Mari McCabe (New Earth)

Vixen

Real Name: Mari Jiwe McCabe
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Former Aliases: No known former aliases
Other Current Aliases: No other known current aliases

Status

Occupation: Adventurer, former Professional Model
Legal Status: African citizen, nationalized U.S. citizen
Identity: Secret
Marital Status: Single
Group Affiliation: JLA; formerly Suicide Squad, Checkmate, Ultramarines, Birds of Prey
Base of Operations: Base of operations unknown

Origin

Vixen is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Comics universe. She was nearly the first female African-American DC superhero to star in her own series, but the first issue of her series was cancelled in the DC Implosion in 1978. (It was subsequently printed in Cancelled Comics Cavalcade.) Her first appearance distributed to the public was in Action Comics #521 (1981).

Two visitors arrive at Mawson base, Australian Antarctic Territory, one a noted scientist, Professor Beaumont, the other, his assistant biologist Vivian Gale. They are there on a secret mission to investigate the frequent sightings of a U.F.O. in the area.

During a violent blizzard one of their hapless search parties see the massive form of the U.F.O. ahead in the snow storm. They find an entrance and clamber on board. Inside they find a chamber containing a cylinder. When the craft hums to life the party grab the object as they are suddenly ejected from the space ship which vanishes at blinding speed.

Beaumont and Vivien take the find back to Australia. Later when Vivien is out of her lab, the alien cylinder begins to glow. Suddenly, her pet fox in its enclosure is examined with its penetrating beam. When Vivien returns to the lab, her whole being too is examined by the same alien object.

It is when Vivien is shot while trying to prevent the cylinder from falling into foreign hands, that the aliens beam her aboard their craft, saving her life and with the gathered information transforming her into the remarkable super fox-heroine we now know.

Place of Birth: Africa
Known Relatives: Reverend Richard Jiwe (father, deceased), unnamed mother (deceased), General Mustapha Maksai (uncle, deceased), Tantu (ancestor)
First Appearance: Cancelled Comics Cavalcade #2 (1978)

History

File:Vixen 002.jpg

In ancient Africa, there was a legend that the warrior Tantu asked Anansi the Spider to create a totem that would give the wearer all of the powers of the animal kingdom, if they would use the power to protect the innocent. Anansi may have been a member of the alien race who gave powers to Animal Man. Tantu used that totem to became Africa's first legendary hero. The legendary totem was passed down to Tantu's descendants.

Growing up in a small African village, Mari Jiwe McCabe heard the legend of the "Tantu Totem" from her parents. She was the daughter of Reverend Richard Jiwe, the village priest, who was her sole caretaker, as poachers killed her mother years ago. Reverend Jiwe himself was killed by his half-brother (Mari's uncle) General Maksai. Makasai wanted the Tantu Totem, which had been in Reverend Jiwe's possession.

Orphaned, Mari fled to America. She set up an identity for herself as Mari McCabe and used her beauty to become a well-known fashion model in New York City. She used her newfound wealth to travel the world. On a trip back to Africa, she came across her uncle, and stole back the Tantu Totem, using its power to become the Vixen.

She was a member of the Justice League during the Justice League Detroit era (along with other Birds of Prey agent Gypsy). She has had memberships with Suicide Squad, Checkmate, and Ultramarines. While a member of the Suicide Squad she fell in love with and had a failed relationship with the Bronze Tiger. She also led a team of heroines against Circe and her army of super-villainesses during one of Circe's battles against Wonder Woman. In JLA/JSA: Vice and Virtue, she was seen as a bodyguard protecting President Lex Luthor from an attack by Doctor Bedlam.

Vixen was contacted by Oracle to join her Birds of Prey and went undercover investigate a strange "superhero" cult, where the leader was able to mind-control her. Huntress tried to help her and was nearly killed by Vixen, but Vixen regained her senses and used the stubbornness of a mule to hold back the mind-control of the cult leader. She and Huntress rescued the other brainwashed heroes.

During the Identity Crisis mini-series she was at the side of Firestorm while battling the Shadow-Thief, and Firestorm was impaled by the Shining Knight's sword, which the Shadow Thief had stolen. The magical sword ruptured the nuclear man's containment field, resulting in Firestorm's body exploding. For killing Firestorm, the Shadow Thief was prosecuted by Kate Spencer (a.k.a. Manhunter IX), and Vixen testified during the trial.

One Year Later

Characteristics

Height: x'xx"
Weight: xxx lbs (xxx kg)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Unusual Features: No unusual features

Powers

Known Powers

Tantu Totem: Vixen wields an object called the Tantu Totem, a fox-shaped talisman, which enables her to tap into the "morphogenetic field" of the Earth, sometimes known as the Red. This allows her to mimic the abilities of any animal she can think of, by simply focusing on a specific animal abilities and then drawing it directly from the field. She has demonstrated the ability to hold onto the Morphogenetic traits of an entire forest of animals.

So far Vixen has been able to use:

Animal Mimicry:

the telepathic and physical abilities of Gorilla Grodd,
the flight of a hawk,
the swimming ability of a dolphin,
the speed of an cheetah,
the wall-crawling of a spider,
the jumps of a cricket,
the constriction of an anaconda,
the strength of a bull elephant,
the senses of a wolf,
the agility of a monkey,
the debilitating shock of an electric eel, and
the ability to spit venom like a cobra.

Enhanced Claws: Vixen's claws are particularly sharp and tough, enabling her to rend through a variety of substances, such as fabric, wood, even soft metals and cinder block with ease. Her claws are magically enhanced and have drawn blood from individuals who are consider highly durable like Geo-Force and Pre-Crisis Superman.

Animal Metamorph: Occasionally, she has been known to physically transform into animals - for example: she has shapeshift into animals, such as a wolf, a great horned owl, and a cougar.

Enhanced Healing: The totem even allows her to heal bruise and wounds within seconds by simply touching it or using the healing abilities of an earth worms.

Morphogenetic Field Energy Manipulation: While the full extent of Vixen’s control over the Morphogenetic field is unknown, she has on occasions drawn pure energy from it and displayed this energy as a force field and energy claws. While in cooperation with Animal Man and the woman known as Tristess, she creates an entire universe

Limitations: It is unknown what would happen if Vixen tried to use her magical abilities on an alien animal, or if she would gain access to the Morphogenetic field of another planet.

Weakness: One apparent drawback of Vixen's powers is that she is not always able to control the inputs from the Morphogenetic field. Sometimes, she has absorbed unwanted animal behavior, such as instinctive rage. Meaning the longer she stays in contact with the Morphogenetic field, the less human and more animal she seems to become.

Known Abilities: No known abilities.

Strength Level: Strength level unknown

Other Media

Vixen tv — Vixen as she appears on the animated JLU

Justice League Unlimited: Vixen has made numerous appearances on Cartoon Network's Justice League Unlimited animated series. Voiced by Gina Torres, Vixen first appeared on the episode "Wake the Dead". Her first scene was on the catwalk and she was later revealed to be Green Lantern John Stewart's girlfriend, to the jealousy of his former lover Shayera Hol, who still harboured strong and perhaps requited feelings for him. In her animated incarnation, Vixen is unable to fly, but can adjust her mass to that of larger animals (like an elephant), and land on an opponent with the weight of several tons, while retaining her normal figure.

Lois And Clark: The New Adventured of Superman: She was played by Lori Fetrick (Ice from American Gladiators), and was described as a "mysterious "Super Vixen" who takes the law into her own hands, killing bad men instead of capturing them." This version shares only the "Vixen" name, and no other qualities (e.g., she lacks the animal powers and she murders villains). She bears very little physical resemblance to her comic counterpart (the only similarities are their short haircuts and body-suits, reminiscent of the comic-book Vixen's Suicide Squad look).

Miscellaneous

Equipment: No known equipment.

Transportation: No known transportation.

Weapons: No known weapons.

Notes

No special notes.

Trivia

External Links

References

Wikipedia Vixen page