Earth-shattering Supergirl and Shazam Marie Surprise Fight

Supergirl and Mary Marvel, a member of the Shazam family, battle it out in a new cosplay shoot!

Supergirl goes head-to-head with Shazam's Mary Marvel in an epic, earth-shattering cosplay shoot. Both Supergirl and Mary Marvel have a creator, and both characters have somewhat tangled histories; they're also some of the most powerful heroes in the DC Universe, and San Diego-based cosplay photographer Pat Loika captured the two titans locked in battle.

While Supergirl may be the better known of the two, Mary Marvel actually made her debut in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 in 1942. Introduced as the sister of Shazam (then known as Captain Marvel), the character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist Mark Swayze. Mary proved to be a popular character, and her name was derived a few years later. In 1953, however, Mary and the rest of the Shazam family disappeared from comic book shelves when publisher Fawcett decided to get out of the comics business. Fawcett's decision was partly due to a copyright infringement lawsuit from DC Comics claiming that Shazam was too similar to Superman. Ironically, Binder landed on DC a few years later, where he created Supergirl. Like Mary a decade earlier, Supergirl became popular with fans; just as Mary became an integral part of the Shazam family, Supergirl is part of the Superman family.

Now, Pat Loika has shared a new cosplay photo on Instagram showing the two rivals fighting for supremacy. It shows Mary Marvel (played by Jessie Pridemore) and Supergirl (played by Cosmic Empress) clasping hands and wrestling with each other; behind them is a city in ruins, a testament to the devastation these two can wreak. Mary wears her classic red suit, while Supergirl wears her late 90s uniform. Loika reveals he did the initial filming at DragonCon; the cosplay garnered multiple compliments from raving fans.

Supergirl and Mary Marvel Are Truly Kindred Spirits

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This cosplay shot is a tribute to the sheer power of Supergirl and Mary Marvel; however, there's something deeper to it. Mary Marvel came first, but Supergirl is better known — thanks in large part to murky corporate politics. Although Mary was the first, her adventures ended in 1953, and she would fade into obscurity for nearly 20 years. During that time, Otto Binder moved to DC and created a character that could be considered a spinoff of Mary Marvel - which later became more popular. Mary's place in history is stripped away, which translates into cosmic competition with Iron Woman. Loika's photo acknowledges the history between the two. Mary and Supergirl are on equal power levels, and as you can see from this photo, neither side seems to have the upper hand - they'll fight to a stalemate, at which point the entire city could be destroyed.

Assuming the fight will end in a stalemate: both sides are evenly matched. Looking a little deeper, this suggests that while Mary Marvel may be number one, Supergirl has become a popular character in her own right, and any allegations that she's a spinoff of Mary have long since been settled. Given the history between the two characters, it's surprising they don't meet more frequently in the comics, but this new cosplay photo captures the earth-shattering battle between Supergirl and Shazam's Mary Marvel.

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