Supervillain Origins: Gorilla Grodd

He may not be the 8th wonder of the world but this is still one ape you don’t want to mess with. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will explore the comic book origin of Gorilla Grodd. As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginations and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen primarily to follow the storyline which unfolded in 1959’s Flash #106 and was expanded upon in 1989’s Secret Origins #40 and 2012’s Flash #9. Gorillas have been a mainstay of DC Comics for decades, with Gorilla Grodd arguably the most famous of them all. Since his debut in 1959, Grodd has been a major menace to the Flash as well as other heroes in the DC Universe. Grodd’s story began when a strange craft landed outside of Central City, home of the Scarlet Speedster. The unseen pilot of the ship was embarking upon a secret plan. At the same time, Barry Allen , AKA the Flash, received a call from a friend of his who was having troubles. This friend, Fred Pearson, was a performer famous for an act where he dressed up as a gorilla. Coincidentally, Central City residents had recently seen a strange gorilla running wild through the City at night. Fred was afraid that he might be blacking out and creating havoc in his gorilla suit. Barry agreed to help his friend. Meanwhile, the pilot of the strange craft was revealed to be an intelligent, talking Gorilla named Grodd. He was searching for Solovar, another gorilla who had been captured by humans. Finding him in a circus, Grodd revealed that both of these apes possessed telepathic powers. Grodd used his powers to learn the secret of controlling the minds of others from Solovar. With this power, he returned to his own homeland, intent on conquering it first and then the whole world. Solovar escaped and tracked down the Flash to enlist his aid to stop Grodd. The two traveled to Gorilla City, a civilization of advanced apes hidden from the rest of the world. Grodd had already enslaved Gorilla City, but Flash was able to use his superspeed to knock the villain unconscious. Solovar theorized that Flash also apparently managed to knock out Grodd’s telepathic abilities at the same time. Unfortunately, Solovar was wrong about this andGrodd returned many times to plague Flash with his mental control powers, his intelligence and his superstrength. More was learned about both Gorilla Grodd and Gorilla City over the years. In a 1989 retelling, readers learned that the gorillas of Gorilla City became so advanced because of their encounter with an alien being. This alien being was also responsible for both Solovar’s and Grodd’s superior telepathic powers. When humans stumbled upon GorillaCity, Grodd used the opportunity to destroy the alien being and to begin his long range plan to depose Solovar and run Gorilla City. DC’s New 52 brought about a new origin for Grodd in 2012. When re-introduced in Flash #9, Grodd was even more vicious and ruthless than before. Grodd’s new thing was eating the brains of his enemies – including his own father, whose murder by Grodd made him the new King. When the Flash suddenly appeared among the gorillas, he was taken to be the Messenger of the Light, whose coming had been foretold. In this version, the gorillas received their special intelligence from some form of lightning which they called the Light. The elders believed that Flash was going to lead them to a new era. Grodd, however, wanted nothing to disrupt his own plans. He tried to kill Flash so he could consume his brain. Fortunately, things didn’t work out that way. Gorilla Grodd has been one of the most popular of Flash’s foes and has returned again and again to challenge the Flash. With his unwavering intent to rule the world, Grodd takes megalomania to new heights – and the world can be thankful that Flash and other heroes have always been on hand to foil his plans. Are you a fan of the ruthless Gorilla Grodd? For more comic book origins, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.