Mary Batson

Mary Marvel
Mary Marvel on the cover of The Power of Shazam! #4. Art by Jerry Ordway.
Publication information
Publisher	Fawcett Comics (1942–1953) DC Comics (1972–present)
First appearance	Captain Marvel Adventures #18 (Dec. 1942)
Created by	Otto Binder Marc Swayze
In-story information
Alter ego	Mary Willow Batson
Team affiliations	Marvel Family Justice League
Notable aliases	Captain Marvel, Mary Bromfield, Black Mary, Lady Shazam, Captain Shazam, Mary Shazam
Abilities	Magical lightning bestows: Superhuman strength, speed, stamina and courage Physical and magical near-invulnerability Flight Genius-level intellect Control and emission of magic lightning

Mary Marvel is a fictional character originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 (cover-dated Dec. 1942). The character is a member of the Marvel/Shazam Family of heroes associated with the superhero Shazam/Captain Marvel.

She is the alter ego of teenager Mary Batson (adopted name Mary Bromfield), twin sister of Captain Marvel's alter-ego, Billy Batson. Like her brother, Mary has been granted the power of the wizard Shazam, and has but to speak the wizard's name to be transformed into the superpowered Mary Marvel. Mary Marvel was one of the first female spin-offs of a major male superhero, and predates the introduction of Superman's female cousin Supergirl (also created by Otto Binder) by more than a decade.

Following DC's licensing of the Marvel Family characters in 1972, Mary Marvel began appearing in DC Comics, co-starring in DC series such as Shazam! (1973-1978) and The Power of Shazam! (1995-1999). Two limited series from 2007-2009, Countdown and Final Crisis, feature an evil version of Mary Marvel having acquired powers from first Shazam Family archenemy Black Adam and further from Apokoliptian supervillain god Desaad. In current continuity following DC's 2011 New 52 reboot, Mary Bromfield appears as one of Billy Batson's foster siblings, and can share Billy's power at his whim to become an adult superhero similar to the traditional Mary Marvel (the "Marvel" monikers having been retired with the reboot).