Every hero has an arch-nemesis, Doctor Sivana is that for Billy Batson and the power of Shazam. Genius intellect, a loathing of humanity, and of the means to use that intelligence to make a mess of the world. How does someone like Sivana come to be such a threat to Earth’s mightiest mortal? Let’s find out!
Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana was once a good man, he wanted to use his smarts to make the world a better place. Sadly, the corruption of becoming a wealthy business man and the world’s evils would corrupt him into being just as twisted as the very system he had hoped to improve. Now dedicated to messing with humanity, Sivana would use his intelligence to make life miserable for Fawcett City as well as the world. That is, until Captain Marvel arrived, the big red cheese proved to be an unexpected threat to his plans, able to withstand all that Sivana threw at him. This would begin a life long hatred for the hero that persists to this day.
The two would continuously face off, Sivana spending his time trying to find ways to destroy the Marvels while spreading his misery to world with no avail. He would form many teams to help him, his first being his own adult children and eventually other villains but defeat was always their final member. His most successful way of stopping the Marvels had him and everyone he knew, frozen in time for two decades before Captain Marvel was able to break them all free and return them to Earth.
At one point, Sivana would be taken to a remote island to live among other scientists of dubious intent to live out their wildest dreams of making bizarre creations and then having these creations fight it out. One of Sivana’s oldest allies is Mr. Mind, a worm who can control minds, the two would work together and sometimes Sivana would conduct experiments to improve upon Mind’s abilities. One of these experiments nearly destroyed the space-time continuum when he enabled Mr. Mind to evolve.
In the New 52, Thaddeus Sivana is a good man and brilliant scientist, but his family is dying, science is failing him. He begins to seek out magic to find a cure for them. He is lead to the legend of Black Adam and the Rock of Eternity, of a champion of wizards. He hears stories of people who get plucked from their everyday lives to meet a wizard named Shazam who turns them away for not being worthy. He finds a tomb that may be his ticket to finding the help he needs, and is struck by lightning in the eye, granting him the ability to see magic.
He would find his new magic sight came at the price of his physical well being, making him frail and hunched (similar to how his other comics form looked) but he would find Black Adam and free him. He served Adam and the two would seek out the Seven Deadly Sins to gain power to find Shazam’s new champion. The Sins would empower Sivana to fight the new champion, Shazam, but lose and with it, all his power from the Sins. At his lowest point, Sivana would find a small worm that spoke to him, Mr. Mind, who sought out his friendship.
In the Multiversity, a Sivana from a world that seems like the old one that Captain Marvel was formed in, begins to unite with Sivana’s from other realities to destroy their enemies and gain power. In Rebirth, Sivana is teamed with Mr. Mind once more but with Mr. Mind in charge. Sivana is trapped doing his bidding and desperately trying to get out of his control.
There you have it! Sivana has been a constant threat to the champions of Shazam and this continues to this very day. He’s appeared in cartoons and has finally made his first theatrical appearance in the recent big screen adaptation. He’s more along the New 52 lines but still his own version to not be taken lightly. What will happen to Sivana next? Who knows? See you next time!
Suggested Reading
Whiz Comics #2
Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel Adventures
The Power of Shazam!
Shazam
Multiversity
Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
