Powers and Abilities
Shazam has many superhuman powers and abilities as the result of his magical skills as well as powers bestowed to him as the representative of the various gods whose powers the Wizard gives to certain representatives of those gods as their champion as in the cases of Black Adam and Batson.
As the Guardian of the Rock of Eternity, he is one with the Rock as it is a part of him. He channels the energies of the primal God-wave and the Greek Lords of Magic through the Rock of Eternity. As such, he is infused with the duty to keep the power and the magic of the earth realm in balance. As keeper of the Rock of Eternity, he also holds the dark forces at bay. Due to being bound to the Rock of Eternity, Shazam's spirit can leave the Rock of Eternity for short periods of time. It should be noted that Shazam gets weaker the longer he is away from it.
Pre-Crisis, he once claimed to get his powers from his magic mantle which protected him from evil harm and enabled other powers. When it was removed he lost his powers and became just an old man, although it does not appear to work for others, when Sivana put it on he was not protected from Captain Marvel as it only protects the wearer from evil harm. In other stories he is shown as being weaker, being captured even while wearing the mantle, and it is once shown that the brazier being lit will summon him even if he is not in Eternity. He also possessed a device with which he could observe the past, present and future, and can throw lightning bolts from the Rock, which transform the Marvels. In another story it is claimed Shazam's powers come from a Shazamium bacelet which enables him and anybody else wearing it to become ethereal and travel back and forth from the Rock of Eternity. If Shazam has it off for 24 hrs he dies.
Read more about this topic: Shazam (character)
Famous quotes containing the words powers and/or abilities:
“The powers that be are ordained of God.”
—Bible: New Testament St. Paul, in Romans, 13:1.
“Our wishes are presentiments of the abilities that lie in us, harbingers of what we will be able to accomplish.”
—Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (17491832)