Who Is Animal Man? Origin, Powers and Key Facts

Animal Man is a DC Comics comic book character, the alter ego of Bernhard Baker, with over 812 comic issue appearances. As a happy-go-lucky hero and devoted family man, Buddy Baker can mimic the powers of any animal on Earth and beyond. His powers come from a connection with the morphogenetic field of Earth, also known as the Life Web or the Red.

Who is Animal Man?

Origin The Man with Animal Powers Buddy was once a happy punk rocker, playing in a garage band, and trying to win the affections of his high school girlfriend, Ellen Frazier . One autumn afternoon he went hunting in the Adirondack Mountains. When he returned home, he had changed. Encountering some escaped animals from a nearby zoo, Buddy discovered that in the presence of an animal, he was able to absorb their abilities; the spring of a tiger, the strength of a Gorilla, or the power of an Elephant. During his first adventure Buddy was met by a large alien beast, presumably from the crash, but later discovered to be the envoy of the other aliens (important to Buddy later in his life) with similar powers to his. After a fight in the town, Buddy lured the beast back to the mountain range by attacking it with a fire truck. Once there, the hulking alien destroyed the truck, but was defeated when Buddy exposed the alien to frightened field mice. The alien took on the attributes of the mouse, as well as its fear.

Key facts

Animal Man is of human origin and first appeared in "I Was the Man with Animal Powers; One Monster -- Coming Up". The character is published by DC Comics. With 812 recorded issue appearances, Animal Man ranks among the most featured characters in comics.