Shazam!
The worst member of theShazamfamily , Uncle Dudley , managed to defeatBlack Adamnot once , but doubly ! In 1976’sShazam # 28 , the evil Doctor Sivana resurrects Black Adam and send out him after the Shazam crime syndicate , and just when the chips are down , Uncle Dudley step up and manages to give up the baddie for the second time in his life ; the kicker is : Uncle Dudley has no great power !
Comic rooter todayknow the Shazam familyas Billy , Mary , Freddy , Darla , Eugene , and Pedro , but in the character ’s heyday in the 1940 ’s , the Shazam family looked a bit different . Billy , Mary , and Freddy were present , as were Hoppy the Marvel Bunny and the Lieutenant Marvels . The most interesting member of the classic Shazam family may have been their Uncle Dudley . In reality , Dudley was not their uncle , but a loveable con man who wormed his way into the life of Billy , Mary , and the rest . Dudley had no great power either but would still wear a Shazam getup and accompany the team on escapade . While this may make Dudley sound like the most useless extremity of the Shazam crime syndicate , he was instrumental in defeating Black Adam on two occasion ! The first time was Black Adam ’s first appearance in 1942’sMarvel Family # 1 . After recount Black Adam ’s origin , the villain returned to the present day and fought the Shazam family to a stand - still . Black Adam ’s defeat came when Uncle Dudley tricked Adam intosaying “ Shazam,”which transform him back to Teth - Adam ; he then maturate rapidly and died .
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If this was not spoiled enough , Black Adam came back for seconds inShazam # 28 , written by E. Nelson Bridwell with art by Kurt Schaffenberger ( who worked on the original , Fawcett - epoch Shazam stories ) . Doctor Sivana resurrected Black Adam and sent him out against the Shazam Family . Hellbent on retaliation , Black Adam attacks them , and once again fights them to a tie-up . fateful Adam then comes uponUncle Dudley . recognize him from their last encounter , Black Adam is furious . Dudley simulate ignorance , and Adam reminds Dudley that he tricked him into saying “ Shazam ” last time . This was enough to call down the charming lightning , transform him back into Teth - Adam and allowing Shazam to take him back into hold .
The tale is told with the light - hearted , whimsical approach that used to be a stylemark of the fiber . Uncle Dudleytricking Black Adaminto saying the magical word twice testify this . The story also illustrates just how far Black Adam has arrive as well . In this progeny , he is a arrant speculative guy , with no whiff of the torture anti - hero he is today . He is also highly unable , having have Dudley defeat him through skullduggery twice . It is backbreaking to ideate the Black Adam of 2021 fall for this trick even once .
Uncle Dudley is arguably the worst member of the Shazam phratry — he has not appearedin a Shazam comicin well over a decade . Yet the joke was onShazam , as Dudley saved him not once , but doubly , fromBlack Adam .
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