List of Marvel Family enemies
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Through his adventures, Fawcett Comics/DC Comics superhero Captain Marvel and his Marvel Family gained a host of enemies, including the following:
A-G
Hal Hooey
An agent who tells Mr Tawny he can make a great singer out of him. Though his voice is terrible, people will want to see a singing tiger. When Billy tells him not to be forced into something he does not want, and when Hooey tries to stop him he transforms and tries to throw him out. But Hal flatters Tawny, making him sign the contract. When Cap criticises him, Hal claims he is jealous. A Gala party is arranged to celebrate this next day, but Hal drops the invitation to Captain Marvel into the bin as he wants their friendship to break up. The feud will be good publicity. Tawney is upset Cap does not turn up, and Cap is upset Tawney did not invite him. A fire breaks out from a dropped match and Cap puts it out, but they are still angry at each other. Odd that Cap with the wisdom of Solomon could not act more cleverly. The news spreads of the 'feud' and it is claimed Cap will beat up Tawky if he meets him again and on the radio it is reported Tawny called Captain Marvel a big red cheese. The publicity means seats are sold out for the performance, and when Billy comes to try to patch up the friendship he is kncoked out by Hooey and locked in the prop room. Tawny is booed for his awful singing, and Billy is woken up by this, summons Captain Marvel, and stops the hurled projectiles. He then stops Hooey from running away with the money, and he admits he threw the invitation away. Tawny realises never to doubt a true friend.
Handyman
A six-armed alien and accomplice of Mr Mind, who first appears when he helps give the Rainbow Squad their powers. He also helped Mister Mind build his Mr Wonderful Robot. Next issue Mr Mind captures a baseball team and challenges a human baseball team to fight his team, made up of aliens suited to the roll. Handyman acts as batsman. When Captain Marvel decides to help the humans, Mind sends Handyman after Billy Batson, who after making a call about the game is captured, by Handyman, who takes him back to the Dressing Room, gags Billy, and ties him up. Mr Mind says he will have Billy killed later, but first he must see his triumph. However Billy removes the tape over his mouth on a spiked shoe a member left behind, and summons Captain Marvel, who wins against the aliens. He then follows Mr Minds team back to their base, and stops Handyman from executing the kidnapped team. Presumably the team is sent to jail.
The Hate-Collector
A man who collects letters of hate. Only appearing in Marvel Family #57. He calls Mr Patterson to wake him up and annoy him, who sends a letter to him of hatred at Box 1034. He has already tried putting glue in people's heads, and sending dead fish to people. He then tries to paint the house of people on holiday black, and when Mary Marvel sees someone has broken in due to the light being on and tries to stop him, he blinds her with black paint and escapes. He causes trouble around the area, putting a skunk in a new car, killing a dog, and chopping a tree down, leaving notes telling people to send hate letters to Box 1034. Mary Marvel tries to find him by waiting at Box 1034, oddly enough the police have no got the idea, but turns to Mary Batson so he will not stay away. When he sees her watching for him, he gags her by stuffing a letter into her mouth, then kidnaps her, holding his hand over her mouth so she cannot remove her paper, saying people will think she's his daughter who got sick. At his house he binds and gags her, then reveals his biggest plot. He will pretend that seismographs show that an earthquake will destroy the city and it must be evacuated. From his plane he plans to drop the leaflets ordering evacuation of the town, and throws out Mary too. Mary twists about and hooks her gag on an ariel, transforms, and gives the hate of Mary Marvel to the Hate-Collector by hitting him. He is then jailed, and apparently hates it.[1]
The Hen
The Hen: 1949, "Marvel Family" 28: A thin woman who happens to be a ruthless criminal mastermind. Besides her thin angled features, she further mimics her name-sake by having a tendency to cackle. She is also a genius with gases. During her first appearance she attempted to steal the Royal Ruby of Tashmir, worth a million dollars, from wealthy lady Mrs Vanrock. Her first direct attack failed due to Mary Marvel, as Mary Batson happened to be in the house at the time. However the Hen's Gang then took over Henrietta's Beauty Parlor, leaving the girls who worked there bound and gagged, and pretending they were working and Henrietta had left. Vanrock was hypnotized into forgetting she had been wearing the Royal Ruby of Tashmir when she went into a beauty parlour. Mary Batson had seen the lady's ruby had gone, but when she went in and asked she was knocked out by the Hen's henchman, tied up on a chair and gagged next to a bomb that would go off in five minutes or earlier if she pulled her hair which was attached to the bomb. But she was able to free her hands by pushing them over a chair bolt, remove her gag, turn into Mary Marvel, and escape. The Hen is so ruthless, she killed off her whole gang just so's not to share the loot. However, this kinda makes other criminals not want to work for her.[2]
So in Marvel Family #34 after pretending to drown, she teams up with Georgia Sivana, combining the Sivana daughter's goal with being Princess of Earth with her own goal to be the World's Wealthiest Woman. The Hen invented a powerful sleep gas, while Georgia had a spray gun for it. Mary sees Georgia's rocket ship, transforms, and flys after it. At a diamond importers they Georgia sprays bubbles containing sleep gas inside, knocking out those inside. Wearing gas masks, they try to take the diamonds, but Mary appears. She recognises the Hen, but Georgia shoots bubbles at the street below, making the people fall asleep. While Mary stops a truck from hitting the people, the two escape. Georgia tells the Hen about Mary Batson, and the next day while Mary is shopping she is knocked out when accidentally popping a bubble she trys to catch thinking it was a children's toy, not realising it was Georgia imitating a child's voice. However, you cannot have two leaders and this team-up was doomed as eventually the two got to fighting over who was the best for so long it allowed Mary to wake up, transform, capture them, and put them in jail.[3]
Henry Pipe
A plumber who gets sick of fixing pipes and decides to rob a big lawn party after Mr. Randall hires him to fix a leak in the kitchen pipe using some pills. The next day at the party, he goes to fix the fountain, and when Freddy Freeman arrives late everybody is in a frozen sleep. He sees Pipe robbing them and transforms to Captain Marvel Jr., but Pipe throws a woamn into the fountain, and while Jr. stops her from drowning, as not even that wakes her, he escapes. After Jr. calls the hospital, a doctor describes the same thing happened to four people at a small lawn party, who were all robbed of their valuables. The next day Jr. sees Mrs. Charles Dunning is giving a big lawn party for charity on the third, which all society will attend. Jr. goes there and hears a man has come to check on her fountain, however she and the guests then go into a frozen sleep, and Jr. sniffs a faint misty vapour coming from the fountain. Jr. investigates the fountain and finds little pellets wedged inside the nozzle which emitted the vapour with the water. He takes up the same position as the other guests, and soon the crook appears wearing a gas mask. Jr. then reveals he is not asleep and knocks Pipe into the fountain. Pipe confesses and gives enough information for an antidote to be developed. He is then jailed.
Herr Phoul
First appearing in "Captain Marvel Adventures" #32. Herr Phoul is a German Nazi, one of the three lieutenants of Mr. Mind's Monster Society of Evil. As required of Nazi officers, he was bald and had a monocle. He died when he was caught in the explosion of an ammunition dump.[4]
Hiss-Men
Only appearing in "Marvel Family" #74. The Hiss-Men are reptiles that resemble humanoid crocodiles even though the Hiss-Men are not related to the Crocodile-Men from the planetoid Punkus. The come from 1,000,000 BC who are battling the humans of that age for control of the world. Needing humans, they create a time-tube to the present day. Dexter Knox uncovers the tube with his metal detector, and with the Marvel's help unearths it. Hiss-Men emerge who fire lava balls at the group, causing the Marvel Family to be summoned, who chase the Hiss-Men back down the tube, but find they have disappeared, so they cap the tube. Dexter keeps watch, but when he falls asleep the Hiss-Men emerge and net him. They then start using their nets to catch more people and bring them down the tube. Billy wakes up and transforms when he hears cries for help, and saves someone. Freddy Freeman hears Profesoor Edgewse being kidnapped, so transforms and defeats the Hiss-Man. One of the Hiss-Men tries to net Mary, telling her 'Come to the past with me!' but she becomes Mary Marvel and defeats her foe. The Marvels fly back to the tunnel, but find Dexter Knox was knocked out, and the tube has been moved so the Marvels do not wreck it. The Hiss-Men they try to capture kill themselves rather than reveal the location. By now over a thousand humans have been kidnapped and a radio alert is given, some Hiss-Men have been killed but there are always more, but the Marvels use a tracker Dexter Knox made to track the time tube, inside a cave. They realize it does not work on the Marvels, so change back to their civilian forms, and go down the Time Tube, but when emerging they are knocked out by the Hiss-Men using a club from behind. They are placed inside a machine and changed into Hiss-Men, and reveal they plan to make an army of Hiss-Men to defeat the humans of their age. The children cannot say their words with their hissing accents, so they try to escape over the walls with their more agile bodies, but are chased back by a dinosaur. They are forced back to the protection of the Hiss-Men, whose walls and weapons keep the monsters out. They pretend to resign themselves to their fate, but throw a note to Dexter through the time tube. He goes through and is told by them what has happened, after which he is able to reverse the machine. The Marvels defeat the Hiss-Men and send the kidnapped humans back to their own time. They then find the battlefield of the humans and Hiss-Men, where the two sides seem deadlocked, and help the humans to win the battle and drive the Hiss-Men into the sea. They use the time-tube to return while in their civilian forms, then become the Marvels and destroy it.[5]
Hydra
The Hydra II: 1945, Captain Marvel Adventures, vol 1, #42. In his war against Captain Marvel, Mr. Mind creates a monstrous body with a human head. Only the human head turns out to be an imbecile so Mr. Mind decides to kill his monster. When he chops the head off, it not only grows back but a dog's head does as well. Deciding such a creature could be useful, he takes it to steal some weapon plans. Losing and gaining more heads in battle with Captain Marvel and the police, the beast is finally defeated when Captain Marvel feeds it some raw meat and the various heads attack each other over it.[6]
This is not to be confused with another Fawcett villain, Hydra: All-Hero #1. John Oberon is able to turn into the Greek monster Hydra and is opposed by Ibis.[7]
In "Marvel Family" #21 a Hydra is one of a trio of monsters summoned from the Netherworld. It resembles a two-headed tough man and possesses superhuman strength, battling Mary Marvel as its two heads mean it cannot be easily knocked out. She gets past this by hitting the heads together, and the trio of monsters are sent back to the Netherworld.[8]
In Marvel Family #24 another Hydra appears, with seven heads. After Vikings appear who destroy cars thinking they are dragons. Bullets cannot hurt them, and they claim they are already dead. Mary Marvel stops the Vikings who think she is an Ogre, and claim to be from Valhalla, where Vikings go where they die.(Although not said in the story, it is only those who die in battle that go there.) The Vikings go to the Hydra in an old house, and Mary follows them. Hearing 'a little red ogre girl of steel' attacked them the Hydra realises it is Mary Marvel, the one foe he fears. When Mary flies through the window, he tells the Vikings to go through the door to Valhalla while he gets rid of her with his Flame Gun. Mary hits him, but he changes to another face. He changes again to a Viking, and claims to be Hydra, the man with seven heads, created by a scientist ages ago and possessing eternal life. He then changes to the brainy head which invented the fourth dimensional door which will take him to Valhalla where dead Vikings live for ever. Believing there to be no such thing as a Fourth dimensional door Mary says 'I'll get you yet.' The door is locked, but she breaks it open with a single blow and goes through a long tunnel to a sign saying Valhalla Viking Castle. She finds the Hydra with his Viking head telling the Vikings he will lead them to Earth to slay Dragons and Ogres and rescue fair maidens. He really plans for them to wreck civilisation, allowing him to conquer Earth. Mary attacks and he tells 10 to occupy her. The Warriors cannot be hurt or killed, Mary hits one 18 times and he is still not hurt, while the Hydra is planning to lead them to Earth. She flies out to think of a way to defeat them. She finds some "Amazon Women" in a four walled canyon. They think she is a goddess and reveal the Hydra imprisoned them. They refused to help him, so he sealed the tunnel that leads from the castle beyond imprisoning them there. Mary makes an opening in the cliff and leads them on. Then it is revealed they are Valkyrie maidens. Mary knocks out all the Hydra's heads, and the Vikings realise he caused the trouble and will keep him imprisoned in the dungeon from which nobody ever escapes. After returning Mary wrecks the door to make sure the Hydra never escapes.[9]
Ibac
A frail thug named "Stinky" Printwhistle who was empowered by Lucifer himself after he was saved from a fall caused by Captain Marvel, with the powers of four of the most evil men to walk the face of the earth (Ivan the Terrible, Borgia, Attila the Hun and Caligula). When he says the name "IBAC", he becomes a large, muscular brute with super-strength. Saying his name again transforms him back into Printwhistle (therefore, like Captain Marvel, Jr., Ibac also cannot say his own name).
The Ice King
A being whose people are from the last ice age, therefore making him used to cold temperatures. Using a freeze ray he causes snow to bury a town so he can steal the gold and make a giant ice ray with which he can start a new ice age. He escapes the Marvels using an ice wall, and meets two native children, Kyak and his sister Olia, whose village was attacked, with many of the inhabitants enslaved by the Ice king. They find them in the Ice city and stop an attempt by the Ice King to destroy the town with a train and mammoths. They find him but he reveals Kyak and Olia behind a 25 foot ice wall. If his wall is smashed they die, and the wall is so thick the guard will have time to kill them if they try getting through. When the Marvels gets through there using welding while in their civilian forms, the guard pretending to sleep knocks them out, and the Ice King uses his freeze ray to make ice on their heads, gagging them, and nearly suffocating them. He throws them down a chute to a pack of wolves, but Billy breaks the ice on a wolf's skull, allowing him to turn into Captain Marvel, the others copy him, and defeat the wolves. The Ice King meanwhile has frozen the ocean. The Marvels use an atomic pile to heat up the ocean, his mammoth turns against him, the ray is smashed, and he is jailed while the natives take over the Ice city. Only appearing in "Marvel Family" #82.[10]
India Rubber Man
Only appearing in Captain Marvel Adventures #10. An India rubber man in the Bingling Bros Circus, Mahatma Squatma, who gets sick of tying himself in knots every day. He passes Thor the Strong Man while of duty, and finds he is also unhappy, so they join together. They find the Wild Man from Borneo is also unhappy. Squatma reveals a strange oriental poison he brought from India, with which they can rule instead of be ruled. The others agree with him. That evening they go to the home of Baker, the rich banker as they need money. The India Rubber man gets into Baker's house and poisons Baker's soup with his skills. Baker is having dinner with Billy, but sddenly realises he has been poisoned. Mahatma reveals the antidote pill and says Baker will die in 24 hrs unless he gives them a million dollars. Baker says it will bankrupt him, but the Rubber Man tells him to bring it to the Circus tomorrow. The Wild Man tries to hit Billy's head with a hammer, but Billy transforms and defeats the Wild Man, and when Thor attacks him he is knocked out. Marvel attacks the Rubber Man, but his contortionist skills mean he can absorb the blows easily. Marvel stretches his foe back, but the crook flies out of the window like a rubber band. Baker's doctor can find no cure, so Baker decides he will call his bank for the million dollars. Billy tells Morris, but says he did not tell the police or Squatma would destroy the antidote and Baker would die. Billy goes to the Circus and sees Baker handing over the million dollars, so he summons Captain Marvel. Squatma gives him the pill, which stops Baker shivering, then Baker calls the police he brought with him. The policemen run past Marve, so the two henchmen of Squatma break the roller coaster supports, delaying Captain Marvel while he rescues the occupants. He then follows them into the house of mirrors. Captain Marvel is unable to find the real criminals, allowing them to slip away. The manager runs in to sue Marvel for wrecking the place, so he transforms to Billy, who says Squatma will pay as he is the cause of this. Billy reports the story, but gets stomach cramps which is reported on the radio. Squatma gets in pretending to be a Doctor, then his men and him hold Billy down and pour the poison down his throat before he can say Shazam. Billy cannot say the magic word as his teeth are chattering too much. The two henchmen tie up Sterling Morris and escape. Billy sees a nantiote pill has been dropped by Squatma and swallows it, enabling him to transform. Marvel tries being conspicuous, so rings the bell and wins a cigar each time. He performs sword swallowing and fire-eating acts. The three villains notice it, but Squatma has made enough of the poison to kill an army, and plans to dump it in the city reservoir to enslave them all. They reopen the Three Tasks exhibit. Marvel does not recognise Squatma wearing dark glasses apparently and enters the exhibit. First he must lift a stone cat, which Marvel lifts revealing it is connected to an underground stone, then defeat what looks like an old weakman who is actually a strong wrestler, which Marvel also wins revealing it is a robot which he destroys with a single blow. Then he must empty a drinking horn with one gulp, which the other two henchmen are filling with all the poison, enough to kill five states. But Marvel survives it and knocks the two henchmen onto a merry-go-round. The leader still withstands the blows of Marvel, so is bounced round with the blows until he gets dizzy, then tied up in a human knot, which is how it all started.[11]
Invaders from Infinity
Only appearing in "Marvel Family" #36. Resemble giant fireballs. They are first seen from a watchtower on Pluto who think they are meteors and radio their headquarters on Neptune. However the inhabitants are killed by the fireballs, which then move away from Pluto. The United Nations contact the Marvels after Neptune contacts them about the fireballs which are attacking them. The Marvels go there, and finding nothing on the surface they go underground, thinking the Neptunians must be a mole-like race. Captain Marvel Jr. find wreckage and think the Neptunians might have all been killed. The Marvel Family shouts loudly at the suggestion of Captain Marvel, but still finding nobody, so they leave Neptune. However after this happens the fireballs reappear and reveal they plan to crush all resistance in this corner of the universe, then they will systematically demolish all forms of matter, then have a limitless empty infinity of space in which to live. The Marvels then go to Jupiter, although they imply they went to Neptune and Saturn and found no trace of civilization there. Captain Marvel thinks the Jupiterians must be tall like their buildings, but when they meet the Jupiterians, who despite their tall buildings are short and wide, which Mary Marvel alludes to the high gravitational mass, which according to them is 300 times that of Earth. The scientists claim the fireballs are actually a form of life, and the Marvels deduce with their incredible intellects they come from Infinity, the realm beyond the Universe. The Jupiterians are confident their space fleets will destroy the fireballs, but their weapons do not destroy the fireballs, meaning the Marvels after saving the ships have to evacuate the planet Jupiter and clear a path through the asteroid belt. They receive a report the fireballs are attacking Mars. The Jupiterians say the Martians are a warlike treacherous race and that this must be a trick, but the Marvels go there anyway. The Martian leader who resembles a humanoid military dictator surrenders, but understands the fireballs thoughts and realizes they want them to help in the conquest of the Solar System. When the Marvels arrive they are attacked, and Mary Marvel realizes the Martians have sold out to the invaders. The Martians finally surrender and the Marvels go to Earth, although they know the Fireballs are invulnerable to every known weapon. The Marvels battle and are enveloped by the Fireballs, but are able to free themselves, realizing neither can hurt the other. They work out a formula for a basic finite substance through which no Infinite substance can pass, and construct a prison of it, luring the Fireballs into it. They then defeat the Martians, and are told by the Jupiterians they will drop the Martians off on their way back to Jupiter and that the Martians will always be thankful to the Marvels. The Marvels check the Fireballs, but find they have burnt out as imprisonment of any kind was fatal to them which is why they wanted to destroy the Solar System for more space.[12]
Iron Horsemen
Only appearing in Marvel Family #12. The Marvels get a letter from Sheriff Blake from Redrock, Montana, saying bandits called the Iron Horsemen are raiding the countryside. The Marvels go to the Town and see armoured men on mechanical iron steeds. They are led by Iron Duke, and their armour is bulletproof. They try robbing the bank, but the Marvels fight them, the Iron Horsemen's bullets only bouncing off. Captain Marvel knocks one down, but his horse kicks Cap. The other bandits use the same method against the others. The bandits then ride away, on horses which can do 100 mph. They ride to the hills, and the Marvels lose them among those. Mary says they must have a hideout here, but it would take weeks to find it. They go back and meet Blake. They ask if he knows where the hideout is, too which he says he doesn't. Blake tells them he reserved rooms for them at the hotel. They go in and turn back to rest. Meanwhile the Iron Horseman go to their hideout, a Spanish Fortress built 300 years ago. The Iron Duke says a few more hauls like this and they can retire. When another member asks about the Marvel Family he says they'll outwits them. The Iron Duke says they stole Fire insurance papers from the Bank which cover almost every building in town. They'll burn the town down and collect the money. With flame throwers, they attack the town and night. But the noise wakes the children and Uncle Marvel, who become the Marvel Family. Captain Marvel withstands a flame thrower and uses it against the Iron Horseman. Jr. and Mary use the same method. But the Four Horsemen retreat and split up, so so do the Marvel Family. Mary seizes her quarry, and hits him hard enough to knock him from the armour. She flies him away. Jr. stands in front of another horse, smashing it apart. Uncle goes through a forest a foot. The Horseman hides behind a tree and decides to capture him. He is seized from behind, and the Horseman tries to squeeze him till he goes limp. However he turns on a knob on the Horse, making it kick the bandit. He tries to ride back, but can't control the Horse. Cap chases the Duke back to his castle, where the drawbridge is sent up. Cap thinks if he smashed his way in, it would warn the Duke and give him a chance to escape. Despite the fact the Duke already knows he is after him. Cap foolishly decides to turn back to Billy to creep through a small window. He is clubbed by the Duke. When he comes to he is gagged and tied to a torture wheel, which the Duke says will tear him imb from limb 'slowly.....agonizingly'. However Uncle crashes through the castle on the Horse, which collides with the wheel making Billy's gag come off. He summons Cap, who defeats the Duke. Meanwhile the Horse has been smashed after crashing through a wall, and Uncle says he will never ride another horse as long as he lives. The Horsemen are then jailed in Redrock.[13]
Jack Joddy
Only appearing in Marvel Family #54. A scientist whose Greenhouse is in financial difficulties so he creates an animal hormone that gives plants the power to move and talk, causing them to commit a holdup for him. He comes along disguised as another plant. Mary Batson is due at the party, sees the robbery, and becomes Mary Marvel. She overpowers them but they escape by standing stll next to other plants. They then give the Jewels, which they are hiding in themselves, to him. Later Mary visits Zooly and thinks she saw a cactus move. She hides and sees him give orders to the plants. She tries to say her magic word, but a tendril from a plant coils round her throat, preventing her saying her magic word. Mary is then bound and gagged and placed inside a Tiger plant from the tropics that starts closing on her, after which it will digest her. But she hooks her gag on a spikes and jerks her head back, removing her gag and enabling her to transform. She destroys the plants and takes Zooly to jail.
Jeepers
Jeepers is the last of a race of bat monsters. He was a member of the Monster Society of Evil.
Joe Magarac
Based on a legendary figure made from steel who worked in Pittsburgh Steel mills. Sivan, after reading a Superman comic, gets the idea of making a man of steel. He makes a formula for a super-strong steel, and pours the formula into a steel vat, making another Joe Magarac. This robot is programmed to wreck the Pittsburgh Steel mills. However Billy, who is visiting the mill, transforms into Captain Marvel and knocks the robot through the roof. A homing device in the robot brain leads Magarac back to Sivana. Sivana is angry when he hears Captain Marvel stopped Magarac, but then realises Cap must have turned back to Billy by now. When Billy leaves the mill his mouth is seized by Magarc. While he covers Billy's mouth he squeezes some steel into a gag for Billy. He welds it with his hands over Billy's mouth so he can't yell. He tells Billy that he doesn't need to tie his hands as he is not strong enough to get his gag off. However Billy gets a pad of paper out of his pocket and writes something down, hoping Sivana included knowledge of how to read into Magarac's mind. He writes an insult to Magarac, who hits him, breaking the gag. Billy's jaw is nearly broken, but he figured Magarac's hand was harder than his gag. Despite being dazed he is still able to say Shazam. He transforms and smashes Magarc apart. Sivana has meanwhile made other steel creatures to wreck the mills. After getting advise from Atlas, Cap gets the rest of the Marvel Family to help him smash the creatures. He then meets a steel Superman. He and the Superman hit each other at the same time, and the Superman is destroyed. He then takes Sivana to jail.
Joe Jark
A taxidermist who sells stone animals then plans to turn the population of Volcanoville, a city in a volcano crater, to stone using a gas. It will be blamed on the volcano and he will make a fortune from exhibiting the city. Billy sees the people turning to stone and turns to Captain Marvel. He stops the spreading of the gas and blocks the hole, but sees Jark with a gas mask using a bomb to open the hole. He plugs it again with a tree, but turns to Billy to get through a small window in Jark's shop. However he breaks a vase accidentally, alerting Jark who knocks him out, then ties up and gags him. He tries to turn Batson to stone using a gas that only turns skin to stone, leaving someone alive for hours before they slowly die, and removes the gag to see the effect on his face, but Batson kept his mouth open so he can speak and turns into Captain Marvel, and defeats Jark. He realises a light blow on the skin will shatter the stone, and a new outer layer will grow in a few days. Jark is then jailed.
Jokes of Jeopardy spies
Only appearing in Marvel Family #88. At Mrs Wagner's boardinghouse someone tries to rent a room, but keeps getting turned down as it is full up. Freddy Freeman and Leroy Marks start playing pranks on each other, and challenge each other to a practical joke contest. They play them round the boarding house, and Mary and Billy find out about this prank contest. Billy in his room finds an imitation snake, then realizes it is a real cobra. He transforms into Captain Marvel, tangles it up, and saves it for the zoo. Mary finds firecrackers have set her bed alight, she becomes Mary Marvel, fills her mouth with water from a tap, and puts it out. Freddy finds a tear gas bomb in his room, and becomes Captain Marvel Jr. He throws it out and clears the place. They go to meet Leroy, and Jr. finds a bucket of water on the door. They tell Leroy they think he committed the other pranks, but he tells them he did not commit this. Mary says she thinks he is telling the truth, and by process of elimination they think Freddy committed them, forgetting the tear gas. They ask Jr. if he is covering up for Freddy. Jr. runs out sadly, transforms back, and starts crying. Billy and Mary are sad about the Marvel Family breaking up. Billy has an idea, the two Marvels tie up Leroy, and tie up and gag Freddy. In Professor Edgewise's lab someone prepares a device, then meets Cap and Mary who decided to wait for another prank, and are somehow in the lab. He throws the atomic drill, and while Mary and Freddy save Professor Edgewise the crook escapes. Cap frees and ungags Freddy who transforms. Jr. sees a light in the tower which was not noticed before by the Marvels, and Mary chases the helicopter. She plays a 'practical joke' on the pilot, he leaps out to run away, but finds her waiting for him. Freddy stops another person, and Cap finds a hidden bag on the top of the tower, the highest point in the neighborhood, which the plane was supposed to pick up. It is revealed this contains atomic secrets, which the spies had stolen. One of them reveals he sneaked in and played practical jokes, hoping Leroy or Freddy would get blamed and kicked out, leaving an empty room for him, from which he could pass secrets for months. The Marvel Family rejoice being together again. Later Leroy tries to scare them with a mask, but Mary says 'Silly man! After all those horrible jokes, do you think that cute mask can scare us?'[14]
Jud Hunkle (Runaway Genius)
Only appearing in Marvel Family #57. Professor Joel Jackson, an upright and honourable man, is stuck up by degraded vagrant Jud Hunkle. Billy summons Captain Marvel and stops him, but Jackson says he does not want to press charges, and he's just the man he's looking for to make a good citizen. He takes him to his laboratory and reveals he has discovered units of thought, Thotons, like units of matter, Electrons, Protons, Neutrons, Positrons, and Photons. He uses it on the man, and he sees the error of his ways. Cap thinks it might be temporary, but next day Jud is so clean-shaven and well-mannered Cap does not at first recognise him, and is working in the lab. Cap says not to give him anymore as it could make him a genius, so Jackson decides to do that. Next day Jud is in the lab, painting, having already produced a short opera and exquisite clay model. But he starts acting temperamental, so Marvel reminds him not to let it go to his head. Cap tells him not to give him any more, but next day Jackson says Jud is no longer a genius. Billy at first thinks he has slipped back to before, but Jackson says he gave Jud more photons, making him beyond a genius. He shows a chart, imbecile, moron, average man, intellectual man, genius, Billy is amazed at this, wondering what is higher than a genius. Jackson reveals Jud is now the most brainy and intelligent human being on Earth. Right now he is working out the master formula to the universe. Einstein's new gravity theory he says is like adding two and two. He has the formula for a weapon a million times more powerful then the atom bomb, with which he can wipe out all armies and rule Earth. Billy realises he has gone mad, but he and Jackson are knocked out. Soon they are bound and gagged and Jud is making a new weapon, which though small is the most powerful gun on Earth, and can disintegrate matter. He decides to kill them both, but first blows up the Thoton projector to stop anybody else being as intelligent as him. But the concussion hurls a piece of glass into the wall, which Billy cuts his gag on. He then transforms and knocks out Jud with a single blow. Jackson asks if Jud is going to jail, but Cap says he is going to an asylum as his mind snapped. They say a genius is akin to madness, above a genius is madness. Jackson tears up his formula for Thotons, not realising how beneficial they could be. Cap says it's like many drugs which are useful in tiny doses as medicine. But in bigger doses they are poison.[1]
King Klaggor
The Marvels receive a distress call and Billy determines it is from underground, the centre of the Erath 4000 miles down, they transform and bore down. They discover the centre is hollow and two thousand miles across. One hour ago King Klaggor asked Prime Minister Olio what wrongs some people had done. Olio said nothing, he couldn't find any guilty so he dragged in innocent people. Klaggor says Olio knew his day would be ruined if he didn't have sport and condemn someone to die, Olio says it keeps the people oppressed and he can accuse them of being vagrants. They are sentnanced to death and an armed guard leads them away. Olio says they cannot escape to the Upper World as only they know about it, so they go into a Museum showing the history of their race only those two enter. They forget to lock the door and a slave sneaks in. The King provides exposition, saying an Ice Age drove their ancestors underground, civilisation sprung up, and the Kings have kept the people ignorant, so they don't escape to the surface. Klaggor says it is good they don't know of an ancient radio that could get help, the slave uses it to call for help. Klaggor tries to kill him, but Captain Marvel arrives and blocks the gun-blast. Klaggor recognises the Marvel Family from radio broadcasts, Klaggor is punched by Jr. Olio by Mary. Cap hears what has happened from the slave and punches the two himself, saying Klaggor's reign is over, which he seems to accept. Cap tells the other two to tell the people Klaggor's reign is over and they can go to the surface, Klaggor and Olio try to push a machine onto the slave, but Cap saves him. The two flee to a rocket ship, their ancestors had space ships, and Cap is blinded by smoke and flames. The two have a map showing them a tunnel they enter leads through caverns to the surface. Mary and Jr. come back and say there are at least a billion people down here, the world would be overcrowded, so they need a new world. How could a few rule over a billion people? Jr. suggests Mars and Venus, Mary says the problems, so Cap says they should build a new world. They go into space, however long-range television-radar has been used to watch them, and Klaggor releases a giant helium bomb to blow a hole in the ocean, making lava pour up, make the ocean boil over and destroy the surface, then he can rule the Underground World again. What if it goes down the caverns? How were such powerful weapons made underground?
The Pacific Ocean starts boiling, meanwhile the Marvels have found a cold dead word about Earth's size and decide to push it back to Earth to model it. They see the boiling from space and Cap tells them to plug the hole with icebergs. Mary is told to form the Mountain and Continents, Jr. to form the oceans, while Cap has another job. Mary decides to start with North and South America. She makes the Rocky Mountains, then starts to fashion Florida's coastlines. Does the world really need to be an exact copy? Are you sure improvements can't be made? Klaggor decides to stop the Marvels with one of the many inventions of the Ancients. He surrounds her with a black bubble that clings to her. Jr. has been forming the Oceans, but is also caught in a back bubble. Klaggor hopes as they can't see they will be lost in space, however Mary finds Jr. as her voice can be heard for miles. Wouldn't that wreck the world? She tells Jr. they will fly at each other at full speed, this smashes the bubbles. They finish the world and go to Earth where Cap has made a space ferry that can hold a million people. They fly through the caverns, Cap found a way through them to the center, he says the caverns brought air for the people to breath. They meet three people who claim to be representatives of the new democratic government established since Klaggor was de-throned. That was surprisingly quick. If the people were aware of this ideology why didn't they overthrow Klaggor themselves? Cap says they can come for the launching ceremony. He wants to make this a great occasion so decides Billy should broadcast for this historic event. Later Billy broadcasts he'll tell the whole story later but now they wish happiness to the Underground people. Mary claims she dedicates and launches the ferry, but seems to just dedicate it. Ferry. However Klaggor is watching and tells Olio to grab the three kids. Why did they all have to turn back when they should have known Klaggor would try to wreck their plan. Olio knocks the foolish three out with a club. When they come to they are tied up and gagged and Klaggor says they are speeding to the new Earth and he is tying them to a powerful helium bomb. He drops them from the rocket, saying the New Earth will be blown to atoms.
However the heat from being dropped so far up makes the Kid's clothes catch on fire, then burns away their gags and bond, they transform and stop the bomb literally two meters above the world. Cap throws the bomb into empty space, but says they'll have to watch for King Klaggor, who is watching them. They claim they can take a million each trip to bring up the Underground People. Shouldn't one stay on the new Earth? The people say getting out is like being let out of a dungeon. Wouldn't they be so used to the underground world that the surface would be bad for them? Shouldn't they have evolved for living Underground by now? The ship has no motor or engine, as the Marvels say they are the engine. Klaggor is watching and says though a million will die, he says he has millions of slaves left. Doesn't he realise they probably won't accept him back? Klaggor fires a black bubble big enough to surround a meteor heading for the Ferry. The Marvels have knocked aside a dozen meteors but can't see anymore. However Cap sees a black patch with no stars, says it is impossible, realizes something is blotting out the stars, and smashes the meteor apart. He sees Klaggor's ship and catches up with it. He 'crowns' him. The other two Marvels bring the Ferry to the New Earth. Cap says when they bring a jail here are their first two prisoners, bringing Klaggor and Olio. He says after they ferry everybody here they'll bring tools and building material. He says they can't let the New Earth stay here as it would upset the orbits of other planets, so they'll push it to a new sun. When they do this one person says they have everything Earth is, but Cap says they have one more thing, a moon they found wandering in space. They then leave the complete Earth.
King Kull
The king of the beastmen, neanderthal-like humanoids who ruled the earth in ancient times and enslaved the homo sapiens populance. The beastmen were eventually overthrown by their slaves who vastly outnumbered them, although King Kull, hidden in a secret underground chamber, survived and vowed revenge on humanity, putting himself into suspended animation. Kull's people had developed significantly advanced technologies before their demise, and Kull often battles the Marvel Family using such technology. Kull in early appearances seems to have superhuman strength and durability. King Kull made his debut in the Fawcett Comics stories of the early 1950s, and appeared in DC Comics Shazam! stories during the 1970s and early 1980s. In one story, he is able to release the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man, and tried to turn Billy Batson to stone. In Crisis in Eternity he captures nearly all the Elders that empower the Marvels, except for the Swift Mercury, and it takes the efforts of the JLA, JSA, and Squadron of Justice to beat him as he plans to wipe out humanity on all three earths. He joins the final pre-crisis Monster Society to attack the Rock of Eternity.
King Zonga
King of a civilisation of apes. He hires human workers to come over to the city he is building, and as the heat is hard for his workers to stand, he gives them the formula, claiming it will help, which it does by turning them into apes. He gives the Marvels, who have become kids in order to activate the radio, the formula which oddly enough turns them into monkeys instead of apes. He then knocks them out and pours the distilled potion down their throats, meaning they cannot speak, before leaving them in the jungle. The three are surrounded by crocodiles, but Billy gets the ideas of their using their tails, wound round a branch, to escape. As time goes on they start to lose memory of their human selves, so return to King Zonga's palace. He reveals he is Ira Gloot, a scientist who has developed the formula. He has taken the formula to make him more used to the heat, but takes the antidote at certain points to stop him forgetting his human self. He reveals the apes were formerly natives, who he transformed, and that he plans to make the entire world apes. The kids take the antidote and summon the Marvel Family. Zonga turns a nearby city into apes using his potion as gas and spreading it by plane, and oddly enough the apes just obey him. The Marvels stop the apes advancing to attack, but Zonga then tries to use a rocket to spread the gas round the world, as people will not be able to avoid breathing it in. The Marvels get to Zonga as the rocket is set off, and are unable to stop it exploding. The Marvels use a huge vacuum to suck up the gas and send it into space. Zonga turns on the radio, expecting to hear two billion apes, but finds they have not transformed. The Marvels capture him, turn him back, and everyboy else is restored, while Gloot is jailed.[15]
Kistara
Only appearing in Marvel Family #24. A mysterious name that brings death is what it the caption calls Kistara. Captain Marvel Jr. observes a man crying Kistara then being shot. Despite the man escaping by shooting a bus' tires so Jr. has to prevent it crashing, he tracks him to Chinnatown where he sees him with a dagger in his back after saying 'Kistara.' The Chinese man says it is the name of Death, and some words should not be spoken aloud, like 'Kistara.' He dies suddenly, and Jr. realizes his cigarette has been impregnated with cyanide, and has Kistara written on it. At PYRAMID TOBACCO MFRS. he checks on their clients, and at the EL ROYALE Gambling Saloon meets the owner, Chip Greer. The bouncer is nervous, and when Jr. asks Chip about Kistara he tries to shoot Jr. When he hears Lum Fung is dead, he realizes Kistara is killing everybody and starts telling the story. Five people, including Kistara, stole a ruby he now has from an Ancient Chinese Temple. They agreed to wait a year till it was safe to sell the Ruby, and then split the proceeds. But Kistara would not wait, getting Matt Brown to kill Woodfolk, then getting rid of Matt Brown and Lum Fung herself. He does not realize a hooded figure is watching them. They then shoot him and attempt to shoot Jr., who seizes and unmasks them, revealing a Women of East Asian ethnicity. She says she will never be taken alive and throws something at the fireplace, causing an explosion. Jr. finds the Ruby, but the handkerchief is all he can find of Kistara. The Ruby is restored to its rightful owners at the Temple, but Jr. doubts he will ever forget his meeting with Kistara.[9]
King of the Crater
Only appearing in Captain Marvel Adventures #5. After a volcano explodes in the United States, Billy, who is near the scene, is called by Sterling Morris to go there. Several volcanoes are going off, and one shoots a square-cut block at Marvel, which he knocks away and realises must be man-made. Billy asks the governor about it, and finds that the Chief of Police is evacuating people from the state, but nobody knows when the next one will explode and they fear many lives have been lost. A woman then appears and asks the Governor and Chief to save her baby. Cliche. She lived in Swan Creek Canyon, she thought her husband brought out all the children, but little Johny is still in there. The Chief says Swan Creek is doomed and he cannot order his men to go there. Billy says he will go, and when the Chief tries to stop him he goes behind a bush and transforms. When the Chief asks him about Billy, he says he is not there. Captain Marvel then flies to Swan Creek. Marvel finds Red Hot liquid rock spurting through Swan Creek. He finds the cabin, which is on fire. He rescues Johny and flies through the roof with him, and sees lava has stopped spurting from the volcano. He transforms and gives the baby back to the Woman. The Chief points out to he Governor that no sooner do the refugees all clear out, then the fire dies down. The Governor says it is like a human villain is using it to torment people. Billy takes them to where the block hit the ground, but it is gone. The men leave, but Billy stays to look for it, not realising two men in protective clothing are watching him from a bush. They attack him and stun him with a gun blow to the head when the word of power is half spoken.
When Billy comes to he is bound and gagged, and a man who tells Billy he is in a cave that leads of the tube of the volcano, introduces himself as Mawks, and claims he is King of the Crater. On a map he shows a mountain chain from Alaska to the Panama Canal, below that it becomes the Andes in South America. Underneath it he has found a high pressure chain of fire from the centre of the Earth. His men and he will build machinery to control that fire. They can start volcanoes anywhere in the Rockies, which they plan to. They'll sit on top of the fire and rule a strip of country where nobody will come, except by their permission. The permission will cost plenty. Mawks revels he captured Billy so he could broadcast his terms to the World. He removes Billy's gag, holds up a mike, and tells him to tell the listeners they have to do what he (Mawks) says. Billy tells the people a man calling himself Mawks, King of the Crater, is causing all the eruptions. He swears he will flood the mountain country with fire unless he's allowed to rule it, but Billy then says he's not going to succeed, and that Captain Marvel will beat him, infuriating Mawks. Mawks says he will be Boss, and does not believe in Captain Marvel. Billy starts saying 'Shazam', but only gets to Sha before he is dazed with a blow from a henchman. Mawks tells the listeners what the smacking noise was, and calls himself 'Majesty Mawks' while signing off. He tells the thug to toss Billy down the shaft without any heat armour. Just before he hits the fire Billy says Shazam and transforms, enabling him to survive the fire. He sees the machinery Mawks talked about, run by men in heat armour, even the rock is red-hot. He sees the pipe to the centre of the Earth and says 'Mawks is the greatest heating engineer the world has ever produced.' The alarm goes off and two men recognise Marvel, and try to stab him in the heart with long shafts. Marvel knocks them out, so two more fire Red Hot lava and liquid air at him, which turns the lava cold and seals Marvel in solid rock. They are about to call 'King Mawks' when Marvel breaks out, and this time he is ready for the attack, allowing him to catch a ball of lava, which solidifies, and use it like a bowling ball on the machinery that pumps fire to the Volanos. He climbs up a ladder to see what Mawks is up to on the top floor. Mawks, unaware of what has happened, hears from his thug that people in the Valley are encouraged by the report of Cap and say Mawks will not last long against him, so Mawks decides to splash liquid fire all over this part of the World, and tells the thug to tell his men to put he machinery in high gear. Suddenly his men appear and tell him Marvel has smashed up the machinery. Marvel appears and merely eats the bullets meach fires at him. he tears open the suit of Mawks and tells him to stop the eruption. Mawks says he cannot, as if Marvel smashed the machines, all the pressure is released. There'll be an eruption greater than anything he planned. He claims it is Marvel's doing not his, says 'GOODBYE!' then leaps down the tube, killing himself.
Cap knows he is responsible, so decides he will put a stop to the Volcano. Using his strength he closes the shaft, then seeing a big drill he makes a new exit for the fire to go. The Heat, Smoke, Steam, and Lava is sent into a Canyon, Marvel summons the lightning, and Billy reports the story, then says the only result of the rater King's huge plot is that a seldom visited spot in the Rockies where there used to be a canyon is now a lake of hardened lava which will never threaten harm to anybody again.[16]
King of all time
Only appearing in Marvel Family #88. There is a siren, but Billy announces it is a fake air raid. He does not have time to report about Zotan, the dictator who took over the mountain kingdom of Javania in one week. The fake air raid happens, however it is really Zotan's air fleet that is attacking, which the gunners do not realise. Bombs are dropped on the city, realising that they are real the Marvel Family transform, however a bomb hits the basement. The victims are unharmed, but then say 'Down with America! Down with democracy!' They attack the Marvels. Captain Marvel finds the bombs are soft plastic, and instead of explosives hold a drug-like gas that enslaves human minds. It is shown Zoan's weapons effect minds, possessing weapons like 'slavery shells,' and 'propaganda cannons.' The Marvel family smash 12 ships, but Zotan has over a hundred and orders one of his henchmen to move the Time Lever so the rest of his ships can be saved. They escape to a different century. The Marvels find only a few hundred citizens were mentally bombed, so they hold them for observation. The Marvels fly faster than light and get to the Rock of Eternity to ask Shazam about who attacked their century. He tells them it was Zotan; in One Million AD he was exposed as a brutal tyrant. He was exiled to 1953 and dropped in Javania. Using his advanced knowledge he made weapons of the future. Shazam explains all wars are fought over ideas, in the future all killing weapons were abandoned and only mental weapons were used. They go back to Earth, but find Zotan has taken over America. They are chased away, and find everywhere on Earth has been taken over by Zotan, meaning they leave Earth.
They cannot fight two billion people who are mental slaves, so return to the Rock of Eternity. Shazam explains Zotan wants to become King of Time, and shows them a chart showing the peaks of civilisation to caveman days. Other dictators invaded countries, Zotan wants to invade centuries, and eventually return to One Million AD and get revenge for deporting him. Shazam calls Zotan, but the dictator will not be persuaded and threatens to rule the past and future, and eventually conquer Shazam, to which Sazam angrily says he will never succeed. The Marvels are told Zotan will first strike at Egypt 3,000 BC. The Marvels cause a sandstorm to hide Egypt, not considering this will probably kill many citizens, so Zotan releases his slave gas, which starts to enslave Egypt. Zotan stands on a pyramid and escapes the Marvels with his time-belt that sends him a month into the future. They go back to Shazam who shows them other points, which each Marvel goes to. Mary tries using a shield to stop bombs striking Babylon, so guided missiles are used instead. Jr. tries to evacuate Athens underground, but Evilness rays penetrate the rock. Marvel causes a hurricane to wreck the fleet, but Hypno-Smoke is spread anyway over Rome. The Marvels go off to warn the future, but their scanner shows the fleet is not advancing. The Marvels realise it was a trick to leave the Rock unguarded, but Shazam has already been captured and chained up. Zotan brags he will cut the wizard's throat when he feels like it. Shazam obeys Zotan's order to get rid of the Marvels, as so it is written, and uses a thunderbolt of Zeus to apparently destroy the Marvels, however it only transforms them into the kids, and they cannot change back as Shazam is captured. 'No gags seal of their tongues. No bonds restrict them.' But they cannot change.
The fleet begins preparing the attack and the Marvels are chased by a soldier. Shazam has meanwhile been left on a savage world, manacled before what looks like a dinosaur. Billy gets the idea of going into the subway tunnel where they got their powers. Lighting the brazier saves the Wizard from death by transporting him to the cave, meaning the Marvels are able to transform. Zotan meanwhile is preparing his attack, as the future has been unarmed for thousands of years, while he has the killing weapons of the past. The Marvels fight the attacking phalanxes and seal up the ships. Zotan escapes, but the Marvels make freedom bombs, which were used earlier in the future to make peace and the plans are now stored in a museum. The Marvels drop them throughout time aided by future ships. The freedom bombs free the ages. When Zotan loses 1953 he tries to return to his ship, but Mary Marvel has destroyed it. Zotan uses his Time-belt to escape a month into the future, where Billy pretend to be his slave. He then removes the belt, transforms, and defeats Zotan, who is imprisoned.[14]
Klozz Leader
Only appearing in Captain Marvel Adventures #109. A spaceship heads towards Earth for a sneak attack inhabitated the green scaley humanoids. It fires atomic flames that causes a mile-wide swath of destruction that moves towards the city. Billy gets the bulletin and turns into Captain Marvel. He smashes into the spaceship, and invulnerable to the ray-guns, knocks down the aliens, saying it should be an Interplanetary law, as well as an international law, for an aggressor world to launch a sneak attack on another. However the aliens say Earth attacked them first, surprising Cap, and when he denies it the aliens say the Earthlings are accomplished liars as well as ruthless aggressors. Cap says Earth has no rocket ships capable of reaching another world, and the aliens tell Cap to come to their world. They show their devastated world, the cities wrecked a week ago in an attack by Earth. They show their proof, a bomb fragment with the imprint of Earth on it. Cap wonders if a group on Earth did it. The alien says his family died in the attack, then a fleet with the Earth emblem moves towards the world, and via radio give an ultimatum of surrender. Cap flies towards the ships, saying he will not smash the ships as he cannot take human lives even if they did attack. He gets into the ship and decides to turn into Billy to use words to stop them. Thinking humans are there, he tells them to stop, but is knocked out by a large, fat, greenish-brown alien before he can transform. When he comes to, he is gagged and an alien says they are pretending to be from Earth to embroil both worlds in a space war, then they will take over both exhausted worlds. They will do this to other worlds, and the world Klozz will become master of the Universe. He says the fleet of that world is now flying to Earth. Billy is tied to a bomb and thrown out. However he inches to the propeller and his gag is cut off. He transforms and throws the bomb, destroying the fleet, except the leaders ship. He flies the leader through space. He flies in front of the alien's fleet and shows the leader, who admits what he did, meaning there is peace between the worlds.[17]
Knuckles Nickerson and Sivana Navy
Knuckles is a henchman of Sivana. Beautia hides a tiny camera inside a locket she is wearing so she can film the Navy's new aerial torpedo. Knuckles then flies it of to an Island which Sivana has a base on. However, Billy has hidden on the plane. However, before he can move a burly guard drags him from the plane and overpowers him. He is brought to Sivana, who reveals he is making copies of the aerial torpedo, planning to wipe out the U.S Pacific fleet. Billy starts saying his magic word, but Sivana orders him overpowered before he can say his magic word. He holds Billy's arms and Billy only gets to Sha before a guard, probably the same one a before, gags him from behind. Billy is then chained hand and foot under a cauldron of molten steel. Sivana says in a few minutes it will cook him. The vat of molten iron begins to tip over towards Billy. Narrowly missing his face, a glob of white-hot metal severs his gag. Billy transforms. Captain Marvel bursts his bonds as 50 tons of molten death pour down from above. He withstands this and catches the torpedoes fired from Sivana's battleship. However, while saving Beautia from a dive bomber from the fleet that attacks her boat, Sivana gets away on one of the torpedoes. However the rest of his fleet is probably jailed.
Krager
A criminal who uses his special food to make swordfish attack other fishing boats. His repellent keeps them from attacking his ship and attrats them to his fishing grounds. He gets fish, and sells them at high prices, nobody else able to fish. Mary investigates, but is captured, bound, and gagged by his henchman. She is thrown overboard for the swordfish, but escapes by jerking her head back as a swordfish slashes at her face, removing her gag, and allowing her to change into Mary. She uses a broken swordfish nose to attack Krager and then arrest him. Only appearing in Wow comics #50.[18]
Larch Bros
Only appearing in Mary Marvel Comics 1. Across the city people start growing in size. Mary transforms when a dog tries attacking a child, and realises as Mary Marvel she is not oversize. The Larch Bros, shopowners advertise their large lothing, furniture, and food, and start making money from the desperate citizens. Mary sees one of them stop another from drinking the water, and sees they have doped the city's water with H-G (Growth Hormone). They call their fourth brother Hertman, who has been given large quantities of growth hormone and is 20 feet tall, but Mary defeats him. She realizes Vinegar and Castor oil will reverse the effects, and tells her brother Billy Batson to broadcast this information over the city. She then transforms and takes the antidote.[19]
Lem Blucher and Robot Duplicates
Only appearing in Marvel Family #89. Professor Edgewise says he is working on an exciting new discovery but will be home by supper. However he is not home then, and when Mary asks if he got lost the landlady Mrs Wagner says she has her address sewn in all his clothes. The Kids go outside and Mary says something might have happened to him, so Billy tells the Kids they will look for him and meet back there in an hour. They do not find him, and Mary does not return. When Billy finds neither is in his room he thinks it may be kidnapping, so he and Freddy say their magic words. They search the area and do not find either, but when they return they find from the sobbing Mrs Wagner, none of the others, Red O'Reilly, Leroy Marks, and Jim Bellows, have returned. They see two thugs dragging bags and think they are kidnappers so hit them, but the men say they are just Burglars. Cap drags them to the Police Station, while Jr. takes the loot and apologises, saying he is sure they will let them of, with five years apiece. Cap says they wanted to report the kidnappings to the police anyway. The Police say no known big-time kidnappers are at large, so Cap says they will return to the boarding house, but they find Mrs Wagner is gone, though her knitting is still there. They realise Billy and Freddy are the only people not gone, so Jr. suggests an idea to Cap. He changes and Cap hides. While Freddy pretends to fall asleep, Cap watches and sees a figure outside the window. He gets him, but the man says he is the Professor, and when Freddy turns on the light this is confirmed. WEhen Cap asks who kidnapped him and held him prisoner, he says he just forgot where he lived. Freddy can blieve that of him, but not the others. He says they must have been kidnapped or killed or...But he does not finish as the others appear. Mary says a sort of amnesia spell on them, and Edgewise when Cap asks how they all got it at once says it was due to his new discovery of memory stimulator spray with which he was trying to improve his memory. But the jar broke in his room and the fumes spread through the house, and Cap says that it wipes out memory instead. Cap thinks it is odd Billy and Freddy were not affected, but says as everybody is safe Billy can rejoin them. Life returns to normal, and Jim goes on night duty, saying clever Jewel thieves are operating in the vicinity and he must be on guard. Later the Cop meets two thieves who try to shoot him, but the Kids have secretly followed, and Billy and Freddy transform. When they ask why Mary is not joining them, she sas there are only two crooks. After defeating them, they find they stole a diamond necklace from Mrs Van Arch, and Cap says Mary can return it while they help Jim jail the crooks. However the next evening they engage in a search of Mary's room, as Jim said that Van Arch did not get her necklace back, and the Kids, thinking Mary is not a Thief, think she may have forgotten to return it and that the amnesia stuff may still be working on her as she forgot to say 'Shazam'. Mary comes in and is angry at them snooping in her room, but is shocked at them finding the necklace in a drawer. When Billy says they know the whole truth Mary knocks the two boys out with a vase (which she suddenly has) with which she strikes their heads. When they come to they are bound and gagged and Mary is wielding a knife, causing them to think she has lost her mind.
Mary tries to stab Billy, but he evades her and kicks the knife from her hand. Freddy is then able to cut his gag on it, and free Billy. Mary leaps from the window so Jr. catches her. As she is fighting Billy tells Jr. to tie her up, as he says Mary is insane. She is taken to a mental hospital by Jr, and Billy miserably thinks of how for years the three of them were the closest friends and goes on a walk alone. He checks at the hospital, but finds Mary escaped last night, ripping out of the straitjacket with the strength of a maniac. The police have been told but have not found her. Bily transforms but cannot find her and tells Freddy. At the dinner table Billy notices Freddy has not eaten and he claims to be upset. Billy notices Red is not eating which he finds odd, then realises none of the people have been eating much. He then sees Red's cigarette has burnt down ot his fingers and he is not feeling any pain. He tells Freddy something is going on so says they will pretend to go to the movies and sneak back. He sees that the people are all robots and are taking Fuel Oil. He tells Freddy the people are robot duplicates, then sees Freddy is standing there without a crutch. Realising he is a duplicate he tries to transform, but a blow to the head knocks him unconscious as the robot says Freddy took a walk but he came back instead. He carries Billy in and the robot Wagner tells him to bind and gag Billy. Billy is told by the robot Mary he will soon be one of them. Money is collected from O'Reilly's gas-station, Marks's sales business, Bellow's salary, Wagner's rent money and the rest, as the Mastert is waiting for the day's proceeds. Mary takes the money along, and Freddy carries Billy along. It might have been easier to take Billy and Freddy way earlier when they found Mary had the ncklace, also why did the robot Jim tell the Kids the necklace was not returned? Billy is taken to the old abandoned mill and find Edwise there. He thinks he is the villain, but then sees the Janitor from school, Lem Blucher. Edgewise, as he works on the Billy robot, reveals the invention he was working on at school after hours were lifelike robots, covered with flesh-like plastics and looking perfectly human. He says the real secret is the robot's metallic brain, which can absorb all memory from its human counterpart, meaning the robots can think and act like the people themselves arousing no suspicion. He was going to surprise the people with them and confided in the Janitor, his sad mistake. The Janitor saw a way to make the robots pay off, and tells Edgwise to attach the memory transfer caps onto each Billy, who are seated on chairs. How was the Janitor able to make the Professor do all this, and why did the Professor not do something to the robots to stop them obeying Blucher? Blucher reveals he is planning to murder the originals and let the robots carry on. That is just a test. He will replace rich people with his robots, Malcom Saunders, Bank President, John T. Smythe, Factory owner, Andrew Todd, Oil King, and Anthony Crane, Railroad magnate. Then he will as good as own their businesses, as he will kidnap and kill them. He can get away with murder, literally. The robot Billy says he will threaten t quit at Whiz unless Sterling Morris gives him a raise, but Blucher gives the robot an axe and says its first action will be to kill Billy, who is not needed anymore. The robot then prepares to kill Billy.
Billy thinks only a miracle can save him, and the robot's arms suddenly tear off. Edgewise, winking at Billy, says he forgot ot tighten the robot's shoulder screws. He says he will repair the robot and Lem should help him as he cannot screw the robot's head on backwards. He leaves the axe behind, and Billy removes his gag on this and changes to Captain Marvel. The robot Billy attacks him with an axe and it smashes. Cap is about ot get Lem, but is shown through a periscope Lem's robot guarding Billy's friends, all bound and gagged, with a machine gun. He has orders to shoot them the moment Cap attacks Lem, he kept them alive for an emergency like this. Cap is told to leave or they will die. He turns back and creeps in, but is hit by his duplicate and when he comes to he is bound and gagged with the others. Lem also has a machine gun and with his robot he decides to wipe out the group. But the three youngsters attack, as luckily their legs are free. However they are still gagged and need to get out, so break down the old rotting door, but find it only leads to the old mill wheel and they are cornered. They leap off, making Lem think it will save them the trouble of killing them and they will be ground to bits, but the churning rips off their gags, enabling them to transform. They get back at the Robot-Master, Mary frees the bound and gagged prisoners, who now include Edgwise, and Cap destroys the robot Billy and the lab. Jr goes after Edgwise and finds one running away, and one getting into a car. He thinks Lem would not try to escape on foot, so the one on foot must be the robot. However when he smashes the one in the car apart he realises he was wrong, and the real Lem escapes in a helicopter he has somehow obtained, following the old road without rising into the clear air for them to spot him. The Marvels take their friends home and smash the robots up, Cap apologising for the Junk but Mrs Wagner saying she will be happy to clean up the mess later. Jr realises the robot Professor Edgeiwse is missing, and Mary says noto ne must be let loose. It is soon found, and Cap says it is more like Edgeiwse then Edgewise himself due to its abset-mindedness. The next night Lem trys to kidnap the Professor again with a wire grabber attached to a cable, hoping to force him to make other robots and carry on the schem in some other city, but finds it is the robot when it tries to eat oil. The Marvels appear, Cap smashing up the helicopter and saying they left the robot out as bait, Jr. smashing the Edgewise robot, and Mary catching Blucher and hitting him to make sure he is not a robot. Blucher says he is not a robot and asks to be put in jail, to which Jr says they will.
Leonardo Da Pinchey
Only appearing in Wow Comics #38. An artist who finds a way to paint things that come to life using magic. He paints monsters, but they are defeated by Mary Marvel, who discovers fire destroys them. He watches her using a screen, and sees her transform into Mary Batson. After watching her go home he paints another monster, himself, but with added powers, and tells it to go to Mary's house. Mary sees her brother Billy, who tells her that she does not need his help, as she can become Mary Marvel. He then leaves. Mary does not notice that the Artist has flown through the window. When she decides to read, the copy stops her form speaking with his hand. However Mary is able to escape, transform and defeat the Monster. The Mad Artist makes a copy of Billy that lures Mary to the Mad Artist's base. Her mouth is gagged from behind, and she is bound to a pillar. The Artist tells Mary that the fake Billy will stab her, then throw her body into a pit, and says it will be like her brother killing her. However Mary is able to kick the Billy away, meaning the knife only pins her gag to the pillar. The second blow sends Billy into the pit, and by pulling hard Mary is able to rip her gag, enabling her to transform. While this is happening the Mad Artist runs to his studio, hoping to hide. Mary goes to a labyrinth of tunnels, but hears the Artist painting. She stops his final attempt to defeat her with a giant Mary Marvel using fire to destroy it, and he is defeated.
Leon Lyarr
A who man gets a contract to build a highway through the mountains in Shire Country, but claims to be using an entirely new method, and sends a letter to Billy Batson about it. Billy goes there, and Lyarr says all the machines have built-in controls and are guided by remote control from the master machine. Suddenly two machines go berserk, Billy summons Captain Marvel who stops them and tells Lyarr to turn the master machine off. He tries to make adjustments, for which Billy admires him for trying a new method. The next day Billy gets a call saying the master machine went wild and the Marvel Family is needed. Captain Marvel alerts Jr. and Mary who help stop the berserk machines. The Marvels then decide to build the highway to stop Lyarr from losing his contract. When they leave, Lyarr laughs and calls them fools. The next day, at the dedication ceremony attended by the Highway Commissioner, all the Marvels are there as civilians. Billy checks the master machine and finds it empty, showing Lyarr is a fraud, but he is gagged from behind by Lyarr, tied up, and placed in the cement mixer. When the Commissioner pours the cement, Billy hooks his gag on the chute edge and transforms. He reveals Lyarr is a crook, Lyarr grabs his cheque and tries to escape down the highway in his car. The Marvel Family flies after him and stops him. Cap says he put timing devices into his machines so they would go wild, knowing the Marvel Family would help him. The cheque goes to charity, and the highway is named the Marvel Turnpike.
Macro the Giant
A giant of great strength 18 ft. tall, first appearing in Captain Marvel Adventures #8. After some local officials are elected in the country village of Squankum, including Sheriff Binns and Mayor Strong, the Town Hall is wrecked, and the Mayor is knocked out by a blow from a club. Billy goes to Squankum and follows tracks to the woods, where he finds a huge glove, and is then seized by a giant. He is thrown through the air, but transforms into Captain Marvel with seconds to spare. Realising it is nearly 3 O'clock and he has one second to spare, he flies back to Squankum where Hiram Slugs, editor of the Squankum War Whoop, is about to broadcast instead of him. Cap transforms into Billy, and starts broadcasting 1 second after 3. He says the culprit is a criminal of monstrous size, but the case is being studied by Captain Marvel. Slugs tells Billy he can stay at his house—he is a bachelor and good cook. While he is cooking mulligan stew a huge hand stealthily pours something into it from the window. He tells Billy the Mayor and Sheriff won after a hot election, that he supported the reform ticket, and the crooked Ex-Mayor skipped town after the new Mayor had been elected, Binns was ready to arrest him. The poisoned food starts taking effect on Billy, who nearly dies, but transforms into Marvel, who deduces that the poison is arsenic. He suspects Sluggs, but realises their stew has been poisoned. Sluggs returns and then the arsenic seems to take effect. Leading citizens come in, who, as the Mayor has disappeared and is suspected to be probably dead, want Sluggs to take his place. Marvel gets him to a doctor, and the stomach pump is used in time. Cap goes to the woods and follows the tracks, saying 'I do not have to be hit over the head to know I'm near the end of my search,' but is then hit on the head by a club-wielding giant. He comes out of the hole in the ground, snaps the club, and takes down the giant. The Giant tells his story. He was born in Squankum but overgrown from babyhood, having a miserable time as his companions laughed at him. He finally joined a sideshow as Macro the Monster, but was visited one day by someone who told him how to get revenge. He was ordered to kill the Mayor and Sheriff but had not the heart, so he kept them tied up in a cave. Cap frees them and with them heads to a Doctor's office. Marvel reveals Sluggs ordered that giant to do his dirty work, knowing as the chief supporter of the Mayor's campaign he would become Mayor, after which he planned to steal from the citizens like the old Mayor. He tries to get away in his car, but Marvel smashes the car. He asks the Doctor to test Slugg's skin, and it is found out he was taking doses of arsenic to build up immunity. Sluggs confesses and is arrested. Strong wants to erect a statue of Cap, but Cap tells him to give Macro a chance to earn his living.[20]
Mad Poet
A poet called Edgar Alvin Pfoe who tries to get revenge on Marmaduke Speareshake when he wins first prize, and Mary Batson, who wins second prize, while he only wins third prize. He always speaks in rhyme, like 'If I kill you and Speareshake, then first prize will I take.' He attempts to kill Speareshake with a knife at the concert, but Mary Marvel foils him. He tries to shoot him later at his house, but Mary stops him, but he escapes by blinding her with ink. She is told by Speareshake, who also speaks in rhyme, where to find Pfoe, on Cedar street 10. She turns into Mary so he does not run away as he lives up a lot of stairs. However, he recognises her, gags her while slamming the door, and ties her to a chair, planning to kill her after reading his poetry to her. She shakes her head like she thinks his poetry is terrible, he removes her gag to ask her, but she then transforms and defeats him. Only appears in Mary Marvel #2.[21]
The Mad Mummy
Only appearing in "Marvel Family" #79. The Mad Mummy, a denizen of the Nether World, wreaked havoc on ancient Egypt by indiscriminantly slaying men and women, cackling over his human carnage, and by attempting to overthrow the world of the living. The ancient Shazam imprisoned the Mummy in a pyramid tomb for the Mummy’s crimes. Shazam dropped the tomb to the bottom of the ocean. Thousands of years later… archeologists Professor Joplin and Professor Beatty discovered the Pyramid of Peril after they deciphered ancient parchments leading to its location. When a giant octopus attacked Beatty during a dive to discover the entrance of the tomb, the Mighty Marvels flew in to rescue the terrified diver. Cap, Mary, and Junior also raised the pyramid and delivered it to dry land. In exchange for opening the pyramid, the Marvels struck a deal with Joplin so that their alter egos could join in on the discovery. Inside the pyramid, Joplin and his team ignored repeated warnings not to let loose the Mad Mummy, ignoring a warning written by the ancient wizard Shazam! Joplin cavalierly opened the mummy’s sarcophagus and the loosed the still animated mummy on the modern world. The mummy quickly overcame both Joplin and his party and the Marvels in their human guises of Billy, Mary, and Freddy—trapping them all in a giant stone Sphinx. The Kids were bound and gagged with strips of cloth. The mummy launched the Sphinx and his captives towards Fawcett City in an attempt to kill thousands. Billy was able to break his bonds by stretching them, then remove his gag in time to change to Captain Marvel and save the city. Cap quickly freed Freddy and Mary and the reunited Marvel Family took off to battle the Mad Mummy! The mummy used an ancient device named the Horn of Horror to release a plague of demons to slow the Marvels down but the Marvels quickly overcame the demons. After destroying the mummy’s pyramid, Billy, Mary, and Freddy paid a quick visit to Shazam, who told them of the grisly history of the mummy and charged them with stopping the mummy. In the meantime, the Mad Mummy has used his Horn of Horror to bring forth a horde of other mummies that captured the three kids. The muumy used his Sphinx Ray to silence the kids so that they could not say their magic words. He then tortured and forced the kids to build a new Pyramid of Peril. To escape the clutches of the mummy, Billy suggested that they play dead. Believing that the children had died, the Mad Mummy wrapped the children in mummy cloth and deposited them in open sarcophaguses in the new Pyramid of Peril. The kids then sneaked out of the tomb and up on the mummy—grabbing and destroying the mummy’s Sphinx Ray. Now able to speak, the kids changed to their Marvel forms and quickly defeated the mummy horde. The Marvel’s caused an earthquake, which swallowed up the mummy’s Horn of Horror. After quickly capturing the mummy, the Marvel’s delivered him to Shazam who sealed the mummy back in his sarcophagus. The Marvel’s dropped the new Pyramid of Peril in the deepest part of the ocean and the Mad Mummy has not been heard from since.[22] Reappeared in "Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam" #18.
Mask
A Spy Smasher foe and Nazi spy, named from the white full-face mask he wears. He captured Spy Smasher and using the hypno-chair brainwashed him to become a villain. However in this state he killed the Mask. From Whiz Comics 16-18 he battled Captain Marvel, planning to become a dictator, until he was able to capture Spy Smasher. He took him to the hypno-chair, which he destroyed, but he used his own hypnotic power to restore Spy Smasher's mind
Michael Gordon
A laboratory assistant who steals some rust from Mars from a professor and trys to use it to ransom entire cities. He is finally killed when the rust gets onto him. The Marvel Family meanwhile discovers how to destroy the rust before it destroys the city. Only appearing in Marvel Family #44.[23]
Mile-High Mightiest Mongol
Only appearing in Marvel Family #81. Captain Inch Wade is a stubborn officer who is holding a section of Communist Korea's border for 18 months, not retreating one inch. His group is suddenly attacked by an eight-foot tall Asian, who Wade recognises as Mong the Giant. He is knocked out and captured by Mong. Billy reports he was about to be given the Silver Star for not retreating one inch from the Yongpyor setion. The Marvel Family transform and fly to Korea to rescue him and meet Mong the Giant. The Marvel Family hear he leads the attack every day, but see he has grown to 20 feet, as he grows larger each day. The Marvels knock down Mong, who runs away. The Marvels follow, but he has gone, leaving only a Communist soldier, who is questioned by Cap who speaks Korean fluently, and claims he did not see him. The next day Mong is larger than before, but the Marvels hit his foot and again chase him away, this time to the forest, but he is again gone. The Marvels foolishly change into the kids to sneak through enemy line and hide all the next day.
Mong returns after another raid, is hungry, and takes dwindling pills, making him the Red Runt, smallest of the Communist Korean forces, but a menace when he takes the dwindling pills. The Marvels are about to transform, but are knocked out by a guard, and when they come to they have been securely bound and gagged, and are in the same cell as Wade. The Red Runt reveals he slipped an enlarging pill down each of their throats while they were out cold. He then takes the rest of the enlarging pills which will make him a mile high giant for an all-out attack against the American forces. The Marvels start growing, meaning Wade will soon be crushed, but their bonds and gags snap, enabling them to transform. It is odd the enlarging pill makes clothes grow, yet the Marvels bonds and gags did not grow. The Marvels fly away with Wade while Mong is causing chaos. They put Wade down and tell him to run back to the American lines, however he picks up a discarded rifle and attacks Mong by stabbing him in the foot. The book calls him 'the world's bravest soldier.' The Marvels hit Mong with a mountain, which is odd since their own strength would have been enough. Mong falls onto the entire communist army following him. The Marvels then use dwindling pills to shrink him down, then take the Red Runt to a prison camp and destroy the pills, not thinking of possibly analyzing them for the Americans. Wade leads a counter-attack and is given the medal, but he tries giving it to the Marvels, who have to argue for an hour to get him to take it.[24]
Mister Atom
An artificially intelligent nuclear-powered robot created by Dr. Charles Langley, although ending his life. Pre-crisis he was a member of the final Monster Society of Evil. In the Power of Shazam! series, Mister Atom (under the control of Mister Mind) destroys Fairfield (a town near Fawcett City where Mary Bromfield lived with her adoptive parents) with a nuclear explosion which killed thousands. He became a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains and attacked the Rock of Eternity, mentioned by Captain Marvel.
Mister Mind and the Monster Society of Evil
The most notorious classic-era Captain Marvel villain, the at-first unseen Mister Mind started and headed a supervillain team known as the Monster Society of Evil in a twenty-two chapter serial running in the Captain Marvel Adventures comic book during the mid-1940s, the longest serial in the Golden Age of Comics. During two years of masterminding tyranny with a team of hundreds of villains and criminals (including several previous Marvel Family adversaries like Captain Nazi, Dr. Sivana, and Ibac), Mister Mind was revealed to be a two-inch, myopic, mind-controlling worm from another planet. The evil worm was placed on trial, convicted of killing 186,744 people, and placed in the electric chair. Mind survived his execution as electric shock only puts his race into suspended animation and escaped. He would go on to battle the Marvel Family many other times, and forming new versions of the Monster Society (including foes like Mr. Atom, Oggar, King Kull, and Black Adam) until the Crisis on Infinite Earths. In the Power of Shazam! series of the mid-1990s, Mind was re-imagined as the leader of a race of millions of mind-controlling Venusian worms, who irregularly appear across the DC Universe attempting to control potential human hosts. Mr. Mind becomes a primary opponent late in DC's 52 series, where he metamorphoses into a giant "hyperfly" able to eat years of history from alternate dimensions, re-establishing DC's Multiverse in the process.
Modern Cave-Dwellers
Only appearing in Wow Comics #52. A group of bandits led by Snake. They use an ancient Native American cliff-dwelling for a hideout. Mary Marvel goes to investigate them. She breaks down a door, and finds three Native Americans that were apparently killed by volcanic gas. She cannot see the crooks in the darkness, so uses the magic lightning to see them in the darkness. But before she can turn back, one of the crooks seizes her, covering her mouth with his hand. With her mouth gagged, bound hand and foot, Mary is carried to a cliff edge, where the crooks prepare to throw her off. However the bandits are attacked by the Native Americans. Mary realises that the volcanic gas must have just put the Natives into suspended animation for centuries, and when she broke down the door the fresh air revived them. As white people were their enemy centuries ago they naturally attacked the thugs. Mary knows the Natives will be killed by the bandits' guns, removes her gag on a rock, transforms, and knocks out the crooks. She tells the worried Natives she is not after them, and that these men were crooks, using their ancient cliff-dwelling for a hideout. Mary says all other white people will be their friends, and that there is no war between her people and theirs. When they ask how long they were asleep, she says for centuries, which worries them as they do not know what to do in this age, they have no job, no crops, no money, nothing. Mary says they can give guided tours through caves and charge admission. The bandits are probably jailed.
Moll
A young girl who is similar in appearance to Mary and part of a gang of juvenile delinquents. Mary Marvel arrests the gang and sends them to reform school. Only appearing in "Wow Comics" #49.[25]
Monarch of Money
In Finance Square is the secret Office of Carlton Clutch, a billionaire who wants to become the richest and most powerful man on Earth. He tries to buy Whiz Station for Propaganda Purposes, when Sterling Morris refuses he says that the new expensive television equipment he ordered will never reach Whiz, planning to send strong-arm boys to wreck the equipment. The Marvels hear of this and decide to protect the Noon Freight. They knock out Carlton's three thugs and save the equipment, but Morris reveals Clutch's headquarters are secret. Carlton threatens to wreck three more extremely valuable pieces of equipment, so the Marvels split to protect each piece, which are arriving by Boat, Plane, and Truck. The Neptune 2 is owned by C. CLUTCH LINES and the Captain refuses to release it, so Mary defeats the crew and takes the equipment. The plane is also owned by Clutch and has been ordered to drop the cargo in the sea, so Jr. saves that equipment. The Toll Bridge has been ordered not to let the Truck through, so Captain Marvel lifts the Truck over. Carlton tries to bribe the Marvels, and the next day he sends a Two-Way Television set and tries to bribe the Marvels, showing his vault. He lost count at $10 Billion and offers a bin crammed with $1000 bills if they join him, to which they refuse. His helicopter drops a million dollars onto the roof, and drops leaflets about this to the people below. He plans that when enough people are inside, the Station will collapse. However, the Marvel Family take the money to the street below, so he decides to destroy the Marvel Family and contacts his Inventor, who after a year's work has finished an Earthquake machine. The Marvels are lured by a note from Carlton Clutch saying he will meet them at a Fork Road for a conference. The scientist's machine sends out powerful vibrations causing an artificial earthquake, making the Marvels fall through a crack. He then drives away to receive a million dollars, but the Marvel Family break out of the Earth and follow him. Seeing they have followed the Inventor, he escapes through a chute to the subway station while Marvel knocks out the Inventor. He needs a nickel and asks an attendant to change a $1000 bill, which they cannot do, delaying him long enough for the Marvels to defeat him. At his office, they see he worshipped Mammon, the god of money and greed, but he discovered the power of good was greater. Jr. smashes the statue, while Mary rips down his MONEY IS POWER poster. As his money has gained through dishonest means, Billy reports it was returned to those he swindled. He is now in prison without a penny to his name.
Mr. Beest
A criminal who possesses masks that change faces. He helps criminal Dangerous Dan to escape from Mary Marvel by making him look like an older man. Her then gives him a mask to impersonate millionaire J. Vanderpool, after which Dan goes to their house and robs their safe. However, the real Vanderpool arrives, alerting Mary, who captures the criminal. The mask-maker disguises himself to escape her, while she attacks a bearded man before realising her mistake. Beest then uses a mask to help a girl win a beauty contest as her mother is ill, but it melts in the sunlight, although the girl still gets the prize. When Beest tries to take the prize money, Mary Marvel captures him. Only appearing in "Mary Marvel" #4.[26]
Mr. Alias
"Marvel Family" #90 (An unpublished, synopsis in Best of Alter Ego) Plastic Man-like powers and an earthquake gun, goes up against the Marvel Family.[27]
Mr. Banjo
One of Captain Marvel's recurring villains from the early issues of Captain Marvel Adventures in the 1940s, first appearing in "Captain Marvel Adventures" #8. Kurt Filpots worked as an agent for the Axis powers during World War II. Dressed as a stout man in a shaggy green suit and straw hat who carried around an old banjo with him, Filpots delivered secrets to the Japanese in the form of musical notes. Someone in a military meeting would whistle musical notes which were a code, Banjo would play the music next to a house with an agent inside who would radio them to the Japanese. Although evil, Mr. Banjo would go up against Captain Marvel with nothing more than a banjo. In his first appearance he was apparently killed when thrown off a ship by Captain Marvel. In his next appearance, he kidnapped the President of the United States and replaced him with an imposter that gave orders for the Navy to leave the Pacific which would allow the Japanese fleet to advance, but was captured this time. He was a member of the Pre-crisis Monster Society of Evil.
He was recently featured on the Robot Chicken DC Universe Special in a segment called "Real Characters From the DC Universe", voiced by Aaron Paul.
Mr. Who
Originally a lesser foe of the first Doctor Fate, Mr. Who was a crippled scientist who developed Solution Z, a chemical that would enable him to change his physical form. Instead of sharing his discovery with the world, he used it to commit crimes as a supervillain. He was a member of the original Monster Society of Evil.
Munitions Makers
In a park an alien lands causing the people to run away. The creature, a green scaley reptilian creature, is upset and sees a girl who only hid, but she faints. Billy hears the people running away and transforms. He sees the alien with the girl and thinks he killed her, but the alien reveals he was rubbing her wrists to revive her. After she leaves the alien feels sad that he is like a monster here, making Marvel realise he is inwardly kind and gentle. The alien shows his space-ship, saying he is Thoth from the faraway world of Brazzia, on a great and glorious mission. His name is Thoth. Thoth says there are thousands of other inhabitated worlds in the Universe. When they are able to travel between each other with space ships war might happen, leading to a war of worlds and plunging the whole known Universe into a gigantic holocaust, leading to the destruction of whole worlds and the death of billions. So Thoth is going to visit all worlds, signing them up as citizens of the Universe. As citizens of the Universe, pledged to eternal peace with each other, no scheming dictators or munitions makers could ever cause war. Cap decides to sign up, but a mob comes, thinking he is a spy from another world or an evil mastermind. Cap tries to stop them, but one of them says 'The Monster has come to conquer and enslave Earth! We can tell that just by looking at him!' Then two Policmen arrive and say they will lock him up for disturbing the peace, if nothing else, and let the court decide what to do with him. Cap 'cannot interfere because it is the law', and tries to tell them Thoth came to do good in a great peace movement.
But they do not believe this, and while Thoth is being taken to jail three humanoids arrive. They claim to be from a world near Thoth's world and say he is a well-known criminal, so they will take him away. Cap tells them Thoth is kind and good, but when one of them asks if the people believe him, the people say 'Yes, we believe you, Sir! Anybody can tell by one look that you people are honest and upright and good.' They take Thoth away, but Cap follows them and they reveal they are a small band of munitions makers, 'Our policy is to make all the worlds of space hate each other!' After starting a gigantic war of the worlds, they will sell their munitions and reap a vast fortune. Since Thoth is trying to cause peace, they followed him here, but before they can shoot him, Cap hits them.
Cap lets them escape purposely so he can follow them, as they do not know he can fly through space. He follows them to another world, as they want to report this to the rest of the munition makers, where a huge trapdoor opens for their ship. Cap knocks out the two guards, and hears them planning to capture and kill Thoth before he starts his citizens of the Universe movement. Then they can look forward to the great war of the worlds, where they will sell weapons to both sides. In the room are enough weapons to make them 'the biggest fortune in history!' Cap breaks through the door, and tells them he will set the munitions off, but is giving them five minutes to leave. 'Five minutes later the most gigantic explosion ever seen on any world occurs!' The munition makers plan to start the store on an other world, thinking Cap has died in the explosion. But the World's Mightiest Mortal emerges without a scratch and decides to give them to the Police of this world. He forces their ship down toward a city of the strange planet. The rest are peace loving, he is sure, only this group plotted war, so will be tried for treason against the Universe. He then goes to Earth and reveals what Thoth was doing, meaning all the people sign up as citizens of the Universe. After this Thoth leaves.
Niatpac Levram
Only appearing in "Captain Marvel Adventures" #139. Niatpac Levram was the creation of the devilish Wizzo the Wizard! The wizard created Levram as a mirror duplicate of Captain Marvel by casting a spell and animating Cap's image from a mirror. Wizzo used Niatpac Levram to wreak havoc on Captain Marvel's city for the sole purpose of graduating from the School of Black Magicians! Cap was able to defeat Wizzo and send Nia back to the mirror universe![28]
The Night Owl
1948, "Mary Marvel" #24. Henry Stibbs is the cunning and ruthless Night Owl. As a man with his face bandaged up from a terrible burn accident, he takes a room under Mrs. Bromfield's roof from which he can plan his crimes. With huge oversized eyes, he can see perfectly in the dark but is almost completely blind during the day. He goes about the city pretending to be a blind begger, hiding his eyes with dark shades. When darkness falls, he commits daring robberies armed with his darkflash, a flashlight that casts blackness instead of light. His hair style, beakish nose and oversized eyes make him look the part of a human owl but no explanation as to where he got the extraordinary eyes or the darkflash. His crime spree is halted by Mary Marvel.[29] He later appears in Shazam #12. When Mary Marvel uses her lightning to see in the dark while the Night Owl is robbing a factory she turns back, but is knocked out before she can transform, then bound and gagged and placed under an automatic presser. But she removes her gag on a spike from the guard gate, escapes, and captures him.[30]
Nippo
A master swordsman and spy for the Japanese. Member of the Monster Society of Evil. Nippo from Nagasaki was a Japanese agent who used blackmail to force Japanese Americans to help him. He first appeared when, after killing an air force officer, he tried to impersonate him with a rubber mask. A master swordsman and martial arts expert, it is unclear whether or not he survived the war. After his battle with the Marvel Family, he may have returned to his home city by the time the 2nd atomic bomb hit.
Oggar
The self-styled "World's Mightiest Immortal", he was a major recurring enemy of the Marvels in the DC Comics stories published before the continuity-resetting Crisis on Infinite Earths miniseries in 1985. Oggar was a pupil of Shazam, and under the wizard's tutelage attained godhood and for a time joined the six gods and heroes who would empower Captain Marvel, but turned against Shazam after teaming up with Circe and giving her immortality, who cast him out and cursed him with horns, and cloven hooves instead of feet. He has divine strength and durability equal to Captain Marvel's and magic that enabled him to do nearly anything, like turning Captain Marvel back with lightning, or muting people, although each spell could only be used once. However, Oggar's power cannot be directly cast against a female target, as Circe cursed him. Thus Mary Marvel was usually called upon to deal with him. He creates the Cult of the Curse, and uses his hooves to bind men to it, if they leave his service they are driven mad, however if already mad they are cured. Unfortunately, he only gets 4 men to join him, all lunatics thinking they are: Samson, Nero, Napoleon, and Julius Caesar, and throughout the series they all leave. He joins the last pre-crisis Monster Society of Evil for an assault on the Rock of Eternity and helps Black Adam raise an evil army in Egypt.
Oom
Oom was a statue of a monster who came to life. He was a member of the Monster Society of Evil.
Pandora Pirates
Sterling Morris discovers a treasure map. He and the Marvels in their normal forms go into a desert at the Barbary Coast. They open a bottle, releasing pirates. They reveal they fled inland and used magic to place themselves in suspended animation. They escape the Marvel Family by summoning smoke from the bottle. The Marvels dig up a ship to lure the Pirates over and Sterling Morris puts on their Captain Abdullah’s hat, Abdullah not included among the pirates, and starts acting like a real pirate. The Marvels, who have turned back to lure the Pirates oveer, are knocked unconscious. When they come to they are bound and gagged and it is revealed Abdullah claimed whoever put on his hat would become a second Abdullah. Morris has the Kids tied to cannon barrels, so they will be killed when they fire. However the Pirates encounter another ship, causing water to wash over them, and making the Marvels think they will be crushed by the cannons. Billy removes his gag on Morris’s sword and transforms, freeing the others. However the Pirates still escape. Morris proves a poor leader, so another Pirate puts on the hat and leads the Pirates successfully. They decide to bury the treasure, and force Morris to dig a hole on a desert island. He gets the bottle and makes a smoke signal that gets the Marvels over to save him just before the Pirates chop his head off. The bottle is smashed in the fight and the Marvels imprison them.
Plundering Pasha
Only appearing in Marvel Family #81. A flying carpet flies over the city. On it is a man speaking in an unknown tongue, who lassos people onto the carpet. The Marvels are rowing, and when the man tries to kidnap Mary, they transform into the Marvel Family. They fly towards the carpet but it flies away. Jr. wonders if it is the magic carpet of Arabian stories, and Captain Marvel says they should keep guard. That night the carpet appears again, and Cap grabs the pilot. Possessed of the Wisdom of Solomon, Cap speaks Ancient Arabian to the man, who introduces himself as 'Pasha Plunda...Emir of Bagdad....Caliph of Araby...Lord of the Palace...Defender of Islam...Scourge of the Infidels...Mogul of Mecca...Exalted Prince of...' Cap stops him and asks what he is doing here, why he grabs people, and where he takes them. Plunda says that is his secret. He opens a magic bottle, releasing black smoke that becomes a powerful genie that he orders to keep the Marvels busy while he escapes. The genie uproots a factory chimmney and blows soot at the Marvels. Mary flies down it to get to his face, but the genie moves the funnel so she flies into a wall. She gets the smokestack, telling the other Marvels to keep after the Genie. The giant picks up cars and piles them on each other. Jr. uses an emergency ramp to get the cars down. Cap finds the genie is smoke and he has trouble fighting it, so he disperses the genie by making a tempest, however Pasha Plunda got away. Next day people are being taken though the carpet is not seen. The Marvels find Plunda is hiding above the clouds. Seeing them, he rubs his magic lamp, and wishes for the city below to spin like a top, faster and faster. The ground under the city starts turning—the Marvels unable to stop anything without wrecking it. It spins faster and faster. At least one man wonders whether the Marvel Family has deserted them, but they have got to a factory. Cap tells them to grab tools and materials for work, though Mary is getting dizzy. Cap tells her to fight it so they can finish a giant brake. They press the rim where the ground spins under the city, stopping the spinning. Then they start travelling from Earth for a new mission. Cap thinks Plunda takes his captives back to the past, so they go to the Rock of Eternity and travel to 1000 AD when Bagdad was at its height. When getting to the Queen City of Old Arabia they find it deserted. They find a sign saying 'Beware the Black Plague! Flee if you can!' and Mary thinks a dreadful epidemic has struck here. However Cap then hears American English, and the Marvels see the kidnapped English from their own time. They are told the Menfolk have to work in the palace as slaves. Quite lucky the Marvels arrived at exactly the right point in time. Meanwhile the men are being forced to work, and when one is whipped, he says he's a free American citizen and will not take this from the Pasha or anybody else. The Marvels then burst in and attack the Pasha, who reveals that his former people rebelled against him, calling him a tyrant. Even his guards did so, so he used his lamp to kill them all with the Black Plague. But he was then King of an empty city, and so raided the Future for slaves for his Kingdom. His lamp can give him Jewels, Riches, Palaces, but not people. When Cap says they will stop this, he uses the lamp to summon Demons, who will attack the people unless the Marvels chase them down. Mary sends one into the fire by pulling the carpet from under him, Jr. decapitates one with a scimitar, and Cap uses his strength to knock down many. Another creature, a huge pterodactyl-like creature, attacks so the Marvels use a minaret as a weapon and impale the Monster's chest. Cap says while the Pasha has the lamp they cannot get near him, and Mary says they need the carpet and lamp to get the people back to their own time. Cap says they should transform into the kids to get the lamp, and they so do. At night they sneak into the palace. They hear the Pasha is asleep, so Billy says they will get the Carpet, Lamp, and Bottle. But his magic mirror warns him as it never sleeps, so he uses a ball and chain to knock the kids out. When they come to they are his helpless prisoners, bound with their mouths gagged, and being locked in a cell. From his bottle he calls a fire genie, that touches the Iron bars of the dungeon, making them glow red hot and radiating heat at the trio. The cell becomes hotter, cooking the Marvels. Suddenly they see a boy at the bars of the neighbouring cell, who is speaking Arabic which they cannot understand. Billy then realises the boy wants a ring and uses his feet to give it to him, causing him to cool the bars, making them icey. But the genie burns its way through, however the Marvels stretch forward and let their gags burn away first, allowing them to become the Marvel Family, who blows the genie out. Cap frees the boy, who claims he is Aladdin, rightful owner of the magic lamp and carpet. After the Pasha stole them he placed the boy in there. Cap asks if Aladdin can create a smoke or fog through the palace with his ring, so Aladdin fills the palace with fog. The Marvels take the magic from the Pasha, who is left with only his magic mirror, with which he finds out that the Marvels have taken the other magic items. He uses an axe to smash the mirror, causing the city to crumble like the mirror. The Marvels place the people on the magic carpet. The people claim in all the past or future there will never be anybody like the Marvels. When everybody is safe Cap says they will get the Pasha, but Jr. says it is too late, as the whole city collapses, meaning the Pasha caused his own downfall and death. Aladdin uses the lamp to return the people to their own time. He then goes back to restore the damage done by the Pasha. Jr. wishes Aladdin had stayed long enough to see the wonders of their time, but Cap tells him he will be more happy back in Ancient Times where his good magic is really needed.[24]
Prof. Dripp and Slugg
Two crooks who try to get money from rich lady Bromfield, Mary Marvel's adoptive mother. Prof. Dripp is the more intelligent one, while Slug is a fat, stupider, thug. Slug tries to break in from the roof to get the money, and though Mary hits him he escapes. Bromfield telephones to say she is sending Mary over with the check. Slug wants to get rid of her as she is suspicious, but Dripp has a better idea. When she gives him the check, he tells her to step in to give her a receipt, but Slugg then seizes her and stops her from speaking. She is securely tied to a chair and gagged. Dripp hopes to use her as a hostage, if her Mother stops payment, she will stop breathing. Mary realizes she was right about the two, but is in no position to do anything about it. They'll get away with the stolen money. When they get back, Slug says with all the money they will be living on Easy Street when they hit Mexico, before realising his mistake. Dripp calls him a 'Dumb Fat-head,' as now Mary could tell the cops they are heading for Mexico. Slug says he will make it all right using his large sharp knife. Dripp was not planning on this, but it is their only chance for a clean getaway. Dripp tells Slug to get it over with then they will clear out. Not forgetting what 'her pal' did to his head on the roof, Slug claims it will be a pleasure and advances on Mary, seizing her hair to keep her still. Mary realises she has a chance, and jerks her head so the knife cuts the gag instead of her throat. She transforms, breaks her bonds, 'slugs' Slug, and defeats her foes.[31]
Professor Grabbe
Only appearing in Captain Marvel Adventures #124. Captain Marvel is acting as a translator for Station Whiz, when suddenly he hears a language he cannot understand, but it sounds like an appeal for help. The operator says it seems to be coming from Europe, so Marvel flies there. He thinks it must be a small nation hidden in the mountains, and finally in a remote valley he finds a town with strange houses and strangly clothed people, where the streets are paved with solid gold. The people ask him for help but he cannot understand a word. They point towards the mountains, so he flies there and finds a cabin on a big glacier. There he meets language expert Professor Grabbe, who claims to have stumbled on the hidden valley a year ago and stayed to study the language. But he still cannot understand it, and says he is ready to leave, as he advises Cap to do. But Cap decides to learn the language, although Grabbe says they have no written records. First Marvel learns the word for gold, Pokko. He keeps learning using his brilliant mind, but suddenly a knife is thrown at an inhabitant. Though Cap stops it, learning Jek is knife, the culprit esapes. Soon after a bomb is thrown over a house, but Cap smothers it. Soon he learns the people are survivors of the Ice Age, and their language is 25000 years old. Only their valley escaped destruction in that age. They have been cut off from the outside world, except for a radio from ancient times, which is made of gold. It must be thousands of years old. Cap realises why Grabbe has all the digging equipment, and when a native tries to tell him of the doom, Cap says he can figure it out. He zooms into Grabbe's chalet, finds a tunnel Grabbe was digging ever since he came there, and very luckily stops him just before he sets off a charge to loosen the whole glacier, which would have plunged into the valley and ground the people to atoms. After the ice melted, he would have claimed all the gold for himself, and since nobody knew of these people the massacre would be undiscovered. Worst of all (according to Cap) the people were helpless to get outside aid as nobody could understand their language until he came along. He hits Grabbe, then as Billy reports, apparently to the hidden valley as well, Grabbe is in jail and Cap is writing up a dictionary of the language. They will soon be invited to join the United Nations.[32]
Professor Gorling
Only appearing in Marvel Family #11. A kidnapper who went exploring in the Ajak mountains a year before he appears. He then starts kidnapping poor children. Mary, while bringing a food basket to a poor family as she does daily, sees the 11th kidnapping and chases him to his base, where he has all the children bound and gagged and has just finished binding and gagging his last victim. She knocks him out, then transforms to call the police, but he gags her from behind, revealing he only pretended to be knocked out. Mary is bound hand and foot, then with his 12 victims Gorling gets into the plane and flies to the Ajak mountains, where a giant appears. It is revealed a race of unintelligent giants lives there and let him go in exchange for his promising to bring back more 'little talking dolls' like himself, and promised him a sack of gold for each one. Mary is sold to a giant's family like all the other children and played around with by the two children, nearly being killed by their beatings on her. Finally, the girl removes her gag, allowing her to transform and rescue the other children, who are also being used as toys by the children. She takes them back to the plane while Gorling is talking to a giant, and a junior pilot starts flying it away. However the giant Gorling is talking to about bringing more children observes this and seizes the plane, but Mary pulls his hair until he lets them go, telling Gorling he will remain as a plaything of the giants for the rest of his life.[33]
Professor Logan
Only appearing in Mary Marvel #9. An archeologist who plans to rob a museum as he has gotten barely anything from his work. He donates a Trojan horse model to the museum which he plans to use for a robbery. Two thugs try to rob the Van Dyke jewels, worth millions from the museum, but Mary Marvel and Pinkey happen to be there and try to stop them, however they are delayed when the crooks push a statue over. They are told by some people they ran into the Trojan Horse room, but cannot find them, despite searching the museum. They wait in the museum and find the crooks later committing another robbery. They once again disappear in the Trojan Horse room, but Mary then remembers the story of warriors hiding in the Trojan Horse and finds a trapdoor in their belly. She gets through and defeats one, while Pinkey defeats the one who jumps out. They change into their civilian forms, but realise they cannot find the loot. They discover a second door from inside the chest leading to the horse's neck, but are both knocked out when they open it. When they come to they are bound and gagged and Professor Logan reveals his plot. His thugs then push the Horse from the museum to kill the two while they rob the museum. However Pinkey kicks of Mary's gag, she transforms, stops the Horse, then with Pinkey she stops the criminals.[34]
Professor Thorne
Only appearing twice (his first appearance in The Marvel Family #50 and final in Shazam! #16), Gilbert Thorne is a brilliant scientist known for his Speech Scrambler Machine, which made communication nearly impossible,[35] and the Injustice statue, which compelled a judge to make poor judgments, and even led to Captain Marvel being jailed for 50 years for flying through a traffic light. However he threw his hammer from the rockpile, smashing the statue.[36]
Professor Zynn
A scientist who creates Silicon Man, an artificial being with superpowers. He sends a fake message which is claimed is from the planet Dorth, which is overrun with crime, and needs Captain Marvel to help. Cap says he can't leave Earth, then Professor Zynn shows him Silicon Man, and asks Captain Marvel to train him so he can go to Dorth. Finally Captain Marvel has trained Silicon Man, even bringing him along ot help stop a robbery, and as Billy Batson calls Zynn. Billy tells Zynn Silicon Man will be the champion for Dorth. He doesn't notice Zynn is holding a cloth behind his back. He tells Billy 'Don't be silly,' and then says 'First I'll stop you yelling for help.' He gags Billy with the cloth and ties him up. He then reveals his plan, thinking Silicon Man can now defeat Captain Marvel. He orders him to kill Billy Batson, who thinks he is about to mangle him. However Silicon Man ungags Billy, saying 'Crime is evil.' Billy realises his time with Captain Marvel made him good. Billy is freed and Silicon Man goes after Zynn. However Zynn throws an acid at Silicon Man's face, removing his memory. He tries to rob a bank, but Billy has summoned Captain Marvel. Silicon Man is again clumsy, and Captain Marvel destroys him with a single blow. Zynn is then jailed.[37]
Prophet
Only appearing in Whiz Comics #98. A man who can see vision of the Future. In they year 1898 the Prophet goes into a periodic trance. He sees the Future, and then something which he thinks will make him and his two men the Richest men in the world. A super atomic-grenade worth Ten thousand cannon is invented in 1948, and the Prophet says with it rule the world. He says he had a vision where a great scientist of the Future invented pills that enabled him to travel in time and he remembers the formula. He says they will go 50 yrs int othe Future and steal it. They swallow the pills and their bodies fade away to be chemically reassembled in the Future. In 1948 Billy is interviewing Professor Bander, who says his principle came up from Louis Zweistein who was too old to do the work. Meanwhile the three men have appeared and are 50 yrs older. They knock over a test tube, alering Bander and Billy, who summons Captain Marvel. The villains are easily defeated, a gun fired at Cap does not hurt him, causing the man to think this is what men in the Future are like. When Cap asks who they are, one of the men says they are too weak to talk, and will first take a pill to restore their strength. They also throw a pill into Bander's mouth, causing them all to be transported 50 years back. Cap wonders if they have gone to get the secret from Zweistein and flies off. But 'at this moment' (?) in the year 1898 the Time Kidnappers find out Bander has become a baby, having become 50 yrs younger. Oddly enough his clothes have gone. The Prophet says if he had not been over 50 he would have ceased to exist, and says they should go to Dr. Zwenstein to get the secret of the Atomic Grenade from him. While Cap gets there the Time Kidnappers are moving toward the house. They see Captain Marvel and try to escape, though one drops a Time Pill, and after they have gone Cap takes it. As he was created by the magic of Shazam he cannot grow older or younger. He chases the two men, the last thug not appearing for the rest of the story. The Prophet goes into a trance and sees the Earth burning, the sun coming closer, the end of the world. The shock of this kills the Prophet. The thug says he knew this would happen, and wonders what he saw that killed him. Cap says he can lead him to Bander, and then use the last of their Time pills to get back to their time. Bander thanks cap for stopping him living his whole life over again, and Cap thinks he will never forget this adventure because of the Prophet's last, terrifying vision.
The Queen of Spies
Only appearing in Captain Marvel Adventures #147. Delura, the communist Queen of Spies, plagued Captain Marvel briefly while Billy Batson was on a trip to Istanbul to meet with Ming of Tibet. Ming had contacted Station WHIZ about a fantastic device he was willing to give America, and Sterling Morris charged Billy with retrieving the device. During Billy's train ride to Istanbul, the Queen of Spies tried to kill the young lad with a dagger. Luckily, Billy was able to transform into Captain Marvel before the blade struck the young lad! Later Delura's henchman, Ghunga, bound and gagged Billy and threw him in a river to drown. Ghunga then captured Ming per Delura's orders! Delura used torture to discover Ming's secret and then fed him a paralyzing potion so he could not speak or write to reveal his secret. A freed Captain Marvel found Ming but not before Delura escaped. Ming was able to use telepathy to communicate with Cap and reveal the location of his secret. Delura beat Captain Marvel to the location of Ming's secret but Cap was able to track the Queen of Spies to her lair because of her distinctive perfume. Captain Marvel captured Delura and she has not been heard from since![38]
Radioactive Man
Only appears in "Marvel Family" #22. Prisoner 887432 is given the chance to get off execution in exchange for being a test subject for a medical experiment. He is given radioactive salt to build up immunity to radioation poisoning, like arsenic immunity. Finally he is so radioactive his clothes burn away and he wears a lead suit, finally his chains melt away. He kills the two scientists with a charge of deadly rays. He takes the remaining radioactive capsules as he needs to take one every few hours to keep his powers. At a police athletic meet at the stadium he tries to make the cops leave as he hates cops, they recognize him as an escaped killer, but their bullets melt before they hit him, he then starts burning the cops. Billy Batson is there and turns into Captain Marvel, who is immune to the radioactive rays. Radioactive Man takes another capsule, then starts fires in the stands to slow down Captain Marvel (who stamps out the flames) enough to allow him to escape. He then starts hunting cops and burning them to death. Billy reports on this, then transforms into Captain Marvel and disguises himself as a cop and waits in the neighborhood Radioactive Man has been operating in. When he tries burning him, Marvel reveals himself and puts him in jail. He takes the capsules without which his powers will die out and takes them to a hospital. But Radioactive Man had one capsule concealed in his mouth, he regains his powers and melts the bars. Police arrive at airport that day with radium for Center hospital, Radioactive Man needs more radioactive salt, but Captain Marvel stops the rays from burning the guards and captures Radioactive Man with a lead cable. Billy then says his powers wore off without a new dose, he is once again prisoner 887432, and his death sentence has been changed to life imprisonment.[39]
Raiders from Space
Only appearing in Captain Marvel Adventures #20. A flaming meteor comes down from space, causing even buildings to shake. Billy goes to observe the meteor, but finds some observers who say it have disappeared. He hears sounds in a cave, and goes in to find a short green frog-like creature hanging from the ceiling, and calls himself "Thoad". He tries to test his radium gun on Billy, who transforms, and pulls the creature off, seeing it has suction cups on its feet. It tries to capture him with its hand suction cups, so Cap pretends to be captive. He is led to a cave where there are other Thoads, led by High Commander Grollo. He shows Cap their spaceship from which they came from Thoad-Thule. Their world was dying, they studied Earth with telescopes and decided to go there as it was the nearest planet, and they realise Earth has a big war every 20 years or so. They did not care that this war is a just war against the forces of evil. Marvel then reveals himself and easily defeats the Thoads. The leader drives the spaceship at Marvel, squashing him against the war. Not wanting to set off the radium torpedo, he turns back into Billy, but after going outside he is knocked out by a Thoad. The Thoads start attacking as Billy has got amnesia. However a storm occurs and lightining strikes him, transforming him to Captain Marvel who drives the Thoads back. As their spaceship leaves Earth, he throws the radium torpedo at it, destroying the Thoads.[40]
The Rainbow Squad
Six females with one power each based on Captain Marvel's six powers, composed of Virago, Dauntless, Sibyl, Gibralta, Celeritas, and Dynamoll. Mister Mind in the robot human of Mr. Wonderful, with the six-armed alien Handyman gave them their powers with a machine. Captain Marvel is creeped out by their love attempts on him during a restaurant robbery, running away as he feels he cannot attack girls. Dynamoll projects atomic energy at him, but it fails. Minute Man attempts to help him after getting advice from Achilles. Mr. Wonderful is angry at Dynamoll, who thought atomic energy would be better to project at Cap instead of lightning like Wonderful said. She asks if it will destroy him, to which he replies it will not, but she would not believe him if he said what it would do. He then says that rest assured she can capture Captain Marvel, providing she bind and gag him securley before he can speak. Dynamoll turns Captain Marvel back by projecting lightning, Billy is shocked, but just as he says he did not even say Shazam, Dynamoll gags and binds him, bringing him to Mister Wonderful who places him on a chair and prepares to drop a 5 ton weight onto him. But Minute Man removes his gag just as the weight is dropped, allowing him to transform, though he is still unable to attack Females, so Minute Man does, but is defeated, causing Mr. Wonderful to laugh in a recognisable way. Cap realises Mr. Mind is inside Mr. Wonderful and then defeats the girls. He then reveals the identity of Mr. Wonderful by smashing the robot apart, revealing Mr. Mind, who finally reveals how he survived the electric chair. He then escapes by slipping through Marvel's fingers and under the floorboards when Cap is distracted, but the Squad is presumably sent to jail.
- Virago - Invulnerability.
- Gibralta - Strength.
- Sybil - Wisdom.
- Dynamoll - Energy projection.
- Dauntless - Courage and taking away courage.
- Celeritas - Speed.
Red Crusher
1952, "Captain Marvel Adventures" #139. North Korean yellow menace monster-man and foe of Captain Marvel. The Red Crusher is one of North Korea's devilish champions who fought Captain Marvel. In his first appearance he attacked UN forces with huge spiked balls, and succeeded in capturing Billy Batson. Billy was gagged nd tied to one of the balls, but was able to remove his gag and transform. The Crusher was captured, but escaped later.[28] On one occasion he kidnapped Major Baldwin, who had devised a fog machine. He tried to use his fog to stop American troops, but Capfoiled his plots. He saw a sign at an army camp saying if he was seen Major Baldwin would die, so he transformed back. However as he went through a window he was hit on the head with the butt of a gun and knocked out. When he came to his hands were tied to a pole and he was gagged, while Baldwin was next to him with his hands bound. The Crusher said he would kill Billy if Baldwin did not reveal how to make the fog. However Billy shook his head, causing Baldwin to refuse. The Crusher tried to kill Billy with amber fog that became solid around him. However it became so heavy it pulled Billy's gag away, enabling him to transform. He broke free of the amber fog and freed soldiers caught by it. He also rescued Baldwin, though the Crusher escaped.
Red Vulture
The Red Vulture was North Korea's mightiest warrior against the Allied Forces during the Korean War. The Red Vulture's secret weapon was a mighty space station, in the shape of a colossal red star, that could rain giant fireballs down on the U.S. troops and her allies. The Mighty Marvel Family came to the aid of the Allied Forces and battled and defeated the Red Vulture and destroyed the Vulture's mighty space station. The Marvel Family turned The Red Vulture over to the U.S. troops in Korea and he has never been heard from since. Only appearing in "The Marvel Family" #78 (Dec 1952).[41]
Note: The Red Vulture was created in a time when racism was more overt in society and popular culture both consciously and unconsciously. The Red Vulture is included here for historical purposes.
Rex
A man who plots world domination, having agents placed around the world to cause a war and rise into power. Kenneth Leith is a man who wants peace and with the help of the Marvel Family plans on a Seven Wonders of the World exhibit to unite every continent. However Rex's agents try to sabotage this. At an atomic cyclotron Rex's agents attack. Mary visits and realises an agent disguised as an atomic scientist isn't one. She turns back to Mary Batson and climbs up a drainpipe and sees in a window Kenneth Leith bound and gagged. However he can't warn her off an agent next to the window, and a gun-butt blow to the head knocks her out as she climbs in. When she comes to she is also gagged and tied to Leith. The two agents aim the cyclotron at them, she thinks they'll be blasted to atoms by a charge of billions of neutrons. Jr. goes to where a tapestry depicting the history of the world as told by Buddha, the Asian donation, is. He is tricked into transforming into Freddy Freeman and knocked out with a gun from behind. He is then bound and gagged and left in the tapestry room with a case of dynamite about to explode. Captain Marvel sees another Exhibit, a Rocket capable of travelling to interstellar space. Paul Delacroix, in charge of the exhibit, says he is waiting for Billy Batson to make the announcement. He turns back but in Delacroix's Office he is attacked by Rex's 2 henchmen, one covers his mouth and Delacroix tells him to gag Billy to prevent him becoming Captain Marvel. Billy is bound and gagged and Rex enters. He tells what has happened to the other two Marvel Family members, and decides to use the Rocket to finish Billy. Delacroix is upset at the killing, and his daughter Annabel tells him he mustn't do this. He takes a gun and tells them not to launch the rocket. Rex walks towards him and is shot dead, but his henchmen shoot Delacroix dead. In the rocket Annabel takes Billy's gag off, he transforms as the Rocket is launched and pushes it back. He ties up Rex's men and leaves to save Freddy Freeman and Mary Batson. Cap saves Mary, and Mary removes Freddy's gag, he says the magic word just as Cap notes the fuse has burned up, the dynamite explodes. The Marvels are thought dead and the Asians refuse to join in the festivities, suspecting other nations of destroying the tapestry there is talk of war, but the Marvels then return having re-woven the tapestry which was torn apart by the explosion, which is why they disappeared. Kenneth then adds an Eighth Exhibit, a statue of the Marvel Family.
Rodney Stark
Rodney Stark is a sportsman explorer who discovers a race of prehistoric men who have been frozen for thousands of years at the North Pole. They are apparently strong enough to survive a bazooka shell, super-intelligent as "the intense cold has sharpened their intelligence almost to perfection," and explorer Rodney Stark has devised a method of bringing them back to life, using a machine that slowly defrosts them in two hours, planning to use them to build an airforce, copies of stolen U.S planes, allowing him to take over the world. He first throws Billy of his ship when Billy wants to come along. However, Billy goes to the North Pole when he hears that six planes were stolen and their pilots killed. Fisherman Dirk Svenson tells him of primitive men killing the pilots, before trying to kill him with a bomb on the plane, but Billy transforms and is saved. He falls into a crevice and is captured by the primitive men, who take him to Stark, who explains his plan, plotting to attack as within the week he will have 1000 of these men. Billy is thrown into an icy dungeon, but escapes by transforming. The men are all destroyed in an explosion along with Stark when Captain Marvel makes their planes crash.
Rip-off Rigs
Thief who commits crimes, then escapes by throwing newspapers at car windows, and while Captain Marvel Jr. stops the car he gets away. He steals a formula which makes paper tough as steel from a scientist whose house he hides in, makes a suit out of newspaper, and tries to commit robberies with it, using other paper weapons. Captain Marvel Jr. is repelled by an electrical charge in it similar to the Shazam lightning, but keeps hitting Riggs, tricking him into putting so much formula on the suit that it becomes heavy and he sinks into the ground. He is then jailed. It is revealed the paper would burn anyway.
Rowdy Sparkle
Rowdy was one of the many funny villains introduced before 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths that Captain Marvel would fight regularly. Rowdy considers himself "The Toughest Guy in the World" after he read a copy of "How to Do Everything." His cousin, Sunny Sparkle, is a polar opposite of him. Rowdy Sparkle appeared only once, in Shazam! #5 in 1973, and loses his powers when Captain Marvel destroys the handbook.[42]
Sabbac
Like Ibac, Sabbac is another magical being powered by the forces of demons. Sabbac gets his powers from six demons (Satan, Aym, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus and Craeteis), who give him powers proportional to those of the Marvels. The original Sabbac, the alter ego of Freddy Freeman/Captain Marvel Jr.'s foster brother Timothy Karnes, first appeared in 1943 as a humanoid figure.
Sabbac
In the early 2000s The Outsiders comic book, Karnes was murdered and his Sabbac powers stolen by a Russian mobster named Ishamel Gregor. When Gregor becomes Sabbac, he transforms into a hulking demon with red skin, horns, fire breath, and a scent of brimstone. He later becomes several storys high.
Satyr
First appearing in "Marvel Family" #90 (unpublished, synopsis in Best of Alter Ego), Satyr is an evil incarnation of the god Pan that was banished from Earth 2000 years ago by Shazam. He faces the Marvel Family and attempts to replace Captain Marvel.[27]
Another Satyr appears in "Marvel Family" #21 along with a two-headed Hydra and many eyed Argus, as a Trio of Terror summoned from the Netherworld by three carnival brothers using a stolen spell book, who have to return in 24 hours unless three replacements are sent. The Marvel Family are able to send them back although they are nearly sent themselves. This Satyr has superhuman strength, durability, and can control minds with his pipes, although Captain Marvel is able to break free of the music.[8]
The Satyr Archibald was a member of the Monster Society of Evil, and graduated from Monster School with Mr. Mind (as he had briefly lost their memory and wanted a course to make them evil again) after capturing Billy Batson by accident by falling on him after he was knocked into the air, after an echo made Captain Marvel turn back, so as to graduate as the student needed to commit an evil deed. Billy was gagged, and his hands and feet are tied before he is taken of by Archibald. However while Archibald was beating him up before a class with a spiked knuckle-duster, Billy removed his gag, and summoned Captain Marvel who defeated Archibald. Only appearing in "Captain Marvel Adventures" #44.[43]
Seven Deadly Enemies of Man
Seven powerful demons, based upon the seven deadly sins enumerated in Christianity, who can take control of both humans and superheroes. The Sins were captured by the wizard Shazam many years ago, and encased in seven mockingly cartoon-like stone statues. The seven statues housing each demon are on display in Shazam's underground lair in the subway in the original comics, and in the Rock of Eternity in the modern comics. The demons have escaped their prisons several times to cause havoc, usually freed by another villain. In one story King Kull releases them, planning to make Sin bombs which cause people to commit sins by affecting their minds and destroy the world. Cap follows King Kull to his Evil Olympus and turns to Billy Batson to get through the alarm systems. As he runs out to transform and capture the Sins, his feet catches on a loose bomb, causing him to fall and hit his head on the floor. A Sin seizes him to stop him speaking, and Kull says he will use the ray that restored the Sins to turn Billy to stone, but Billy kicks the gun away and bites the Sin's hand so it releases his mouth, enabling him to summon Captain Marvel. Kull is defeated and the Sins again imprisoned in stone. In the original Fawcett stories and most other versions, the Seven Sins were "censored" to an extent in keeping with 1940s standards, identified as the "Seven Deadly Enemies of Man" and including Pride, Envy, Greed, Hatred, Laziness, Selfishness, and Injustice among their ranks.
Most post-2000 appearances of the Seven Deadly Sins identify them by their traditional theological versions (Pride, Envy, Greed, Anger, Sloth, Gluttony, and Lust). When the Spectre destroyed the Rock of Eternity and killed Shazam the Sins were released. When the Rock was rebuilt the Sins were again captured, although they try to torment Marvel, and they are implied to have caused trouble at a full moon. It is claimed that Pride is the most rude and dangerous.
Signore Carnato
An opera singer only appearing in "Mary Marvel" #3, who hates the swing movement. He disguises himself as a night watchman and places choking gas capsules inside a microphone, which causes crooners to lose their singing voice for 24 hours. While Mary is watching he is able to gas her and tie her up, but she held her breath meaning that her voice comes back quickly, she transforms into Mary Marvel, captures him and learns why he placed the gas there, then takes him off to a quiet resort.[44]
The Sivana Family
Composed of Dr. Sivana, his wife Venus, and their children Beautia, Magnificus, Sivana Jr., and Georgia. When the patriarch of the family went missing, Venus sought the Black Marvel Family for help, offering $2,000,000. The younger Sivanas are shown discovering their Father's suspendium orb. Pre-Crisis, Beautia and Magnificus were the product of one union between an unknown woman and Sivana and later Sivana had Sivana Jr. and Georgia with another unnamed woman. The elder siblings would assist their father before inevitably becoming allies to the Marvel Family. The younger siblings, however, remained loyal to their father and assisted him in his schemes. They both resseambled Sivana, physically and mentallym and possessed scientific minds like him. They first all appeared in Marvel Family #10, planning to prevent the Marvels calling their lightining down, but Sivana realises it has so much power it would take power even greater than the atomic bomb to stop it. Jr. remembers in a record of Atlantis they mentioned an element even more powerful then Plutonium and Neptunium. Sivana sees they had an element called Protium. In 10,000 yrs it becomes Neutrium and in another 10,000 yrs, to Electrium. Sivana says Georgia will go to the past, Jr to the Future, and he will stay in the Present. The Sivanas gain access to the Rock of Eternity using faster then light spaceships, then time travel to Ancient, Modern, and Future Atlantis. However Shazam tells the Marvels the Sivanas are at the Rock when they summon him to ask him where the Sivanas are, and they pursue them. Georgia travels to Atlantis in about 8000 BC and meets a scientist called Chal-Patzun, who made the record. Georgia can decipher the Ancient Atlantean language and meets a man who calls Chal-Patzun a crackpot as he thinks Atlantis will sink. Georgia meets him, telling him she believes Atlantis will sink. He says it is due to a big earth fault under the Island. He has Protium in a vault and plans for his ancestors to pass the secret down and finally raise Atlantis. Georgia knocks out the scientist with a club blow to the head from behind, but Mary defeats her. She ties her to a chair and asks why she is doing this, but Georgia refuses to reveal it. Mary tries to transform the material with her lightining, but is unable to. Georgia is freed when the Earthquake happens, she gags Mary from behind, ties her hands and feet, steals one vial of the material, and escapes with her. Doctor Sivana in the present tries to find Patzun's descendant, but cannot find Patzun in a Dictionary of Scientists, but says names change and the closest name is Patterson. He kidnaps the young Dr. Charles Patterson to find the location, but Patterson leaves Atlantis, Coast 35 on the wall, allowing Captain Marvel to find the location by flying to the Atlantic Coast at 35 degrees latitude. Cap defeats Sivana, who retreats while Cap is delayed saving Patterson from an octopus. Cap and Patterson go in, only Paterson's family know the combination. They find a skeleton in the vault, and they see one vial is missing, making Cap realise Mary failed. But Sivana returns and turns Captain Marvel back with a giant electric eel. Billy Batson is taken in by Patterson, but Sivana gets in before he can close the door, and when he tries to stop Sivana taking the Neutrium, Sivana shoots thrice, killing him. He steals another vial, then takes Billy Batson back to his base. In 12000 AD Chass Passon goes to the valt, and though two vials are missing, the eight vials of Electrium are able to raise Atlantis. Sivana Jr. gets to Atlantis just as it is rising. He knocks out Passon with a metal piece, but is stopped by Jr., though throws seaweed in his face to delay him. Passon places a vial in a disintegrator gun to clear the ruins so a new city can be built. When Captain Marvel Jr tells Passon his name and turns back, Jr. knocks him out by throwing a stone at him. He then pushes stones onto the other person, knocking out or killing them. He wonders whether he should disintegrate Freddy, but decides not to. He returns to the present with Freddy. The Sivana children return to their base. First Georgia forces Mary to walk in before her. Then Jr. carries Freddy in. But Sivana shows Billy is the bound and gagged Billy is a prisoner also. The three kids are left at the wall of a room while the Sivanas turn on the machine. Sivana then moves towards the kids with a knife, causing them to think he is going to slit their throats. To their surprise he says 'You poor kids. You're all tied up and gagged,' and cuts them all free. He reveals it is to mock them, as they cannot transform. He tells them the energy has formed a shell of electrons around the Earth, which repels the lightining. The kids are marched at gunpoint into the ship, then taken to the remote palace of the Sivanas, and released to be hunted. The Marvels break into the lab by stealing the Sivana's ship, turn of the machine, transfor and wreck the machine, then capture the unsuspecting Sivanas. They get them tied up on their thrones. After that the group are imprisoned.
Slippery Slyke and Hugo
Two crooks who Mary meets during the 24 hrs every 1000 years when Shazam loses his powers, therefore Mary does too. Slyke is a smaller, more intelligent crook, while Hugo is larger and stronger. She fails to stop them robbing a jewelry store, but at home Shazam tells her what has happened. She then makes a Mary Marvel costume to go after Slippery Slyke and Hugo. By bluffing she prevents them robbing another jewelry store. When she does not fly after them, Slyke suspects she is a fake. She uses silverware in her house to bait a trap, leaving the back door open, making them come into her house. By firing bricks in the darkness from a machine, she stuns them, but Slyke sees the brick that hit him, and realises she is a fake, He seizes her, ties her to the chair and preparing to shoot her. However, the 24 hrs finish as she calls Shazam repeatedly, allowing her to transform just before he shoots, and capture the two. Only appearing in "Mary Marvel" #4.[26]
Slug Samson
A former convict who becomes the coach for the Marvel College team. Eustice Doke, of the class of 1900, promises the college $10,000,000 if they win. Billly Batson is told to investigate by enrolling, which he does with help from Captain Marvel. Billy s able to get into the team as a waterboy, but notices Slug is calling the team a pushover, which a good coach never does, according to him. When the star fullback falls ill Captain Marvel tries to enroll, but he is thrown out for doing so well. Billy later hears Slug is getting 100 grand for making the college lose and there are 50:1 odds. He sees Slug drugging the water, but replaces it. However, Slug's henchmen take out the players during the game, but finally Captain Marvel appears and plays for the whole team, winning it 9-6. When last heard off, Slug Samson has resigned.
The Smiling Swordsman
Only appearing in "Shazam" #19. A criminal who hid a bomb in the Whiz radio building. While Uncle Dudley was preparing for his show he stopped him yelling with his hand and told him to help him or he would set the bomb off. Dudley was able to convince him to let him appear on his show, during which he emphasised different words and syllables to send a message to Mary. As Mary Marvel she flew with such superspeed she became invisible. The villain told Uncle Marvel to rob a painting of 'The Smiling Swordsman,' Mary got it while making Uncle appear to fly. She then follows the thief underneath the car to his mansion, but turns back so he will not set the bomb off if his servants will not see her. But she is then knocked out by a hammer and when she comes to she is gagged and tied to a chair. The Smiling Swordsman is now dressed as the character in the painting and decides to finish her off with his sword. But she moves her head so the sword slashes her off her gag, and then turns into Mary Marvel. She allows him to use up his sword on her invulnerable body, before knocking him out. Next day Uncle retells the story, but edits it to build up his own part.[45]
Snake Samson
Only appearing in Marvel Family #14. A master criminal who the Marvel Family stop the Jewel robbery of. Dr Cardiff then tells Captain Marvel he wants him to undergo a physical examination to make sure he is the World's Healthiest Man. However he tells Mary and Jr that Captain Marvel is a very sick man due to his heart and blood pressure and any exitement could cause his death. They refrain from telling him in case of the shock, and Marvel thinks they are being jealous in stopping him exerting his powers by saving a girl from a runaway horse. Mary and Jr. stop Marvel going out to search for Snake Samson and make him sit down, and Mary goes to the Samson Athletic Club, really Snake's crime headquarters, but transforms to Mary Batson so as to not frighten him away. While planning a bank robbery with tear gas bombs, one of his henchmen realise someone is outside, he opens the door causing Mary to fall in, and handgags the girl, Samson says she shall be their 'guest' until they pull the bank job. Jr. is worried she is taking so long and goes to the Club, but to avoid suspician transforms to Freddy. However he is knocked out. A henchman prepares to finish the two bound and gagged children who are tied together on chairs with one bullet through both their heads. Marvel arrives just in time, and ungags them, allowing them to transform. They then defeat the criminals themselves, and take Marvel to Cardiff's as they think he has over-exerted himself. Both Mary and Jr. volunteer for a blood transusion, but Cardiff then finds out he made a mistake as all three show the same heart action and blood pressure as Marvel. They cannot all be invalids, therefore they must all have the strongest hearts he has ever seen, which is why they reacted differently to the normal heart. Therefore they are chosen as the World's healthiest family.[46]
Snodgrass
Only appearing in Captain Marvel Adventures Issue #117. While walking through the park Billy is caught in Quicksand. He transforms and saves other people from the Quicksand. He hears a chugging sound from below. There is a machine pumping Quicksand oil concentrate in one of the huge city sewer pipes. The villain manning it and wearing protective clothing says it will make all dirt and oil soften into Quicksand. He has enough to turn the whole city into a bed of Quicksand. Cap smashes the machine, but the man escapes through one of the many pipes. Cap's blind guess about which of the many pipes he took does not work, though he leaves the sewer. He sees the Whiz building sinking, so moves it out to the country. Realising the entire city could sink without a trace into a bed of Quicksand he decides to check with the city council. At an emergency meeting someone says their only hope is with the quicksand fighter corporation. Cap flies him there, it is the only one of its kind, run by Snodgrass. He says it will cost a million dollars, which the man agrees to. He says cement poured into quicksand will harden it, but when he describes it Cap realises it will take too long and says he will do it himself. In a cement mixer Cap mixes enough cement to stop the quicksand. With the danger over Snodgrass says he will deduct 50% for Cap's free labout, but he is still owed half a million for the fee. As the man signs it, Cap finds a protective clothing suit that the billain in the sewer was wearing and knocks him out with a single blow. Cities seldom have quicksand beds, so he created his own one. Cap takes him to jail, then realises Whiz is still out in the country.
The Space Ghoul
Only appearing "Marvel Family" #80. The telepathic Space Ghoul came to Earth with one goal: exhume the bodies of dead humans and feast on the decaying flesh! Due to its humanoid features, the Ghoul was able to trick the Marvel Family into thinking it was benevelent. The Space Ghoul also convinced the Marvel Family that its pursuer a ghastly looking creature named Klarz was in fact the ghoul. The Marvel Family eventually figured out their error when they went into the ship and found skeletons there. Howeveer they were knocked out, then bound and gagged by the Ghoul, who decided to eat them. However they escaped, captured the Space Ghoul and apologized to Klarz!
The Spider Men of Mars
The Spider Men: April–July 1941, "Captain Marvel Adventures" #2.
Invading Earth from Mars, the Spider Men look like large 4 limbed beetles only about 12 feet tall, and are first found out about by an astronomer. They are easily able to defeat Earth forces. As Captain Marvel fights this invading force, he discovers they are not truly alive but mechanical robots. So, he travels to Mars to fight the human looking ruler there, who first thinks Billy is a fifth columnist and sentences him to execution. But Billy turns into Captain Marvel, exacting a promise never to invade again. He then returns to Earth to wipe out the remaining robots.[47]
Spider Man
Not to be confused with Spider-Man from Marvel comics. Only appearing in Whiz Comics #89. Two pilots are about to fly a shipment of gold bullion worth a million dollars to Fort Knox with Billy Batson. Round the corner they run into a big sticky spider-web. Spider Man wraps up and gags them with a web gun, revealing he has rosin on his hands and shoes so he does not stick himself. He says his invention shoots out liquid plastic which hardens and forms a sticky thread when it hits the air. He learned this by watching spiders at web and says he weaves his webs of crime everywhere. Two henchmen disguised as pilots then get onto the plane to drop the gold off elsewhere. However they do not know about Billy, who wanted to report on how gold was delivered for station WHIZ. He sees they are going in the opposite direction, but is knocked out. The plane lands on a deserted patch of seashore where Spider Man is waiting. Billy revives and transforms, invulnerable to the bullets he defeats the two thugs. Spider Man warns he has the cunning of a spider and fires sticky plastic in Marvel's face, blinding him long enough for Spider Man to escape. Marvel carries the gold to Fort Knox. Spider-Man starts a crime spree in the city, he spins webs in any dark corner of the street, forming them with incredible speed. Then he robs his victims and is gone like a ghost. Marvel searches for him and finally finds him committing another robbery. He frees the guard, but while he is checking they are o.k, Spider Man shoots a plastic rope to the high window of a building and climbs up. He is able to escape as there are many rooms in the building and Marvel decides he cannot search them all. Spider Man meanwhile feels he must find a way to stop Captain Marvel. However he then hears two kids playing at being Captain Marvel and realises Marvel's secret. That evening as Billy is going home from Whiz for a bite to eat before searching for Spider Man when he runs into something in the dark and realises it is one of Spider Man's webs. He is then gagged by Spider Man's plastic thread and wrapped up like a birthday present with web, to which he jokes 'A birthday present to me!' He takes Billy to his hideout, where he wraps him up in a web and releases his pet tarantula, which is poisonous, one bite and Billy dies. Actually venomous is when it is bitten, poisonous is the other kind. Billy remembers the plastic strand across his mouth is sticky, if he presses it against another strand, which is also sticky, they should glue together. He then jerks his head back, freeing his mouth, and allowing him to transform. He kills the tarantula by stamping on it, and hits Spider Man. He then wraps up and gags him with the web, saying 'Now who's wrapped up like a birthday present? And for the police?' Billy later reports Spider Man is in jail.[48]
Steamboat Captain
Captain of a circus steamboat. When some convicts break out he disguises the convicts as minstrel clowns so they can escape on his boats. Mary attends the circus performance and thinks some of the clowns look familiar. She says she is going out for a drink of water. She goes to the steamboat and see they are robbing Colonel Blossom's warehouse. Before she can say Shazam one of the Clowns seizes her, preventing her speaking. Mary is gagged and bound by the clown, who asks the Captain what he should do with her. He tells him to fix her with 'paddling'. Mary is placed in a room below, which has water in it. It is not high enough to drown her, and it is not known if it is filling with water. She then says Captain Marvel taught her a trick. She is tied with thin strips of leather and leather expands in water. She tries to get them loose enough. There are tense minutes, then she is able to free herself. Mary removes her gag and trasnforms. She defeats the Clowns and reveals to the police tat a robbery would be committed, then powerful engines would get the boat away. She throws water over the clowns, revealing they were the escaped convicts, who ae jailed again. The Captain is probably jailed also.
Stepfather
Only appearing in "Marvel Family" #5. The wicked stepfather of poor girl Ella who beats her for thinking of going to a party by her friend Linda instead of working. Mary Marvel stops this and gives Ella one of her dresses so she can go. The stepfather follows her to rob the party on the back of a car, gagging and tying to a chair the girl in the kitchen so he can steal silverware. Mary transforms and stops him, but Ella begs Mary to let him go as he is still her stepfather. He hooks another ride on a car back to follow Mary home. While she is sleeping, he gags her and ties her to her bed, before robbing her house and setting the bed on fire. However, Mary breathes in enough smoke to cough and loosen her gag. She then transforms and goes after the stepfather, who sees her coming and leaves his house. At the next party, Mr. Van Dykeman recognizes a tiny shoe Ella had around her neck as that of his daughter kidnapped years ago, he has the other one. Mary stops the stepfather from committing another robbery by pickpocketing the distracted crows and he reveals kidnappers gave Ella to him to be his drudge. He is then jailed.[49]
The Superior
Only appearing in World’s Finest Comics #259, Dr. Weldon Ambrose uses the serum that evolved Mr. Tawky Tawny from a tiger to a man-tiger to evolve himself, taking the name the Superior.
Swarto
A fairground midget who grows tired of working in the Circuis as 'World's Ugliest dwarf'. He disguises himself as a doll and his accomplice, pretending to be a delivery man, delivers him to Mary's house, where he steals her mother's jewels, which she sees, but is finally convinced it is a nightmare. Mary suspects the doll and follows the truck to a museum, where it delivers a small mummy. That night, the mummy steals the Siva ruby, worth thousands. Mary suspects it to be a robot and again follows the truck, finding the loot was hidden in a secret compartment. She defeats the delivery-man and discovers the identity of the doll, before jailing them both.
Terrible Trio
Only appearing in "Marvel Family" #21. Three monsters summoned from the Netherworld by the three Dingling brothers, after they cannot hire the Marvels to help their failing carnival business, but steal a book of magic instead. They draw a circle, and summon a Satyr, a Hydra, and Argus, planning to exhibit them and placing them in a cage. What they do not realise is that the monsters have to return in 24 hours unless three replacements are sent. The monsters use their strength to break out of the cage, and are able to fight their way past the Marvels who have come to investigate the spellbook's robbery, planning to send the brothers instead of themselves. However, the Marvels are able to defeat them in the second battle, then take them back to the circle. They transform into their civilian forms to meet the brothers and get the book back, but when returning to the circle, the Monsters seize them to prevent them speaking, gag them, tie them up, and place them in the circle, hoping to send them back to the Netherworld. However, when lightning comes down to transport them as the Satyr reads the spell, it instead transforms them into the Marvel Family, who send the monsters back. The brothers then reveal they took footage of the fight and can use it to make money, which they do.[8]
Thanksgiving Thieves
A trio of criminals who attempt to commit crimes on Thanksgiving Day. During the parade when everybody is distracted, they try to get into a Furs Shop which is closed for Thanksgiving. Tricks, a scientist type figure who seems to be the leader, uses a device that unlocks the door and disconnects the alarm, proving himself to Sneak. He orders them to only take the most expensive furs so they are not overloaded by cheap furs. Bruiser, a large strong thug, worries about Mary, who is in the parade only a block from here, to which Tricks says she's only a girl. However Mary is waiting for them when they get to their car, saying she spotted the crime from her high perch at the front float. She has taken the wheels from their car. Bruiser is ordered to stop her and hits Mary with a heavy no parking sign, but Sneak reveals she's still standing there smiling. Sneak wants to give up as he thinks bullets will bounce of her, but Tricks Trick-Gun does not fire bullets, but smoke. While she is blinded they climb into the giant Mary Marvel balloon's basket, and Tricks uses his tricky extension shears to cut through the cables. However as the ystart to escape the smoke clears, and Mary climbs after them, to the astonishment of Tricks. Thie bullets bounce of her like Sneak said they would, and the bouncing bullets go through the balloon. Mary saves the crooks though and takes the basket to the Police Station. Later at the parade a clown says it's a shame the balloon was destroyed to which another says 'Who cares? We have the real Mary Marvel instead!' Mary wishes Billy and Freddy could have seen her, but says they will get together at Christmas, at Mr Morris's party.[50]
Theo Hagge
Only appearing in "Captain Marvel Adventures" #150. A witch who planned to marry Captain Marvel, making him get a job and do all her work. Although an old witch, she can make herself look like a young woman. But Captain Marvel was able to realise her plot and not marry her.[51]
Thirtieth Century Dictator
Only appearing in Whiz Comics #119. A dictator who rules the world in the 30th Century as a tyrant. A group of settlers build a time-ship and travel to the 20th Century, where they start to make a home for themselves with help from Captain Marvel, making a desert habitable. However the Dictator has another time-ship built and attacks the settlement, dropping a bomb towards it. Captain Marvel stops the bomb, and defeats the Tyrant, after which he forces him to sign away his power. The settlers then return to the 30th Century with the former Dictator their prisoner, and Captain Marvel says as the Desert is now habitable they did each other a good turn.[52]
Thought Stealers
Only appearing in Wow Comics #22. Svengolly and an accomplice plot to steal Secrets with a device called the Thought Stealer, a device that picks up thoughts and reads them out. Mary Marvel battles them. When he meets her he pretends not to be frightened, but the Thought-Stealer reveal him a coward at heart. Mary finds out the plan and fights the thugs, bullets bouncing off her. One of the two crooks asks who she is, and where she came from. She says it is a secret, but he tells her to listen to the Thought-Stealer, which is still turned on. It reveals she is Mary Bromfield, who says a magic word to transform. She is shocked and says that they know about 'Shazam,' causing her to transform unintentionally. Before she can turn back the two criminals grab her mouth, preventing her from transforming. The crooks then gag her mouth, and she is securley bound hand and foot, though still standing. The criminals are delighted, and one of them says that the Underworld has wanted Mary dead for a long time. The other one says they can get the Underworld to pay them a $1,000,000 for killing Mary Marvel. While that one is gone Mary thinks she's sunk, as she cannot yell the word due to the gag, and that in a few minutes they will be burying her. The other criminal agrees with her, saying the Thought-Stealer reads out her thoughts. This gives Mary an idea, and she thinks the word, causing the machine to read the word, and allowing her to transform, and defeat the criminals.
Three Faces of Evil
Offspring of the wizard Shazam, the Three Faces of Evil (Terror, Sin, and Wickedness) were the reason for constructing the Rock of Eternity (using large stones, one from Heaven and the other Hell) in order to imprison them. Further, the gods decreed Shazam must remain in the Rock of Eternity for all time as their jailer. They first appeared in Marvel Family #7 where they break free and steal Pandora's box. Here they are referred to as Evil, who can split himself into three forms. They fly away to atatck worlds. Captain Marvel follows Sin, who tries to destroy him in a star but is captured. Another part tries to destroy Jr. by making hi mcrash into an asteroid, but Jr. withstands it and captures his quarry. Mary conferents the last one on a dead world. He releases a hornet from the box that makes her say Shazam, transforming her back. He uses his hand to prevent her speaking, then binds and gags her, telling her he will infect Earth. However the hornet stings him causing trouble for him, his foot pulls Mary's ropes off. She removes her gag and transforms, then takes her foe back. Shazam makes them merge into one being again, then the Marvel Family imprison them under the Rock once more. Shazam tells them it will take thousands of years for them to work up the strength to break free, and by then he will have other means of imprisoning them.
Telegram Bandits
Only appearing in Wow Comics #11. A group of criminals keep tabs on agencies that send fancy help to rich homes. They grab somebody and send one of their gang. Mary meets the gang, and one of the criminals accidentally reveals their plan. The Boss seizes Mary to prevent her speaking and tell the other crook they will have to get rid of her now. They gag Mary, tie her hands, and place her on a chair. A man called Jives comes along, and because of his accent the crooks think he is English Harry, described as De Slickest Crook in De rackets, who was not supposed to arrive till the next day. His 'arrumph' makes it clearer to the reader who he is. They tell him their plan, and show a bound and gagged prisoner in the adjoining room, a guy supposed to report as Butler to the Van Devan Home, saying he will take his credentials and go instead. Then he will tip them off to the layout of the joint, and they go and clean it out. He sees Mary, and the crooks say the will get rid of her tonight. Joves feels if he tells the Police the thugs might escape,and before they do they will kill Mary and the Butler to keep their identity secret. He decides to arrange for them to walk into a trap, and rescue Mary himself. He telephones the thugs to say the Family is leaving tonight, after which they leave. One Guard stays behind, and Mary apparnatly faints, causing him to get water. However when he loosens her gag she transforms and knocks him out. She hears someone coming, and thinks it is the bandis, but it is Jives coming to help her. The criminals then turn up, having escaped the Police, but Mary defeats them.
Tong
Tong is the self-proclaimed greatest Asiatic overlord since Genghis Khan. He created the Great Red Brain in "Marvel Family" #80, and apparently died when it fell from its casing onto him.[53] But he returned in "Marvel Family" #82, having devised a way to grow animals to enormous size. He first uses a battalion of giant rats then giant pythons and kidnaps the soldier Hank, but the Marvels use the dog Yank to track Hank while disguised as peasants. They get to Tong's base, an old house, where they are knocked out from behind by a guard whose attention is aroused by the barking of Yank, chained by their thumbs, and gagged. They are nearly eaten by a giant lizard, but while Yank distracts it, Freddy removes Billy's gag with his leg brace, allowing him to free the others as Captain Marvel, although the lizard apparently kills Yank with a deadly bite. They defeat Tong's lizard battalion which is being dropped by parachute and discover Yank is still alive, allowing him to be saved.[10]
Twister Jackson
A criminal who hears from jailed criminal 'Smooth' Felt that he has hidden the plans for an Infany Jewelry Store in three banana hats, which he attempts to steal with another criminals aid. They steal the hats from Gertrude Greatneck, then Theodore Goswild. Mary stops her hat being stolen by transforming to Mary Marvel, but they start a fire to delay her, enabling them to escape. Mary tries to lure them out by wearing one of the hats. Seeing Mary has one of the hats, they steal the hat and cosh her. They bind her hands and gag her, revealing the plans. They trap her inside a safe to suffocate. Using a hairpin she opens the safe from inside and removes her gag on a chair. She then defeats the criminals as they try to rob the Infany Jewelry Store, and they are jailed. Only appeared in "Wow Comics" #32.
United Criminals
Only appearing in Whiz Comics #128. Like the United Nations, the United Criminals is organised. It is a band of international crooks called together by 'Mastermins Mike', Kingpin of the Underworld. He wants to promote the biggest crime wave ever known. His first plan is to steal a battleship and sell it for scrap metal worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Most of the crooks agree, but one vetos it, which according to the rules can throw the whole plan out. He will not change his mind despite the assistance of Mike and a nearby crook and is going to walk out, but an eyepatch wearing crook coshes him from behind,and holds up his hand so he 'votes' yes. The motion is carried. Later Billy Batson reports the small maritime nation of Libania has reported one of its battleships was stolen at port while most of the crew were on shore leave. Some criminals overpowered the few guards and steamed away. Billy thinks it is the most amazing robbery in history and summons Captain Marvel, who fles to Libania to pick up the trail. He is told the direction the crooks went off in, search planes were sent but found nothing. He thinks they could easily change direction into the ocean. As sharks follow a shi due to its garbage, Cap soon tracks down the ship, which is sailing under a new flag. Mike works out a fortune will be made from this. When another thug reports Cap is approaching, a broadside is aimed at him. He is impervious to it, and knocks out some crooks, causing Mike to retreat with other crooks in their Jet helicopter. Cap loses them due to fog, so tows the ship back even though there is no crew. Cap takes the four criminals to jail, and questions them. All remain quiet, except for the one who tried to veto the decision, was slugged, and forced into it. He tells Cap about Mike and the United Criminals, saying they are lined up to rob transoceanic planes, raid a Maharajah's Jewel cave, counterfeit all currency on Earth, 'all big stuff like that!' Cap asks if next they will rob the planes, and his Informant says they will, like Jesse James robbed trains in the old days. Cap realises he forgot to ask him where Mike's secret headquarters are, but before he can his Informer is shot dead by the crook to the left of him, who had a small gun hidden up his sleeve, and cheers for the U.C. Cap hits the murderer, and decides to patrol the oceans. The next day a huge transoceanic airliner drones on its scheduled route between continents, with 80 passengers plus a freight of Jewelry. A 'mechanical vulture' (the helicopter) lands on the airliner with blades spinning so it will not overburden the airliner. Reminiscent of train robberies of a bygone era, the aerial bandits get to work. Mike tells the pilots to keep on the job while his men relive the passengers of any excess baggage, and jokes they are contributing to the welfare fund for needy criminals. however Cap sees this and hits some criminals. He meets Mike and is impervious to his bullets, so Mike tosses a million dollars of jewelry out of the window. Cap cannot let a fortune in jewels sink forever to the bottom of the ocean, as too many people would be bankrupt by that. He gets it, but the crooks escape in the Jet helicopter, and thick clouds overhead means no sign of the crooks plane. He looks for their hideiout and flies towards a tropical island, then towards an iceberg which is not melting in the tropical climate. Cap finds it is not ice, but plastic, an artificial iceberg. He cannot find the concealed entrance, and he claims if he smashes his way in, they may drown. He changes to Billy, thinking they would not open for Captain Marvel, but maybe will for a shipwrecked boy, and calls for help. A crook looking through the periscope thinks a kid got shipwrecked and swam to the 'Iceberg,' so Mick pulls the main doorway lever so he does not attract passing ships. A big concealed doorway opens up, and Billy is coshed by a thug. When he comes to he is in the meeting place, bound hand and foot to a chair and gagged. Mike has recognised him as Billy Batson, who has been carrying a broadcasting crusade against crime. He asks the verdict of the U.C against the prisoner, and is told treason against crime, with the verdict death. He removes Billy's gag as he poins a gun at his head, and asks if her has any last words before he dies. Billy transforms to Captain Marvel, and pulls the U.C banner onto the criminals, saying he will put them on ice, then asks 'Or should I say—on plastic?' as he hits Mike. He starts towing the Iceberg (why did he not do that before?) and says 'When they get to jail the U.C will have another meaning---the United Convicts!'[54]
Vampire Burglar
Only appearing in "Captain Marvel Adventures" #147. He arrived in Fawcett City in order to find and eat the Goody Goody Bars. In order to obtain the Goody Goody Bars, Vampire Burglar ended up robbing the Goody Goody Bars from children and raiding the warehouse where it was stored. The Vampire Burglar was eventually apprehended by Captain Marvel and revealed that the candy bars contained Malakiza (a substance also found in human blood) which satiated a vampire's hunger. With the blessing of the President of the Goody Goody candy bar company, the Vampire Burglar returned to Transylvania to become the local salesman of the candy bars but at a price where he gains free candy bars!
Van Hoek
In secrecy a meeting of the international diamond merchants of America is being held. They decide Captain Marvel is the only man on Earth for a certain job. Vanderhoof meets Billy Batson, who summons Captain Marvel. He tells him he wants him to go to South Africa, to the Kimberley mines, and bring back a diamond. Cap asks why they cannot send a ship, but Vanderhoff says it is a special diamond and no information must leak out because all the crooks on Earth would be after it. Yanderhoff begs the reluctant Marvel, and when he gives in, he tells him to go to the Kimberley mines and ask for Peter Quentin, who will turn the diamond over to him. He'll cable him that he is coming. Cap gets to the mines, where there is a storehouse surrounded by guards. He is let in, and meets an armed man sitting on a large stone. He asks if the man is Peter Quentin and is told he is. When Cap asks where the diamond is, Quentin says it is the stone he was sitting on, which is uncut so it does not shine. It is the biggest diamond ever mined, with a value of 485 billion dollars. According to Quentin if crooks got it they could ut it up into a million small stones and flood the market. All the diamond merchants on Earth would be ruined. They're sure no information leaked out, but the Manager of the mines wants the diamond, and has the tough mine workers with him. They start shooting down the guards, then the Mines Manager throws a bomb to open the vault.
Quentin realises who the robber is as he gets in, so Cap punches him back. Cap goes out to get the others, but Quentin tells him the diamond is rolling away. Cap does not hear though and defeats the criminal gang. However he then hears what happened from Quentin, and there are big rocks which are the diamond's shape all over the area. One of Van Hoek's henchman spots it, and with Van Hoek he carries it to their plane. Cap sees this and goes after the plane, finally smashing in. Hoek drops the diamond to the city below, planning to follow it by parachute. Cap lets Van Hoek go to get the diamond. People think it's a meteor, but the Jeweller outside whose shop it conveniently landed realises it is a huge uncut diamond worth billions. He claims to collect meteors and takes it inside his shop. When Cap turns up he hears what happened to the stone. Cap goes out through the bak door, but is tod the man was tending his rock garden, not noticing the blackp aint he drops from behind his back behind a bush. Cap thinks the man in the street has given him 'a bum steer', but when he goes to notify the Police Van Hoek sees black paint on his suit, and tries to hold up the Shopkeeper, realising he painted the stone black. However the Shopkeeper says they can split on the deal, he will help him cut the diamond into small stones they can sell for a huge fortune. Van Hoek agrees to this, not noticing Cap flying up behind him. He hits their heads together, having noticed the black paint on his suit. Cap calls the Police and tries to take the diamond to America, but as he flies over the sea the wet paint makes it so slippery it slips out of his hands. He is able to catch it and the paint has washed off, though he feels he will be glad to turn it over to Vanderhoff.
He shows it to Vanderhoff who checks it, and then tells Cap to destroy the diamond. They do not want it cut into 10 million diamonds, as it would flood the diamond market with cheap small stones and ruin them all. Cap decides he knows what he is doing and hurls the diamond into space, with such speed the atmosphere sets fire to it and it flashes across the sky like a blazing comet, the most expensive firework the Earth ever saw.
Verndt
A crooked Oil Baron whose crimes seemed to have been influended by the Four Horsemen, the Horsemen of Fire (see above). Mary Marvel investigates an attempt to burn some oil wells, and hears where Verndt is from the hotel clerk, so goes to room 7 to question him and transforms to her civilian form so as not to cause trouble, but hears two men talking about her. They say the Oil wells dried up six months ago, but nobody knows it. They hope to claim $10,000,000 in fire insurance if Mary Marvel does not find out the fires are being fed by special chemicals. Mary is about to transform, but is hit on the head from behind with a cosh by another crook. She is bound hand and foot and gagged, and the criminals decide she knows too much to live. Verndt says it's time they replenished the oil wells with some more chemicals, and they sneak Mary down the emergency exit. They fly over the blazing oil fields in a plane and dump the chemicals, which create a special type of chemical fire that no known chemicals can extinguish. Verndt orders the men to throw Mary overboard. She tries to fight the two thugs off, but Verndt, who is piloting the plane, uses his gun butt to knock her out, she is then thrown out by another crook to face death by fire. However Captain Marvel rescues her, and the crooks are defeated, after which the Horsemen are beaten.[55]
Weeper II
A Bulletman foe, but in Mary Marvel #8 teamed up with doctor Riddle, another Bulletman foe, and battled Mary Marvel and Bulletgirl before being jailed. He weeps over the sadness of his crimes, and trys to make others sad. He was part of King Kull's gang of villains that attacked the three worlds during the capture of the Elders, and attacked Earth-S with the Earth-Two Joker, transforming people into jewels while robbing jewels.
Whale Master
Only appearing in Marvel Family #46. Freddy Freeman reads that all whales have vanished and are thought to be extinct, as in the past week not one whale has been sighted. Freddy meets Cap'n Gregg, the Whaler and friend of his, whose whaling ship just came in. He claims he has been at sea for months, and no whales have been sighted. All Whalers are going bankrupt. Gregg says the vanishing started a tear ago, with catches getting smaller month by month. Freddy thinks the Whales were not all caught and killed as there are not that many Whaleboats operating. He transforms into Captain Marvel Jr. and searches the seas for Whales, even searching underwater, but no Whales are found. However in the Pacific he finds a Whale and thinks it is the last one on Earth. A whaling ship and its crew (what?) also spot the Whale, and Jr. says they are happy even if they only sack one Whale. He seems more concerned about the threat to the Whaling business then about the Whales themselves. However another Whaler then appears from a submarine and says the Whale is his. Jr. says the other ship sighted it first so they get him. But the Man calls himself the Whale Master and says all Whales are his. Jr. asks why he claims so, since when, and why does he call himself the Whale Master? The Whale Master tries to push him off, but Jr. socks him and asks for an explanation for his talk. However he recovers quickly and decides to harpoon the other ship before they can harpoon the Whale. It has a bomb atached to it but Jr. atops it. However the Whale Master then rams the ship, the harpoon being a diversion, and while Jr. repairs the ship he escapes. Gregg appears to be on the ship, but how did he get to the Pacific so fast? Jr. cannot see the Whale and wonders if it was harpooned and dragged away, but sees a big wake left by the Whale, so he decides to follow. He sees the Whale Master luring the Whale away with a school of artificial fish, as schools of small fish are a Whale's best food. Jr. wonders if the Whales have vanished in the past year due to the Whale Master luring them away alive. Hours later they reach a Pacific atoll, which the 'last Whale on Earth' is led into, revealing all the Whales on Earth are in there, lured by the Whale Master. How was he able to lure every single Whale on Earth there? Why did Jr. not spot this before? Jr. wants to know his plan, but does not see his Sub, so thinks the Whale Master has submerged due to seeing him. He decides to lure him up by transforming, then while on a Whale he attracts his attention. The Whale Master wants nobody to stay alive and know his secret, so moves his Sub towards Freddy. Technically what he is doing is not illegal, the only illegal thing he has done so far was against the Whaling ship. Freddy slides down the wrong way, hits his head on the deck, and knocks himself out. The Whale Master decides to tie him up and gag him, even though there is nobody else around. The Whale Master decides to brag to him about his achievement, by capturing all Whales on Earth he's cornered the Market on Whales. Already the price of Whale Oil has become high, and the Whale Master thinks ambergris, used in the perfume industry, will be worth its weight on gold. He will be the only one on Earth selling these. He throws Freddy into a hungry Whale's mouth, hoping it will grind him up into mincemeat. Freddy thinks though the Whale cannot swallow him whole he will be torn to shreds on its gigantic teeth. But he hooks his gag on a tooth, transforms, and knocks out the Whale Master from behind while he is looking for Jr. He knocks him onto a Whale spout, and while the Whale Master is on there he opens the gates. The Whales start swimming out, and Jr. tells the Whale Master the Whaling Industry will go on as before, and the only monopoly the Whale Master will get is a jail cell, all his very own.[56]
Woman of a 1000 Faces
Only appearing in Marvel Family #39. Mary after school works as a clerk in a store, a man tells her to watch out for shoplifters who have been operating recently. She sees a Woman stealing a fur and transforms. However the Woman fights and somehow gets away, then causes Mary Marvel to get her head stuck in a trumpet. Mary thinks she hid behind a post, but finds a little old lady who calls herself Dame Deeples. She leaves, but Mary sees a note saying Greetings from the Woman of a thousand faces. The Women changes again, walking past two Policeman describing her as tall, good clothes, society type. However Mary sees the Woman carrying a large pocket book the shoplifter had and follows her in case she's part of a gang. She goes into an apartment house, however there are dozens of rooms making Mary lose the trail. She goes through an open door where a sculptress is working, and asks if anybody here is a criminal, the women says they are all poor hard-working people, however Mary sees a stolen fur hanging from a drawer, but is delayed by the Woman throwing a bust at her. She goes outside and asks a woman which way the lady sculptor went. She is told she went round the corner, and seizes a woman. She tries to pull her wig off, but realises she made a mistake, and leaves as the angry woman says she'll have Mary arrested. The woman has meanwhile reached her room and decides to watch out for Mary, who decides to become Mary Batson in case the Woman is watching out. However as she opens the door she activates a warning signal, and is knocked out by a statue head that drops onto her head. She is bound and gagged by the Lady who doesn't recognise her but thinks she might give her away and she has another job. The Woman disguises herself as Mary and says she'll play the greatest role of her career. She changes to Mary Marvel then leaves, saying she can hardly wait to pull the job. After she has left Mary thinks she'll hooks her gag on the arm of a statue, though the art makes it look like the statue's finger, and transforms. On the radio she hears the Acme Steel Company's Payroll Truck broke down at the city bank, but Mary Marvel has offered to fly the funds to the Bank. Meanwhile the Woman has the funds and asks if the guard trusts her, and is told she's the person he trusts most in the whole World. She says she'll start flying round the corner, but encounters the real flying Mary Marvel, who flies her to the Steel Mill. A man is amazed to see two Mary Marvels. Mary then flies them both to a Police Station, where she asks the desk Officer to arrest the Woman for fraudulent impersonation and all her crimes. He asks which one is real, Mary says it is her and takes of the Woman's disguise revealing the Sculptress, who says she failed to win fame and fortune with her sculptures so turned to crime in bitterness. As a Policeman leads her to a cell, Mary says she'll have plenty of time in jail to perfect her sculpting technique and ponder her mistake of trying to win fame through crime.
The Witch
1949, "Master Comics" #99. 300 years ago, Ebenezer Brewster captured a witch and put her to death, but not before she swore that her daughter would gain vengeance on his descendents. Sure enough, a young woman attempts to do so through her poisonous witch's brew. She is stopped by Captain Marvel Jr. but falls into a lake and apparently drowns.
Yorgull
A caveman Sivana took from the past. Sivana transports the Washington Capitol 100 million years into the past, hoping to ransom them for being proclaimed Rightful Ruler of the Universe. Captain Marvel, after hearing advice from Hercules, realises what Sivana has done and travels to the past using the Rock of Eternity. He thinks that the people inside the building will not survive the Ultra-Light speed travel and turns back to Billy Batson to look around. However while looking around he is seized by Yorgull, who holds his hand over Billy's mouth to prevent his speaking. However Billy bites the Caveman's finger, causing him to be released and enabling him to transform. He then forces Sivana to restore Yorgull to his proper time period and send the Washington Capitol back.
Zakka Jorl
Only appearing in Marvel Family #57. Leader of a bandit gang that is raiding the tiny island kingdom of Etan. In desperation, the king of Etan, Khan Lamma, sends a letter to the Marvel Family. Billy Batson opens all mail for the Marvel Family, and after reading it calls Mary and Freddy. They transform into the Marvel Family and fly to Etna, which they see is half fertile land and half mountains. They plan to inquire at a small native village, but find the bandits there are planning on looting the treasury. The Marvels easily defeat them, but Zakka fires an incendiary bullet at a thatched roof, catching it on fire. While working as a fire brigade using the well Zakka escapes into the mountains. The Marvels feel it will take too long trying to find him, so go to Khan Lamma and reveal their problem. Lamma says this is always a problem, half his land is flat, and half is mountainous. For years Zakka Jorl has raided his land and escaped into the mountains. Marvel finds they have looted another village and flies after them. A villager tells him the gang is heading for the Poison Sea, which Cap knows is between them and the mountains. However he cannot find them and realises they must have had a boat waiting, and due to the thick overhanging sea mist they escape to the foot of the mountains, Cap unable to see them. He sits on a rock and tries to think of a different way, and when Jr. and Mary Marvel find him he is laughing.
He asks Lamma if the Poison Sea is of any use, and is told its waters are poisonous and useless. Lamma would not mind if the mountains were gone, as only the bandits live there and his crowded people would have more room to live in. Cap then proposes they move the mountains into the Poison Sea. The Marvel Family first placed the biggest mountain into the sea, and Jr. says he will spread out the water and irrigate the surrounding desert sands. Chemical treatment can easily destroy the Poison and make the sand fertile according to him. The bandits are forced to flee deeper into the mountains, but soon the last mountain is uprooted. For some reason, the Marvels seemed more preoccupied with moving the last mountains then capturing the bandits who are in clear sight. Soon the whole of Etan is flat land.
Jr. finds a gold vein that will make the people wealthy. They go after the galloping horses, but find the bandits left their horses. They think the gold will soon attract the bandits and turn back to the Kids. They watch for the bandits on all sides, but attack comes from above, with the bandits leaping from the trees and knocking the Kids out. The moving of the mountains revealed hot underground springs, and Zakka orders his men to toss the Kids, who have been bound hand and foot and had their mouths gagged, in. If the heat does not kill them, they will drown, but Billy twists and removes his gag on a jagged rock, enabling him to transform. He removes the gags of the other two and flys them out of the waters, enabling them to transform. They catch the bandits, who did not get far carrying those heavy bags of gold, and take them to Khan Lamma's prison. Khan Lamama knows they do not accept gold or pay, so there is only one way he can show gratitude, by naming the new land Marvel Province.[1]
Zazzo
An imp from another dimension, Zazzo invented a helmet which stole Captain Marvel's lightning with a rod on top, and gained his powers though with a reversed colours costume like the Reverse-Flash, taking the name Zazzo-Plus. He tricks Cap into turning back, then puts a muffle mask on him to stop him transforming. Billy, with the help of Freddy, turns Zazzo back, becomes Captain Marvel using the helmet, and spanks Zazoo, before Zazzo the Elder takes Zazzo the younger back to his own dimension.
References
- ^ a b c Marvel Family #57
- ^ Marvel Family #28
- ^ Marvel Family #34
- ^ Captain Marvel Adventures #32
- ^ Marvel Family #74
- ^ Captain Marvel Adventures #42
- ^ All-Hero #1
- ^ a b c Marvel Family #21
- ^ a b Marvel Family #24
- ^ a b Marvel Family #82
- ^ Captain Marvel Adventures #10
- ^ Marvel Family #36
- ^ Marvel Family #12
- ^ a b Marvel Family #88
- ^ marvel85
- ^ Captain Marvel Adventures #5
- ^ Captain Marvel Adventures #109
- ^ Wow comics #50
- ^ Mary Marvel #1
- ^ Captain Marvel Adventures #8
- ^ Mary Marvel #2
- ^ Marvel Family #79
- ^ Marvel Family #44
- ^ a b Marvel Family #81
- ^ Wow comics #49
- ^ a b Mary Marvel #4
- ^ a b Marvel Family #90
- ^ a b Captain Marvel Adventures #139
- ^ Mary Marvel #24
- ^ Shazam #12
- ^ Marvel Family #3
- ^ Captain Marvel Adventures #124
- ^ Mary Marvel #11
- ^ Mary Marvel #9
- ^ Marvel Family #50
- ^ Shazam #16
- ^ Marvel Family #35
- ^ Captain Marvel Adventures #147
- ^ Marvel Family #22
- ^ Marvel Family #20
- ^ Marvel Family #78
- ^ Shazam #5
- ^ Captain Marvel Adventures #44
- ^ Mary Marvel #3
- ^ Shazam #19
- ^ Marvel Family #14
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
cma2
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Whiz Comics #89
- ^ Marvel Family #5
- ^ Shazam #10
- ^ Captain Marvel Adventures #150
- ^ Whiz Comics #119
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
marvel80
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Whiz Comics #128
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
marvel48
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ marvel46
External links
- Read Mary Marvel #1, involving the Larch Bros.
- Read Mary Marvel #2, involving the Mad Poet.
- Read Mary Marvel #3, involving the Colour King.
- Read Marvel Family #24, involving Kistara and the fourth Hydra.
- Read Marvel Family #36, involving the Invaders from Infinity.
- Read Marvel Family #57, involving Zakka Jorl, Clem and Dubner, the Hate-Collector, Daniel Daggert, and Jud Hunkle the Runaway Genius.
- Read Marvel Family #44, involving Michael Gordon and the rust that threatened the world.
- Read Whiz Comics #89, involving Spider-Man.
- furycomist.com, featuring the Whale Master and Joe Jark.