B'wana Beast (Michael Payson "Mike" Maxwell) is a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

appearing in

American comic books An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. He is an African-themed hero who can communicate with and fuse animals. B'wana Beast has also appeared in various media outside comics.

Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...

and Peter Onorati voice the character in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' and ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

'' respectively.

Publication history

Created by

Bob Haney Robert Gilbert Haney, Jr. (March 15, 1926 – November 25, 2004) was an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. He co-created the Teen Titans as well as characters such as Lance Bruner, Metamorpho, Eclipso, Cain, and ...

and

Mike Sekowsky Michael Sekowsky (; November 19, 1923 – March 30, 1989) was an American comics artist known as the penciler for DC Comics' '' Justice League of America'' during most of the 1960s, and as the regular writer and artist on ''Wonder Woman'' durin ...

, B'wana Beast made his first appearance in '' Showcase'' #66 (January 1967).'' Showcase'' #66 (February 1967) The character was an attempt to capitalize on

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American writer, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best known for creating the characters Tarzan (who appeared in ...

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...

, borrowing the African jungle setting and " Tarzan yell" which was created in the

Johnny Weissmuller Johnny Weissmuller ( ; born Johann Peter Weißmüller, ; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was a Hungarian-born German American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for having one of the best competitive-swimming records o ...

incarnation of Tarzan.

Fictional character biography

Michael Maxwell is a ranger in

Zambezi The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than half of t ...

's nature preserves who crashes on

Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, at above sea level and above its plateau base. It is also the highest volcano i ...

after his plane is struck by lightning. He and his companions take refuge in the cavern home of Djuba, a mutant red gorilla. After drinking the cavern's mineral-rich water, Maxwell gains superhuman strength and defeats Djuba. Acknowledging Maxwell as its master, Djuba gives him a mystical helmet that enables him to communicate with and fuse animals. S.T.A.R. Labs scientists later infect B'wana Beast and Djuba with

anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis'' or ''Bacillus cereus'' biovar ''anthracis''. Infection typically occurs by contact with the skin, inhalation, or intestinal absorption. Symptom onset occurs between one ...

. Djuba dies, but

Animal Man Animal Man (Bernhard "Buddy" Baker) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As a result of being in proximity to an exploding extraterrestrial spaceship, Buddy Baker acquires the ability to temporarily "borrow" t ...

cures B'wana Beast by enhancing his immune system. In ''

'' #13 (1989), Maxwell retires and gives his helmet and elixir to South African activist Dominic Mndawe, who becomes

Freedom Beast Freedom Beast (Dominic Mndawe) is a fictional comic book character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character made his live-action debut in the fourth season of the HBO Max series ''Titans'', portrayed by Nyambi N ...

. Mike Maxwell returns in ''Animal Man'' #47 (1992), where he is possessed by the entity Antagon and transformed into Shining Man. Shining Man wreaks havoc on Earth before being killed in a fight with Metaman. B'wana Beast is resurrected following ''

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

'' continuity reboot. He is depicted as a rejected

Justice League International Justice League International (JLI) is a fictional DC comics superhero team that succeeded the original Justice League from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. The team enjoyed several comic books runs, the first being written by Keith Giffen and ...

applicant whose abilities are derived from the Red, a mystical force connecting animal life.

Powers and abilities

B'wana Beast drinks an elixir that gives him superhuman strength, speed, hunting and

tracking Tracking may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Tracking, in computer graphics, in match moving (insertion of graphics into footage) * Tracking, composing music with music tracker software * Eye tracking, measuring the position of ...

abilities. He also wears an ancient helmet that allows him to communicate with animals and merge them to form Chimeras.

In other media

Television

* B'wana Beast appears in '' The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure''. Additionally, the studio considered making a standalone B'wana Beast series, but it did not come to fruition. * B'wana Beast appears in ''

'', voiced by Peter Onorati. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is a member of the

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

who has a thick New York accent and blue collar personality. Additionally, according to the DVD commentary for the episode "This Little Piggy", a seductive growl that B'wana Beast directs at

Zatanna Zatanna Zatara (), known mononymously as Zatanna, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in ''Hawkman (comic book), Hawkman'' #4 (N ...

was provided by producer James Tucker as Onorati was unable to do so. * B'wana Beast appears in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced by

. This version is the love interest of Vixen and a former wrestler who gained his abilities from exposure to contaminated radioactive water. In the two-part episode "The Siege of Starro!", B'wana Beast sacrifices himself to destroy

Starro Starro (also known as Starro the Conqueror) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960), and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky. ...

. However, he returns in the series finale " Mitefall!" to attend the series' wrap party. ** Additionally, an unnamed alternate universe incarnation of B'wana Beast makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in a flashback in the episode "Deep Cover for Batman!" as a member of the Injustice Syndicate. * B'wana Beast makes non-speaking appearances in ''

Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013, and is based on DC Comics' fictional superhero team the Teen Titans. The series ...

''. * B'wana Beast appears in the ''

Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, ...

'' episode "Freakshow", portrayed by Jason William Day. This version is an unnamed

strongman Strongman is a competitive strength sport which tests athletes' physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events. Strongman competitions are known for their intensity, pushing athletes to their physical and mental limit ...

working for

P. T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding with James Anthony Bailey the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was ...

's traveling circus.

Film

B'wana Beast makes a cameo appearance in ''

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies ''Teen Titans Go! To the Movies'' is a 2018 American animated superhero comedy film featuring the DC Comics superhero team, the Teen Titans. Based on the Cartoon Network animated television series ''Teen Titans Go!'', it was produced by Warner ...

''.

Video games

B'wana Beast appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.

Miscellaneous

B'wana Beast appears in ''Justice League Unlimited'' #29.

Merchandise

* Four B'wana Beast action figures were produced by

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...

. The first was released as part of the company's ''

'' line as part of a six-figure boxed set along with

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

, Crimson Fox,

Deadman Deadman or Deadman's may refer to: * "Deadman" or "dead man", are alternative terms for a dead man's switch * "Deadman's foot" is another name for a Salamander (metallurgy), Salamander in metallurgy * "Deadman anchor" is a buried object (log, con ...

Commander Steel Commander Steel (also known as Captain Steel, Citizen Steel and Sergeant Steel) is the name of three superheroes appearing in media published by DC Comics, all members of the same family. The first Steel appeared in ''Steel, The Indestructible ...

, and

Vibe Vibe, alternatively '' vibes,'' is short for ''vibration''. A "vibe" is an emotional reaction to the aura or energy felt to belong to a person, place or thing. Vibe may also refer to: People * DJ Vibe (born 1968), Portuguese DJ * Lasse Vibe (b ...

. * Two figures of B'wana Beast from ''Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' were produced, one in the five-inch scale and another in a two-pack with

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

as part of the smaller Action League series. * A six-inch scale

DC Universe Classics DC Universe Classics was an action figure toyline, a sub-line of the DC Universe toy brand manufactured by Mattel. They were 6-inch scale figures based on the fictional characters owned by DC Comics. The entire line was sculpted by the Four Horse ...

figure of B'wana Beast was released in the "Justice in the Jungle" two-pack with

in December 2009 as a MattyCollector.com internet exclusive.

References

External links

Unofficial Guide to DC Comics entry

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303195207/http://www.lethargiclad.com/gorilla/showcase66.html , date=2016-03-03 Characters created by Bob Haney Characters created by Mike Sekowsky Comics characters introduced in 1967 DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability DC Comics characters with superhuman senses DC Comics characters with superhuman strength DC Comics fantasy characters DC Comics male superheroes DC Comics martial artists DC Comics psychics DC Comics telepaths Fictional characters who can communicate with animals Fictional characters who can control animals Fictional empaths Jungle men Jungle superheroes