Warning! Contains spoilers for Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #4!Billy Batson may be worthy of Shazam’s powers, but even he thinks that someone else deserves to be Champion. The young hero shocks everyone by revealing he’d prefer it if Mary remained the Earth’s Mightiest Mortal.
In Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #4’s backup story “A Champion’s Heart: Finale” by Josie Campbell and Caitlin Yarsky, Mary and Billy reflect on the battle they’ve just been in. With Mary now powerless after passing on her magic to Wonder Woman, Billy summons the Wizard. Billy admits that he may have been responsible for the Wizard losing faith in humanity and to rectify that, Billy wants Mary to replace him as Champion.
Both Mary and the Wizard are shocked, but Billy is confident in his choice. Billy says that Mary is smarter than him and is much more adept at using Shazam’s powers. Billy confides that since he’s returned to Earth, he doesn’t feel like he fits in anymore and that Mary has more than earned the right to be the Earth’s Champion.
Billy Believes Mary Marvel is a Better Shazam Than Him
Billy Batson was the first Champion the Wizard selected in thousands of years after his previous pick, Black Adam, squandered his power. But Billy shared his abilities with his foster family, including Mary. Recently, Billy was trapped on the Rock of Eternity, leaving the world defenseless. With Earth needing a Champion, he passed along his powers once more to Mary, making her the new Shazam. While Mary struggled to balance the responsibilities of being Champion with her new life as a college student, she rose to the occasion and proved herself just as capable in her Shazam duties as Billy.
Billy has done a lot of impressive things as Shazam. He fought sinister villains such as Doctor Sivana and the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man and even joined the Justice League. But after spending time trapped on the Rock of Eternity, he’s found himself doubting that he’s the right person to be Champion. But Billy has known for a while that Mary has the potential to be a much better Shazam than him. After all, Billy selected her to be the sole Champion when he was indisposed. It seems that Billy truly believes that Mary was meant to be Shazam more than him.
Billy is Ready to Let Mary Marvel Become Shazam
Before he was granted the power of Shazam, the post-Flashpoint version of Billy Batson once said that he didn’t think a truly pure-hearted person existed. But Mary has always exemplified the spirit the Wizard sought in his search for a worthy Champion. At some point, Billy recognized that Mary had the potential to be a fantastic Champion. And seeing what she’s done since becoming Shazam, he wasn’t wrong. While thankfully there’s enough room for them to both be Champions in their own right, Billy is the first to admit that Mary deserves the role more than him. Fans can see both versions of Shazam in Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #4, on sale now.
