Lieutenant Marvels

The Lieutenant Marvels are fictional characters from publications by Fawcett Comics and DC Comics. They first appeared in Whiz Comics #21 in 1941. They were three young men from Earth-S, all of whom shared the name Billy Batson.

Captain Marvel and his Three Lieutenants stride over the Isthmus of Panama on the cover of Whiz Comics number 29 (April, 1942). Debuting in 1941, the Three Lieutenant Marvels would make recurring appearances until the end of the decade. At the height of his popularity, Captain Marvel outsold every other superhero title on the newsstand, including DC's top three.

By shouting "Shazam!", the Four Billy Batsons are transformed into the Lieutenant Marvels. In this form, they each have the powers of Captain Marvel: the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury. Since they have to share the power, they are each only one-third as powerful as Captain Marvel.