A rock and roll star's obsession with the Alex Ross and Mark Waid's Kingdom Come took a famous musician's love for the Shazam line and honored him in a way that would've left him "All Shook Up."
Published in 1996, Kingdom Come took a look at a future in which the DC Universe's heroes were older and facing a new generation of heroes with wildly different principles. The classic heroes had changed and with them, their choice in costumes. Among all the small details included in Ross' gorgeous art was the future version of Freddy Freeman, known as King Marvel, whose mature appearance gives him the striking resemblance to Elvis Presley.
Freddy is seen during a large group shot of the Justice League with his now-wife Mary Marvel and their son, the Whiz. The older Freeman has adopted a look similar to Elvis Presley, who was a huge fan of Captain Marvel Jr. and even based his stage persona on the hero, whose comics he loved. Alex Ross dove into how he came up with the unique design of the older Captain Marvel Jr. in the supplemental material Kingdom Come: Revelations, saying:
King Marvel - This may not be the most serious extrapolation on a Golden Age character but it's certainly rich in subtext. Elvis Presley was such a big fan of Captain Marvel Jr.'s comic in the '40s that this inspired the stage costumes worn in the King's later years. The joke here is to have the adult Freddy Freeman absorb some of that design back, as filtered through Presley. Thus it appears that King Marvel is an Elvis impersonator super-hero.
From his iconic, chest-bearing outfit, to the King's signature smoldering expression, the future Freddy Freeman absolutely nails his adoption of Elvis Presley's style. Portraying the former Captain Marvel Jr. as an Elvis impersonator turns a charming piece of comic book trivia into an Easter egg that fans aware of Presley's connection to Captain Marvel Jr. can appreciate.
Superheroes are influential characters, and their impact can be felt by anyone, even celebrities. Elvis' decision to model his performance attire after a comic book character might seem a bit strange, but it was his way of honoring the stories he loved, and was totally successful in turning him into a larger than life icon. Ross' King Marvel gives that love back by making Presley's favorite character a tribute to his bold, flamboyant stage persona. Not only is it awesome for fans to see Freddy come into his own as an adult hero with a new level of status and developed personal relationships, but this also functions as an amazing tribute to Elvis, connecting his stagecraft 'origin' with the Shazam family to their own far future in Kingdom Come.
