Elvis' Captain Marvel Jr. Connection & Inspiration Explained
In Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic, the legendary singer is seen reading and dressing up as Shazam's Captain Marvel Jr., but how much did the comic-book character influence his life and career? Elvis is played by Austin Butler in the new film chronicling the life of "The King of Rock and Roll," which traces the musician's roots from childhood to death. Tom Hanks plays Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis' manager and controversial influence throughout his career — which is one that may have had his own comic-book connection to the late singer.
Captain Marvel Jr. is canonically a boy named Freddie Freeman who is gifted with the power of Shazam! from Captain Marvel (later renamed Shazam!) to save his life, turning him into a teenage superhero. The series was published by Fawcett Comics and ran for 118 issues between 1942 — 1953 before the rights eventually went to DC, where he wasn't revived again until the early 70s and retconned again in the mid-90s.Freeman could change into his super-powered alter ego of Captain Marvel Jr. by saying the words "Captain Marvel," giving him similar powers to Shazam. The character typically dealt with darker, real-world stories than his contemporaries, representing the working-class people of the WWII era and living in poverty and with a disability until he changes into his superhero self — effectively living within two identities.
Related: Elvis Ending Explained (In Detail)
Luhrmann's Elvis shows the musician in his early childhood in Tupelo, Mississippi, reading Captain Marvel Jr. comics from the late 1940s and even wearing a lightning bolt affixed to his coveralls. When he first performs, he is a nervous wreck but is suddenly «transformed into a superhero» (as Colonel Parker describes it) when he gets
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