Ape-Man
Encyclopedia
Ape-Man is the name of four fictional character
s in the Marvel Universe
.
#12 (January 1965), and was created by Stan Lee
and Don Heck
. He first appeared as Ape-Man in Daredevil
#10-11 (October, December 1965) by Stan Lee
, Bob Powell
, and Wally Wood
. The character subsequently appears in Daredevil #39-41 (April-June 1968), Daredevil Annual #2 (1971), Marvel Team-Up #25 (September 1974), X-Men #94-95 (August-October 1975), and Iron Man #115-116 (October-November 1978), in which he dies. The character appears posthumously in Iron Man #139 (October 1980) and Classic X-Men #3 (November 1986). Ape-Man appeared as part of the "Ani-Men" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
#16, and in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #24.
The second Ape-Man appeared in Daredevil
#157-158 (March, May 1979), and was created by Roger McKenzie
, Mary Jo Duffy, and Gene Colan
. Ape-Man appeared as part of the "Ani-Men" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
#16, and in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #24.
warehouse, and was defeated by Captain America.
Along with Bird-Man I, Cat-Man I, and Frog-Man
, Keefer was recruited for his great strength by a man named the Organizer to form the Ani-Men
. The Organizer was secretly Abner Jonas, a candidate for mayor of New York City, who sent the Ani-Men on missions to undermine the current administration. Daredevil defeated them and the Ani-Men and Organizer all went to prison. Later, Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man formed a team called the "Unholy Three" with the Exterminator
, and fought Daredevil again. The Unholy Three, as a team of independent thieves, fought Daredevil and Spider-Man
and were defeated.
Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man later rejoined the Ani-Men, and the Ani-Men went to work for Count Nefaria
. Nefaria's scientists submitted the unwitting Ani-Men to processes that gave them superhuman powers and animal-like forms. The Ani-Men invaded the Cheyenne Mountain missile base for Count Nefaria, and fought the X-Men
.
The Ani-Men lost their superhuman powers and reverted back to normal. Nefaria sent the four original Ani-Men to kill Tony Stark
, however the Spymaster detonated a bomb with which he had intended to kill Stark, and the resulting explosion killed the Ani-Men instead.
recruits a new team of Ani-Men, with a new Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man. He sends the new Ani-Men to capture Matt Murdock
. The Death-Stalker murders Ape-Man and Cat-Man by electrocution upon the completion of their mission.
storyline, a third Ape-Man alongside a third Cat-Man and a second Frog-Man were shown committing crimes while the heroes were on Battleworld. They somehow got the equipment of the original Ani-Men and used it to rob a vault wagon only to be opposed by the NYPD.
storyline, a new Ape-Man alongside a fourth Bird-Man and a fourth Cat-Man were among the villains in Hammerhead
's supervillain army.
's scientists which temporarily gave him a build resembling that of an ape, and gave him superhuman strength and enhanced his durability, agility, and reflexes.
McVey possessed the same abilities as the first Ape-Man, including ape-like superhuman strength, durability, agility, and reflexes.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
s in the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
.
Publication history
Monk Keefer first appeared in AvengersAvengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
#12 (January 1965), and was created by Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and Don Heck
Don Heck
Don Heck was an American comic book artist best known for co-creating the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, and for his long run penciling the Marvel superhero-team series The Avengers during the 1960s Silver Age of comic books.-Early life and career:Born in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New...
. He first appeared as Ape-Man in Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
#10-11 (October, December 1965) by Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
, Bob Powell
Bob Powell (comics)
Bob Powell né Stanislav Robert Pawlowski was an American comic book artist known for his work during the 1930-40s Golden Age of comic books, including on the features "Sheena, Queen of the Jungle" and "Mr. Mystic". He received a belated credit in 1999 for co-writing the debut of the popular...
, and Wally Wood
Wally Wood
Wallace Allan Wood was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, best known for his work in EC Comics and Mad. He was one of Mads founding cartoonists in 1952. Although much of his early professional artwork is signed Wallace Wood, he became known as Wally Wood, a name he...
. The character subsequently appears in Daredevil #39-41 (April-June 1968), Daredevil Annual #2 (1971), Marvel Team-Up #25 (September 1974), X-Men #94-95 (August-October 1975), and Iron Man #115-116 (October-November 1978), in which he dies. The character appears posthumously in Iron Man #139 (October 1980) and Classic X-Men #3 (November 1986). Ape-Man appeared as part of the "Ani-Men" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
#16, and in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #24.
The second Ape-Man appeared in Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
#157-158 (March, May 1979), and was created by Roger McKenzie
Roger McKenzie (comics)
Roger McKenzie is an American comic book writer best known for his work on Daredevil with Frank Miller.McKenzie and Miller's first collaboration was on a two-page story entitled "Slowly, painfully, you dig your way from the cold, choking debris..." published in DC Comics' Weird War Tales #68...
, Mary Jo Duffy, and Gene Colan
Gene Colan
Eugene Jules "Gene" Colan was an American comic book artist best known for his work for Marvel Comics, where his signature titles include the superhero series, Daredevil, the cult-hit satiric series Howard the Duck, and The Tomb of Dracula, considered one of comics' classic horror series...
. Ape-Man appeared as part of the "Ani-Men" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
#16, and in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #24.
Monk Keefer
With a group of other criminals, professional criminal Gordon "Monk" Keefer attempted a robbery of a StarkIron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
warehouse, and was defeated by Captain America.
Along with Bird-Man I, Cat-Man I, and Frog-Man
Frog-Man (Ani-Men)
Frog-Man is the name of two fictional characters in Marvel Comics. Both have been members of the Ani-Men.-Publication history:Frog-Man first appeared in Daredevil #10-11 , and was created by Stan Lee, Bob Powell, and Wally Wood...
, Keefer was recruited for his great strength by a man named the Organizer to form the Ani-Men
Ani-Men
The Ani-Men is the name of several fictional teams within the Marvel Universe. Four of them are villain groups, while one of them was introduced as a team of agents serving the High Evolutionary.-Original Ani-Men:...
. The Organizer was secretly Abner Jonas, a candidate for mayor of New York City, who sent the Ani-Men on missions to undermine the current administration. Daredevil defeated them and the Ani-Men and Organizer all went to prison. Later, Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man formed a team called the "Unholy Three" with the Exterminator
Death-Stalker
The Death-Stalker is a fictional character, a super-villain of the professional-criminal type, in the Marvel Comics universe. His real name was Philip Wallace Sterling. An enemy of Daredevil, he first appeared as the Exterminator in Daredevil Vol. 1, #39 .-Fictional character biography:Philip...
, and fought Daredevil again. The Unholy Three, as a team of independent thieves, fought Daredevil and Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and were defeated.
Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man later rejoined the Ani-Men, and the Ani-Men went to work for Count Nefaria
Count Nefaria
Count Nefaria is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #13 and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck.- Fictional character biography :...
. Nefaria's scientists submitted the unwitting Ani-Men to processes that gave them superhuman powers and animal-like forms. The Ani-Men invaded the Cheyenne Mountain missile base for Count Nefaria, and fought the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
.
The Ani-Men lost their superhuman powers and reverted back to normal. Nefaria sent the four original Ani-Men to kill Tony Stark
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
, however the Spymaster detonated a bomb with which he had intended to kill Stark, and the resulting explosion killed the Ani-Men instead.
Roy McVey
After the deaths of the original Ani-Men, the Death-StalkerDeath-Stalker
The Death-Stalker is a fictional character, a super-villain of the professional-criminal type, in the Marvel Comics universe. His real name was Philip Wallace Sterling. An enemy of Daredevil, he first appeared as the Exterminator in Daredevil Vol. 1, #39 .-Fictional character biography:Philip...
recruits a new team of Ani-Men, with a new Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man. He sends the new Ani-Men to capture Matt Murdock
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
. The Death-Stalker murders Ape-Man and Cat-Man by electrocution upon the completion of their mission.
Ape-Man III
During the Secret WarsSecret Wars
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars is a twelve-issue comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton...
storyline, a third Ape-Man alongside a third Cat-Man and a second Frog-Man were shown committing crimes while the heroes were on Battleworld. They somehow got the equipment of the original Ani-Men and used it to rob a vault wagon only to be opposed by the NYPD.
Ape-Man IV
During the Civil WarCivil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
storyline, a new Ape-Man alongside a fourth Bird-Man and a fourth Cat-Man were among the villains in Hammerhead
Hammerhead (comics)
Hammerhead is a fictional character, a supervillain that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. He is primarily an enemy of Spider-Man and a member of organized crime who exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...
's supervillain army.
Powers and abilities
Originally, Keefer had no superhuman powers. He was an athletic man with a powerful build and considerable strength, and an excellent hand-to-hand combatant trained in boxing and wrestling techniques. While employed by the Exterminator, Keefer wielded a "time-displacement ray" ("T-ray") gun that fired a ray which projected its victim into a limbo-like inter-dimensional void. The gun could thus "displace" a victim for a limited period of time, such as 30 minutes. A ray blast of sufficient intensity could exile a victim to the inter-dimensional void permanently. Keefer was later subjected to an unknown mutagenic process administered by Count NefariaCount Nefaria
Count Nefaria is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #13 and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck.- Fictional character biography :...
's scientists which temporarily gave him a build resembling that of an ape, and gave him superhuman strength and enhanced his durability, agility, and reflexes.
McVey possessed the same abilities as the first Ape-Man, including ape-like superhuman strength, durability, agility, and reflexes.