Mentor/Shazam!

Mentor, real name unknown, is a fictional elderly man and one of the main characters featured on the 1974-1976 children's superhero series Shazam!, produced by Filmation Associates. He was played by actor Les Tremayne.

Overview
Okay, let's break this down. Mentor is this really old guy, whose real name is never revealed. In addition to operating under an alias, he also appears to have no known legal residence, and drives around the countryside picking up young boys in his recreational vehicle. One of Mentor's "guests" was a youth named Billy Batson, who came to regard Mentor as his guardian.

In addition to picking up kids in his RV, he apparently never enrolled Batson in school, nor did he ever take him clothes shopping. For the three years or so that Billy traveled with Mentor, he always wore the same red shirt.

Mentor knew about Billy Batson's secret abilities. By invoking the names of six great elder beings, Billy Batson could say the magic word "Shazam!" and be transformed into the adult superhuman Captain Marvel, who possessed great strength, speed and the ability to fly. Mentor was aware of these elders, and could access their collective consciousness by way of a special monitoring hub that he had installed in the RV.

Despite the general creepiness of his background, Mentor always maintained the demeanor of being a courageous, kind-hearted, and all-around swell guy. Billy and he drove around Southern California, employing the aid Captain Marvel to right wrongs and help those in need.

What became of Mentor in later years is unknown. In all likelihood, he continued to lure orphaned children into his RV and take them on wild adventures.

Notes & Trivia



 * Mentor is a character who is exclusive to the continuity of Shazam! television series. He did not have a comic book counterpart in either the original Captain Marvel comic titles by Fawcett or in the later publications by DC Comics.

Appearances

 * 1) Shazam!: The Odd Couple