S H A Z A M
S H A Z A M
S H A Z A M
"Five thousand years ago, the world needed a hero. Instead, it got me."
C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T _________________________________________________________C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T  _________________________________________________________ C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y _________________________________________________________C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y Teth-Adam _________________________________________________________ Ancient Egyptian (Canaanite) | Earth’s Champion _________________________________________________________ Mount Justice | Rhode Island | USA C H A R A C T E R N O T E S C H A R A C T E R N O T E S - M I S C E L L A N E O U S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► S H A Z A M • The Stamina of Shu • The Speed of Horus • The Strength of Amun • The Wisdom of Zehuti • The Power of Aten • The Courage of Mehen ► F R E N E M I E S • Jebediah of Canaan (Shazam, d. 2010) • Freddy Freeman • Dudley H. Batson (Captain Marvel since 1970) • Elizabeth "Libby" Lawrence (Liberty Belle, d. 2006) • Dr. Thaddeus Sivana • The Demon Sabbac • Yurrd the Unknown (Famine) • Rogga of the Seven Atrocities (War) • Zorm the Desolate (Pestilence) • Azraeuz (Death) ► N O T E S • Kahndaq is a municipality in the Southern Sinai Peninsula, which includes Mt Sinai and Mt Horab. In the ancient world, it was a city-state that asserted its independence from Egypt's Old Kingdom. Historians refer to it as the Slave’s Kingdom owing to its storied origin. Today it is part of modern Egypt. The ruins of Kahndaq are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. • Theo Ramses Teth-Adam was the fabled boy-king of Kahndaq, whose existence is debated by modern Egyptologists. • Teth speaks 40 languages fluently. • As Teth and the Wizard are connected to the Rock of Eternity, they do not age. Their physical appearances are a manifestation. The Wizard’s weariness expressed as old age, Teth’s youth the result of being unable to let go of the trauma of his childhood. • Dudley "Uncle Dudley" Batson has been the costumed hero Captain Marvel since the 1970s, taking inspiration from the WW2 era hero. He was a reserve member of the Justice League until it disbanded. • Teth's Theme Song: Shaman's Harvest [In Chains] - P O S T C A T A L O G P O S T C A T A L O G - P O S T C A T A L O G ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ - | C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T Thousands of years ago, the Council of Wizards protected the developing human societies from all manner of threats. Over the course of centuries, those battles took their toll on the Council, until Shazam was the last. It was only then that the man recalled the life he’d left behind, the family that he’d forgotten, and went in search of the tribe that he’d turned his back to many generations before. He discovered his people massacred, a single boy pulled from the fire to survive his family line, placed in shackles and cast into the turquoise mines of Ancient Egypt. When the spark of rebellion was ignited by the boy’s brash nature – courage or foolishness - he was to be executed, a child sacrifice to serve as a slave to the god Toth. The Wizard saved the boy from death, keeping their relation concealed as he allowed his powers to flow through the youth. Shazam’s purpose was to mold the boy into a proper champion who could protect humanity after him. That was 5,000 years ago. Teth-Adam is still learning, and it’s been a rough road to get here. Shazam gave the boy the power to overcome his demons. Instead, the child conquered his enemies. Leading a revolt, the city-state of Kahndaq in the ancient world was founded upon a turquoise mine as the slaves cast off their shackles and drove out their Egyptian masters. And, for a time, there existed a place of prosperity, knowledge, and peace that was unrivaled by any, a desert analog to the fabled Camelot. A classless society, where all men were free and equal to one another. But women were traded as property, not even second-class citizens. Order was maintained through a strict series of laws, with public executions carried out in the middle of each week. For hundreds of years, this jewel shone brighter than Egypt’s dynasties, until an usurper known as Ahk-Ton seized the throne of Kahndaq through an infernal pact known as the Crown of Sabbac. The Wizard Shazam intervened in the battle that unfolded, which laid waste to the palace and surrounding city. He broke Ahk-Ton’s crown and banished the demon Sabbac back to the flames of Hell, and then entombed Teth-Adam in the wreckage of his city to dwell over the choices that had ushered in the tragic rise and fall of Kahndaq. That tomb was unearthed by a British archaeologist in 1928, but it wasn’t a boy who stumbled out of his prison – it was a young woman. Stripped of his (her) powers, Teth-Adam found that the only spell that he (she) was capable of casting was the name of Shazam. Adopting the identity of Mary Bromfield, he (she) would become a member of the Justice Society of America during the Allies European campaign in World War II. Unable to say the name Shazam, the red, gold, and white garbed hero became known as Captain Marvel, though the heroic actions of both herself and her companion Liberty Belle were often denigrated in comparison to their male counterparts - precisely the lesson about walking in the shoes of the oppressed that the Wizard had in mind for Teth. At the end of the War, Teth/Mary was tasked to stop the atomic bombing of Japan. Refusing, Teth/Mary instead allowed the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima to take place, as he/she believed it a strategically sound move on the part of the Allies. For this defiance, the Wizard summoned Teth-Adam to the Rock of Eternity, restoring him to his original form before casting him across the cosmos, to make his way back (literally and metaphorically) to being Earth’s champion. Teth returned to find the world embroiled in war once again, this time from the sea as Atlantis invaded. With his youthful appearance, violent disposition, and brash manner, Teth-Adam clashed with the Justice League and instead found more of a kinship with the teenage titans that operated on the fringes of the League’s tolerance (or apathy, whichever may have been the case). Today, he is a solitary figure who often sits atop Mount Justice and looks out over the world that has caused him so much grief. He’s supposed to be Earth’s champion. It’s a job he’s been training for since time immemorial, and he’s still got a lot to learn. P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) Drawing inspiration from Justice League Beyond’s interpretation as Billy, Shazam, Black Adam, Mary Marvel, and Captain Marvel being 5 separate identities sharing 1 body, this is a reinterpretation that pitches Teth-Adam singularly in those roles. Typically, I focus on Billy Batson but my vision often chafes against the modern retelling of his personality. In this instance, I merge the idea of “Asshole Batson” with Black Adam, probably not at all from having watched the movie recently and I think it makes for a more compelling and interesting character than either Billy or Teth-Adam by themselves. I’ve worked out a connection with Static with @Retired owing to their shared “titans” history. Other characters of the period are also welcome to work in connections. In terms of plots, the first story out the gate will be a return to Kahndaq in a Mummy-esque Indiana Jones style adventure, then some vignette style stories to allow for some collaboration if anyone desires before I jump into a second Temple of Doom styled story. The Brendan Frasier and Harrison Ford are strong in this one. |
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