Some of the greatest stories in DC Comics are carried by its great apes. In the history of DC canon, gorillas, chimpanzees, and other simian characters have graced covers and challenged heroes and villains alike. The archetype of the anthropomorphic primate has been both a big bookseller and a powerful foe for much of comic book history. DC has developed its own barrel of monkeys, ranging from hyper-intelligent telepaths to firearms experts.

Through their various physical, mental, and magical abilities, DC’s troop of great apes represent a powerful class of characters. Whether they’re heroes or villains, the simian similarities make these super-creatures as close to human as things get. While some of them reject their ape heritage, almost all of these formidable animals combine their enhanced abilities with their natural and extremely powerful form.

1

Gorilla Grodd

First Appearance: The Flash #106 (1959) by John Broome and Carmine Infantino

Gorilla Grodd poses both a powerful physical threat and a dangerous psychic one. Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, Grodd first appeared in 1959, facing the Flash with his telepathic abilities. Grodd received his powers from exposure to a meteorite. This meteorite also affected King Solovar and the residents of Gorilla City, creating a hidden tribe of hyper-intelligent apes.

Gorilla Grodd’s immense power comes not only from his massive size, but from his mind-control capabilities. In Geoff Johns, Scott Kolins, Doug Hazlewood, and Bill Oakley’s The Flash #193, Grodd even incidentally creates another Flash villain by having one of his mind-controlled gorillas snap the back of Hunter Zolomon, who will become Zoom. Grodd regularly controls these large armies of mind-controlled apes, attempting takeovers of both Gorilla City and the world.

2

Monsieur Mallah

First Appearance: Doom Patrol #86 (1964) by Arnold Drake and Bruno Premiani

Doom Patrol’s Monsieur Mallah was introduced in 1964, during a period of great prominence for DC’s gorillas. After finding that comics featuring anthropomorphic monkeys on the cover outsold comics that didn’t, DC Comics regularly included apes on its Silver Age comic covers, including Doom Patrol #86 by Arnold Drake, Bruno Premiani, Ira Schnapp and Bob Brown. Mallah was created by the Brain, who originally intended to simply transplant his own brain into Mallah’s body. After bonding with the animal, he instead stimulated his brain activity, taught him to speak, and made him his assistant.

Mallah and his master join the Brotherhood of Evil, where Mallah’s combat abilities, firearm training, genius-level I.Q., and enhanced strength make him a formidable opponent. He has vowed vengeance against Niles Caulder, the Chief who formed the Doom Patrol, for destroying the body which once housed his creator. This has put him at odds both with the Doom Patrol and the Teen Titans. In his latest appearance in DC’s Ape-ril Special, Mallah leads the “Legion of Doo-oo-ah-ah-m.”

3

Gorilla Gregg

First Appearance: Future State: Teen Titans #1 (2021) by Tim Sheridan and Rafa Sandoval

Hero school can be tough when you’re the nephew of Gorilla Grodd. In Teen Titans Academy #7, by Tim Sheridan and Rafa Sandoval, Gorilla Gregg falls victim to his uncle’s mind-control abilities and reveals himself to be a powerful threat. Though the other students at Roy Harper’s Titans Academy trust Gregg, they’re forced to fight him and his uncle along with a mind-controlled army of East Nyack beach-goers.

Gorilla Gregg is graced with many of the same abilities as his uncle, though not his drive for conquest. A super-intelligent gorilla, Gregg has superhuman agility and strength. However, Gregg has yet to fully unlock his psychic potential, and so it’s possible that he will surpass his villainous predecessor.

4

Titano

First Appearance: Superman #127 (1959) by Otto Binder and Wayne Boring

In his early life, Titano is a very intelligent, but otherwise standard, chimpanzee who’s sent into space on test flights where he’s exposed to cosmic radiation. Titano is given super-abilities by these cosmic rays, chief among them the ability to shoot kryptonite-based lasers from his eyes. The former space travel test-subject also grows in size due to the radiation, becoming a super-ape. His kryptonite-based powers make Titano a threat even to Superman.

Introduced at the tail end of the era of DC’s gorilla covers, Titano’s 1959 debut is directly inspired by King Kong. The story “Titano the Super-Ape” by Otto Binder, Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye from 1960’s Superman #138 features Titano making Lois Lane his own personal version of King Kong‘s heroine Ann Darrow, kidnapping her after his return to Earth. Though Titano is a mutated chimpanzee, comic book artists have, over time, converted him to a more gorilla-like form to align him more closely with King Kong.

5

Ultra-Humanite

First Appearance: Action Comics #13 (1939) by Jerry Siegel, Joe Schuster and Paul Cassidy

Many of DC’s prime primates are a dangerous combination of gargantuan strength and enhanced intelligence. In Ultra-Humanite’s case, his increased mental ability and telepathic strength destroyed his physical abilities. Primary to Ultra-Humanite’s strategies is his ability to surgically transplant his brain into new bodies.

Though Ultra-Humanite is an effective villain in the body of actress Dolores Winters, he eventually trains and conditions an albino gorilla kidnapped from Gorilla City to house his mind. In this larger, more powerful body, Ultra-Humanite is able to further increase his telepathic powers. He uses these further enhanced abilities to target Superman, and the Justice Society.

6

Detective Chimp

First Appearance: Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #4 (1952) by John Broome and Carmine Infantino

Bobo T. Chimpanzee started his crime-fighting career as a regular, non-speaking chimp acting as the mascot for a sheriff’s department. However, he would eventually be turned into the tobacco-smoking, deer-stalker-wearing ape detective fans now and love today. Though Detective Chimp has been through several retconned origins, he retains the ability to speak – and drink. A character straight out of a detective noir, Detective Chimp spends much of his time in the Oblivion Bar, periodically sobering up just enough to save the day.

Detective Chimp was introduced in 1952, at the height of DC’s gorilla craze. Though he has only the admittedly considerable strength of a regular chimpanzee, the detective’s unique strength comes from his Sherlock-Holmes-like hyper-intelligence. Detective Chimp is also able to communicate effectively with all species of animals, making him an impactful investigator.

7

Sam Simeon

First Appearance: Showcase #77 (1968) by E. Nelson Bridwell and Bob Oksner

Hailing from Gorilla City, Sam Simeon starts out as an aspiring comic book writer. Failing that initiative, he joins Angel O’Day in forming “The Angel and The Ape” – their own detective agency. Sam is a relative of Gorilla Grodd, and is sensitive about being an ape. Though some origin stories have Sam, sometimes known as Primeape, starting off as a human scientist impacted by a DNA experiment gone wrong, almost all canonical versions of Sam resent aping humanity, and want to be regarded as human.

Sam’s telepathic skills aid him in his anthropomorphic impression, as does his insistence on dressing as a human being. His inherited skill at mental manipulation enables him to cast the illusion of being a man, but only with constant focus. Should his attention lapse, his conversation partner would suddenly find themselves face-to-face with a very well-dressed and well-spoken gorilla. Sam is one of several of the villain Grodd’s descendents to align themselves with DC’s heroes.

8

Beppo

First Appearance: Superboy #76 (1959) by Otto Binder and George Papp

Beppo, the Super-Monkey from Krypton, is one of very few of DC’s super-apes who didn’t need magical or scientific enhancement to become powerful. Instead, he is a native of Krypton who stowed away on Kal-El’s escape pod. Drawing his strength from the yellow sun of Earth, Beppo is Superman’s contribution to the Legion of Super-Pets. Debuting in 1959 in Otto Binder and George Papp’s Superboy #76, Beppo has been a friend and ally to Earth’s Kryptonians.

Imbued with all of the powers that Superman himself gets from Earth’s yellow sun, Beppo is a powerful but rambunctious character. After Superman is forced to lead Beppo into deep space simply to get a break from his monkey business, Supergirl introduces him to the structure and stability of a super-team. Joining up with Krypto the Super-Dog and Streaky the Super-Cat, Beppo is able to become a slightly more focused force for good. As the Legion of Super-Pets has grown, Beppo has found himself working alongside illustrious heroes such as Bat-Cow, Super-Horse, and Titus – Batman’s pet dog.

9

Congorilla

First Appearance: More Fun Comics #56 (1940) by Whitney Ellsworth and George Papp

Congorilla is another DC super-ape whose powers come from an outside source. Congorilla was initially two separate entities, the Golden Gorilla and a human named Congo Bill, who were magically given the ability to swap bodies. Eventually, Bill becomes trapped in the gorilla’s body, becoming Congorilla. Though he, too, has been through multiple origin stories, Congorilla is canonically equipped with super-strength, super-senses, and self-healing abilities, as well as the marksmanship expertise he retains from his time as a human.

In Brad Meltzer, Ed Benes, Alex Sinclair and Rob Leigh’s Justice League: The Tornado’s Path, Congorilla is rescued by the new Nightwing-led Justice League from Blackhawk Island. Held captive by Kobra, Congorilla and Starman briefly join the Justice League. However, Congorilla comes to realize that the defense of the continent of Africa will require teamwork, and leaves the JLA to form his own team.

10

Jackanapes

First Appearance: Batman #666 (2007) by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert

Just like Batman has his arch-nemesis in the form of the Joker, Bruce Wayne’s son has Jackanapes. Created by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert in Batman #666, Jackanapes is a zoo animal, stolen and raised in the tradition of crime by his adoptive father, the Joker. Though Jackanapes is limited to his natural, gorilla-strength physical abilities, his mental capabilities are extensive. Through education and manipulation, Joker’s pet becomes a talented microbiologist and a dangerously nihilistic villain.

The Joker raises and appears to care for Jackanapes by teaching him to be a remorseless criminal and a brilliant inventor. However, Jackanapes’ drowning demise in Andy Kubert, Andy Clark, Blond, and Jared K. Fletcher’s Batman 23.1: The Joker doesn’t seem to faze the killer clown. Joker instead laments the money spent on teaching Jackanapes to swim, and plans to simply retrieve another gorilla from the zoo, thus adding another member to DC Comics‘ pantheon of super-apes.