Animal Man

Super Powers The title or other information in this article is taken from the Super Powers franchise that spun off from the Super Friends franchise, beginning with the Super Powers Collection, and continuing in a variety of books, comics, toys and games, particularly the DC Heroes RPG. (This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Super Powers" category.)

Animal Man
Information
Real name:	Bernhard Baker
Alias(es):	Buddy Baker
Species:	Human
Homeworld:	Earth
Universe:	Earth-1A
Hair:	Blond
Eyes:	Blue
Base:	San Diego, California
Affiliations:	Forgotten Heroes Justice League of America
Abilities:	Animal mimicry
Voiced/Played:	N/A

Bernard "Buddy" Baker was in reality a superhero by the name of Animal Man.

Like Beast Boy, B'wana Beast and other characters, his super powers came from the Red; which connected all animal life in the multiverse.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Animal Mimicry: Buddy can mimic any abilities of any animal as a result of his encounter with a crashed alien spacecraft. He does this by either focusing on a specific animal near him, or, as he learned later, by drawing power from the animal kingdom in general (this enables him to even mimic animals that are extinct). The nature of these powers has been described in various ways, including the superficial "alien radiation" explanation of his early appearances, the reconstruction of his body by aliens with "morphogenetic grafts" at the cellular level, and currently, mystical access to a "morphogenetic field" created by all living creatures, also known as "the Red". He does not grow wings to fly as a bird (instead he flies in classic "Superman style"), nor does he form gills to breathe underwater when mimicking a fish, but he has occasionally been known to mimic the actual appearances of animals, such as adopting the claws of a wolverine temporarily. Among the "animal powers" Buddy has been known to use are:

• The strength of a Tyrannosaurus.
• The flight of a bird.
• The swimming ability of a fish.
• The speed of an ant.
• The sonic blast of a pistol shrimp.
• The sense of smell of a moth.
• The agility of a snake.
• The durability of a rhino.
• The electricity of an electric eel.
• The regeneration ability of a worm.
• The wall-crawling of a spider.
• The stench of a skunk.
• The color changing of a chameleon.
• The reproduction abilities of protozoa.

The level of Buddy's abilities are proportional to the size of the animal they are drawn from. Hence, drawing the jumping ability from a flea would allow him to cover great distances. However, taking the abilities of a larger animal does not result in diminished power for him.

• Force Blasts: Tapping into the Red, Animal Man can also fire powerful blasts of force or unidentified energy. He can even use the primordial energies to start a new universe.

• Animal Empathy: In addition to his mimic abilities, Animal Man can make contact with animals, empathize with, "talk" to and see their thoughts and memories. This ability to transfer his life essence has allowed him to survive even when his body has been killed.

• Animal Control: Animal Man can, to a lesser degree, control animals by entering their minds. He can also transfer his mind to living animals of any kind, using their bodies as long as he wants to.

Abilities

Buddy is an expert stuntman and an actor.

Equipment

Buddy stores gear in his faux-leather jacket.

Appearance

Super Friends

• DC Heroes RPG

Notes

Animal Man made his first appearance in Strange Adventures # 180 (September 1965).