With One Magic Word (or Twenty)

"All magic is in a word..."

-19th century magician Elphas Levi

Here in the real world, language and words can change the world. In the world of myth and story, magical languages and words could literally change the physical world...or in the case of several comic book characters, the speakers themselves!

Being the obsessive list-maker that I am, I wanted to see how many magic words and phrases I could track down. I found twenty or so...but if you know of any that I missed, leave a comment and (if they meet my criteria) I'll include the phrase in an update. The criteria? Simple: Any word or phrase that either transforms a character from one form into another, or transports a character from one realm to another.

1. "SHAZAM": When the name of the ancient wizard Shazam was spoken by select individuals, he magically transformed them by magic lightning into powerful costumed champions. Each individual possessed the combined power (and first letters) of various gods and demi-gods, plus one historical figure. Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel (top) were given the full wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury. A trio of men known as The Lieutenant Marvels had to share the power and were each only one-third as powerful as Captain and Mary Marvel. Black Adam (bottom left), a former champion of Shazam's who later turned to evil, was given the power of six ancient Egyptian gods.

2. "LEVRAM": 9000 years ago, Jebediah of Canaan was given a magic word by six now-forgotten gods and transformed into the Champion. After battling evil for 3000 years, a weary Jebediah changed his name to Shazam and chose Black Adam as his successor.

3. "CAPTAIN MARVEL": When young Freddy Freeman was critically injured by Captain Nazi, Captain Marvel (at the suggestion of Shazam) shared some of his own power with the boy to save his life. By speaking Captain Marvel's name, Freddy is transformed by magic lightning into Captain Marvel Jr....a superhero who couldn't say his own name without losing his powers!

4. "BLACK ADAM": Much like Captain Marvel Jr., a badly injured boy named Amoz Tomaz was lent the powers of Black Adam by speaking his benefactor's name, becoming the mighty Osiris.

5. "IBAC": This mystic word changed Stanley "Stinky" Printwhistle into a muscular, mohawked brute with the traits of history's most evil men. Ivan the Terrible, who supplies Terror, Cesare Borgia, who gives Ibac Cunning, Attila the Hun, who gifts him with Fierceness, and Caligula for Cruelty.

6. "SABBAC": Spoken by Timothy Karnes to magically receive powers from the dark forces of Hell. Sent by the demons Satan, Aym, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Crateis through a bolt of black lightning, Sabbac had powers similar to those of the Marvel Family, along with additional powers like flame breath and fire projection.

7. "ETERNITY": Mistakenly dying before his appointed time, a boy known only as "The Kid" (later identified as Freddy Freeman's brother Christopher) was sent back to Earth as Kid Eternity. Whenever he uttered "eternity", he could magically summon any good historical or mythological figure to assist him in his adventures.

8. "STYGIA": This magic word was used by Master Man, Kid Eternity's nasty opposite number. As you might've guessed, Master Man was able to summon evil historical or mythological figures.

9. "CEI-U": Secretly bonded to a magical entity named the Thunderbolt as a baby, the dim-witted adult Johnny Thunder had no idea what sort of power he possessed. However, when he casually used the common phrase "Say, you..." (Cei-U), he unwittingly unleashed the power of the Thunderbolt, who had to obey Johnny's every command (no matter how harebrained they were).

10. "KLTPZYXM": The backwards name of the mischievous Mr. Mxyzptlk, a 5th dimensional imp who loved to magically pester Superman. Tricking Mxyzptlk into saying (or spelling) his name backwards was the only way to send him back to the 5th dimension (for a period of 90 days).

11. "KLPTZYXM": The backwards name of the mischievous Mr. Mxyztplk, the original version of Mr. Mxyzptlk who, while having the same M.O., had a different appearance and ever-so-slightly different spelling. At one time, Mxyztplk was designated as the pestering imp of the Earth-2 Superman (who was the catch-all for many divergent Golden Age elements).

12. "GONE! GONE!--THE FORM OF MAN--RISE, THE DEMON ETRIGAN": The incantation used by Jason Blood to assume the form of the fire-breathing demon Etrigan. To return to human form, the phrase becomes "Gone, gone, Oh Etrigan! Resume once more the form of man!"

The next three trigger words, while technically based in science, might as well have been magic words in effect. 

13. "KIMOTA": An obvious analogue (some might say "rip-off") of Captain Marvel, British hero Marvelman received atomic-based powers from a mysterious astrophysicist by uttering the word "Kimota" (a phonetically backward version of "atomic"). During the 1980's, the character was published in the United States asMiracleman (in an effort to avoid legal problems from Marvel Comics).

14. "MARVELMAN": Once again mirroring the Marvel Family, Marvelman was soon joined by sidekicks Young Marvelman and Kid Marvelman, both of whom gained their atomic-powers by speaking the name of Marvelman. Likewise, their names were changed to Young Miracleman and Kid Miracleman for their stateside stories.

15. "3X2(9YZ)4A": Newsreel photographer Johnny Chambers recited this mathematical formula to run at super-speed and fly as Johnny Quick. The formula was taught to him by his childhood guardian Professor Gill, who himself had copied it from a pharaoh's tomb. It was later revealed the formula was probably just a mantra that allowed him to tap into the Speed Force (at one time the extra-dimensional empowering source for all super-speedsters).

The final four characters actually originated on TV, but...since they're all superheroes, certainly qualify for my little survey.

16. "BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL, I HAVE THE POWER": Shouted by Prince Adam (while raising his Power Sword) to transform into He-Man, hero of Eternia.

17. "OH, MIGHTY ISIS": Transformed high school science teacher Andrea Thomas into the Egyptian goddess Isis. A recent comic book version named Adrianna Tomaz speaks the phrase "I am Isis" to become the goddess.

18. "SUPER SAMURAI": A phrase that would transform a Japanese boy named Toshi into the giant being Super Samurai, a member of The Freedom Force.

19. "INYUK-CHUK": Spoken by Superfriends member Apache Chief to grow to gigantic proportions.

20. A Superfriends member named Samurai had several wind-manipulating powers, all of which he triggered using Japanese phrases:

"Kaze no Yō ni Hayaku": ("Swift as the wind") Transformed Samurai's lower body into a swirling tornado, giving him the ability to fly and project focused wind blasts.

"Tōmei Ningen": ("Transparent Man/Human") Allowed Samurai to turn invisible.

"Igo Moen": ("Great Fire/Flame") Transforms Samurai into flame.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

WHEW!  After all that, I think the next magic phrase should be

 "Get me a beer!"

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

UPDATE: As promised, here are some reader-submitted additions to the list. Not all of the suggestions met my criteria (such as phrases that accompanied the change, but did not activate the change), but here are the ones that did:

21. "FREAK OUT": Uttered by sixteen year-old Dexter Douglas to transform into the Freakazoid, a powerful (yet not quite sane) superhero. To turn back into Dexter Douglas, the Freakazoid used the phrase "Freak In". (TV series)

22. "KHAJI DHA": The mystical phrase used by archeologist Dan Garrett to magically transform into the Blue Beetle (1964-66 Charlton Comics series).

23. "THUNDER": Despite acquiring the rights to publish Captain Marvel and his fellow Fawcett Comics characters, DC Comics made the odd decision to keep them separate from their mainstream titles. As such, instead of meeting Captain Marvel himself, Superman met an analogue named Captain Thunder in Superman #276 (1974). Instead of receiving his power from an ancient wizard, young Freddy Fawcett was granted the powers of nature by Merokee, the last medicine man of the Mohegan tribe. By touching a mystical belt buckle and shouting THUNDER, Freddy received the power of a Tornado, the speed of a Hare, the bravery of Uncas, the wisdom of Nature, the toughness of Diamond, the flight of the Eagle, and the tenacity of the Ram.

24. "SPLIT": In 1966, another character calling himself Captain Marvel came along, this time an android who could separate his limbs or sections of his limbs from his body by yelling "Split". To join his parts together once again, he would shout "XAM!".  It should be no mystery why this version lasted a mere five issues.

Comments

[Noser]

Thing Ring, do your thing! (Hanna-Barbera Thing [not FF team] cartoons)
Wonder-Twin powers, activate! (Superfriends)
Freak out! (Freakazoid)

[Mark Engblom]

"Freak out" looks like a winner, but after reading up on the other two, it looks like those phrases weren't integral for the transformations...and more like "battle cries" or slogans they said while the transformations were occurring.

[buttler]

"Magic words of poof, poof, piffles, make me just as small as Sniffles!"

That's how little girl Mary Jane became as small as Sniffles the Mouse in the back pages of Dell's old Looney Tunes comics.

"Kaji Dha!" turned Dan Garrett into Blue Beetle in the Charlton comics.

Then there's Dial H for Hero, but that "magic" word was dialed, not spoken. Still, dialing variants like "HORROR" instead of "HERO" did pretty awful things.

[buttler]

Captain Thunder, a Captain Marvel clone who met Superman in 1974 as a test run for the real deal, changed from little Willie Fawcett by saying "THUNDER!"

Oh! And then there's MF Enterprises' short-lived Captain Marvel of the 1960s, an android who could send his limbs and head flying in all directions by yelling "SPLIT!"

[Mr Element-Dr Alchemy]

Alan Scott - The Golden age Green Lanterns' cerimonial recharging verse!!! or how about any Zatara or Zantana stuff - Don't forget "eternity" (kid eternity) or the 70's Wonder Twins. Last, but not least put on your ''H'' Ring and become the Mighty Hercules (or pull your belt & get down with your Sinbad self).

[Mr Element-Dr Alchemy]

oops, I see kid eterniy is already listed by you ...sorry -- My trump card is tho --
Don Blake stricking The hammer on the ground By ZEUS -/-/-/-/ to be come the MIGHTY THOR-/-/- I'm such an Asgard

[Pat Curley]

Hmmm, you didn't specify "spoken" although most of them have that quality. How about "H-E-R-O" as dialed by Robby Reed (or "H-E-R-O-I-N-E" as dialed by his girlfriend Suzy).

[Mark Engblom]

Yeah, I'm sticking only to spoken words or phrases and not objects like the hero dials or Don Blake's cane. As I said earlier, the words themselves activate the change and aren't simply catch phrases separate from another object making the change (like the Green Lantern recharging ceremony or the "Thing Ring" phrase).

Zatanna and Zatarra are a little more tricky. Clearly their (backwards-spoken) words can magically alter reality, but there is no one phrase that unleashes their magic...so I did not include them on the list.

I'll definitely be adding the Dan Garrett Blue Beetle and Captain Thunder (who I can't *believe* I forgot)!

[Uncle Buckeye]

How about VOLTHOOM!?

A powerful word with enough magic to defeat Justice Leaguers.

And it makes a great password.

[ShadowWing Tronix]

You could do a whole list on the Power Rangers alone. Each team had their own call out (and even some alt Rangers in the same series) that would activate their particular Morpher.

And thanks for the Samurai translations. I always wondered what the last two phrases actually were and what all three meant.

[Mark Engblom]

"You could do a whole list on the Power Rangers alone. "

No, thank you! LOL!

[JL]

What about Shazzan, the Saturday morning cartoon genie? The kids had to put their magic rings together and say his name to summon him.

[suedenim]

Minor correction: it's spelled "Khaji Da," not "Kaji Dha."

[buttler]

Well, sorta, Suedenim. It's spelled that way NOW, but it wasn't then.

In the Charlton comics it was "Kaji Dha," but it was brought back for Jaime in the recent Blue Beetle series, they decided to spell it "Khaji Da" instead.

[Dr. OTR]

Mary Marvel originally derived her powers from a different set of gods (actually, goddesses) than her brother. I can't remember what they were, of course, but according to wikipedia, they were:

Selena for grace, Hippolyta for strength, Ariadne for skill, Zephyrus for fleetness (and flight), Aurora for beauty, and Minerva for wisdom.

Never knew beauty was a superpower! Even as a kid, that always struck me as a cop-out.

[Sea-of-Green]

How about the Green Lama? As the Green Lama, Jethro Dumont got his powers by reciting the Jewel Lotus Mantra: “Om Mani Padme Hum.”

-- Sea

[ShadowWing Tronix]

Oh, beauty can be a super power. It just only works on a select group. (Mostly males.:) )

[Conrad]

What about the catch phrases from transformers: beast wars...

To transform between their beast form to their robot form you need to utter these code words... "beast mode" "(state your name) maximize" for maximals and "( state your name) terrorize" if you're a predacon... If you didn't get the state your name parts for example Optimus primal has to say "Optimus primal MAXIMIZE" to change from his beast form to his robot form and he has to say "beast mode" if he wants to turn back into a gorilla