Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Chosen the world’s protector against the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man – pride, envy, greed, hatred, selfishness, laziness and injustice – young Billy Batson accepts his destiny as Captain Marvel. Battling alongside Superman against nefarious Black Adam, Billy soon discovers the challenge super heroes ultimately face: is it revenge or justice?
This DC Showcase short pairs Superman with the origin of Captain Marvel/Shazam against Black Adam. The plot is a serviceable but compressed origin story that covers the necessary beats without much depth — functional rather than inspired. Voice acting is competent DC animated fare, nothing exceptional. The animation is clean but unremarkable for the era. Novelty is low as it treads very familiar superhero origin and villain-redemption territory with little distinctive voice. The ending resolves quickly and somewhat abruptly, feeling rushed given the short format, leaving the thematic question of revenge vs. justice underexplored.