GORILLA GRODD

Real Name: Grodd

Class: Gorilla City gorilla

Occupation: Would-be world conqueror

Group Affiliation: formerly Secret Society of Super-Villains, Tartarus, The Society

Known Relatives: Boka (wife, separated), Gorbul Mammit (son), Sam Simeon (The Ape, grandson)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Gorilla City, Africa.

First Appearance: Flash II #106 (April-May, 1959)

Powers: Grodd possessed all the strength and savagery of a gorilla with a genius-level intellect. He was a masterful inventor, and could project psychic bolts and mind control or possess others.

History: A meteor fell in Africa that rapidly evolved the minds of nearby gorillas, and the super-intelligent simians founded Gorilla City. Gorilla City was a utopia ruled by King Solovar until the malevolent Grodd tried to overthrow him.

(Flash I #106) - When King Solovar of Gorilla Citty was taken by a human expedition to the Congo his rival Gorilla Grodd knew the time was right to fulfill his dream of taking over first Gorilla City and then the world. He flew his nuclear-powered craft to Central City, hiding out in the park. Gorilla Grodd couldn’t help but being spotted on occasion, and his rumors of his existence frightened the citizens of Central City. Actor Fred Perason, start of “The Great Gorilla” play, called his friend Barry (Flash) Allen, saying he was worried he was the mysterious gorilla because he’d been playing the role of one for so long it might have affected his mind. He had no memory of his last stage performance, which was supposedly his most realistic one yet. Pearson didn’t realize that Gorilla Grodd, looking for a place to hide out for a few hours, knocked him out and took his place on stage. Barry promised he’d investigate. Gorilla Grodd was searching for Solovar, hoping to steal his power of force of mind so he could mind control others. He spotted a circus traveling through town and by luck Solovar was one of the animals being kept in a cage. Grodd used his telepathy to learn force of mind from Solovar, bragging about what he’d do with his new power. When Grodd left Solovar knew he had no choice but to escape his cage and find Flash, who he believed was the only man capable of stopping Grodd. Flash was shocked to be speaking to a talking gorilla, but after Solovar explained the situation Flash agreed to help. Flash sped Solovar back to Africa and confronted Grodd. Grodd had already mind controlled the residents of Gorilla City, planning on using them as soldiers to conquer the rest of the world. Flash created a whirlwind under Grodd before he could use his force of mind on him, and Solovar, rightfully restored to his throne, had Grodd imprisoned. Solovar told Flash that the whirlwind he created had knocked the knowledge of force of mind out of Grodd’s head and he no longer possesed the power. Solovar said he feared what would happen to Gorilla City if the outside world ever learned of them and Flash promised to never reveal the location of Solovar’s secret city.

(Flash I #107) - Gorilla Grodd had only pretended to lose his force of mind power, and used it to escape captivity. Solovar sent a distress signal to Flash, who ran to Africa in seconds, but was confused when he saw no sign of Gorilla City,. Solovar used a device to keep Gorilla City on a vibrational plane that couldn’t be observed by humans, and turned the device off to allow Flash entry. Solovar kept a register of the vibrational frequency of everyone in Gorilla city, and used it to determine that Grodd was miles underneath the city. Flash used his supserpeed to drill himself underground until he found Grodd, who’d discovered an underground world populated by Bird-People. Grodd had already used his force of mind on them, planning on making them into an army to conquer the world. He’d also developed a devolutionizer ray that would turn Solovar and the citizens of gorilla city into ordinary apes. Grodd fired the devolutionizer at Flash using a setting that caused the Mola, the strange underground atmosphere, to crystallize around Flash’s body. The encased Flash toppled forward, damaging the devolutionizer and Grodd cursed him for delaying his plans of conquest while he repaired it. Grodd instructed the Bird-People to place Flash in the town square as a warning to all who would oppose Grodd’s plans. Flash couldn’t move in the crystalline Mola, but managed to rock himself back and forth on the pedestal he’d been placed on until he fell over and the Mola shattered. Flash confronted Grodd again, and created a whirlwind around him, but Grodd was strong enough to break free. Flash was worried about his size and strength, but with his speed he was able to punch Grodd a hundred times before the villain could lay a hand on him, felling him. With Grodd unconscious the Bird-People regained their senses and thanked Flash for freeing them. Flash handed Grodd over to Solovar, who promised to keep a closer eye on him.

(Flash I #108) - Gorilla Grodd foresaw the possibility of his capture and established a mental link with his nuclear-powered quadromobile. He summoned his craft, which crashed into his prison, destroying it and freeing him. Grodd invented an evolution-accelerator, which advanced him on the evolutionary track past modern man. In his new human identity of Drew Drowden he made millions in the stock market and built a lab, having engineers develop a pill that gave him the power of telekinesis and mind over matter. Barry Allen went on a date with Iris West, and she told him Picture News was about to name their man of the year. Flash had been a shoo-in, but with Drew Drowden making the scene it was a toss-up. Drowden tested his new powers by uprooting trees with his mind and then raising his own factory into the air. Flash investigated, and Drowden used his mind over matter powers to freeze Flash in his tracks. The effects of the evolution-accelerator wore off, returning Gorilla Grodd to normal. He couldn’t access his mind over matter powers as a gorilla, and was about to use his evolution-accelerator again, but Flash melted it by rubbing his hands on it at superspeed and fashioned the device into a pair of handcuffs. He returned Grodd to gorilla City, and was pleased that with Drowden’s disappearance Flash was named Picture Time’s man of the year.

(Green Lantern III #30, 31, Flash II #69, 70) - While incarcerated in a Gorilla City prison Grodd began a long-distance chess game with Hector Hammond. The moves were actually a code to let Grodd know that Hammond had discovered that they both got their powers from the same type of meteor. Grodd also communicated that he had found a third evolutionary meteor on Earth and sent its location to Hammond. Grodd sent a command to a group of Gorilla City sympathizers, who broke him out of prison, and together they went to retrieve the meteor. Each one planned to betray the other, but Grodd struck first, taking the power of the meteor and turning Hammond into a deevolved Neanderthal man. In his new form of a mental giant with an atrophied body Grodd took over the minds of the residents of Gorilla City, but was stopped by Flash, Green Lantern and Rex the Wonder Dog. Grodd, whose mind had been dampened, and Hammond were put together in confinement in Gorilla City.

(Secret Origins of Super-Villains 80-Page Giant #1) - Grodd was hiding in Gorilla City's sewers when he was approached by Vandal Savage to join Tartarus. Grodd accepted the invitation, and Vandal promised him and the other members an opportunity to control mankind's destiny.

(Flash Secret Files #3, Flash II #178, 179 (BTS)) - Grodd modified local wildlife in the Sudan with bacterial agents for military use. The bacterial agent spread to nearby villages, and wiped out every villager it came in contact with. Grodd moved and set up shop in southern Florida, but the D.E.O. tracked him down. Although Grodd savagely killed over twenty D.E.O. agents they managed to apprehend him, and he was put in a transport to Iron Heights penitentiary. The Rogues helped Grodd escape the transport, and Grodd went wild after being held prisoner, destroying an apartment complex and battling the KCPD. After a battle with Flash, Grodd was defeated and sent to Iron Heights. Waren Gregory Wolfe pumped him full of hellabrun, sending Grodd into hibernation.

(Flash II #191-194) - Grodd awoke from hibernation and mentally controlled a number of Gorilla City gorillas to attack the Heights. They freed a number of prisoners before finding Grod s cell and releasing him. Grodd found the free prisoners beating Flash, and made it clear Flash was his. Grodd battered Flash until Fallout escaped his cell and forced him to retreat. Grodd wanted to hurt Flash through his friends, so he crippled Hunter Zoloman before leaving for Africa to overthrow Gorilla City. Flash was outraged and followed him. Grodd attacked Nnamdi, Solovar s son and the current ruler of Gorilla City, but was defeated by the Flash. Flash wanted to take him back to America to pay for his crimes, but Nnamdi insisted he stay in Gorilla City to pay for his crimes.

(JSA #34, 35) - The Ultra-Humanite used Johnny Thunder s Thunderbolt to conquer the world, and imprisoned Grodd and virtually every superhuman on Earth. The Humanite mind-controlled Grodd and a number of other telepaths, using them as his Mindsweepers so he could extend his mental domination over a greater number of superhumans. The JSA used a device that disrupted the braincaps Humanite used to control the Mindsweepers, freeing them from Humanite's control.

(Flash II #208) - Grodd lurked around the New Flash Museum, planning his revenge on Flash.

(Flash II #210, 211) - Grodd ambushed Flash an Nightwing inside the New Flash Museum. He wanted to kill them both and destroy the Museum. He hate Flash giving humans the iea they coul aspire to something greater than they were. After a rutal fight Gro was defeate and sent to Iron Heights.

(Flash II #217)  - Grodd provided cloaking technology to the Rogues so they could create Avernus, a hidden graveyard for supervillains. Grodd and the Rogues held a funeral for Captain Boomerang in Avernus.

(Superman / Batman #3) - President Luthor placed a billion dollar bounty on Superman's head, and Grodd enthralled a number of supervillains to help him capture Superman, but failed.

(Villains United #1) - Grodd joined Lex Luthor's Society.

(Flash II #223-225) - Cold called in Grodd and Dr. Alchemy as reinforcements in a battle against Flash, and although Grodd disliked the Rogues the Society made him promise to help them. Alchemy accidentally turned Grodd s blood to formaldehyde and Flash and Kid Flash fought them off. Grodd was saved from capture by Mirror Master, who opened a mirror portal to provide him an escape route.

(Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special #1) - Grodd and the Society massed in Metropolis. They were confronted by an army of virtually every hero on Earth, and the heroes and villains engaged in an epic battle.

Comments: Created by John Broome & Carmine Infantino.

Gorilla Grodd received profiles in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #9 and Who's Who in the DC Universe #3.

Gorilla Grodd's appearance in Flash I #106 was reprinted in Flash Annual I #1,  Flash I #108 was reprinted in 80 Page Giant Magazine #9.

Grodd had cameos in Flash II #195, 197, 204, 220, 227 and Impulse #46.

Flash II #186, 196, 198, 230 showed a statue of Grodd in the Flash Museum. Flash II #230 showed Grodd s statue in the New Flash Museum.

In Bizarro Comics #1 Mr. Mxyzptlk gave Bizarro-Superman a crash course on battling villains, and afterward Bizarro had images of various heroes and villains fighting, including Gorilla Grodd, wandering through his mind.