Why did DC Comics sue Fawcett Comics over Captain Marvel?

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Christopher Reeve as Superman in a blue suit with red cape and yellow belt, flying with one arm forward against a dark background in a publicity still from Superman: The Movie. — Superman Christopher Reeve in *Superman* (1978), directed by Richard Donner.

DC Comics filed a lawsuit against Fawcett Comics for copyright infringement because they believed Fawcett’s Captain Marvel was an unauthorized imitation of Superman.

Created in 1940 to capitalize on the success of the Man of Steel, Captain Marvel became a massive commercial rival, eventually surpassing Superman in popularity. The legal conflict lasted for more than a decade. Ultimately, as the popularity of superhero comics declined in the early 1950s, Fawcett chose to settle the lawsuit rather than continue the expensive litigation, agreeing to cease publication of their Captain Marvel titles.1

Decades later, in 1972, DC Comics licensed the Fawcett characters and eventually purchased the entire line in 1991, officially rebranding the character as Shazam in 2012.1