How did Shazam! comics inspire Elvis Presley's look? Exploring The King's admiration for Captain Marvel Jr.

Elvis Presley was one of the most renowned personalities of the 20th century. He was also considered the King of Rock and Roll.

Apart from his music, Presley also grabbed millions of fans' attention due to his unique dressing sense. However, very few fans are aware that Elvis' dressing sense was inspired by Captain Marvel Jr.

This DC superhero, Captain Marvel, first appeared in Whiz Comics #2, published in December 1939. The storyline featured him as the alter ego of a boy named Billy Batson who could get transformed into a costumed superhero just by saying the word "Shazam."

After his first appearance, he got his first sidekick named Captain Marvel Jr., who was the alter ego of Freddy Freeman. He was the younger version of Shazam.

Soon, Freddy's version gained massive popularity, and he managed to get his own comic book series that was read by thousands of fans worldwide.

---

How did Elvis Presley get inspired by DC's Captain Marvel Jr.?

Elvis Presley spent half of his childhood reading Captain Marvel Jr. comic books. When he started his career, he adopted a unique look inspired by the superhero.

Presley not only copied the outfits, but he got the same haircut and sideburns inspired by Freddy's dark-haired look.

Whenever Presley performed on stage, his fans immediately recognized that his overall style was inspired by the famous DC superhero, Captain Marvel Jr. Moreover, as a massive fan of the superhero, the superstar even tried to include the smallest details related to him.

For instance, he used a lightning bolt on his band TCB's logo that resembled the lightning bolt logo of Captain Marvel Jr./Shazam.

Unfortunately, at the time, comic books weren't as popular as they are now. So, Elvis and Shazam's fans weren't aware of the connection between the Rock and Roll King and the fictional superhero.

However, with comic books becoming more popular nowadays, more people are figuring out Elvis' love for the DC character.

---

Who is Captain Marvel Jr. in DC comics?

Captain Marvel Jr. was highly popular back in the day (Image via DC)

In DC comics, Freddy Freeman takes on the title of Captain Marvel Jr. Disabled at the time, Freddy was saved by Captain Marvel from the Nazi Captain.

However, Freddy got injured during the ordeal, so Captain Marvel shared some powers with the boy to save his life. After that, Freddy could tap on the capabilities of Captain Marvel by saying the superhero's name.

However, unlike other Marvels who derived powers from Shazam, Freddy took on the power of Captain Marvel himself. This gave him superhuman strength, speed, and endurance.

Interestingly, even after becoming Captain Marvel Jr., Freddy remained in his teenage body while other Marvels took adult forms.

In the Shazam movie, Freddy was Captain Marvel's (Billy Batson) foster brother. Freddy got Shazam's powers after Billy tried to save his siblings from Thaddeus Sivana and the Seven Sins.