Gorilla Grodd

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.[1]

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 the inhabitants to take over the world. Solovar breaks out of his cage and tells the Flash. The Flash defeats Grodd and temporarily knocks the power of mind control from him. Using his restored power; he overcomes his guard taking over an underground winged race, attempted to use a machine to eliminate the intelligence of the other gorillas. Flash finds out from Solovar where Grodd has escaped and destroys the machine. The winged people are freed of his control. Grodd is imprisoned again. Heavily guarded, Grodd summons a burrowing machine which he uses to escape. Grodd transformed himself human and started a factory to create a pill that will give him vast mental powers. After easily stopping the Flash, Grodd unexpectedly turns into a gorilla again, where his brain is no longer evolved enough for his powers to work. He tries to get to the machine that turned him human, but Flash molds handcuffs for Grodd and takes him back to Gorilla City. Grodd devises a means of transporting his mind to another body while his original one dies, taking over a man in Central City, and is again 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 learned of Grodd's escape. Ironically, Grodd, despite using radiation to stop the Flash moving at super 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 traveled 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).[2]

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.[3] 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.[4]

In Birds of Prey #23, Grodd makes a deal with Grimm to get Blockbuster an ape heart.[5]

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.[6] He kills Monsieur Mallah and the Brain, only to be knocked off a cliff by the Joker.[7] He is seen alive and attempting to deliver payback to the Joker.[8]

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.[9] He is sent to apprehend Snapper Carr and Cheetah, but fails.[10]

The New 52[edit]
In the new continuity of The New 52 (a reboot of the DC Comics universe), the Flash (Barry Allen) first encounters Gorilla Grodd after a trip through the Speed Force which strands him in Gorilla City.[11] The Flash is hailed as a messenger spoken of in gorilla prophecy by all but Grodd, the newly crowned gorilla king. The Flash foils Grodd's attempts to kill him until Grodd causes a building to collapse upon himself, knocking him unconscious, allowing the Flash to escape.[12][13] Grodd returns and attacks Central City with an army of gorilla soldiers.[14]

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 proceeds to take control of Central City as its king and renames it Gorilla City.[15]

Powers and abilities[edit]
Grodd's psionic abilities allow him to place other beings under his mental control. Grodd can also project telekinetic force beams, telekinetically transmute matter, and transfer his consciousness into other bodies. 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 big laser guns.[1][16] 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 gains vast telekinetic powers from a pill he develops after evolving himself into a human, enabling him to control the forces of nature such as lifting thousands of tons mentally. But after he turns back, he loses this power as his brain is not evolved enough. He was able to engage Kalibak in hand-to-hand combat but was visibly not quite as strong as Kalibak.[volume & issue needed]