Captain Marvel, the Marvel Familiy and Shazam - Ramblings and Reconstruction: The Rock of Eternity

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Captain Marvel, the Marvel Familiy and Shazam - Ramblings and Reconstruction: The Rock of Eternity

Post by Ares »

Hey folks.

I decided to start up a new thread about my favorite hero, inspired at least partially from reading my favorite run of the Marvel Family. I know I had one previously, but I hadn't really touched that one in a while, and I wanted a fresh start.

The goal here will be my general musings on the Marvel Family, what I'd do if given control over the franchise, and just general conversation about it. I'm going to try to keep this one a bit more organized and be a little less bitter that I've been. I haven't really been subtle with my dissatisfaction with the Marvels and their portrayal, but I think I owe it to myself and everyone to be more optimistic and hopeful. Even if the Marvels are going through a rough patch, that doesn't mean I have to add to the misery, especially if I can focus on making it better.

I'll try to keep particular points of interest indexed here, but without further ado, let the fun commence.

01) The Secret History of Shazam and the Rock of Eternity
02) The Rock of Eternity
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Re: Captain Marvel, the Marvel Familiy and Shazam - Ramblings and Reconstruction

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The Secret History of Shazam and the Rock of Eternity



Evil Emerges

100,000 years ago, the world was an Age of Wonders. In order to throw off the oppressive control of the evil Beast Men and their strange, alien (IE, Mi-Go inspired) technology, humanity had been forced to unify together and become masters of different kinds of power, such as magic, psionics, chi, etc. From that conflict, which ended in the Beast Men's extermination (save for their ruler, King Kull, who escaped), humanity was able to build a truly remarkable civilization. The teaching of magic, mental energies, chi techniques and the like are so so common that most people have some knowledge of at least one of them, with a kind of magical technology existing as well. Meanwwghile the masters of the arts rival even the greatest modern masters of magic, such as Dr. Fate. Overall, it's a prosperous, peaceful time of advancement, seemingly with no end in sight for the heights humanity will achieve. A comparison might be the Pre-"Solars go crazy due to curse" First Age/Golden Age from the classic Exalted setting.

Naturally, this was not enough for some people. There was a circle of mystics who, despite being seven of the greatest magic users in an era of high magic, still want more. And as a mild jab at Geoff Johns, said circle resembles the Circle of Eternity he created for the Nu-Shazam reboot.

Together, this circle of wizards crafts the most impressive magical summoning circle that will ever be created, and with their acolytes in attendance, the pour into that circle their desire for power. And in typical Lovecraft/Howard style storytelling, that desire for power leads them to a dark place. A place of utter evil and darkness that (if you will pardon the Christian imagery) has existed since the birth of existence and was untouched by the warmth and goodness created when a voice uttered "Let there be light". And in that pit of utter darkness, something responds.

Into the universe is drawn Three Faces of Evil (EVIL! for short), who resemble their Ordway versions more Eldritch Abomination look. EVIL! actually takes a moment to thank the Sorcerers for releasing him, letting them know that by doing so in this universe, they have allowed EVIL! to manifest in every universe within the multiverse at once. Throughout every universe in existence, EVIL! now corrupts and condemns. As thanks for allowing him access to existence, EVIL! decides to grant the mystics the power they sought. Seven tentacles reach out and touch each of the seven sorcerers that make up the circle, and draws from them their most inner evil.

Pride. Envy. Greed. Hatred. Laziness. Selfishness. Injustice. The children of EVIL! The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man.

The newly minted Enemies of Man slaughter their acolytes, with the exception of the apprentice of Laziness. Laziness merely looks upon his former student with contempt, saying simply "You aren't worth the effort". EVIL! and the Sins depart, collapsing the structure behind them, trapping the only surviving acolyte within the ruins.

In an event that happens in every version of the multiverse, the Age of Wonder comes to an end. EVIL! and the Enemies of Man aren't mere demons, they're the physical embodiment of evil itself and the worst aspect of humanity. They draw out the worst aspects of normal people, make evil people supremely evil and powerful, and thus even the good people that can somewhat resist are overwhelmed by the evil rising around them. The mere presence of these Lovecraftian horrors drives people to madness. The powerful wielders of magic make war on each other, we get a glimpse of what an atomic war might look like. It takes roughly a week for EVIL! and the Enemies of Man to leave the world in utter chaos.



The Birth of a Champion

Meanwhile, back at the site where this all went bad, the surviving acolyte manages to free himself from his imprisonment and makes his way to the summoning circle. Using it, he is able to see the destruction done to this world, and he is terrified. More than terrified, he is filled with great shame and guilt that he was part of it, even if his role was merely that of an observer. So using the summoning circle, the acolyte pours in his own desire. Not for power, not for his own freedom, but a simple, humble call for help, fueled by his guilt and his compassion for the people suffering outside.

And from a place completely opposite from where the Three Faces of Evil was summoned . . . something answers. Angels? Old Gods? Something else? I'd keep it vague, but Six Patrons, representatives of a pure force for Good, appear. They tell the young acolyte that they could not directly interfere, because EVIL! was summoned to this world by mortal hands. Free Will summoned it, Free Will must defeat it. If the acolyte chooses, the beings can empower him to fight the evils he helped unleash and save not just this world, but all worlds everywhere.

The acolyte accepts the offer, and the Patrons pour into this young man wisdom, strength, stamina, power, courage and speed. In a flash of light, the young man is reborn, and given a new name: Shazam, Champion of Eternity.

Shazam heads out into the world, and using his power helps to undo the chaos EVIL! and the Enemies of Man are causing. It's not enough simply to stop EVIL!, because it feeds on the evil it finds in the hearts of men. Shazam flies around saving people, inspiring hope, and doing good deeds that likewise inspire the good in the surviving humans. Once humanity is somewhat stabilized, Shazam finds EVIL! itself. Now weaker due humanity having found their goodness again, Shazam battles EVIL!, but it isn't a fight he can hope to win on his own. However, the sight of Shazam battling EVIL! gives even more hope to humanity, and that hope allows Shazam and the Patrons that empowered him to drag EVIL! outside of the material universe and into the one place where EVIL! might be contained: Eternity.

Eternity sits in the very heart of the multiverse, beyond space and time, allowing access to everywhere at once. And as this version of Shazam drags EVIL! into Eternity, he drags every version of EVIL! from across the multiverse into Eternity as well. Recombined back into a single entity, EVIL is more powerful than ever, but Shazam continues to battle it valiantly. The Six Patrons then take a bit of matter from every universe in the multiverse, a little piece of the 'soul' of each universe. Taken from across a nearly infinite number of universes, that creates a nearly infinite amount of matter to play with, and the potential to create something truly massive. Such as a mountain of nearly infinite size. Which the Patrons build around the Three Faces of Evil, imprisoning it in a mountain forged from the multiverse itself.

Shazam fully expected to remained trapped in this mountain, battling EVIL! for all Eternity. Instead, the Six Patrons pull him free, and explain to him that his destiny is now tied to the newly formed Rock of Eternity. Shazam will have to remain its guardian, to protect all of existence from an evil that would drive all that is good from every sentient being in existence. Shazam will have to act as Champion for the worlds most affected by EVIL!, and then once his time has come to full embrace his role as the Guardian of Eternity, appoint a new Champion to defend those worlds. Shazam agrees.



Brave New World

The next thousand years aren't exactly pleasant. The world is forever changed by the actions of EVIL!, especially with the Enemies of Man still running around. A once great civilization that spanned the globe is completely destroyed, leaving pockets of humanity scattered across the world. Most of humanity must begin virtually from scratch, evolving new cultures, languages and traditions, creating a kind of Howard-inspired Hyborian Age. Some mystics from that previous era survive with their power intact. Some become Sorcerer Kings, some try to rebuild what was lost, creating new places of learning, maintaining temples of old lore and knowledge, etc.

Over time, Shazam is able to capture and imprison the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man, binding them to statues and preventing them getting up to mischief. And while the Enemies of Man didn't appear in every universe in the multiverse, they appeared in plenty of them, requiring Shazam to travel to those universes and imprison those versions of the Enemies of Man as well. And while doing this, Shazam had to protect his own Earth from various supernatural evils.

As time passed, Shazam could feel the powers he was given gradually start to wane, and he noticed himself aging. The powers the Patrons had granted him was tied to Eternity, after all, and over time his very essence was being drawn back to it. At some point, he would have to remain on Eternity nearly full time, and would have to act merely as an advisor to future champions. So Shazam developed a spell, tied to the Rock of Eterntiy, that would allow him to empower a hero the same way his patrons had originally empowered him. And by the time he found Teth Adam, he was more than ready to use that spell and give the world a champion.

Sadly, this did not end as Shazam had hoped, and Adam eventually had to be banished to another dimension.

His lesson learned, Shazam decided to be much more careful in his choice of Champion. Even though his physical power continued to wane, Shazam's mastery of magic made him the most powerful wizard in the world. He traveled that world, using magical items or teachings to empower heroes. He became known by many other names and did many great deeds. As Merlin, he helped guide a young king to create a civilization that briefly rivaled that of Shazam's own time. As Lao Tzu he helped the Eight Immortals ascend and helped guide Sun Wukong towards enlightment. As Abe no Seimei he helped Japan develop a mystical system of binding demons and warding evil spirits. As Nkuba he helped guide the hero Mwindo through his journey, offering guidance and aid, as well as interceding for him when the young man angered the African gods.

So it went, on and on, and Shazam could feel his energies continuing to fade. Yet at the same time, he felt a growing certainty that he was near to finding the true heir to his power. Spending much of his time on the Rock of Eternity to conserve his power, Shazam used his Historama spell to watch the world for signs of the person he could trust with his power.

Which was when he first discovered a young Billy Batson being thrown out of his home by his Uncle Ebenezer. A tragedy that would soon lead to something . . . Marvelous.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Re: Captain Marvel, the Marvel Familiy and Shazam - Ramblings and Reconstruction

Post by Jack of Spades »

Would subscribe. Looking forward to your next "issue."
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Re: Captain Marvel, the Marvel Familiy and Shazam - Ramblings and Reconstruction

Post by Shock »

Ares wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 5:16 pm I decided to start up a new threat about my favorite hero
Freudian slip? :lol:
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Re: Captain Marvel, the Marvel Familiy and Shazam - Ramblings and Reconstruction

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Shock wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 8:48 pm
Ares wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 5:16 pm I decided to start up a new threat about my favorite hero
Freudian slip? :lol:
Poor typing skills. :oops:
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Re: Captain Marvel, the Marvel Familiy and Shazam - Ramblings and Reconstruction

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Jack of Spades wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 7:45 pm Would subscribe. Looking forward to your next "issue."
Thanks! Very glad you're enjoying it so far.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Re: Captain Marvel, the Marvel Familiy and Shazam - Ramblings and Reconstruction

Post by Ken »

He's not the only one.
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Re: Captain Marvel, the Marvel Familiy and Shazam - Ramblings and Reconstruction

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The Rock of Eternity


Image


The Rock of Eternity exists in the center of Time and Space, at the very heart of the Multiverse itself. The Rock appear as an immense mountain of mind shattering proportions rising up out of a strange mist that seems to expand on to infinity. The sheer size of the Rock cannot be overstated, as the visible portion of the mountain is roughly the same volume as the Earth's Sun. It's nearly a million miles from the peak to the mist shrouded base. Those viewing it for the first time are often overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the thing. The Rock itself is composed of an unknown material that is nearly indestructible to harm.

Due to the Rock's placement in the center of existence, it's possible for someone who can access the Rock's power to travel to any point in time and space. They can travel to the past or the future, to any spot in their home dimension, or to any of the countless alternate dimensions and parallel universes of the multiverse. This is very useful for the Marvel Family, whose adventures can take them literally anywhere (and sometimes, anywhen).



The Palace of Power


Image

Seated about a hundred thousand miles below the peak of the Rock is the Palace of Power, which serves as both the home for the Wizard Shazam and a base of operations for the Marvel Family.

The Palace, much like the rest of the Rock, is an incredibly large structure, one whose architecture appears to be a mixture of Greek and Egyptian design, but is actually based on Shazam's original culture. It includes Shazam's throne room, an immense library, several trophy rooms, various labratories, meeting rooms and countless other specialized areas. It feels as if one had combined Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum with the home of the Olympian gods. The Palace itself is actually built out of the materials of the mountain and it's floorplan extends deep into the Rock itself.

Thanks to the unique location of the Rock, Shazam is able to use his magic to communicate the the Marvel Family wherever they are, as well as use his magic to view any point in time and space. As a result, Shazam is incredibly well informed about the goings on of existence and is able to let the Marvels know when a situation that requires their attention arises. The Marvel Family originally only used the Rock for transportation or to meet with the Wizard, but have more recently begun to use the Rock to its full potential, especially as threats that require more specialized solutions arise.



The Secret of the True Rock of Eternity


As grand and useful as the Rock of Eternity appears, it's true purpose and scope is unknown save to a very few. You see, what a visitor to the Rock of Eternity experiences is not the true Rock of Eternity.

When traveling to the Rock of Eternity, where you go is merely A Rock of Eternity. If the Captain Marvel of Earth 1 travels to the Rock, he will travel to the Rock of Eternity of Earth 1, while the Captain Marvel of Earth 27 would travel to the Rock of Earth 27, each of which would have their own version of the wizard Shazam. If someone travels to the Rock of Eternity from Earth 27, they will wind up in the Earth 27 Rock of Eternity. However, those linked to the Rock of Eternity by the Power of Shazam will always return to their own version of the Rock unless they make a conscious effort to travel to a different one. This usually isn't that jarring for most people, as the Rock's are mostly identical to each other and each version of Shazam seems incredibly well informed about the goings on of . . . well, pretty much everything.

This is because each Rock of Eternity is actually only a small part of the true Rock of Eternity, made up of the near infinite numbers of Rocks linked to their own universe:


Image


In a sense, each Rock of Eternity is more like a waiting room that connected to but separate from a larger, more immense structure. It is possible to travel deep enough into the Rock to wind up in the true Palace of Power near the center of the true Rock, and it's here that many alternate versions of the Marvel Family and similar heroes like to congregate, hang out and work together on problems.

As described in The Secret History of Shazam and the Rock of Eternity, the Rock of Eternit is actually composed of a kind of solidified goodness, a bit of the literal soul of each universe in the multiverse the size of a sun, combined together into a mountain of unimaginable size and dimension. This is so that it can serve its true function as the prison for the Three Faces of Evil, who remain trapped in the very center of the Rock of Eternity, compressed into the size and shape of a single dark Rock of Eternity.

The importance of each individual Rock of Eternity should not be underestimated. Though rare, there have been instances where one of the smaller Rocks of Eternity have been damaged or even destroyed. This allows for the essence of the Three Faces of Evil to escape into that universe, sometimes the larger multiverse, and cause darkness to spread over that universe. As evil spreads throughout the multiverse, so does the Three Faces of Evil become stronger. If enough Rocks of Eternity are damaged or destroyed and if the amount of evil in the multiverse increases sufficiently, then the Three Faces of Evil will break free and bring darkness to the entire multiverse, eventually consuming it whole.

This is the reason Shazam sits on his throne, directing heroes who are both inherently good and inspiring. Shazam and the Marvel Family don't just stop threats, they need to spread hope, kindness and goodness throughout the multiverse, to literally combat evil in all its forms. Otherwise the true embodiment of evil will escape and bring ruin to everything.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Re: Captain Marvel, the Marvel Familiy and Shazam - Ramblings and Reconstruction: The Rock of Eternity

Post by NoOneofConsequence »

That's very cool. I like it. 👍
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Re: Captain Marvel, the Marvel Familiy and Shazam - Ramblings and Reconstruction: The Rock of Eternity

Post by Ares »

NoOneofConsequence wrote: Tue Jul 27, 2021 7:26 pm That's very cool. I like it. 👍
Thanks! Always good to hear the mad ramblings in my brain appeal to someone. :D
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Re: Captain Marvel, the Marvel Familiy and Shazam - Ramblings and Reconstruction: The Rock of Eternity

Post by NoOneofConsequence »

While I had vague memories of the Marvel family cartoons from the late 70s, my first real memory of Captain Marvel was from the Underworld Unleashed event, in which Billy defeated Necron with only the power of his own innate selflessness. That made me like the character.
What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly. That is the first law of nature.
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Re: Captain Marvel, the Marvel Familiy and Shazam - Ramblings and Reconstruction: The Rock of Eternity

Post by Ken »

NoOneofConsequence wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 2:54 am While I had vague memories of the Marvel family cartoons from the late 70s, my first real memory of Captain Marvel was from the Underworld Unleashed event, in which Billy defeated Necron with only the power of his own innate selflessness. That made me like the character.
Early 1980s. "The Kid Super Power Hour with S----m" aired in the 1981-82 season.
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Re: Captain Marvel, the Marvel Familiy and Shazam - Ramblings and Reconstruction: The Rock of Eternity

Post by Ares »

My first exposure to the character was the Filmation animated series, much like Ken. While I was only a couple of years old when it initially aired, there was a local video store that had episodes on VHS that I rented regularly, and I caught some episodes on syndication. I also got my hands on some World's Finest issues featuring Cap early on, which just cemented my love for the character. I've pretty much been a diehard fan ever since.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Re: Captain Marvel, the Marvel Familiy and Shazam - Ramblings and Reconstruction: The Rock of Eternity

Post by NoOneofConsequence »

Are any of those old Filmation series available any (streaming, dvd, etc.)? Besides the Marvels, I have memories of Zorro, Tarzan, the Lone Ranger, and (I think?) Batman. I'm wondering if they hold up.
What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly. That is the first law of nature.
Voltaire, "Tolerance" (1764)
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Re: Captain Marvel, the Marvel Familiy and Shazam - Ramblings and Reconstruction: The Rock of Eternity

Post by Ares »

Filmation also did the 80s He-Man, She-Ra, Bravestar, Blackstar and the Filmation Ghost Busters. They also had a Flash Gordon animated series I quite liked. Season 1 anyway.

I'm sure most of them are available via streaming, but cartoon junkie that I am, I have hard copies of most of them.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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