into their boat, to save him from drowning. Captain Nazi regained his wits, tossed Jacob into the lake, and knocked Freddy out of the boat with an oar. The old man immediately died, but Captain Marvel was able to save the unconscious Freddy, and bring him to a hospital.[2]

Captain Marvel changed to his regular form of young Billy Batson, a well-known radio reporter, and was told by a nurse that Freddy was not expected to last the night. Billy then devised a better way to help the boy: he stealthily conveyed Freddy out of the hospital, and took him to the secret underground throne of the wizard Shazam, who had first granted Billy the power to become Captain Marvel.

Billy asked the wizard to heal Freddy and save his life, but Shazam could not, and instead told Billy that he, as Captain Marvel, could pass along some of his powers to so that Freddy could live. Shazam disappeared, and Billy transformed back into Captain Marvel, just as Freddy awakened. Looking up, he exclaimed "Why...it's Captain Marvel," and was instantly transformed into a super-powered version of himself. Captain Marvel told him that he was now "Captain Marvel, Jr." and advised him that he could not remain in his super-powered form at all times, but that he must allow his human form to heal as best it could. With that, Freddy once again said his mentor's name, and returned to his hospital bed.

Freddy remained permanently lame in his left leg and was forced to walk with a crutch (although Captain Marvel, Jr. bore no such impediment). Because of this, and his grandfather's murder, Junior sought revenge against Captain Nazi, and the two repeatedly battled over the next few years.

Unbeknown to anyone at the time, in his own Earth-S continuity, Freddy was "supposed to" die at the hands of Captain Nazi.[citation needed] As a result of this not happening, Freddy's brother Kit (who went through a similar experience with Nazis at the same time on the same day) died in his place, and became Kid Eternity.

Powers


Other Characteristics

  • Restricted Mobility: He lost the use of one of his legs and while in his human form, and must walk with crutches.
  • Jr. is inconvenienced by the fact that he cannot properly speak his own name without summoning the magic lightning in the process.


  • This version of Captain Marvel, Jr., including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985–86 Crisis on Infinite Earths event and later restored following the rebirth of the infinite Multiverse during the Dark Crisis of 2022-2023. Even though other versions of the character may have appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.
  • Shazam! #1 was Captain Marvel, Jr.'s first appearance in a comic published by DC Comics.
  • Unlike Billy, who as a youngster transforms into an adult Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr. maintains his youth and resemblance to Freddy. Additionally, he is clad in a yellow-on-blue costume with a red cape, rather than Marvel's yellow-on-red with a white cape.
  • Freddy Freeman lived in New York City, at Mrs. Wagner's Boarding House. His news stand was at the corner of Main and Oak Streets.[4]
  • Freddy Freeman was a member of the Newsboys Club.[5]
  • Captain Marvel Jr. is also known as the World's Mightiest Boy.

Related

External Links

Footnotes

  1. Captain Marvel, Jr. #118
  2. Whiz Comics #25 (December 1941)
  3. Captain Marvel, Jr. #60 1st story, page 4, panel 2
  4. Captain Marvel, Jr. #59, 1st story, page 2, panel 1
  5. Captain Marvel, Jr. #40


Marvel Family 6
Marvel Family member
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This character is or was a member of the Marvel Family in any of its various incarnations, and an ally of Captain Marvel and the Wizard Shazam. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Marvel Family members."

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