The Wizard

"Billy Batson, I choose you as champion. Say our name, and our power will become yours."

―The Wizard, to Billy Batson^[src]

Mamaragan (born Jedediah of Canaan) was an ancient and powerful Wizard, one of the eldest Homo Magi, and the last living member of the Council of Elders, following the rise and fall of the councils first champion Teth-Adam. For millennia afterwards, he was the owner and defender of the Rock of Eternity, and for millennia he looked for a new champion, resulting in thousands of mortal children being abducted and ultimately being found unworthy. However after one of his potential successors Thaddeus Sivana discovered the Rock of Eternity and its magic, he dedicated his life to finding it again, and ultimately succeeding in freeing the Seven Deadly Sins. Running out of time, Mamaragan brought the orphaned Billy Batson to him, choosing him as his new champion. Too weak from his short lived duel with Sivana, Sivana aided Batson with his wisdom, leading to Billy sharing his power with his own foster siblings, creating a team strong enough to Sivana and his own.

With Sivana and the Sins defeated and imprisoned again, Mamaragan welcomed the newly named Marvels to the Rock, beginning a new council to look over the Rock of Eternity.

To his chosen heroes, the Marvels, as well as the Justice League, he was known simply as The Wizard.

Background[]

Early life[]

Long ago, Jedediah worked as a simple shepherd in the lands of Ancient Egypt.

Over the years, Jedediah met five other magic users, Stamarim, Hiwaelle, Awyss, Zzamaz and Amiffae.

Under the name Mamaragan, he, along with the other sorcerers, decided to choose a champion to protect the mortal world against growing threats, including the Seven Deadly Sins who had come into physical existence. Their champion was Teth-Adam. However, when Adam's family was murdered by criminals, he became vengeful and ruthless, and was consumed by the influence of the Seven Sins. He destroyed the city of Kahndaq, and tens of thousands of people who lived there. After this, Adam murdered the other sorcerers. Unable to strip Adam of his power, The Wizard banished him far away from Earth, even further then the Guardians of the Universe could reach. Now weakened, The Wizard was able to trap the Seven Sins in statues.

After the defeat of Black Adam, he swore to only choose a champion pure of heart to succeed him. To his surprise, he watched as mankind grew sinful and violent on its own, without need of the Seven sins he entombed to influence their actions. This left him broken, realising he would never find a champion who was pure of heart.

Choosing Billy Batson[]

Injustice War[]

After the Justice League is defeated by Lex Luthor and his legion of super-criminals, Fawcett City comes under attack from Black Adam. Believing he will face Adam again with the aid of his champions, he is attacked by Felix Faust instead, and left mortally wounded while Adam and Faust make their way into the Rock of Eternity. The Marvels arrive too late to save Mamaragan, who leaves the task of defending the Rock and its magic to Billy Batson.

Powers and Abilities[]

Master Sorcerer: The Wizard is tremendously powerful and skilled as a sorcerer, possessing immense magical power and mastery of the arcane.
- Electrokinesis: The Wizard is able to project powerful lightning bolts from his staff.
- Apporting/Banishing: Shazam is able to teleport people to him and to banish them back to where he teleported them from.
- Power Bestowal: Shazam is able to bestow the power of the gods upon those he deems worthy. He bestowed Billy Batson with the power to transform into his mighty champion by calling out his name.

Superhuman Durability: Shazam possesses inhuman durability, as even while weak and old, he was able to survive the hits he suffered from Sivana, though they did hurt him.
Superhuman Longevity: Shazam possesses an greatly extended lifespan far beyond that of a regular human being, allowing him to live for thousands years. However, he was not truly immortal like the Olympian gods, and eventually grew older and weaker, and after he transferred his powers to Billy, Shazam passed away and crumbled into dust.

Relationships[]

Trivia[]

In the comics, the wizard was named Shazam before the superhero took the name due to legal disputes over "Captain Marvel". The wizard is now known as Mamaragan, originally an ancient sorcerer from Kahndaq, the birthplace of Black Adam.