'Shazam!' Junior Novel Reveals How Billy Batson Lost His Mother

The junior reader novelization of Shazam reveals how the orphaned Billy Batson lost his mother.

The novel makes it clear that Billy's mother didn't die. Rather, they became separated at a carnival and he never saw her again.

Here's an excerpt from the novel by Calliope Glass:

"When Billy Batson was five years old, he lost his mom.

When most people say they lost their mom, it's just a gentler way of saying their mom died. Billy had spent the last nine years of his life explaining to people that he meant it literally: he'd lost his mom. They'd been at the winter carnival together, fighting their way through the crowd to the Ferris wheel. One moment his mother was there...And the next minute, Billy was alone in a swirling crowd of people. The cops had promised she'd come find him. But days had passed, then weeks, then years, and Billy's mom hadn't appeared."

That Billy's mother is alive leaves fans to wonder if her disappearance may be a plot point in the film.

Shazam stars Asher Angel as Billy Batson and Zachary Levi as Batson's mystically-powered superhero alter ego, the titular Shazam.

Here's the synopsis:

"We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson's (Asher Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Zachary Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard (Djimon Hounsou). Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he'll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong)."

Are you excited about the Shazam! movie? What do you think happened to Billy's mother? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Shazam! will open in theaters on April 5th.

Aquaman is now playing in theaters. Upcoming DC Extended Universe movies include Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn) on February 7, 2020, and Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020.