Wildebeest (comics)

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caption=
character_name=Wildebeest
publisher=DC Comics
debut="The New Teen Titan "#36
(October 1987)
creators=Marv Wolfman
Eduardo Barreto
species =
homeworld =
alliances=
supports=
powers=|

Wildebeest is a name used by several fictional characters in DC Comics "New Titans series.

Fictional history

The Wildebeest Society

The original Wildebeest was an unrevealed supervillain who set up the Wildebeest Society; a supervillain team in which only one villain operated at a time, wearing the same exosuit and calling himself the Wildebeest. The thinking behind this was that there would appear to be one villain, but his MO would seem to change with each crime, making his moves impossible to predict. The Wildebeests were all master tacticians and wore exoskeletons that boosted their strength, resembling a monstrous, humanoid version of the animal of that name.

The Wildebeest Society was taken over by Titans member Jericho, who had been possessed by the evil in Raven's people. Under his leadership, it became involved in genetic engineering, trying to create the perfect host body for the force. They created a cat-woman named Pantha, and were in the process of creating a creature of the same form as their monstrous costumes when they were defeated by the Titans. Jericho's father Deathstroke was forced to kill his son to stop the Souls of Azarath.

NOTE: Some of the scientists that worked for the Wildebeest Society used to be members of the 1st H.I.V.E. incarnation.

Baby Wildebeest

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caption =
comic_color = background:#8080ff
character_name = Baby Wildebeest
real_name =
publisher = DC Comics
debut = "New Titans" #85 (1992)
creators = Marv Wolfman
alliance_color = background:#ffc0c0
status = Deceased
alliances =
previous_alliances = New Titans
aliases =
relatives = Pantha (adoptive mother), Red Star (adoptive father)
powers = Super strength, and the ability to grow to an adult form when provoked

The Baby Wildebeest the society had created attached itself to Pantha, much to her initial disgust, and considered her his mother. Although the size of a human toddler, he had disproportionately powerful strength. He later demonstrated the ability to gain adult form to protect its "Momma". Pantha originally didn't like the creature, often talking about various ways Baby could or would die. Her attitude softened as Wildebeest stayed with the team.

During a Titans vacation to California, Baby Wildebeest and the other Titans had time to visit the beach. While the others were distracted, he built a gigantic sandcastle, with intricate shapes and molding, resembling a cathedral. When Pantha left the Titans, she took Baby Wildebeest with her and later, along with former Titan Red Star, the three formed an unusual family unit.

Baby Wildebeest would participate in the battle to save his old friend Cyborg, whose magnified power levels threatened the entire Earth. A series of misunderstandings led to the Titans allies attacking the JLA. Baby Wildebeest was knocked out by Superman.

Later, Superboy-Prime was confronted by a team of Titans, including Wildebeest and Pantha, on a highway outside of Keystone City. Superboy-Prime, mentally ill, kills Pantha with a blow to the head. Baby Wildebeest attacks and is killed instantly by a heat vision blast through his torso. Red Star survives the battle to mourn his unofficial family.

New Wildebeests

The New Wildebeests were creations of Goth and the Titans battled them. These versions of Wildebeest were man-beast looking once their masks are removed. Another group of Wildebeests were encountered by Beast Boy, Flamebird, and the DEO Orphans only to be discovered working with an elderly gentlemen to keep the peace in his neighborhood.

Cybernetic Wildebeests

Starfire and Robin were abducted by a Cybernetic Wildebeest and the Teen Titans and Outsiders had to save them. When the Cybernetic Wildebeest was defeated, they shipped it to S.T.A.R. Labs for it to be studied and tested. Unfortunately, a shadowy character intercepted the transport containing the Cybernetic Wildebeest to recreate the Wildebeests for an unknown purpose.

In the 2008 "Cyborg" miniseries, this figure is revealed to be Mr Orr, the creator of the cyborg villain Equus. The Titans are forced to fight numerous clones of Equus and the Wildebeest to prevent them from helping Vic Stone against Orr's "Cyborg Revenge Squad".

Powers

The Wildebeest Society members wore a hairy exosuit that boosts there strength and agility to amazing levels. The Wildebeest Society was originally made up of strategists and tacticians who have studied the Titans very carefully. In order to throw there opponents off balance, The Wildebeest Society never implemented the same idea twice.

Baby Wildebeest has super strength and the ability to grow to an adult form when provoked.

The New Wildebeests are extremely fierce and loyal to whoever tames them.

The Cybernetic Wildebeests are extremely fierce and have been enhanced with technology through their cybernetic parts.

Other Media

Teen Titans

In the "Teen Titans" animated series, Wildebeest (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) is a tall, muscular character that both looks and sounds like the animal after which he is named. He doesn't/can't speak, but only grunts in response to anything asked of him; he also seems to be easily offended (when Hot Spot asked "What's that smell?", Wildebeest snorted at him, and the same when Speedy said "Let the best "man" win.").

He first appeared with Hotspot, Aqualad, Speedy, Gizmo, and the male Titans in the episode "Winner Take All", where he participated in the Tournament of Heroes led by the mysterious "Master of Games". He defeated Beast Boy in the first round, but was taken down by Speedy in the second. Wildebeest helped the heroes defeat the Master of Games, who intended to steal all the powers of the champions, and Robin gave him an official Titans communicator and an honorary Titans membership.

Wildebeest later appears in the "Trust" in which he is captured by Madame Rouge for the Brotherhood of Evil. In the episode "Calling All Titans", he is seen flash-frozen along with Hot Spot, but was freed in "Titans Together" by Más y Menos and the other Titans who had come to rescue them. He, Hotspot, and Jinx worked together to finally defeat their common enemy, Madame Rouge. She is flash-frozen by Menos and left with the other frozen villains inside the Brotherhood headquarters. It is implied that he has a similar relationship with Pantha as in the comics as displayed when Pantha is told that Wildebeest is captured and she is deeply angered.

In the "Teen Titans Go!" comic based on the series, Wildebeest is shown as a child who when angered or needed in a situation changes into the Wildebeest that we see on the series. He befriends Starfire in the same issue. Cyborg finds it amusing that Beast Boy was defeated by a child in "Winner Take All". Wildebeest's first appearance in the series was a cameo in issue #10. In issue #32, Wildebeest, along with several other Titans, are kidnapped and forced to participate in arena fights for the amusement of spectators. They are quickly rescued by the other Titans. Wildebeest is also an unlockable character in the Teen Titans videogame for Nintendo Gamecube.

External Links

* [http://www.titanstower.com/source/whoswho/wildebeest.html The Wildebeests] at Titans Tower