The universe of DC is filled with interesting and unique heroes and villains. Many of them are as iconic as they come in the comic books industry, including Superman, Batman, and The Flash. This gives the DC universe a number of fantastic characters to draw from when crafting its story arcs, television shows, movies, and, of course, video games.
One of the most original of these characters is Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam. Of course, Shazam recently got much more popular thanks to Shazam’s new movies, but many devote DC fans knew of the character long before that. What makes Captain Marvel so unique is that the character is actually a child named Billy Batson who can turn into a superhero who is incredibly powerful. The fresh perspective helped Shazam find a place in the hearts of comic fans everywhere and has seen him appearing as a fun and diverse character in a wide range of different video games.
Superman (1988)
Superman is an old arcade game based on the titular Man of Steel that was released long before Superman made his way to Fortnite. The game was developed by Taito and saw Superman fighting his way through five levels to stop a villain unique to the game known as Emperor Zaas. However, the game can be played in co-op with the second player controlling what looks to be Shazam, although some have claimed that it is just Superman with an alternative color scheme.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (2008)
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was Shazam’s first major appearance in a game, where he was featured as a playable fighter from the DC Universe. Developed by Ed Boon and Midway Games, the game was DC’s first foray into the fighting game genre and established the foundation that the Injustice series built on. The game was met with a mixed reception when it was released, with many critics noting that some of the game’s modes were incredibly frustrating. Fans of the two universe’s were a bit more receptive, although many Mortal Kombat fans were disappointed at the game’s Teen rating that saw it eschewing the series’ iconic gore.
DC Universe Online (2011)
DC Universe Online is the sprawling MMO set in the DC Universe that allows players to create their own heroes and brawl their way through the iconic villains and storylines from the DC Universe. The game has managed to maintain a solid player base over the years, with DC Universe Online even getting a brand new expansion in the near future. Shazam is featured in the game as an NPC that players can interact with and talk to, although he is not actually playable.
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (2012)
LEGO Batman 2 opened up the series to include many more characters that hailed from series within the DC Universe beyond Batman storylines. The game saw Batman and the Justice League trying to stop Joker and Lex Luthor from trying to get Luthor elected as president. This expanded the cast of the game substantially from its predecessor and has made LEGO Batman 2 one of the best Batman games ever released. Shazam was not in the game at launch but was added in a DLC called the Heroes Pack that included Shazam, Nightwing, Katana, Zatanna, and Damian Wayne.
Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013)
Injustice: Gods Among Us was a fighting game entirely dedicated to characters from the DC Universe and saw Superman turning into a tyrant after the death of Lois Lane at the hands of the Joker. The story of the game was very well received by fans, with DC even making an Injustice animated movie. Shazam was featured in the game as one of Superman’s generals, although he was eventually killed by Superman for questioning his judgment. This kept Shazam from appearing in Injustice 2, but a movie version of the character does appear in the mobile game.
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (2014)
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham sees Braniac attacking the Earth to shrink it down and add it to his planetary collection. This requires the Justice League and the Legion of Doom to team up to stop him, with Shazam featured as a playable character in the game. The game received a less favorable reception than the two earlier entries in the series, but it still is a solid game that will satisfy fans of the genre and it is an especially good game for fans of the Arkham series.
Infinite Crisis (2015)
After the monumental success of games like League of Legends and DOTA 2, many franchises wanted to get in on the MOBA pie. Most recently, Nintendo tried to find a foothold in the MOBA space, but in 2015 DC Universe attempted to as well. Infinite Crisis saw players playing as different versions of characters from throughout the universe, including the likes of Shazam. However, the game was largely unable to do maintain much of a player base after its release and was shut down only a handful of months after fully launching.
DC Unchained (2018)
DC Unchained is a mobile game that allows players to control heroes and villains alike in action brawl missions. By playing through missions players can experience some of the biggest and best story arcs in the DC Universe, all while learning the move sets and special abilities of some of the biggest characters in comic books. This includes the likes of Shazam as well as other characters like Harley Quinn, Captain Cold, Lex Luthor, and Star Sapphire. The game has been well supported after its release, which seems to be part of Warner Brothers’ new focus on mobile gaming.
LEGO DC Super-Villains (2018)
LEGO DC Super-Villains is the most recent game in the LEGO DC series, although the new LEGO Star Wars game could lead to a return to the DC games as well. However, LEGO DC Super-Villains did mix up the formula a decent amount when it was released by following villains as well as allowing players to make their own custom characters at the start of the story. The game received pretty favorable reviews, and the game went on to receive a handful of nominations from award shows like the D.I.C.E. Awards, Game Critics Awards, and the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards.
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