ALTER-EGO: Marilyn (“Mari”) Jiwe Macabe
OCCUPATION: Adventurer, C.E.O. of Macabe Fashions
MARITAL STATUS: Single
RELATIVES: Tantu (Ancestor), Reverend Richard Jiwe (Father), Unnamed Mother, Mustapha Maksai (Uncle, deceased)
GROUP AFFILIATION: JLA (former), Suicide Squad (former), Ultra-Marines (former)
BASE OF OPERATIONS: Mobile
HEIGHT: 5’7”
WEIGHT: 115 lbs.
EYES: Brown
HAIR: Brown
HISTORY: Mari is the daughter of the Reverend Richard Jiwe, crusading African priest and heir to an ancient witch doctor/warrior known as Tantu. Tantu’s real distinction is that he was given a formidable magic charm by a spider god (actually a race of benevolent aliens) and charged with the mission of protecting the innocent from the evils of humankind. Tantu used that totem to great effect and became Africa’s first legendary hero.
Needless to say, this “Tantu Totem” was passed on within the Jiwe family from generation to generation until it finally reached the humble hands of Mari’s father. This event caught the eye of Mari’s uncle, General Mustapha Maksai, who promptly murdered his half-brother and claimed the totem for himself.
Her family gone, Mari fled to America and adopted the name Macabe. (She lost her mother to poachers at an early age.) Hoping that by changing her life drastically she would never come in contact with her malevolent Uncle Maksai, the beautiful young Mari became a model and began to travel the world. On one such trip, she came across the Tantu Totem and stole it, using its power to become the Vixen. At first, Mari was a reluctant hero. It wasn’t until the Justice League was being reorganized that she decided to become a full-time super-heroine.
Just after Mari joined the JLA, she was confronted by her villainous half-uncle, who was still trying to obtain possession of the Tantu Totem - - a mission he eventually accomplished by kidnapping one of the JLA’s elderly neighbors. Since Maksai wasn’t prepared to use the totem in the cause of justice, however, its magic turned him into a raging ox that attacked Vixen, causing him to impale himself on a sheet of shattered glass and allowing Mari to recover the totem for herself.
Mari then went on to participate in all of the League’s cases, up to and including the clash with Professor Ivo that resulted in the deaths of her close comrades, Steel and Vibe. After these events, she decided to retire from heroing for a while. A few months later, events forced her to come out of retirement to join the government strike team known as the Suicide Squad. During a one-year hiatus, Mari returned to modeling and launched a successful line of clothing. Eventually she left the Suicide Squad to work with other teams such as the Justice League Task Force and the Ultra-Marines.
POWERS: Mari Macabe uses the Tantu Totem to acquire any animal’s ability. She can use that power for an unlimited amount of time but must abandon one ability before assuming another. Mari does not need to be near an animal to use its ability and can use any animal she has knowledge of. The totem’s magic also heightens her senses and gives her a natural rapport with animals.
A beautiful woman, Mari has two successful careers going and has used her intelligence to create a lasting international business she can return to whenever she gives up crime-fighting.
While with the JLA, Vixen was trained in various forms of martial arts. She is an excellent hand-to-hand combatant.
PERSONALITY: Vixen is a level-headed, individualistic, and highly-motivated heroine. She is a little fiercer than average heroes and always stays a little aloof from her companions. Her personality seems to have two distinct facets. On the one hand, she is kind, compassionate, well mannered, and forgiving. But on the other, she is feral, blunt, quick to anger, and fiercely determined. Not surprisingly, those individuals whom she likes get the former treatment, while those whom she doesn’t like get the latter.
In any case, Vixen is truly something special. Despite one or two personal shortcomings, she has still managed to garner the unparalleled universal respect of the entire super-hero community.
