I don't think its a drug addiciton allegory, because in essence she would currently be "microdosing". I do love this direction tho, such a fascinating dynamic for a superhero to have, especially considering she was a tween/teen when she got the powers and would be the most insecure as herself. Sergeant starts off by saying "im beautiful" and then "im powerful" which most girls could relate to feeling insecure about their looks at that age.
That's probably the reason for her strange/troubling behavior. She tried to touch one of Jason Blood's artifacts that he stated is "powerful". She drained power from her teammates when Child attacked. And she stared at one of the pillars of fire reaching out to it. Can't say draining Klarion's power was "harmless".
It's more of a gambling addiction metaphor, or really any psychological addiction like certain drugs that aren't physiologically addictive, sexual addiction, the list goes on.
She just wanted to be part of the plan, the team. But she misunderstood Zatana's words, the former believing that she is not quite fit to be Nabu's host fearing by a new temptation or not really fully understand the concept of holding the mantle of Doctor Fate. Whatever the reason, hopefully she cleared her mind a bit and truly understood the meaning behind Zatana's words.
Sadly, once you gain the resolve to fight an addiction, that resolve doesn't always last. Especially if you're exposed to the smallest part of that addiction.
@@afifzahiruddinrohaizan52 "we all fought Side by side. How come they're getting rewarded and I'm not" anyone who thinks that way doesn't need the helmet. Besides, it's unlikely that Mary would give up the Helmet if she ever put it on
*@Just Some Guy with a Mustache ~* Yep, the psychological addiction to being Sergeant Marvel was/is far more relatable. The YJ-writers were wise to use that angle (psychological addiction), instead of the comics-angle of Mary Marvel being mystically corrupted by the Dark Shazam!-power that comics-Mary gained from Black Adam.
Same. Screw human limitations. Except I would want to be a hero either, I'd just chill. Beats me why Mary here would want this path, or why it would count as passing to voluntarily limit herself by locking away her full potential.
Mary is basically a child who's found an atomic bomb; she loves the power that comes with saying one word, and the destruction that she caused with it. She may have grown in this episode, but we see that she is still flawed with her 'ends justifying the means', and we saw everything dying during their final battle with Child and Flaw. She only saw the use of force to get her way, when Thirteen used her brain and literally destroyed Child's anchor.
She only managed to do so, because of mere coincidence. Child used different magic to create anchor. And by the way if she said Shazam probably would have beaten Flaw with mere strength.
I agree, and Zatanna's little different at that; both are the lovable duped dopes who'd fall into a relationship with a spirit- trying to perform miracles in the meantime- dummies the whole way. The only one with any sense at all in that small band is Zatanna's father; he at least has the sense to realize the danger that power poses, and to either completely control its output, or to throw the garbage power is out forever, and to happily disown any claims to power he could ever have. Tis that that makes him mature enough to handle it: his complete and utter rejection of power- pure and simple, as well as his hearty preference for humbling himself and the building up of wisdom.
It's nice to see Mary's backstory and to see her overcome the temptation again. You could tell she was immediately on the defensive when she called upon the super stamina and courage. But then she faced her fears and overcame them
Honestly I don't like the way they handled this, the power isn't an addiction that needs to be given up its a part of who she is she needs to deal with why she craves the power. The way she is treating it is that it will always have power over her.
What honestly put her over the edge was figuring out the reason for a good part of this, recruiting their group specifically was so Zatanna could engineer a situation to get her father free of fate for a bit of time, which...fair enough...she still used Mary and the group. Mary rightfully called her out on it. Which in turn meant this test wasn't to help her, but to screen her to be Zatanna's sub-host for Fate so...again...she could get more time with her father. Overall while Zatanna had relatively good intentions, she used the situation for a selfish reason, and one of them saw past the moral blinders to realize she was being used... Granted it pushed her right into the arms of Granny Goodness, which is a poor choice on her part, but calling Zatanna out hopefully gets revised if the series ever continues somehow.
So basically Mary suffered the same type of power hunger that Billy Batson went through when he first got his powers in the New 52 and sorta the live action Shazam film, that being that they didn't want to revert back to their younger and mortal form after attaining the powers of Shazam. I take it that Black Adam or Dr Sivana didn't need to get involved and kick Mary's ass to get her to realize that she was getting way in over her head.
what the new 52 Got right with Billy batson new 52 origin was that when He learned about Black adam and why he became the way he is he Finally realize the Outcomes of his powers as the Point of Black adam was meant to Help Billy see had he kept pushing people away and saw his powers as a toy he would've been like Black Adam
Maybe Solomon should get his head out of the grimores and read a parenting and self help book for kids. He gave them power with no limits after only testing them a few times. Believing foolishly that somehow the power and the responsibility it holds would somehow work as a test/limiter for a kids psyche. But a kid needs guidance, not from some all powerful superpower granting wisdom. They need mentors who can help you grow into the talents one is blessed with. Billy was lucky to have the justice league teach him why he needs a secret identity. Why they failed with Mary though…well this show has proven that heroes can make mistakes.
*@ENTROPY ~* You misunderstand the power of Shazam! somewhat... 1. *_Power, not Persona_** ~* The _'Wisdom of Solomon'_ is *NOT* a separate entity inside the Shazam!-wielder's mind, but rather it grants a (deliberately ambiguous) amount of informational and mystic knowledge, as well as granting mental clarity when the Shazam!-wielder takes the time to (mentally) focus upon a problem. The 'catch' being that this is a rare occurrence given how often the power of Shazam! is called upon for rapid action &/or combat. Put another way, the _'Wisdom of Solomon'_ is no more a voice in the Shazam!-wielder's head providing input, any more than the _'Strength of Hercules'_ is a physical trainer voice (internally) yelling at the Shazam!-wielder to lift with the legs, not the back. *;D* 2. *_[YJ 1x22 - "Agendas"]_** ~* This was best summarized by Arthur Curry's [Aquaman I] remark upon Billy Batson's [Captain Marvel I] deception in keeping his true age from his Justice League fellows... - [the Flash]: Should Captain Marvel stay a member? Now that we know he's only 10 years old? - [Red Tornado]: He does possess an adult body and the Wisdom of Solomon. - [Aquaman]: Wisdom does *not* equal _Maturity._ Hope this helps clarify. *:)*
Some context and DC Comics-history to this scene of Mary Bromfield(-Batson's) inner-conflict... *:)* 1.) *_The Power(s) of SHAZAM!_** ~* For those unfamiliar with the powers that SHAZAM! grants, and that YJ-Mary draws upon, albeit individually... - *S(olomon) ~* The _Wisdom of Solomon_ grants a deliberately ambiguous amount of knowledge (academic and mystical), mental acuity (clear and focused thinking, when not getting beat upon), and a strong Willpower-resistance to psychic attacks (but *NOT* immunity). The Wisdom of Solomon becomes greater/stronger with the Shazam!-wielder's own knowledge and learning, to encourage the Shazam!-wielder to educate themselves and sharpen their mind in their mortal form. - *H(ercules) ~* The _Strength of Hercules_ grants, big surprise, Super-Strength. Hercules' power also grants a measure of Super-Toughness against physical damage, which stacks with Atlas' and Achilles' powers. - *A(tlas) ~* The _Endurance of Atlas_ grants near-infinite fortitude, never tiring, never needing to rest/sleep, immunity to diseases & poisons, and the ability to survive in almost any hostile environment/conditions (e.g.: the ocean depths/pressures, having to dive into a volcano, outer space, etc.). Atlas' power also grants a measure of Super-Toughness and resilience when receiving damage (physical &/or magical), so the Shazam!-wielder does not become winded or knocked unconscious when getting hit; this stacks with Hercules' and Achilles' powers. - *Z(eus) ~* The _Power of Zeus_ grants raw mystic power. This generally takes the form of being able to hurl thunderbolts and lightning, but is *NOT* limited to it. Likewise, with experience, skill, and control, Zeus' power grants power over storms overall; whether from a raging thunderstorm with dozens of lightning strikes to devastate armies, to a torrential downpour to put out forest fires, or a cooling rain for drought-stricken farmland. - *A(chilles) ~* The _Courage of Achilles_ renders the Shazam!-wielder near-immunity to Fear, Despair, &/or other morale-sapping effects. And unsurprisingly, Achilles' power also grants invulnerability to physical damage (& many magical effects). And no, the Shazam!-wielder is *NOT* vulnerable at the heel(s). *;)* - *M(ercury) ~* The _Speed of Mercury_ grants Super-Speed and Flight. While not equal to the Flash-family's level of Super-Speed, Mercury's power does apply to flight (super-sonic speeds), space-flight (near-FTL speeds), and underwater (like Atlanteans' swift swim-speeds). 2.) *_The Dark Marvel_*_ (averted)_ *~* Thankfully, the YJ-writers avoided the Dark (Mary) Marvel comics-angle, DC Comics' attempt to make Mary Marvel into a sexy Anti-Hero. Though there is an echo of it in this scene (covered later)... - a.) *2006 - Broken ~* During one of the many _'Crisis'_ CrossOver events, the power of Shazam! would be broken and scattered, rendering the Shazam-family powerless. Billy Batson (Captain Marvel I), would successfully undertake a quest to restore the power of Shazam!, taking up the position as the new Wizard Shazam (Billy was an adult by this comics-period). Unfortunately, Billy found he was unable to share the reforged Shazam!-power with rest of the Shazam!-family as before. - b.) *2007 - Corrupted ~* Mary undertook her own quest to seek re-empowerment. Unfortunately, Mary's quest-success resulted in acquiring the corrupted-Shazam! power of Black Adam. The Dark-empowered Mary Marvel wore a very tight shiny-black top which highlighted Mary's curves (unlike Mary Marvel's traditional loose tunic-top), and a very _'mini-'_ mini-skirt (instead of the traditional thigh-length/-covering skirt). While Mary tried to use the greater power she now wielded for Good, the Dark Shazam!-power soon corrupted Mary, who began to use her power more violently than protectively, and Mary acting like an arrogant [BLEEP]-tch to others, even allies/friends. - c.) *2009 - Unworthy ~* In the tragic end, a confrontation between the Dark (Mary) Marvel, the Wizard Shazam (Billy), Captain Marvel II (Freddy Freeman), and Black Adam, resulted in Mary being stripped of her ill-gotten power. Fortunately for the deeply embittered Mary, all of this would be wiped away with the next DC Comics Reboot/RetCon, (re)setting things back to the traditional pure-hearted Mary Marvel. 3.) *_YJ-cartoon Depiction_** ~* YJ-Mary's trial was very meaningful... - a.) *Dark Echoes ~* As said above, an echo of comics-Mary's 'Dark Marvel' phase is in this scene. During her corrupted period, comics-Mary Marvel refused to change back into Mary Bromfield(-Batson), much like how Black Adam never (willingly) changes back into his mortal form of Teth-Adum. Fortunately, the YJ-writers were wise(r) to instead portray this scene as a psychological addiction to being Sergeant Marvel, rather than any dark mystical corruption. - b.) *Artistic Depiction ~* As usual, the YJ-animators do a great job of depicting the physically strong females. Sergeant Marvel definitely *LOOKS* strong, like she could take Wonder Woman head-on (and comics-wise, Mary Marvel *HAS* fought Wonder Woman blow-for-blow). - c.) *Standing Strong ~* I also liked how YJ-Mary never once gives into (faux-)Sergeant Marvel's temptations, not even feeling conflicted over such temptations; likewise, how the counter-argument comes from Billy Batson (if only a metaphorical Billy), rather than Mary herself. The YJ-writers continue to prove their worth in telling character-engaging/-investing stories. *:)* Thanks for uploading this, *Proteus Chris.* :)
So glad we never Went into the “Countdown to Final Crisis” comic story path. Cause Final Crisis was a complete Dog Turd of a story that ruined a lot of Good DC stories. But hell, most of the DC comics were already ruined before then, especially when you look back at Speedy’s transformation into Arsenal! So glad YJ is taking alot of those Shitty stories and started changing them into more positive tales.
@@danielramsey6141 ~ Agreed. The difference is in the media formats. 1. *_Comics: RetCons & Reboots_** ~* With comics, they can tell both really good stories or really terrible stories, because comics have the option to Reboot &/or RetCon when needed/wanted. Thus why comics' storytelling seems to go all over the place at times, across the comics-years/-decades. 2. *_Cartoons: Static vs. Progressive_** ~* Conversely, cartoons rarely have the option to Reboot &/or RetCon; trying to do so generally results in destroying Audience interest/investment, which, obviously, kills the series). So cartoon producers generally have two choices... - a.) *Static ~* No matter how many years pass, the cartoon essentially stays the same. Examples include: Pokemon, The Simpsons, South Park. - b.) *Progressive ~* While riskier, a Progressive cartoon "ages" alongside its 1st-2nd generation Audience, with the gamble that later Audience-generations will pick-up previous seasons from interest, &/or earlier Audience-generations turning them to it. Examples include: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Star Wars: the Clone Wars, Young Justice (obviously). 3. *_Young Justice_*_ (cartoon) _*_Progression_** ~* So as a result, YJ-cartoon writers have been smart (if not wise) about how they have written their characters and stories. The YJ-cartoon writers cannot hit the "Reboot" button without near-completely losing the fanbase that has stayed faithful since 2010.
@@pendrake40 Iove that the creators care so much about continuity and plot Another reason why this does so well in comparison to the comics version is that it's not a bunch of individuals making individual comics that have to coincide at some point. Instead the showrunners know all the plots and intricate details that way characters are accurate and most importantly consistent
You know I think the scariest thing is that Mary might unironically not just be seeing her desires as childish but she's seeing herself from a time way in the past Remember, Adam ages in his immortal form Mary went Sergeant Marvel when she was like 10 and might have spent literal years in that form
It's sad that for a second she nearly overcame this psychological challenge but in the end after she was abandoned by Zatanna for her own fears of Mary ending up Similar to nabu it was sad she gave in and said the word to become not Mary marvel but black Mary
Don’t forget Mary’s test, people. If she’s really to fall in the palm of Granny Goodness, it’s this test that will keep her from staying there, that will save her. I believe there will be results in the long run rather than anything immediate like with the other Sentinels.
Billy should take the power away from marry. Even without transforming the girl's addiction to power will get someone seriously injured or worse killed. Especially since she believes that the ends justify the means.
The end credit of this episode tease much more than what we think, we see the bus goes thrue different opening credit of each young justice season and it ended on the possible opening credit of season 5
@@goliathgar4985 i think every person that have big power need realize that how powerful they are they will never be on top and will always feel not enough. It's probably sounds religius but i think they need remember that God is only one that have ultimate and omnipotent power
@@fredfry5100 power?,if we talking about power there so many shape and in regular life position and money are big power in human society. So l think human need remember that power Will gone too . To be honest sometime when i see people so smug about money and power position, i always feel sad because well they smug about that like they are God but they still so small when get compare by earth and universe size self
Honestly, I was expecting the reason why she didn't want/couldn't go back to being a Marvel was to tie into the Darksied storyline, since that was a plot point back in Final Crisis
After this past weeks episode I feel like she’ll break and say the magic words to help defeat the child, I doubt it’ll be enough but it’ll leave some impact on Zatanna and the others by witnessing her do this and she may have to disown her as a student for not living up to her rules or something. Idk just predictions. Hoping we get to see classic Freddy in this show at some point and powered up
She should have learned to master her power not shy away from it. When in desperation she resorted to any tactics but the one she really needed. If she cannot be ready to give everything she got then she needs to stop being a hero and stay on the sidelines. We all must learn to conquer the dark parts of ourselves and embrace what we truly are
Erika Ishii did an AMASING job playing Mary Marvel and Child this season to the point i bet some ppl reading this didn't even realise it was one person playing both
Too bad this goes out the door with her bitching about not being Dr. Fate for a day. I mean you already have 1/3 the power of Shazam and you can use different powers than Shazam can (seriously all he uses is electricity).
She passed the test except during the fight with the child another vessel for Chaos she drained her friends when she didn’t find the right method in becoming a sorceress. Now she’s with Kara cousin of Superman joining the new league of Furies under the care of Darksied
Not Billy knowing he has the full power of Shazam while Mary only has a third of the power meaning with his wisdom of Solomon he could dropkick her ass sideways to the moon in his sleep: 🙂
@@prion42 They might not have Superman's traditional weaknesses against both Kryptonite and Magic but Superman is fully capable of defeating Shazam with relative ease if he gets serious. Superman's raw power exceeds the gifts of the gods given by Shazam.
"To become just as powerful and important without giving up who I am" So ultimately she does this to be powerful and important, not to help people or protect lives. In theory she had the easiest scenario, call on the Wisdom of Solomon and she could curbstomp the mental test. Denying the lust for power is a step in the right direction, but you can see that it foreshadows what Granny Goodness exploited to recruit her.
Also I know it’s a moving moment about her retaining self control and identity, still though they are going up against a chaos lord….might want to Shazam up just a little bit? I feel like he would be cool for just this one bit….no?….ok….oh look…..a dead cat…..that’s not good.
I mean I understand what she is trying to say but...Like she uses the powers of shazam separately when in human form, now that we are facing such a huge threat, using the full power in that form would be way more useful, in that human state she is more fragile to die by the hands of 'child'
I mean I like them undoing it a bit because it’s realistic. Character development can be negative just as it is positive. Especially since Mary’s struggle is an allegory for substance abuse and addiction. She felt hurt and betrayed and in that moment of weakness she fell back on bad habits. As many people unfortunately do.
Let me be honest where was the wisdom of Solomon on her? How come she didn’t understand she could have learned balance in the form and learned how to not rely on it
@@granalmirantethrawn2972 you seem to misunderstand, the wisdom of Solomon is literally a second voice in your head, that directly informs of all knowledge in known creation within the universe at that moment, and tells you the best possible answer at that moment.
@@entropy417 yeah, then again, if you are not matured or smart enough to realize that following the advices from Solomon's voice is the best course of action then it's pointless, at the end the knowledge doesn't use you, you use it, or in this case, you choose if you use it or if you ignore it
I am looking forward to season 5. I am almost certain that Black Mary will fight with Shazam. The interesting part would be that Shazam sees what his sister became and how his gift corrupted her. Knowing Black Mary's lack of self knowledge, if she will realize that serving Darkseid wasn't a good idea, I am sure that she will blame Billy for it.
The worst part of this, we never get to see a happy conclusion for her. She gives into the temptation of power, scolded, at her lowest, is manipulated and recruited into Darkseid's army. Screw you HBO for giving up on this show too early...
Those are the Gods whose individual strengths come together to make make Shazam: Solomon, Hercules, Achilles, Zeus, Atlas and Mercury (but they are not in the right order, pretty sure Achilles is first on the left and Solomon is in the middle)
I never really understood why this is her struggle. Tons of other characters transform to compensate for their humanity and none of them complain about it.
Tbh. Pretty much everyone who wields the wizards power is shown to struggle with it. The only one that seemingly doesn't have issue balancing it is Shazam himself
She gave it up because she was Shazam 24 and basically let her alter ego consume her. She seems to have learned how to selectively call upon specific powers, without transforming. Billy could probably learn how to do so as well, but has no reason to.
I was confused in that scene i need more explanation why she don't say it ?? Then i was thinking maybe when wonder woman kills Shazam but that's a different multiverse XD pls help
;...... nice sentiment, but we all know Black Mary Marvel existed, we know she goes down the dark path at some point, and that micro-skirt was the most eviliest of evils.
They explain it in the video. She was addicted to the power and didn’t want to turn back into Mary. Back in the Golden Age and Bronze Age, Billy shared his Captain Marvel powers with his sister Mary and friend Freddy Freeman turning them into Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr., but then when the New 52 rebooted everything Billy shared his Shazam powers with his foster family which included, Mary, Freddy, Eugene Choi, Pedro Peña, and Darla Dudley.
Isn't fun they never give us a reason why but make a whole big deal that she shouldn't turn into Mary marvel it makes me wanna see her do it just to have a reason or understand
apparently, in this version, Mary still has some magical powers even when not transformed into her "Shazam Mode" of Mary Marvel but apparently, when she is Mary Marvel, she has a hard time controlling her powers and could possibly end up like Black Adam, so she ended up deciding to seal most of her power away and stopped using the "shazam" word to transform later on, Mary does become like Black Adam, she says the "shazam" word once more after being baited by Granny Goodness into thinking that her "birthright" was stolen and deprived from her by those close to her, Mary becomes Black Mary and ends up on Apokolips where she is recruited to join the Furies along with Kara Zor-El the Supergirl
“courage of Achilles” “ do you call that power?” Hate to say it, but Mary Marvel is right. Why not ask for the Tamina of Atlas? I pretty sure that will be more useful when you are basically fighting a superwoman,than have the ability no fear.
it's not that she can't say it, it's that she doesn't want to say it. Mary was trying to be a hero without turning into her sergeant marvel self. that's why she learning to use her powers differently under zatanna.
1:30 she reminds me of the female friend who represents the strength route in SMT 3 (forget her cannon name). She had the same mentality, and she was UGLY (even after becoming Baal Avatar, though her normal human form was ok)
Nope Mary Marvel was her original name WAAAYYYY back in the very beginning. Yes I am old LOL. Her first appearance was in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 of Dec 1942. It has been changed over time as has her origin and power set. And costume. But whatever happened to her in this universe seems to happened just before or around the first season of the show. Judging on the way Billy looked. And the real question is where is Freddy(Captain Marvel Jr)
@@striker389unknown2 you misunderstood having a "twin sister" doesnt mean that the other half should also be a girl. Babies born from the same mother and at relatively the same time are called twins, if they look alike and share the same sex, they are called identitcal twins. If they do not look alike, they are called fraternal twins, most especially if one half of the set is a boy and the other half is a girl.
@@bukalayzx " relatively" seems like a needlessly confusing word. All twins are born from the same pregnancy and so at the same time, give or take a few minutes because no they don't do synchronized birthing. And fraternal twins are fraternal twins whether they are different sex or not.
@@shanghigh20 Sadly it's a storyline that they took her down a while back. She took on Black Adams power and ended up with this power addition. An Audiobook I listened to as I traveled the road. I wasn't a fan of it either. Then it got worse when Darksied got the antilife equation and subjugatied all of life and then her darkness wasn't tied by Black Adams power as it was Darksieds lieutenant Desod I believe. All she had to do was say he's name and she'd be the power hungry drowned in madness Mary Marvel again.
@@shanghigh20 Very understandable. Especially when you see a god character walk down a dark path needlessly and due to something as easy to overcome as misunderstandings. At the end of the episode line she heard lies from her other self that if she took the time with a calm mind to examine she would have seen for what it was.
