ZUMA

Real Name: Zuma

Class: Parallel Earth (Earth-AD) gorilla mutant

Occupation: Cultist, would-be messiah

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Earth-AD

First Appearance: Kamandi #29 (May, 1975)

Powers: Zuma was an intelligent evolved ape, who was a skilled brawler and possessed superhuman strength.

History: (Kamandi #29) - Zuma was a member of a cult of Gorilla-Men who worshipped the Mighty One. Kamandi and mutant Ben Boxer came upon the stone relief depicting the story of the Mighty One, Kla-Kent, who used his superhuman powers to fly into the Earth during a fiery eruption, dragging boulders to the surface to form a new continent, but perishing during the task. Kamandi recognized the Might One from his study of history as Superman. The Mighty One’s worshippers were watching Ben and Kamandi, and their elder, seeing Ben’s strange costume, proclaimed that he was the Might One reborn. Cultist Zuma had long claimed to be the reincarnation of the Mighty One and was furious at the thought of being usurped, and attacked. The elder broke up the battle and told Ben he’d have to go to the proving grounds of Nashnil to demonstrate he was the one they worshipped. Ben was not interested in being a messiah, but Kamandi convinced him it was in their best interest to play along. According to prophecy the Mighty One could leap higher than the tallest building, and the elder had them watch a claimant hop onto a catapult and get flung into the air. The elder admitted he was most likely dead, as were all those who had tried in the past to prove they were the messiah. Ben refused to get on the catapult, but Kamandi told him to show them his “secret identity,” and he pressed his cyclo-heart to turn into organic steel. The elder was astonished, but Zuma claimed it was a trick, challenging him to the feat of strength, moving the Daily Planet, a giant boulder. Zuma strained until he was nearly unconscious, but Ben used his foot to smash a hollow beneath the boulder, making it unstable enough for him to push. Most of the Gorilla-Men tribe were convinced he was their savior, but there were a few doubters, so the elder demanded a final test. Zuma helped set up the test, hoping it would kill Ben. The elder said he had to prove he was faster than a speeding bullet, and Zuma shot him repeatedly with a Gatling gun. Ben’s steel body was unscathed, and the elder proclaimed he’d dodged the bullets even though Zuma protested he’d been hit by all of them. The elder led Ben and Kamandi to their catacombs, which led to an active volcano where Superman’s suit was kept until he came to reclaim it. Zuma couldn’t stand to see the object of his greatest desire taken away from him, and grabbed the suit. Kamandi’s admiration of Superman kicked in, and he realized he couldn’t let Zuma have the suit. Kamandi and Zuma struggled, and when Zuma stepped on Superman’s cape, Kamandi yanked it from under him, tossing Zuma into the volcano. Kamandi was convinced that Superman must still be alive somewhere, and convinced the elder to stop looking for him, saying he’d present himself in his true form. The elder agreed to keep the suit untouched until the real Superman returned.

Comments: Created by Jack Kirby.