Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam

Shazam and Captain Marvel are weirdly like Dr. Frankenstein and his monster. People often casually refer to the latter by their creator’s names. Technically, Shazam was the name of the wizard who conferred the powers of Captain Marvel on young Billy Batson. That is the DC Captain Marvel, who is not to be confused with Marvel Comics’ Carol Danvers Captain Marvel. Frankly, for a lot of fans, the real Marvel Captain Marvel was the legendary Mar-Vell, known on Earth as Walter Lawson, whom Marvel killed off in 1982. Confused? Then you can watch the better animated version of the DC Captain Marvel’s origin story, in Joaquim Dos Santos’s Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam, in honor of Billy Batson’s in-world birthday (12/23).

Clark Kent is trying to do good with his pen for change, by interviewing a scrappy young orphan named Billy Batson, who lives by his wits on the streets of Metropolis. However, the evil Black Adam crashes their breakfast, hoping to kill Batson, “The Chosen One,” before the wizard Shazam powers him up. That would be the same Black Adam the Rock tried to portray as a conflicted anti-hero in the live-action movie. However, Arnold Vosloo (of The Mummy franchise) gives a definitive Black Adam voice-over performance that is unambiguously sinister.

Fortunately, Shazam whisks Batson to his secret chamber outside of time and space, where he bestows the powers of Captain Marvel on the confused teen. By invoking the Wizard’s name, “Shazam,” he transforms into a full-grown superhero, with powers much like those of Superman. Inconveniently, one of Superman’s few weaknesses is a vulnerability to magic, which is the source of Black Adam’s power. Fortunately, Captain Marvel is only one Shazam away from joining the fray.

Indeed, all three caped super-characters get nearly equal time slugging in out in this awkwardly titled installment of DC Showcase. It delivers a bounty of aerial fighting action in a mere twenty-five minutes, which still makes it one of the longest short films in the under-appreciated series.

Notably, it also represents the final screen credit of James Garner (as in Rockford and Maverick), who provided the voice for a rather folksy-sounding wizard. Garner was a legend, so it is weird his name is not built-up more in the opening credits.

Regardless, it is tons of fun to watch Superman, Captain Marvel, and Black Adam walloping each other, in cleanly animated scenes that are easy to follow. Honestly, this 25-minute short serves up more fun than the two-hour-plus Black Adam feature and Vosloo’s voice-over performance is similarly superior. Highly recommended for DC fans, Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam currently streams on Tubi, bundled together with Jonah Hex, Green Arrow, and The Spectre, all three of which might even be more entertaining.