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Summary
- Shazam, a powerful DC character, is immune to common weaknesses, making hime even more invulnerable than Superman.
- Mary Marvel is taken down by OMAC’s replicated lightning bolt, revealing a vulnerability.
-
The OMAC Project
#5 showcases a failsafe for the Shazam family using replicated lightning.
Out of all the heroes in the DC Universe, Shazam is one of the strongest with almost no weaknesses to speak of. Unlike Superman, Shazam doesn’t have anything as simple as kryptonite or a weakness against magic. This immunity has made him one of DC’s most powerful characters, but one tie-in to Infinite Crisis showed Shazam and his family do have one very dangerous weak point.
In The OMAC Project #5 by Greg Rucka and Jesús Saíz, readers see Brother Eye unleash the OMAC army on the world in an effort to maintain supreme control. Justice League International try to fend off some of these attacks, but they’re quickly overwhelmed and overpowered. Powerful heroes like Martian Manhunter are brought down due to the OMACs activating character-specific countermeasures, like fire.
Mary Marvel, who shares a source of powers with her brother Billy Batson, is also quickly taken down when an OMAC recreates the lightning bolt that the Shazam Family uses to endow themselves with their magical powers. Upon being hit but this lightning, she immediately reverts to her civilian state and is knocked out from the battle, suggesting whoever controls this lightning can take down Shazam at any time.
The OMAC Project
miniseries is a major puzzle piece in the massive
Infinite Crisis
event, which involved years of build-up across multiple series and then caused years of repercussions, including in the year-long weekly event series,
52
.
Shazam’s Powers Are Undergoing a Massive Change in DC Lore
For the past few months, Shazam’s powers have been in flux, and now, in Shazam! #9, it looks as if his power problems are just beginning.
The OMAC Program Features a Major Failsafe for the Shazam Family
The OMAC Project #5 by Greg Rucka, Jesús Saíz, Cliff Richards, Bob Wiacek, and Hi-Fi
Like all members of the Shazam family, Mary Marvel can call down lightning from the wizard Shazam, who empowers her with strength, flight, super speed, and more. The only way, usually, for a Shazam-empowered character to transform back is if they yell Shazam to once again call down the lightning. The way their powers work means, technically, that the Shazam Family can stay in their transformed states almost 24/7. But OMAC managed to figure out a way around this simply by replicating the energy signature of the lightning the Shazam Family uses to transform.
Mary Marvel recently gained a new source for her powers from female goddesses, as explored in
Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods
by G. Willow Wilson, Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad, Josie Campbell, Emanuela Lupacchino, Alitha Martinez, Caitlin Yarsky, and Cian Tormey.
OMAC is controlled by the genius-level intellect of Brother Eye, but there are plenty of evil characters who are just as smart as Brother Eye, such as Lex Luthor or Dr. Sivana. Sivana in particular is a major villain to the Shazam Family, and if Brother Eye is capable of recreating the energy signature needed to shut off Shazam’s power, there’s no reason to assume that Dr. Sivana wouldn’t be able to figure out a similar strategy. If this technologically-made lightning could be harnessed by a regularly-appearing villain, it would be the first time Shazam and the Shazam Family had an actual weakness that could be used against them.
When Lightning Is Used Against the Shazam Family, They’re Powerless
Even Shazam’s Magic Powers Have Technological Limits
For as powerful as Superman is, magic and kryptonite have always been options to bring him down, and both have been used liberally anytime a villain has needed to deal with Superman. Shazam’s always been trickier because of his lack of a weakness. But with some clever thinking during the countdown to Infinite Crisis, DC revealed that Shazam could be taken down with enough preparation and with the right kind of technology. While recreating the lightning bolt that strikes Shazam certainly isn’t an easy feat, OMAC proved it’s also far from impossible.
The OMAC Project #5 is available now from DC Comics!
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