Gorilla Grodd

Publication history

Grodd debuted in Flash v.1 #106 (April–May 1959) and was created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino.

Fictional character biography

Gorilla Grodd is a hyper-intelligent telepathic gorilla able to control the minds of others. He was an average ape until an alien spacecraft (retconned from a radioactive meteor, which also empowered Hector Hammond) crashed in his African home. Grodd and his troupe were imbued with super intelligence by the ship's pilot. Grodd and fellow gorilla Solovar also developed telepathic and telekinetic powers. Led by the alien, the gorillas constructed the super-advanced Gorilla City. The gorillas lived in peace until their home was discovered by explorers. Grodd forced one of the explorers to kill the alien and took over Gorilla City, planning to conquer the world next. Solovar telepathically contacted Barry Allen to warn him of the evil gorilla's plans, and Grodd was defeated. The villain manages to return again and again to plague the Flash and his allies.

In his first Pre-Crisis appearance he met the Flash while searching for Solovar, who had been imprisoned, during a trip to the human world. Grodd probed Solovar's mind to find the secret of mind control so he could control Gorilla City, using its inhabitants to take over the world. Solovar breaks out of his cage and tells the Flash. The Flash defeats Grodd and temporarily removes his telepathy. When his power returns, he escapes and builds a machine to strip his fellow gorillas of their intelligence. The Flash finds out from Solovar where Grodd has escaped and destroys the machine. Grodd is imprisoned again, but uses a burrowing machine he built earlier to escape again. Assuming human form, he creates a drug to strengthen his abilities. After easily stopping the Flash, Grodd experiences a side effect that removes his new powers. The Flash arrests Grodd and takes him back to Gorilla City. Grodd fakes his death by transferring his mind into a man in Central City, but is caught and arrested. Later, he instigates the Flash's Rogues Gallery, breaking them out of jail to distract the Flash after transferring his mind to that of Freddy, a gorilla in a zoo. Thanks to Solovar, the Flash learns of Grodd's escape. Ironically, Grodd, despite using radiation to negate the Flash's speed, is defeated by the gorilla's mate when she hears him mention another gorilla. He and Freddy are restored to their normal bodies.

In a confrontation with Wally West, Grodd increases the brain power of most of the animals in Central City. He hopes to endanger the lives of all the humans, but this plan backfires because some of the pets are too loyal to their humans. Grodd's plans are defeated by the Flash, assisted by the Pied Piper, Vixen, and Rex the Wonder Dog.

Immortal villain Vandal Savage kidnaps Titans member Omen using her to form the perfect team of adversaries for the Teen Titans. Savage approaches Grodd, offering him membership in this new anti-Titans group, Tartarus. Savage offers promises of power and immortality. Grodd joins Tartarus on their mission to synthesize the immortal blood of the H.I.V.E. Mistress, Addie Kane. Savage seeks to create a serum that will grant immortality. Their schemes are thwarted when the Titans intervene. Tempest later leads a rescue mission to save Omen from Savage. During the rescue attempt, Tartarus collapses upon itself due to each member having a different agenda, because Omen had purposely chosen members who would not work well together. When Siren switches alliances during the battle and aids Tempest in escaping, the Tartarus members go their separate ways.

Grodd has made no fewer than eighteen attempts to eliminate all traces of humanity from the face of the earth. In Son of Ambush Bug #5 (November 1986), he travels to the Late Cretaceous "to wipe out all traces of human evolution from the time stream" (despite the fact that, at this point in time, the ancestors of humanity would be his own ancestors as well). His plans are shattered by the sudden appearance of Titano and Ambush Bug waking from a nightmare. Whether or not Grodd's plan is a failure is disputable.

In the final issue of Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew, Grodd travels to Earth-C in an attempt to conquer it, but is defeated by the efforts of the Zoo Crew (plus Changeling of the Teen Titans).

In the 1991 Angel and the Ape limited series, Grodd is revealed as the grandfather of Angel's partner, Sam Simeon. This is in conflict with Martian Manhunter Annual #2 (1999), which states that Sam Simeon is Grodd’s brother.

In the Justice League of America Wedding Special, Gorilla Grodd is among the villains seen as members of the Injustice League Unlimited.

During the Final Night, Grodd attempted to use a mystical talisman called the Heart of Darkness (normally effective only in eclipses) that brought out the 'inner beast' of humans, turning the population of the town of Leesburg into feral monsters, including Supergirl. However, Supergirl was eventually able to fight off Grodd's influence, allowing her to oppose Grodd until the sun was restored. Grodd is assumed killed when an icicle fell into him.

One of Grodd’s widest ranging schemes was to arrange Solovar's assassination and manipulate Gorilla City into war against humanity, with the aid of a "shadow cabinet" of prominent gorillas called Simian Scarlet. In the course of this, Grodd absorbs too much neural energy from his fellow apes, leaving him with the intelligence of a normal gorilla. He has since recovered, and a failed attempt to set up a base in Florida leads to his capture and incarceration in Iron Heights.

Grodd had been trapped inside the human body of an overweight street bum. He was attacked by a gang known as the Vultures. One of them commented on how their member Iggo had the strength of a gorilla, which reminded Grodd of his true form. Suddenly changing back to his original shape and size, he quickly defeated the gang, making them believe that they are burning in molten lava by using his telepathic abilities. Reading the minds of the crooks, he saw that one of the former members of their gang was a friend of the Flash, and a plan began to form in his mind.

Grodd found another space rock, identical to the one that had given him his powers, and contacted Hector Hammond, a human who had also gained similar powers. Grodd was able to take control of Gorilla City after increasing his evolution, but was defeated once more.

Grodd is also seen in the Superman/Batman arc "Public Enemies" (Superman/Batman #1 – #7) controlling numerous villains and heroes in order to take down Superman and Batman for the prize of one billion dollars offered by then U.S. President Lex Luthor. Despite his use of foes such as Mongul, Solomon Grundy, Lady Shiva, and Nightshade, Batman is able to deduce the mind behind the attacks and they quickly dispose of Grodd.

He is responsible for crippling the Flash's friend Hunter Zolomon, resulting in his transformation into the villainous Zoom when Hunter tries to change the event so it never happened. Hunter would often think about how Grodd used him as a plaything in that fight while talking it over with the Flash.

In Birds of Prey #23, Grodd makes a deal with Grimm to get Blockbuster an ape heart.

In JLA Classified #1-3, DC, 3-issue story arc, 2004, Grodd and his forces attack the Ultramarine Corps. Grodd has most of the citizens they are protecting killed. He personally eats some of the humans. During the course of this incident, Beryl informs the team that Grodd ranks number three on the latest "Global Most Wanted".

In the Salvation Run mini-series, Grodd teams up with the Joker to gather their own faction of the exiled supervillains. He kills Monsieur Mallah and the Brain, and was knocked off a cliff by the Joker. He is seen alive and attempting to deliver payback to the Joker.

In Justice League of America #21, Grodd is shown among the members of Libra's new Secret Society and placed in the Inner Circle. In Final Crisis storyline, Gorilla Grodd was among the high ranked superheroes and supervillains that were turned into Justifiers. He is sent to apprehend Snapper Carr and Cheetah, but fails.

The New 52

In the new continuity of The New 52 (a reboot of the DC Comics universe), before Flash makes earthfall into the super ape's midst, Grodd was crown prince of Gorilla City speaking with his father; King Grodd, about how the light that touched their fair city was destiny. Destiny which had once again tilted its hand and brought their culture to being, but Grodd rebuffs these claims stating their destiny was their own to command, and that they were destined for dominance. the Flash (Barry Allen) first encounters Gorilla Grodd after a trip through the Speed Force which strands him in their hidden community, all of which just shortly after Grodd has been newly crowned as gorilla king after killing his father & consuming his mind.

The Flash is hailed as a messenger spoken of in gorilla prophecy by all but Grodd who sees the interloper as a threat to his ascension and designs for world conquest. When told of the treachery planned by the Ape Elders from his most trusted general, Grodd led a personal execution detail in an attempt to kill Barry and assume the mantel of the Light bringer. But The Flash foils Grodd's attempts by outmaneuvering him until King Grodd causes the caves containing Gorilla Cities history to collapse upon himself, knocking him unconscious, allowing the Flash to escape.

After having been unearthed by General Silverback while still buried beneath the rubble of the ruined cave, Grodd eventually recuperated after his previous battle with Flash. He found that he still had some followers among the ape army and would eventually slaughter most of the elders, saving one needed for his invasion plans. Grodd returns and attacks Central City with an army of gorilla soldiers searching for payback against The Messenger. After a while of waiting out the battle, Gorilla Grodd would make his way to one of Dr. Darwin Elias's labs which contain canisters of Flash's excess speed energy, consuming these batteries temporarily supercharges Grodd's own Speed Force evolved physiology enabling him enough speed and power to overwhelm the flash nearly killing him.

During the "Forever Evil" storyline, Gorilla Grodd returns to Central City during a ceremony commemorating Flash between the humans and gorillas at the time when Ultraman had caused an eclipse. Gorilla Grodd, brandishing several new powers courtesy of the light, proceeds to take control of Central City as its king and renames it Grodd City. Eventually growing bored with this, Grodd uses his hightened abilities to take off, the rest of his apes following him to parts unknown.

Powers and abilities

Grodd's psionic abilities allow him to place other beings under his mental control and transfer his consciousness into other bodies. Grodd also has (on occasion) vast telekinetic abilities ranging from force beams, telekinetic transmutation of matter and lifting thousands of tons mentally. In recent issues he has shown the ability to absorb intelligence through the consumption of human brains. He possesses great superhuman strength far exceeding that of an ordinary gorilla. He is a scientific genius who has mastered Gorilla City's advanced technology and who has created many incredible inventions of his own. He also uses large laser guns. His thought process still operates at a relatively human rate of speed; the Flashes have shown some degree of immunity to his telepathic illusions by moving so fast that their thoughts process Grodd's illusions in slow motion. In one story, Grodd either gains or strengthens his already vast psychokinetic abilities via ingesting a pill he develops after evolving himself into a human, enabling him to control the forces of nature such. But after he turns back, he loses this power as his brain is not evolved enough, in later stories however Grodd has been seen using both his psionic attributes openly without the need of accelerated evolution. He was able to engage Kalibak in hand-to-hand combat but was visibly not quite as strong as Kalibak.

In the New 52 reboot of DC Continuity, Grodd like all the super apes of Gorilla City gained their powers from The Light; his people's coining term for Flash's Speed Force, the very embodiment of which represents relative space and time. Being of noble blood King Grodd is tougher, stronger, quicker and far more physically and/or mentally dynamic than other members of his evolved species. He boasts enhanced gorilla strength, enough to easily rend flesh from bone, pick up and/or smash cars and injuring Flash through his speed aura, being durable enough to resist supersonic punches from the Flash, rip his way out of barbed wire unharmed and even survive impacts from a charging mammoth affected by the speed force. Has sharp enough reflexes to keep up with even the most nimble meta-humans with relative ease as he was able to grasp at Flash more than once while he was running, having intercepted many of his high-speed attacks more than once. Another facet to his physiology is that he along with other apes like him can assimilate both the knowledge and powers of enemies who they kill by devouring their brains, a process dubbed by their forefathers as "Cerecorbis". This process increases Grodd's intelligence bestowing him with a super genius IQ on top of whatever memories their vanquished enemies had as well as any abilities they might have possessed. Via direct ingestion of The Light's energies he gains enhanced speed and further augmented dynamism not only enabling to effortlessly keep up with, but outright overpower Flash in a straightforward fight. Though this augmentation was short lived as the speed force batteries he drained to get his jump were a finite source causing him to shrivel & weaken over time. Thanks to his time trapped within the force dimension however, Grodd grained an even greater acceleration of his development. Not only retaining his previous abilities of bolstered strength and superspeed; but also accelerating his developmental process granting him telepathy much like what his species elders grow into with age over time, as well as telekinesis which is unique to him and him alone.

Antimatter Universe

Gorilla Grodd has a counterpart on the post-Crisis antimatter universe's Earth called General Grodd who is a member of the Justice Underground. He is a freedom fighter from a militaristic ape nation.

Flashpoint

In the Flashpoint timeline, Gorilla Grodd has succeeded in overthrowing Solovar and taken over Gorilla City. Gorilla Grodd began a campaign to control all of Africa. Despite his conquest being a great success, Gorilla Grodd feels unfulfilled since none of his enemies have been able to prove a challenge to him and the war between Aquaman and Wonder Woman has overshadowed his actions, constantly frustrating him. He soon begins to feel bored by his accomplishments since they prove far too easy for him and often lets his enemies live, hoping for them to become greater challenges in the future. He also decides to begin a campaign to control Europe, knowing perfectly well that this action will make him a target for the Atlanteans and Amazons. Gorilla Grodd arrives at the scene to attack during the Atlantean/Amazon war.

Injustice

Gorilla Grodd makes a brief appearance in Injustice: Gods Among Us comic, during the Justice League's manhunt for Mirror Master comic, Grodd is one of the villains interrogated by Shazam. In Injustice 2 he will be leading an organization known as the Society with the goal of conquering Earth in the wake of the Superman's Regime being defeated at the end of Injustice: Gods Among Us.

Television

DC animated universe

Film

Video games

Lego Batman

Injustice

Web series

Gorilla Grodd appears in the web series DC Super Hero Girls voiced again by John DiMaggio. He appears as the vice-principal of Super Hero High.

Miscellaneous