He can walk like you, talk like you, be like you. He’s Tawky Tawny! The talking tiger who is best buds with the original Captain Marvel, the one who says Shazam. How does a tiger become bipedal, able to speak, and wearing slick tweed suits? Let’s find out!
Mr. Tawky Tawny was just your average tiger living in India until a man was attacked. The humans were ready to blame Tawky until a magic hermit granted Tawky the abilities of a human being, speech, intelligence, and humanoid features. This transformation allowed Tawky to explain what had happened, freeing him of the crime and continued living as this now tiger man.
He would move to the United States to start his new life, unfortunately, most people freaked out at the sight of a talking, bipedal tiger. This drew the attention of the local hero, Captain Marvel, who would see that Tawky was a good person at heart (thanks to the Wisdom of Solomon he possessed) and befriends the talking tiger man because really, once you get down to it, wouldn’t you hope to be friends with the only talking tiger in the world?
Being friends with one of the mightiest heroes on the planet means your life is never boring, especially when you’re a talking cat. Tawky would find himself getting pulled into all manner of bizarre adventures, sometimes helping fight wizards or evil scientists. Tawky was considered part of Captain Marvel’s family, even as Billy Batson who saw Tawky as a paternal figure.
In the post-Crisis world, Mr. Tawky Tawny was just a stuffed animal friend to Mary Batson. When a demonic danger threatens the world, magic is used to make Tawky into a real living tiger man. The thing was, he originally only can able to be seen by Billy, Mary, and their uncle Dudley, all others saw a doll until the illusion was broken later on. He would show up on occasion to aide his new family once more.
In the New 52, Mr. Tawky Tawny is a tiger at the Fawcett City Zoo that Billy loves to visit and hang out with when he has some free time. When Billy gains the powers to become the champion of Shazam, he also learns that anyone he considers family to him can share in his powers. When he needs his help, Billy is able to say Shazam for Tawky and turn him into Mr. Tawky Tawny, who has the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury.
There you have it! Tawky Tawny is one of the many whimsical characters that belong to the Captain Marvel/Shazam family. For a series mostly about children who can become super humans, it’s fun to see a talking tiger man in their ranks. Will he make an appearance in the big screen version of Billy Batson’s adventures? We’ll have to wait and see! See you next time!
Suggested Reading
Captain Marvel Adventures #79
The Power of Shazam! #4
Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
