Audiences of the movie Shazam! know the magic word as the name of the wizard who makes Billy Batson his champion. But the comic fans know that it's not just a name, but a word representing the six gods and heroes that grant the hero is powers. But even the devoted fan may not know that the letters in the SHAZAM acronym can represent different magical benefactors... depending on which character shouts out the word.

In the modern comics, "Shazam!" is also Billy Batson’s actual identity as the superhero -- he was actually the original Captain Marvel, but fan confusion and Marvel's own version of Captain Marvel caused DC Comics switch the name to Shazam. In the process, placing more meaning than ever on what the name actually means.

Related: Shazam Isn’t In DC’s Black Adam Movie (When Will They Fight?)

With Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson about to portray Shazam's nemesis Black Adam, who also gains his powers from the same magic word, there's no better time to take a closer look at this magic word and discover all the different gods, heroes, and beasts it draws its power from.

Billy Batson

DC Comics Captain Marvel Shazam! Billy Batson

The hero of Shazam!, young Billy Batson probably has the most well-known lineup of magical benefactors when he shouts out the magic word. When Billy yells, “Shazam!” he gets the following gifts from the benefactors below:

  • Wisdom of Solomon
  • Strength of Hercules
  • Courage of Achilles
  • Power of Zeus
  • Stamina of Atlas
  • Speed of Mercury

Most of these beings are Greek gods, heroes, and titans (although Mercury is the Roman name for the Greek god Hermes). The one exception is Solomon, a biblical king who appears in the Hebrew Bible, Old Testament, Quran, and Hadiths. According to these texts, Solomon was also a prophet known for his great wisdom (which he acquired as a gift from the biblical God). Thanks to this gift, Billy finds he has an immediate grasp of physics, languages, history, mathematics, and other useful knowledge when he’s superpowered.

Curiously, Billy also credits his “Wisdom of Solomon” with keeping him honest and pure hearted. The biblical Solomon, however, committed sins of idolatry and had 700 wives and 300 concubines. In the comics, Billy actually gets to meet Solomon, who tells Billy if he really was as wise as the legends claim, he wouldn’t have had so many wives!

RELATED: Shazam Just Proved He Can Kick Superman's Ass (Easily)

Mary Marvel

Mary Marvel Shazam Comic

In the movie, Billy shares his power with his foster brothers and sisters, enabling them to become adult superheroes like himself. In the comics, however, Billy discovers he has a blood relative – a twin sister named Mary Batson (renamed Mary Bromfield by her adoptive parents). When Mary shouts the word, “Shazam!” she also gets powers. Originally, Mary gained the following abilities from the deities and heroes below:

  • Grace of Selene
  • Strength of Hippolyta
  • Skill of Ariadne
  • Fleetness of Zephyrus
  • Beauty of Aurora
  • Wisdom of Minerva

Like Billy, most of Mary’s goddesses come from Greek or Roman mythology (with Hippolyta being the Queen of the Amazons – and mother of DC’s Wonder Woman). Oddly, while Mary’s benefactors were said to be female, Zephyrus is the male Greek god of the west wind. Later, some of Mary’s goddesses were changed, and she gained her skill from Artemis (the Greek goddess of the hunt) and beauty from the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite. This last gift seemed redundant since Mary originally looked identical to her normal teenage self even when transformed into “Mary Marvel.”

Later, when the Shazam comics were rebooted in The Power of Shazam! Mary gains her powers from the same benefactors as Billy. She also ages to adulthood, like in the SHAZAM! movie, and insists on being called “Captain Marvel” like her brother.

Black Adam

Black Adam sits on his throne in DC Comics.

Before Billy and Mary, the Wizard Shazam imbued an ancient Egyptian, Teth-Adam, with his powers. Teth-Adam became the hero Black Adam, before being corrupted and becoming a villain (and later anti-hero) for Billy, Mary, and the rest of the Marvel family. Although Black Adam’s “Shazam” cry originally drew power from the same gods as Billy Batson, he later gained the following Egyptian deities:

  • Stamina of Shu
  • Swiftness of Heru
  • Strength of Amon
  • Wisdom of Zehuti
  • Power of Aton
  • Courage of Mehen

As with many movies adapted from comic books, Dwayne Johnson’s movie version of Black Adam may not be identical to his comic book counterpart. Thus, he may not draw power from the same deities. In the comics, however, the Egyptian gods make Black Adam supremely powerful. He gains strength, speed, and invulnerability on par with Shazam or Superman. He’s also virtually immortal, having survived over 5000 years after being banished to deep space. Moreover, he can transfer his powers to another, as he did with Mary Marvel during DC’s Countdown to Final Crisis event, allowing her to draw power from his gods instead of her usual benefactors. (However, this power proves corrupting).

Captain Marvel Jr.

In both the comics and movie, Billy Batson gives his friend Freddy Freeman some of his power, letting him transform into Captain Marvel Jr. Since Billy (and not the Wizard Shazam) gave Freddy the powers, in the comic books, Freddy shouts the word “Captain Marvel” instead of “Shazam.” Later, however, the comic is rebooted and Freddy just shouts “Shazam!” like everyone else.

While “Captain Marvel” isn’t an acronym like “Shazam,” in a very strange story published by both Marvel and DC Comics, the universe-hopping character Access once merged Freddy with Marvel Comics hero Captain America and transformed them into the “Amalgam” hero “Captain America Jr.” Instead of gods, Captain America Jr. draws his power from U.S. presidents. By yelling out the patriotic magical word “UNCLE SAM!” (yes, really), Freddy gains the following abilities:

  • Trickery of Nixon 
  • Wisdom of Lincoln
  • Strategy of Eisenhower
  • ???

Fans were left to speculate what the other letters in Captain America Jr.’s magic word stood for or what gifts they bestowed (Courteousness of Ulysses S. Grant? Charity of Carter?). Jokes aside, the ability to draw power from divine benefactors through magical words is a popular trope used by both mythological figures and modern comic book heroes like Doctor Strange. Given this history, it’s a sure bet the word Shazam will continue playing a big role in the forthcoming Black Adam movie and Shazam! comics for years to come.

Next: Shazam Confirms He’s Stronger Than THOR (Wait, What?)