When picking new recruits for the Shazam. Throughout his history in the DC Universe, Batman has taken countless teen heroes under his wing. Obvious names that spring to mind include the many children who became Robin under his watch, other sidekicks like Batgirl, or even those destined to succeed him under the cowl like Batman Beyond's Terry McGinnis. However, he's taken far more teen heroes into an apprenticeship than just those within the Bat-Family. One such teen hero who is oft-forgotten is Shazam.
The former Captain Marvel is a unique case, as while his body takes on the appearance of a fully grown adult during battle, his secret identity is that of a child named Billy Batson. Adopting the powers of a wizard of the same name, Shazam, all Billy must do before arriving at the battlefield is to shout the words, "Shazam!" and within a flash of thunder is costumed as the eponymous Shazam. Working shoulder to shoulder with Batman as a fellow member of the Justice League makes him more of a colleague to Batman than a trainee, but since Shazam still has the mind of a child, veterans of the team like Batman take on the responsibility of showing him the ropes when appropriate. One example comes in Shazam Vol. 3 #12 by Jeff Loveness and Brandon Peterson, where Batman gives young Billy advice to use his youthful time to figure out who he wants to be rather than the heroes he tries to emulate.
Batman expresses a desire to continue mentoring the boy in Justice League of America #1 by Brad Meltzer and Ed Benes. While naming potential new recruits for the team, Batman's first pick is Shazam (then known as Captain Marvel), with his reason being that they could help him harness his full potential. However, in an inner monologue, Superman suggests that he knows Batman wants Shazam for another reason secretly: simply because he's truly "good." Batman would never it it, but he thinks Shazam is as much a good person as he is a good fighter. "And on a Dark Knight, a little light makes you feel better."
Shazam Is The Symbol Batman Wants To Be
This makes perfect sense considering just how hard Batman strives to be a symbol of good, justice, and most importantly hope for Gotham. This proves difficult, more often than not, when Batman embarks just as hard on being a prominent symbol of fear. He's effective, certainly, but it's hard to simultaneously inspire hope into Gothamites' hearts when the mere mention of his name inspires fear.
Meanwhile, Shazam is exactly the kind of symbol of hope that Batman wants to be, except Shazam is such a symbol for the world, not just a city, and does so without any brooding. Shazam can actually inspire people, including heroes like Batman, as a symbol of light, and that's why the Dark Knight thinks he'd be a great addition to the Justice League.
