Should Billy Batson grow up?

[Alan2099]

I just feel that having Billy grow up looses the whole hook of the character.

He's a kid (10, 12, 14, doesn't matter) that turns into an adult superhero. An 18 year old turning into an slightly different looking adult just doesn't have the same magic.

If you want to do some kind of future story or elseworlds to see where he goes, that's fine, but there's no point in taking away the basis for the actual character.

[Noodle]

If you want to read stories about an adult with Captain Marvel powers just read Miracleman.

[Restingvoice]

Yes, if only so I don't have to side eye the Justice League too much whenever they include the ten-fifteen year old in their team, Wisdom of Solomon or not. (New 52 doesn't show maturity when he changed)

Of course, growing up means he'll lose that appeal of kid fantasizing into an adult part, but that's why we have the Family. Just expand the Family to include a new ten year old.

[randomideaguy]

If you want to read stories about an adult with Captain Marvel powers just read Miracleman.

But those are intentional deconstructions of the character. It’s not like the actual Billy Batson growing up, applying lessons learned as a child hero to be an even better adult superhero.

I’m not the worlds #1 Captain Marvel fan so I wouldn’t mind just an elseworlds about him grown up. I do agree maybe putting him in his own world again would probably raise less questions about continuity.

[Captain Nostalgia]

I think part of his appeal is that he is a little kid that turns into this Hercules type superhero.

Interesting concept though, what if DC made all there super hero grow old and eventually retire, so we had a new Superman, Batman, every 20 years or so.

Let's say Billy Batson was 10 in 1940 when he first showed up....

that would make him 91 sometime this year!

[9th.]

Yes, I think it could be the boost he needs as a character. He doesn't have to be 30 or anything but I think an age bump might do him some good. Especially if we're supposed to be believe that all of the DC history counts now.

[Lightning Rider]

I like the idea as an elseworlds, but he shouldn't age past being a teenager IMO. As others have said, being a kid who transforms into a powerful superhuman adult is his principal theme.

[Primal Slayer]

Yes, we should see him growing up. How does he differentiate from becoming this powerful being? How does his life experiences affect him as Shazam and vice versa. Do they end up becoming "1" person.

[randomideaguy]

Yes, we should see him growing up. How does he differentiate from becoming this powerful being? How does his life experiences affect him as Shazam and vice versa. Do they end up becoming "1" person.

I was thinking about this and I think one easy way to do it would be one version having facial hair or a scar or something. Then of course if you really wanted to get crazy you could also do an Elseworlds about old man Billy Batson turning into Shazam to recapture his youth - maybe even do an angle like with Lady Thor where he’s fighting some disease while in his human form.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Him being a kid is part of the hook

Getting around the sliding timescale would be easy, just say that the magic that enables him to turn into Captain Marvel keeps him a kid.

[OopsIdiditagain]

I know he's younger in lots of media - that's what I'm complaining about. They make him younger to make him more childish, IMO. More "innocent", more naive, more trusting, etc. IMO, it makes him growing into an adult more difficult in a real-world sense when it gets to the point that fans just want little baby Billy (and Batman to adopt him, sometimes), with defining traits that cannot reasonably hold as he grows into adulthood.

I wouldn't mind it. It's just those "real world problems" were things he already dealt with in his early stories. Obviously, the world has changed and a 13 year old can't hold a full-time job and rent his own place and such these days. But I admit, there's not much power to the storyline of him dealing with making rent or being indepdent "for the first time" now when I know he was able to manage all of that decades ago. Of course, DC should in no way cater to readers like me and instead work on getting new fans for whatever version of the character they have at a given time.

In the live-action Shazam Billy isn't naive, childish, or innocent. He's pretty jaded. I don't think you have to worry DC catering to new fans who want a "little baby Billy".

[randomideaguy]

Him being a kid is part of the hook

Getting around the sliding timescale would be easy, just say that the magic that enables him to turn into Captain Marvel keeps him a kid.

Not to throw kindling on the fire, but people said the same about Peter Parker being a high schooler. They were wrong...

[Primal Slayer]

I was thinking about this and I think one easy way to do it would be one version having facial hair or a scar or something. Then of course if you really wanted to get crazy you could also do an Elseworlds about old man Billy Batson turning into Shazam to recapture his youth - maybe even do an angle like with Lady Thor where he’s fighting some disease while in his human form.

That would be a fun (possibly dark) thing to explore.

Him being a kid is part of the hook

Getting around the sliding timescale would be easy, just say that the magic that enables him to turn into Captain Marvel keeps him a kid.

So then he's cursed?

[Jim Kelly]

In THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL 1941 serial, Frank Coglan, Jr., doesn't look as young as the kid in the Fawcett comic books. In fact, Coglan was 25 when he played Billy. Michael Gray was 23 when he initially put on the red and gold sweatshirt for the 1974 SHAZAM! series. Asher Angel was 16 at the time of filming the first SHAZAM! movie. So I think that an older Billy Batson is inevitable for any live action version and not something anyone can stop from happening. Even if a younger kid were cast--he'd eventually get older.

Personally, I would like Billy to be between 8 and 13 in the comics. I don't like seeing him as old as 15 or 16. But I think that he's always going to get older--and then rebooted to younger again.

[Tzigone]

In the live-action Shazam Billy isn't naive, childish, or innocent. He's pretty jaded. I don't think you have to worry DC catering to new fans who want a "little baby Billy".

I agree about live-action Shazam, but he wasn't really who I was thinking of. Mind you, I'm not fond of "bad attitude Billy" either (or of the character not being taken seriously, but DC does seem to me like to go to the extremes in some ways - too extreme humor or grimdark), but again, I'm not the best market for a business to work to. I've said it before and will again - what's best for DC isn't what's best for me. I expect them to at least try to do what's best for them, and I expect to be further alienated by it. When it's enough, I won't bother anymore.

So then he's cursed?

That's certainly how I'd perceive it. And have actually seen that in fanfic, at least once. It's creepy and depressing and not at all satisfying to read to me. I don't mind a forever-the-same-age setup, really, but it has to apply to all the characters or none unless you want serious angst, pain, suffering or mindwarping creepiness to prevent such feelings.