Super Simians Traverse Time: Untold Tale of Grodd

When Captain Comet returned to Earth-One in 1976, after decades traveling through space, the hero immediately encountered a familiar face. While strolling through the streets of San Francisco, the plain clothed Adam Blake witnessed a battle between Green Lantern and two strange beings. One was the costumed criminal known as Hi-Jack, and the other was the sinister simian known as Grodd.

Sizing up the confrontation, observing that Lantern was the aggressor and has the superior advantage with his power ring, Blake assumed his Comet persona to mediate this conflict. Grabbing Hi-Jack and Grodd, he ferried them to safety, where the pair introduced him to the comrades in the Secret Citadel. There, they invited the seemingly unwitting Captain to join their Secret Society, without their revealing they were Super-Villians!

However, when the Society's leader Manhunter tracked Blake down and revealed the truth to him, Adam explained he was already aware of Grodd's rouse and knew their true nature. Seeing this as an opportunity to bring down this powerful crime syndicate from within, Captain Comet agreed to join them. He stated that while Grodd erected telepathic shields around he and his confederates, Comet's mental abilities were able to circumvent this allowing him to learn the truth. It seems that something more tipped him off to Grodd's true nature, a faint memory from his distant past.

In fact, in May 1953, Professor Sacron summoned Blake to Africa where he revealed a secret tribe of intelligent gorillas. One such simian attacked Adam from behind, then had the professor use a machine to transfer the Super-Ape's brain into Comet's body, and visa versa. Despite this advantage, the Captain outwits the Super-Ape and has him imprisoned. He would free himself, this time leading a gang using his telepathic powers, although once more Captain Comet defeated the gorilla.

Who was Super-Ape? Why did he appear in the early 1950s, with the intent of capturing and trading places with Captain Comet? It seems this was the Gorilla Grodd from the late 1970's, after he experienced a series of defeats at Comet's hands. Seizing an opportunity to control his foe's powerful body, which he could later use against his arch-enemy the Flash years later, was to tempting an opportunity to pass up. Still, even knowing his adversary Comet who at the time in the 50's did not know him, Grodd was still unable to capitalize on this to gain victory.

We know that Grodd's super-science would conceivably included time travel, which no doubt was utilized by a few of his Sinister Citadel allies such as Lex Luthor. He was shown with the ability to project his mind into another’s body. And this was a technique his counterpart the Ultra-Humanite had himself used, both in the 1980s and the 1940s, to further his own schemes.

In Ultra's case, this was implemented when he mentally controlled the young members of Infinity, Inc., ensnaring them within his time capsule. Activated by his own alpha-waves, as his brain was connected to his earlier Delores Winters version of the Humanite. Under false pretenses, indicating to Winters that these pawns would help her succeed when Ultra-Ape knew they would fail, he like Grodd proved time was not on his side despite his mastery of it.

And so, while not the earliest tales in Grodd's personal chronology, his two battles with Captain Comet in 1953 in a different gorilla’s body were the first appearance  of the Super-Ape... and the revelation of his secret civilization known as Gorilla City. Due to his different appearance, the Captain didn’t suspect his old and new ape adversaries were one in the same.

Twice-Told-Tales: Ultra-Apes Speak at the United Nations

Grodd sought both freedom from imprisonment in Gorilla City, for his crimes against both his own species and humanity, and ultimate power. Using his tremendous force of mind powers and a brain transference device, he succeeded at both, multiple times. This included a brief stint usurping control of the Secret Socity of Super-Villains.

However, on one occasion, Grodd had far grander aspirations. This led him, instead of to Central City where he would inevitably face his arch-foe the Flash of Earth-One, to New York City instead. There, he would make his prescence known to the world.

Controlling the body of Solovar, ruler of Gorilla City, Grodd impersonated its leader addressing the joint members of the United Nations.Following his speech, Grodd staged a battle against “himself” in front of the United Nations building, although his foe was Solovar in the sinister simian’s body.

After a faux victory, wherein the amoral ape curried the favor of the world’s politicians, Grodd’s scheme was uncovered by Superman. And so if was that Grodd’s bread political career ended following a crushing defeat, when Superman beat Super-Gorilla!

Remarkably, something similar happened in a parallel universe at the same location, only Ultra-Humanite removed the obstacle to his path of victory. This was due to his own prior experience with his arch-enemy, the Superman of Earth-Two. It was shortly after Ultra had reassembled the Secret Society of Super-Villians on his world and Earth-One, and tasked both sections of his team with removing ten key members of the Justice League and Justice Society.

Ultra may have ben inspired by  the first simian sovereign to demand the world recognize his rulership. This was the human-gorilla hybrid known as King Killer. Despite forming and reforming his Empire of Crime within the border of Earth-Two's United States multiple times, even courting relationships with adversarial Axis Powers in the early 1940s, King Killer was repeatedly dethroned by his arch-enemy Uncle Sam.

After removing the heroes and exiling them to inter-dimensional Limbo, all other heroes were erased from Earth-Two. This led to Ultra assuming control of the United Nations from within their headquarters… until shortly thereafter when the Society and League escaped and returned to Earth-Two in order to restore the cosmic balance. Ultra was ejected from his U.N. leadership position, now a prisoner in that very same Limbo.

Avenging Agressive Apes Antagonize Aggressors

While Gorilla Grodd and Ultra-Humanite were the most notorious super-simians threatening their respective Earths, they weren't alone. And two lieutenants of Grodd and Ultra caused some superheroes grief, when acting as surrogates for the mental-manipulating monkey masterminds.

Grodd faced with a seemingly inescapable trap, wherein his particles were dispersed into space in a staged execution approved by Gorilla City's King Solovar. However, this was a ploy of Grodd's to free him from an inescapable prison, with his minion Jroyy dispatched to the world of men to transmit radioactive beams into Barry "Flash" Allen, his nephew Wally "Kid Flash" West, and Barry's Earth-Two counterpart Jay "Flash" Garrick which when their speed force was combined would draw back Grodd's molecules into a solidified form. After slaying Jroyy once he fulfilled his use, Grodd attempted to defeat the triad of Flashes as he now possessed some of their superspeed. When the three heroes temporarily merged into one cohesive Flash, the trio were able to defeat Grodd once more.

Then there was a nondescript zoo simian named Willie, who had been mentally placed under the thrall of the formerly human genius known as the Ultra-Humanite. Mutating a white ape to be his new host body, with his mind merged with that of the host creatures, this Ultra-Ape sought the defeat of his mortal foe the Superman of Earth-Two. 

On his first attempt in this new body, Ultra recruited Willie whom he also imparted a portion of his malevolent mental influence, which led towards the creature to rally fellow simians in Metropolis Zoo versus Power Girl and the Huntress. The pair of heroines had themselves found their minds transferred by Ultra and his ally Brain Wave's mental machinations into Superman and Batman's bodies... and visa versa.

When this scheme failed, Ultra had the heroes memories erased, and soon after encountered Superman once more when the Humanite founded a new incarnation of the Secret Society of Super-Villains. 

Eventually, Ultra was exiled into interdimensional limbo, leaving Willie and his apes behind on Earth-Two, none the wiser. And yet, like Grodd, Ultra was relentless in his tenacity and would again strike against all his foes with further pernicious plans in the future.

Maniacal Mental Masterminds Manipulate Many Men

William Dawson and Hartford Jackson, as well as an unnamed homeless vagrant and Tricky O'Rickey, were common men gifted with uncommon abilities, that were tied to twin masterminds who matched their brains versus their respective Flashs' super speed.While seeming footnotes in the history of Gorilla Grodd and the Thinker, these men caused their share of mental menace towards their respective Earth's Fastest Men Alive.

The super simian of Gorilla City known as Grodd had attempted three times to achieve his sinister goals and each occasion found defeat at the hands the Earth-One's Flash. Imprisoned in a seemingly inescapable cube within Gorilla City's confines by its leader, Solivar, Grodd ingested a pill that transferred his mind into the body of William Dawson, wherein he attempted several more times to conquer the world... as both a human and again a gorilla. Throughout the years, the Dawson-Grodd would clash with the Flash several times, employing various sinister schemes.

Cyberneticist Hartford Jackson of Keystone City on Earth-Two was a more benevolent than his cosmic twin, created a revolutionary thinking cap which greatly amplified the human brain's power. This device would outlive it's creator, as it would be instrumental in various adventures for decades to come, presumably while storing his own mental impulses from its interaction with his brain.

Discovering the device’s ability to materialize and dematerialize objects he trained his mind upon, Jackson accidentally brought to his laboratory a fleeing felon known as Tricky O'Rickey, who stole the device and briefly led his gang. This drew the attention of the Flash, who had been pursuing Tricky previously. Despite having the speed of thought which was faster than his foes' speed of light abilities, O'Rickey was defeated by the fleet footed Flash, who gave the helmet back to Jackson asking the scientist to destroy this helmet.

While still possessing his force of mind powers, Grodd inadvertently bestowed a portion of them to Dawson, who's mind formed an energy body that became Psykon. Returning years later, Psykon battled Grodd and displaced the gorilla into the alcohol addled mind of a homeless vagrant, regaining his own body once more.

When malevolent mastermind Clifford Devoe aka the Thinker of Earth-Two procured the thinking cap, he eventually modified it to torment the Scarlet Speedster and his allies of the Justice Society, both on his own and as a member of the Injustice Gang. The thinking cap carries the brainwaves of its former wearers, which included Jackson and O'Rickey. Devoe's Earth-One counterpart Brain Storm would have a similar mental-magnifying helmet he used versue the Flash and the Justice League.

As for the nameless homeless vagrant, his alcohol addled brain became absorbed into Grodd's pyschke, never reasserting his own humanity. As for O'Rickey, after his sole foray into the life of a super villain, he presumably remained incarnated following his defeat. However, undoubtedly his residual influence also like Jackson's remained in the thinking cap, providing its current owner Devoe with a more criminal intent than even he had before his acquiring it.

Fawcett's Finest: Greedy Gorillas

The Ape Mastermind was the predecessor of more famous malevolent monkeys, Super Gorilla Grodd and Ultra-Humanite Ape, although his legend didn't last as long as his legacy. A mutant simian living in central Africa, he enlisted the aid of unwitting human agents while instilling within the primitive minds of his ape allies of various types the ability to create fire. 

So decades before Ultra recruited humans to his Secret Society of Super-Villains and Grodd tried to do likewise after his attempted conquests of Gorilla City had failed, was this behemoth who blazed the trail in the golden age. Still, this master plan was not sufficient to defeat the World's Mightiest Mortal, who was more than a match for the World's Smartest Chimp. Whether after his defeat, Ape Mastermind returned and perhaps displayed mental abilities like his counterparts is unknown. Perhaps this Ape is the same sinister simian that battled Kid Eternity around the same time.

Grodd had been imprisoned in Gorilla City following a clash with the Flash of Earth-One as a faux human known as Drew Drowden. In order to escape, Grodd ingested a pill which transplanted his mind into the body of criminal William Dawson, displacing that man's psyche. Grodd as Dawson carried out a series of battles with his arch-enemy the Flash, still possessing his force of mind power. As for Dawson, his mental force spawned by Grodd's power created the supervillain known as Psykon, who returns to battle his simian adversary. After tricking Grodd with Flash's help, Dawson regained his own body while the gorilla's mind merged with a derelict. But Grodd would return!

Ultra-Humanites and Brainy Bedevilers

The original supervillain, at least in DC Comics, was Ultra-Humanite. Before Lex Luthor stole the limelight forevermore, it was Ultra that first showed the world that bald can be beautiful. Or bedeviling. And be that as it may, since Ultra has assumed many forms we're going to recap some of the more prominent ones, and their Earth-One doppelgängers.

On Earth-One, an android named Brainiac was created based on the brain patterns of a scientist from the planet Colu-One. Having shrunken and collected several cities across the galaxy including Kandor, this brought Brainiac to the attention of Superman who freed those cities and began opposing the android's schemes. On Earth-Two, a bald scientist formerly a vagrant named Bill Dunn, who has been subjected to experimentation enabling him to gain grand intellect as well as an aptitude to assume various bodies throughout the decades.

This genius known only as the Ultra-Humanite used various technologies to plunder and try amassing power, for which he had several battles versus Superman. A variation of Ultra's psyche was replicated as a synthetic being on the planet of Colu-Two as an assistant of Vandal Savage, who created that world to trap Superman. In his next form, Ultra would gain the ability to absorb energy and wield tremendous energy.

When old man Ultra lost his body thanks to his own deadly backfiring purple plague ray, he was forced to have his brain transplanted into the body of kidnapped victim Delores Winters, an actress. She attempted to seduce atomic scientist Terry Curtis to build for her a deadly weapon on Earth-Two. On Earth-One, the Kryptonian serial killer Faora Hu-Ul used her martial arts mastery along with her superhuman abilities to battle Superman again and agsin

One tool Faoraused was a piece of Jewel Kryptonianite, which magnified her mental might, Likewise, Delores=Ultra gained superhuman strength and the ability to project mental energy derived from Powerstone. Both Faora and Delores with their mind-bolts and peak physique were more than a match for their respective Supermen, who along with their fellow superheroes battled these femme fatales each time they appeared. 

The next transplanted body for Ultra was in a flying ant, mutated thanks to the power of Lana Lang aka Insect Queen. Her counterpart had a part to play as well, coaching a boy named Kim mutated to save his life into Bee-Boy! Thankfully, this lad had a brief criminal career before being healed.

Throughout the decades, Ultra would reappear in various bodies, which he and/or his henchmen kidnapped to implant his brain into. The reason for this was due to his mutated mental might, which would eventually burn out each human body as it had his original body decades earlier. During these occasions, he would face Superman countless times in a variety of identities, often assuming the identities of scientists whose lives were lost so that his could remain alive. Despite his genius, the Humanite like his counterpart Brainiac continued to fail to outmanuever the Men of Steel... as Superman had intellect matching theirs with superpowers far exceeding them!

Finally, we meet the sinister simians string along the Secret Society of Super-Villains! Gorilla Grodd was a deviant of Gorilla City, wanting to do harm rather than good to his fellow kind. Banished from his land, he became a perpetual thorn in the side of the Flash. 

Eventually, he branched out and made enemies among all the Justice Leaguers, causing him to join and soon lead the Secret Society for a period of time. Ultra-Humanite himself soon learned that the scores of bodies he claimed for his malicious mind were burning out to quickly, so he mutated an ape to house his brain. Immediately, he too recruited villains for his own Secret Society. While Ultra remained in this form from then one, Grodd sought escape from entrapment by transplanting his brains in bodies such human as Drew Drowden and William Dawson, but ultimately reverted back to his natural form. 

The names of Ultra's other bodies have never been revealed, although one of Grodd's once known as William Dawson had a doppelgänger in Johnny Bonman, who lie Dawson had briefly possessed mental powers before returning to normal thanks to the intention of a Flash in each case.