CAPTAIN THUNDER
by Gunman

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion, or DC Comics, or their characters.

Summary: What if Shinji Ikari gained the powers of Shazam a lot earlier than Billy Batson was supposed to?

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Chapter 1
The New Hero

(The Rock of Eternity)

For countless centuries, the large hidden lair, positioned at the center of space and time, had been the home/prison of the Wizard Shazam, last of the Wizards Council who once protected the world from the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man. (Also known as the Seven Deadly Sins) As well as other demons imprisoned by the wizards.

Shazam was the last of the wizards and had lived alone in solitude and peace since the ancient days.

But now, he had a visitor.

He had been resting on his throne when a strange portal opened up and literally dropped a young human boy into the middle of his lair.

A large orange furred and black striped tiger appeared out from another room and wandered over to the boy. He sniffed the boy and snarled at him.

"At ease, Tawky Tawny." the wizard said as he rose up off his throne and walked over to the boy.

The tiger huffed and sat with his hind quarters on the ground.

Shinji blinked his eyes, and looked around. He could barely make out a tall figure wearing a dark blue and gold cloak.

"Who are you, boy?" the cloaked man said to him.

He was lying on the cold floor of a room that looked more ancient than anything he had ever seen in any movie. He felt sore, weak and hungry. He had been inside the 12th Angel for more than 10 hours with no means of escape via his Eva.

Then a bright flash, and he was somewhere else.

He looked up at the robed man with the long white hair and bright blue eyes. He was carrying a strange ornate staff, but not using it to lean on.

"What... did you say?" the groggy teenage boy asked.

"Who, are, you?" the wizard asked.

"Ikari. Shinji." he replied.

"Welcome, Ikari Shinji. A strange name, but if you say." he said as Shinji sat up.

"Uh... who are you, sir?" he said, trying to stand up.

"I am Shazam. A wizard."

"A wizard?" He asked, looking around. "Uh... where am I?"

"This place is known as The Rock of Eternity. From here, I have watched and waited for a champion of worth."

Shinji looked at the man strangely.

"Of worth?" he asked.

"The universe acts in strange ways." the wizard said .

Shinji then noticed the tiger sitting behind the wizard.

"AH! It's A Tiger!" he gasped, backing up from both of them.

Shazam looked at the tiger and then back at Shinji.

"Yes, he is. This is Tawky Tawny, my oldest and most trusted friend." he explained.

"Oh. Uh... hi... Mr. Tiger." Shinji said nervously.

The Tiger raised an eyebrow as he looked at Shinji, before roaring at him just a little.

"He says hello." Shazam said.

"How did I get here?" Shinji asked the man.

"A portal brought you to this place. A portal made of dark energy." Shazam explained.

"I was... in the 12th Angel. It swallowed me and... I was trapped... for so long. And now... I'm...here." Shinji said.

"And clearly for a purpose." the wizard stated.

"A purpose? What purpose?" he asked.

"Allow me... to see your life." he said as he stepped closer to the boy.

"My life? You can... you want to know about my life?" he asked.

"I do." he said.

Shinji didn't know why, but he felt at ease around the man. Like he could tell he was non-threatening.

"You won't like it." Shinji said.

"Perhaps." Shazam agreed.

Shazam placed his hand on Shinji's forehead, his power of telepathy surging through the boys mind. He saw Shinjis life, all the way from his earliest memories of his mother dying, right up until his latest battle against the 12th Angel in Tokyo-3, and him getting swallowed by the shadow creature.

Shazam pulled back from the boy, gasping as if he was having a heart attack.

"You... you have seen... so many terrible things." Shazam said.

"I know." Shinji in an apologetic tone.

"You know war. You know death. You know pain and sorrow. And you know... the value of life."

For the first time in centuries, Shazam smiled.

"You are the one." he said

"The one? The one what?" Shinji asked.

"The one I have been waiting for. The one who will protect this world."

"I...but, how? I'm not a hero."

"Yes, you are. You just need to believe it."

Shazam held out the staff with a glowing crystal on the top. He touched the crystal to the boys chest, a strange surge of energy penetrating the boy, but not harming him in any way.

Needless to say, Shinji felt very strange.

"Say my name, to receive the powers." he said.

"Your name? Shazam?" Shinji asked.

CRACK! KA-BOOM! WHAM!

Shinji looked around, blinking rapidly. He felt strange. Odd. Different.

Or maybe it was the disorientation after being struck by lightning. Which sounded weird for him to say.

Shinji looked around and tried to understand what had just happened.

"What... did you do?" he asked, suddenly realizing how different he sounded.

"I have given you power. Because you are worthy." Shazam explained as he went back to his throne.

"How can you know that?" Shinji asked.

"When I looked into your mind, your memories, I saw a boy, who cared nothing for himself. He cared nothing for power. He values the lives of others. This... is what makes you a great hero." he said. "The powers I have given you, spell my name."

"They do?" he asked, looking at his new body and his form.

"Solomon. The king known for great wisdom. Hercules. The strongest hero ever known. Achilles. The most fearless warrior in history. Zeus. The god of thunder and lightning. Atlas. The titan who held up the world. And Mercury. The fastest god to ever have lived." he explained.

"The wisdom of Solomon. The strength of Hercules. The courage of Achilles. The power of Zeus. The stamina of Atlas. The speed of Mercury. S-H-A-Z-A-M."

"Very good, Ikari." he smiled as he sat down upon his throne. Tawky Tawny was right by his side.

"Shinji." he said.

"What?"

"My name... is Shinji. In my culture, we introduce ourselves, family name first, then given name." he explained.

"I see. Interesting." Shazam nodded.

"So... what do I do now?" Shinji asked, clearly confused and shaken.

"Now, you must go forth... and find your destiny." Shazam said.

Shinji seemed to mull over that for a few minutes, before nodding his head.

"Are you afraid?" Shazam asked.

"Yes."

"Good. Acknowledgment of the problem is the first step to overcoming it."

"What do I do? I mean... how powerful am I now?" Shinji asked.

"The only way to know that... is to keep testing your limits. But to also be mindful of what you are capable of. So that you do not hurt innocent people." the wizard explained.

"How do I do that? What if I make a mistake?" Shinji asked.

"Everyone makes a mistake, here and there. Do not dwell on it. Learn from it and move forward. You cannot change the past, only affect the present, of which the future is borne."

Shinji had to admit, the man had a way with words.

"Test my limits. Learn from my mistakes. Never give up." he repeated to himself.

He didn't know where that last one came from, but he thought it felt appropriate.

"So... in this new world... who do I trust?" he asked.

Shazam smiled at the boys common sense.

"The ones called Kal-El of Krypton, The Superman. Bruce Wayne, The Batman of Gotham City. And Diana Prince, the Wonder Woman of Themyscira." he said.

"Okay. I don't know who they are, but..." Shinji started to say.

"The Batman may be hard to find, but not the others."

"Right."

"And don't use their real names. Secret identities are kept for a reason."

"Of course." he said. "Uh... one last question."

"Yes?"

"Can I fly?"

Shazam smiled.

"If you wish." he answered.

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Shinji was returned to the human world. To the city of Metropolis, in a bolt of lightning.

"But what do I say if people ask me my name?" he wondered to himself. "I can't keep calling myself 'Shinji Ikari' when I'm like this. And I can't call myself Shazam when..."

CRACK! KA-BOOM!

"Ah, man!" Shinji said, once again in his 14-year old form, back in his blue and white plugsuit.

He sighed heavily, realizing he would have to not use the Wizards name in case he ever got into trouble. And if he called himself 'Shazam' if people asked him who he was...

"I'm gonna need a better name." he groaned.

That's when it started to rain. The thunder and lightning overhead caught Shinjis attention. For some reason, he knew this wasn't natural.

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Superman and Batman are fighting in Gotham City.

Having been manipulated into this conflict, courtesy of Lex Luthor, Batman eventually realizes that Superman is not the threat he thought he was. Mostly at the revelation that Superman was raised here on Earth by a human mother and father. Said mother had the same name as his mother, Martha, and that Lexs' men were holding her hostage.

Batman goes to save Martha Kent while Superman goes to deal with Lex Luthor.

Superman arrived mere seconds after Lex Luthor's so-called deadline. The Kryptonian ship counting down.

"'Late, late', says the White Rabbit." Luthor cajoled.

"Thirty seconds to animation." the Kryptonian Ship said.

"Right, wabbit? Hmm. Out of tricks, out of time. And one Bat head short." Luthor said with a smirk.

"Twenty Seconds To Animation." the Kryptonian Ship said.

However, Superman didn't seem to be that concerned. He just folded his arms over his chest and stared at the maniacal billionaire and industrialist.

RING, RING

"Ah, that'll be the cook." he said as he rushed over to his phone. "Uh, Gotham Roast. Well done." he said as he pushed the button on his phone. "Hello. Break the bad news." he said in a slightly jovial tone.

("I'd rather do the breaking in person.") the guttural voice of The Batman came back over the phone, shocking Luthor.

"Ten Seconds to Animation." the Kryptonian Ship said.

"You've lost." Superman said.

"I cannot let you win. I gave the Bat a fighting chance, but he was obviously not strong enough. So, if man will not kill God..."

"...two...one!" the Ship finished the countdown.

"...the Devil will do it." he said as he turned towards the Genesis chamber which looked like it was about to give birth to something horrific.

Superman just stared in disbelief as the ships machinery blasted the chrysalis with a powerful surge of electricity. The creature began to stir.

"Ancient Kryptonian Deformity! Blood, of my blood." Luthor declared as the creature seemed fully awake. "Born to destroy you! Your Doomsday." Lex said as the giant chrysalis torn open to reveal a giant humanoid creature of incredible savagery and power.

Superman just gasped and stared at the towering monstrosity, which had to be at least twelve feet tall. It blinked its eyes as it looked around.

"Now God, is good, as dead." Luthor said with finality in his voice.

"RRAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!" the creature shouted, blowing hot air on Luthor and Superman, before it made to punch Luthor and kill him.

Superman shuttered forward, stopping Doomsday from killing Lex, even as the creature knocked him down. Superman was back up knocked Doomsday out of the ship, with Lex Luthor watching their departure.

"Yeah, should have put a bet down." Luthor said with a comical nod.

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(Gotham Harbor)

Batman was escorting Martha Kent out of the warehouse, when a tall and muscular man in a bright red bodysuit, a yellow lightning symbol on his chest, and a white cape flowing behind him, landed right in front of the pair.

Batman and Martha looked at each other and then at the newly arrived man in red. His features seemed to be a combination of America and Asian, jet-black hair and dark blue eyes. There was something about his aura that seemed young yet heavy at the same time.

"So, who were these guys? Obviously, bad people." the man in red said.

"Russian mafia." Batman answered.

"Okay."

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Batman asked.

"I was flying by when I heard gunfire and explosions." he said. "I've actually been looking for you. The Batman, right?"

"Obviously." he replied.

"And... you are?" Martha Kent asked.

"I'm... (crash of thunder overhead) ... Captain Thunder."

The pair stared at the lightning bolt symbol on his chest before looking at each other.

"...nice name." Martha said.

"If you're here to help, you might reach Superman faster than I will." Batman said.

"Where am I going?" Captain Thunder asked.

"Look for the large sparks of lightning in the center of the city." he said, pointing towards Metropolis.

"Right." he said.

With that, the red-garbed hero took off like a shot.

"So... Captain Thunder?" Martha asked.

"Obviously new." Batman said as he waited for Alfred to land the Bat Plane.

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Shinji flew to Metropolis not seeing anything spectacular, until a large bellowing sound caught his attention. He looked down and saw a man in a dark blue outfit with a red cape battling a towering and vicious-looking brute.

The monster picked up a huge slab of rock and was about to slam it into Superman, when he was punched/slammed in to by a streak of red. The creature was knocked back several hundred feet as the man in red landed on his feet in front of the Kryptonian hero.

"Superman, I presume?" Captain Thunder asked as he held out his hand.

Superman accepted it and pulled himself up.

"That's me." the man of steel said.

"Batman sent me." he said.

"Was there a woman with him?" Superman asked.

"Middle-aged, light grey hair?" he asked.

"Yes." he said, breathing a slight sigh or relief. Even though he knew she was safe, reinforcement of the facts helped him.

"There was. He was escorting her out of some warehouse when I arrived." he said.

"Rrrrrh!" a low guttural sound was heard.

The pair turned towards the large creature getting up and advancing on them.

"What is that thing?" the man asked Superman.

"It's a monster. From another world." Superman said as he shook his head. "My world." he muttered.

"I've seen bigger." he said.

"Who are you?" Superman asked.

"Captain Thunder. I'm here to help." the man in red said.

"Too bad you weren't here five minutes ago." Superman said with a smile.

Captain Thunder looked back towards the monster that was charging towards them.

"First hour on the job, and I'm fighting super monsters." he mumbled to himself.

First hour? Superman thought.

"RAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" Doomsday shouted as he charged the pair.

Captain Thunder charged up his fists and blasted Doomsday with his lightning bolts.

The creature roared as it was struck by the lightning, which halted his charging towards the pair, only for it to cry out in pain as it's body suddenly exploded with intense red and yellow energy, which rapidly flew towards them.

"ARGH!" the pair shouted as they were both hit by the lightning, and knocked through several buildings.

The pair came to rest at the feet of an unknown building.

"Ouch." Captain Thunder groaned.

"Not good. He can absorb energy and project it back." Superman said.

"Great. Didn't know that." Cap groaned as he stood up.

"This thing... it's Kryptonian." Superman said.

"Meaning?" he asked.

"It can absorb energy and fire it back at us."

"So... we do this the old fashioned way." Captain Thunder said as he slammed his fists together.

With that, the pair bolted out of the building towards their Doomsday.

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(The Batplane)

("Master Wayne, there's a news report coming in. Superman and someone in a red suit are engaging a large, brutish monster in the middle of downtown Metropolis. And... they're not doing too good.") Alfred said over the communicator as he watched on the monitors the monster get punched and kicked by the pair, only for them to get swatted away like flies. The pair got back up and attacked again. ("They're not doing too badly, either.")

"His name's Captain Thunder. He's new." Batman said.

("Like... new this year?") Alfred asked.

"More like new this HOUR." he said.

("Oh, dear.")

"I'm headed back there now." he said as he jumped back into his jet.

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(Metropolis)

Superman and Captain Thunder crashlanded hard into the Superman monument, destroying most of it, the large, hulking brute roaring angrily at them.

"This isn't working too well." Captain Thunder said as he got back to his feet.

"We need to get this thing out of Metropolis." Superman said. "Upper atmosphere."

Captain Thunder groaned, but nodded his head.

"You grab one arm, I'll grab the other." Superman said.

"Alright." Captain Thunder agreed.

The pair moved at super speed, evading the monsters massive fists, and grabbing his arms. With all their might they lifted him up into the air and were out of the city in seconds. The continued to fly up higher and higher, until the monster shook them off, punching Captain Thunder away and tried to tear Superman apart.

Captain Thunder shook off the punch and flew back at the monster, striking it from behind.

Unbeknownst to the pair, the President of the United States had authorized a nuclear launch against the creature. Which also included them.

Captain Thunder saw the incoming missile even as Superman punched the creature away.

"What the... did they launch that thing at us, or him?" Captain Thunder asked in concern.

"I'm going to go with 'him'." Superman said as they raced after Doomsday in order to hold him in the line of fire.

"This is not a good idea!" Captain Thunder shouted.

"Agreed!" Superman shouted.

"RAAAAGGGHHH?" Doomsday shouted in shock.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

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Authors Notes:

Just something I've been working on. Wanted to upload it for my birthday.

I have so many updates to get back to, but I wanted to do this anyway.

Get it out of my system so that I can get back to my updates.

Chapter 2 is coming soon. Beyond that... I don't know.

Read and review, please.