Animal Man

ANIMAL MAN

Real Name: Bernhard "Buddy" Baker

Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Movie stuntman, animal rights activist, superhero

Group Affiliation: formerly Forgotten Heroes, Justice League Europe

Known Relatives: Frank Baker Jr. (father), Frank Baker Sr. (grandfather, deceased), Cliff (son), Ellen Frazier (wife), Jack (great-great-great grandfather, deceased), Mary Frazier (mother-in-law), Maxine (daughter), Phyllis (mother), Sherman (great-great grandfather, deceased), Teddy (great grandfather, deceased), unnamed sister

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: San Diego, California, formerly Grand Canyon, Pownal, Vermont

First Appearance: Strange Adventures I #180 (September, 1965)

Powers: Animal Man could temporarily absorb the abilities of any animal in his vicinity, such as flight, regeneration or superhuman strength. He could also communicate with animals, and sometimes talk them into working for him.

History: Buddy Baker discovered an alien spacecraft that blew up in his face, incinerating his body. The aliens inside, who sometimes chose to affect the destinies of humans, reconstructed his body and connected to the morphogenetic field or "M-Field." Buddy used his newfound powers to become the costumed adventurer Animal Man.

(Action Comics #553) - Immortal Man gathered Animal Man and a number of other heroes and asked them to aid him in combating Vandal Savage. He told them they were Forgotten Heroes, but they could still make a difference. Immortal Man told them Vandal Savage infected Superman with time-seeds from the time pyramids. As the seeds dropped in Metropolis Park they turned it into a prehistoric jungle, which quickly spread to the heart of Metropolis. Animal Man and the Heroes investigated the pyramids, and then contacted Superman and let him know about Savage's plans. Superman flew into the sun to burn off the seeds, and then traveled back in time with Rip Hunter to the Big Bang to destroy the original time pyramid. He succeeded, causing the time pyramids to disappear from the present, but Superman was lost in the timestream, and Rip Hunter returned to the present without him.

Buddy retired as Animal Man married his girlfriend Ellen and started a family.

Animal Man joined Justice League Europe.

Animal Man retired again, but eventually resumed his career as a costumed adventure and rejoined the Forgotten Heroes.

(JLA #27) - Animal Man was called in as a JLA reservist to battle Amazo. Amazo was programmed to acquire the powers of the JLA, so when Animal Man and a number of other heroes temporarily joined the JLA to battle him it just made Amazo more powerful. Amazo decimated the JLA reservists, and was only defeated when Superman officially disbanded the JLA, leaving Amazo powerless.

(Resurrection Man #24-27) -

(Day of Judgment #4) - Animal Man and Freedom Beast battled an army of demons unleashed on South Africa when Asmodel brought Hell to Earth.

(Totems) -

(Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #8) - Animal Man was among the army of heroes called to Blue Valley, Nebraska by Pat Dugan to fight the Nebula Man. By the time they arrived, Star Spangled Kid II had already trounced the villain.

(JLA #40, 41) - Animal Man was among the army of heroes that tried to quell the worldwide warfare caused by Mageddon approaching Earth. Animal Man was one of the first to notice the effects of Mageddon’s approach because lizards were the first animals driven into a rage by it. He realized that Mageddon stimulated the primitive reptilian backbrain in humanity and presented his findings to the JLA. The JLA built an anti-war ray, a device that gave all of humanity the ability to resist Mageddon’s urgings for them to destroy each other, as well as temporary superpowers so that they could all help fight Mageddon, and the final blow was delivered when Superman absorbed the anti-sun that powered Mageddon.

(Identity Crisis #1) - Animal Man was among a number of heroes that investigated Sue Dibny's murder scene. Later he and Ellen attended Sue’s funeral.

(Identity Crisis #7) - Animal Man saw Ellen reading a tabloid article about Jean Loring's life in Arkham, and he asked his wife not to read such trash.

(Firestorm II #20) - Troia’s team headed to the center of the universe, and they came across a Rannian ship sitting dead in space, and being attacked by Thanagarians. After some debate the heroes decided to intervene. Firestorm and Animal Man boarded the Rannian ship, and learned that the Rannians had stolen a revered Thanagarian Ca’arra hawk. Animal Man was clearly more concerned with the noble creature than he was with the extraterrestrial war. Animal Man absorbed its powers and the heroes engaged the Thanagarians. The Thanagarians were impressed with Animal Man’s honor and his hawk’s love of battle. Getting involved in the Rann-Thanagar war turned out to be a pointless endeavor, as the Rannians killed the hawk, so the Thanagarians retaliated by blowing up their ship. The heroes were taken aback by the senselessness of war.

Comments: Created by Dave Wood and Carmine Infantino.

Animal Man received a profile in Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #. He received a profile in Who's Who:The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #8 under the Forgotten Heroes entry.

There was a pin-up of Animal Man in Vertigo Gallery: Dreams and Nightmares #1.

Animal Man had cameos in 52 / WWIII Part Two: The Valiant #1, Firestorm II #21, Firestorm: The Nuclear Man II #32 & JLA #119.