Bumblebee (Karen Beecher-Duncan) is a

superheroine A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

appearing in

American comic books An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'', ...

published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

and other related media, commonly as a member of the

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

. She first appeared as Karen in December 1976's ''Teen Titans'' (volume 1) #45, and adopted the Bumblebee identity three issues later. Historically, Bumblebee is sometimes considered DC Comics' first Black woman superhero character, though this distinction is also accorded to

Nubia Nubia () (Nobiin: Nobīn, ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the first cataract of the Nile (just south of Aswan in southern Egypt) and the confluence of the Blue and White Niles (in Khartoum in central Sudan), or ...

, a less traditional costumed crimefighter than Bumblebee, who debuted several years earlier in 1973.

Publication history

Karen Beecher first appeared in ''Teen Titans'' #45 and was created by writer

Bob Rozakis Robert "Bob" Rozakis (; born April 4, 1951) is an American comic book writer and editor known mainly for his work in the 1970s and 1980s at DC Comics, as the writer of Mazing Man'' and in his capacity as DC's "Answer Man". Career Bob Rozakis go ...

and artist

Irv Novick Irving Novick (; April 11, 1916 – October 15, 2004) was an American comics artist who worked almost continuously from 1939 until the 1990s. Career A graduate of the National Academy of Design, Irv Novick got his start in the workshop of Harry " ...

. Her Bumblebee alias first appeared in ''Teen Titans'' #48.

Character biography

Teen Titans

Scientist Karen Beecher is the girlfriend of Teen Titans member the Herald (a.k.a.

Mal Duncan Malcolm Arnold "Mal" Duncan, currently known as Vox (also known as the Guardian, Hornblower, and the Herald), is a fictional character, existing in the DC Universe. Introduced in April 1970, he is DC's first African-American superhero. Publication ...

). To help make Herald look good in front of the team, Karen secretly made herself a

bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related gener ...

-themed supersuit and attacked the Teen Titans. She escaped without her true identity being revealed. When she later explained to Mal and the Titans what she had done, they were impressed enough to offer her membership, which she accepted. She and Mal subsequently moved to the new Titans West team, having relocated to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. When the Titans team dissolved for a time, Karen and Mal married and 'retired' from superheroics. Karen took a job with

S.T.A.R. Labs Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories (S.T.A.R. Labs) is a fictional scientific research facility and organization appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It first appeared in ''Superman'' #246 (December 1 ...

, where she designs non-lethal weaponry. They have returned to crime-fighting from time to time to assist the team, most notably during a short-lived revival of Titans West and the JLA/Titans event, which reunited everyone involved with the team. A fight broke out over the fate of Victor Stone,

Cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

. Bumblebee personally fought

Zauriel Zauriel is a fictional superhero in the DC Universe. Originally a guardian angel who served Heaven for millions of years, he willingly falls to Earth to serve humanity as their champion and joins the Justice League. Publication history Zauriel f ...

, a member of the Justice League. Despite the assistance of the current Supergirl, Bumblebee was swiftly defeated. Following this, Mal and Karen briefly joined the latest incarnation of Titans West (now called Titans L.A.), but this incarnation of the team never really got off the ground, and the heroes returned to their lives of semi-retirement. Several years later, Mal and Karen briefly returned to action as part of a team of over two dozen past and present Titans who were called in to stop a rampaging Doctor Light.

''Infinite Crisis'' and One Year Later

Bumblebee and her husband are among the heroes recruited by

Donna Troy Donna Troy is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is the original Wonder Girl and later temporarily adopts another identity, Troia. Created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani, she first appeared in ''The ...

to help avert a coming

crisis A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...

that threatened the existence of the universe. After a battle in space, most of the heroes were trapped by a Zeta Beam Ray that

Adam Strange Adam Strange is a fictional space adventurer appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by editor Julius Schwartz with a costume designed by Murphy Anderson, he first appeared in ''Showcase (comics), Showcase'' #17 (November ...

was hoping to use for teleporting away the heroes from the rift in space. Due to the ray interactions with the rift itself, the Zeta Ray altered Bumblebee's physiology, apparently transferring her body mass to

Hawkgirl Hawkgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders Hall, was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, and first appeared in ''Flash Comics' ...

. This left Bumblebee approximately six inches in height and temporarily left Hawkgirl some 25 feet tall. In ''

'' vol. 3 #34, Bumblebee is shown to have joined the

Doom Patrol Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in ''My Greatest Adventure'' #80 (June 1963), and was created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, along with artist Bruno Premiani. Doom Patrol has appe ...

sometime in the past year along with her husband (now known as Vox) and

Beast Boy Garfield Mark Logan, better known as Beast Boy, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He has also gone under the alias Changeling. Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Bob Brown, he is a shapeshifter who ...

. She must now take medicine developed by Doom Patrol leader Niles Caulder to prevent her heart from going into cardiac arrest, due to her tiny form. Much like Beast Boy, she now strongly resembles her animated counterpart in costume and hair style. Per ''

Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators ...

'' #100, Karen—along with numerous other DCU heroines—was contacted by

Barbara Gordon Barbara Gordon is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. The character was created by television producer William Dozier, editor Julius Schwartz, writer Gardne ...

and asked to join the expanded roster of the latter's team, the Birds of Prey. However, the team disbanded before she participated in any missions. Karen is a member of the Doom Patrol. Due to medicinal efforts from Dr. Caulder, she has grown to a height of seven inches, and she can live in a

dollhouse A dollhouse or doll's house is a toy home made in miniature. Since the early 20th century dollhouses have primarily been the domain of children, but their collection and crafting is also a hobby for many adults. English-speakers in North America ...

. As of ''Doom Patrol'' vol. 5 #1, Karen is now a divorcée. In issue #18, Karen rejoined the team after months of inactivity due to her divorce from Malcolm. Now sporting a new costume and a

Beehive hairdo The beehive is a hairstyle in which long hair is piled up in a conical shape on the top of the head and slightly backwards pointing, giving some resemblance to the shape of a traditional beehive. It is also known as the B-52 due to a resemblance ...

, Karen returned to active duty just in time for a confrontation with the

Secret Six The so-called Secret Six, or the Secret Committee of Six, were a group of men who secretly funded the 1859 raid on Harper's Ferry by abolitionist John Brown. Sometimes described as "wealthy," this was true of only two. The other four were in po ...

, who had come to the team's home of Oolong Island to claim it in the name of a teenaged crime lord. In the ensuing battle, Bumblebee inexplicably vanishes after a brief tussle with

Bane Bane may refer to: Fictional characters * Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman * Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series * Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy * Bane the Druid, a Gu ...

, while her teammates ultimately fight the Six to a draw. As the members of the Secret Six are being forcibly deported from Oolong,

Elasti-Girl Elasti-Girl (also known as Elasti-Woman) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as a member of the Doom Patrol. Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Bruno Premiani, the character first appeared i ...

stops Rag Doll and forces him to empty out his pockets, where Karen is found tied up with her mouth duct-taped shut. Ragdoll reluctantly returns Bumblebee to her teammates, telling them that he had wanted to keep her as a "souvenir". Following the disbandment of the Doom Patrol, Bumblebee appears as one of the former Titans who arrives at

Titans Tower The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

to repel

Superboy-Prime Superboy-Prime (Clark Kent, born Kal-El), also known as Superman-Prime or simply Prime, is a DC Comics superhero turned supervillain and an alternate version of Superman. The character first appeared in ''DC Comics Presents'' #87 (November 198 ...

and the

Legion of Doom The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in ''Challenge of the Super Friends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univers ...

DC Rebirth

In the ''

DC Rebirth DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 initiative in May 2016 as its launching point, DC Rebirth restored the D ...

'' continuity, Karen is the pregnant wife of Mal Duncan. She later reveals that she has the power to fire energy blasts from her hands, which comes in handy during the former Teen Titans' battle with Mister Twister. At the end of the fight, she goes into labor and eventually gives birth to a daughter. Eventually, Karen is taken by Mal to Meta Solutions to evaluate her powers, as it was the same company that took his powers away. Unlike her husband, Karen likes her super powers and wants to find a way to control them. Unbeknownst to them, Meta Solutions is run by Psimon and the Fearsome Five, which Mal realizes after spotting Mammoth in the lobby. Though the Fearsome Five claims to have changed, the Titans investigate their headquarters and come under attack. Karen suits up using a special suit designed for her by Meta Solutions and discovers she has the ability to fly and shrink. She manages to rescue the Titans, but Psimon manages to take away her memories of Mal and her child. She decides to stay with the Titans as Bumblebee until she got her memories back much to Mal's displeasure. She eventually regains them when the Titans battle H.I.V.E. and Donna Troy's evil alternate future counterpart, Troia. She quits being a super hero after the Justice League disbands the Titans to be with her family.

Powers and abilities

Bumblebee originally had no true superpowers and her unique abilities were derived from her scientific superpowered high-tech battle suit. The suit greatly increased her strength, speed, stamina, endurance, agility, reflexes and acted as body armor. It also allowed her to fly, create painful electric blasts that stung like actual bee stings and emit a stream of "honey", actually a powerful adhesive capable of disabling her opponents by miring them in the sticky, yellow goo. She later got stuck at a shrunken size and now possesses superpowers. She can fly and produce exceptionally strong hypersonic blasts.

Other versions

* A toddler version of Bumblebee appears as one of the protagonists of the all-ages '' Tiny Titans'' series. Here, she is portrayed as the girlfriend of

Plasmus Plasmus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is depicted as an enemy of the Teen Titans. Publication history Plasmus first appeared in ''The New Teen Titans'' #14 and was created by Marv Wolfman ...

, who is depicted as being more of a gentle giant than an outright villain. * Bumblebee appears as part of

Cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

Titans East Titans East is the name of several DC Comics superhero teams. The teams appear in the ''Teen Titans'' comic books and Teen Titans (TV series), animated series. The comic book incarnation of Titans East first appeared in ''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) #1 ...

roster in the ''

Titans Tomorrow "Titans Tomorrow" is a storyline of a possible alternate future in the DC Comics Universe, from ''Teen Titans'' vol. 3 #17-19 (2005), by Geoff Johns and Mike McKone. The story arc has been collected as part of the ''Teen Titans: The Future is Now' ...

'' storyline. Unlike her canon incarnation, this version of Bumblebee still retained her supersuit and normal height.

In other media

Television

* A young Bumblebee appears in ''

'', voiced by

T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh (born Crystal Walker; October 13, 1962) is an American actress and singer. In addition to her status as an original cast member of the Fox sketch comedy series ''In Living Color'' (1990–1994), Keymáh is also known for ...

. This version is an assertive, highly skilled, and cocky individual who wields twin electric stingers and possesses natural flight and shrinking capabilities. In her first appearances, she works undercover as a student of the

H.I.V.E. The H.I.V.E., which stands for the Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination, is a fictional terrorist organization appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The H.I.V.E. organization appeared on the fourth season of ...

Academy. Proving immune to

Brother Blood Brother Blood is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first iteration, Sebastian Blood VIII, is a power hungry priest and the head of the Church of Blood, as well as the eighth person in the DC ...

's mind control, she was able to earn his trust and learn H.I.V.E.'s motives and secrets until an encounter with

Cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

forces her to blow her cover, though she becomes an honorary member of the Teen Titans. She would later move to Steel City and found

, eventually becoming their leader following Brother Blood's attempt to seek revenge on them and Cyborg. * Bumblebee appears in ''

Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013 and is based on the DC Comics Teen Titans, fictional superhero team. The series was ...

'', voiced by

Ozioma Akagha Ozioma Akagha is an actress based in the United States. She voices Alyx Vance in the video game '' Half-Life: Alyx'' (2020) and Julianna in the video game ''Deathloop'' (2021). She also plays the role of Harper Omereoha in the television show ''De ...

. This version was formerly a member of the Teen Titans and Titans East, before leaving them both to become a solo hero. * Karen Beecher appears in ''

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen ...

'', voiced by

Masasa Moyo Masasa Moyo is a Canadian television, film and voice actress. Filmography Film * '' Kingdom Come'' (2001) - Delightful Slocumb * ''Nosferatu L.A. '02'' (2002) - Laytesha (voice) * ''Paris'' (2003) - Golden Gate Bartender * ''Woman Thou Art Loose ...

. Introduced in "Targets", she is initially a high school student and head of the "Bumblebees" cheerleading team at

Happy Harbor This page list the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites * the Arrowcave – The former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. * Avernus Cemetery – A burial ground located in Central City for ...

High School. As of the second season, ''Young Justice: Invasion'', Beecher has become Bumblebee, joined the

Team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson (academic), Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interde ...

, and became a protégé and lab assistant to

Ray Palmer Ray Palmer may refer to: * Raymond A. Palmer, science-fiction writer and editor * Raymond F. Palmer, medical professor * Ray Palmer (pastor), American pastor and author of hymns * Ray Palmer (Arrowverse), a TV show character based on his comic boo ...

. As of the third season, '' Young Justice: Outsiders'', Beecher has retired to focus on her relationship with

, scientific studies, and pregnancy, eventually giving birth to a baby girl named Rhea. Due to her being born with a congenital heart defect, Beecher patches a hole in Rhea's heart and activates the latter's metagene. * Bumblebee appears in '' DC Super Hero Girls'', voiced by

Kimberly Brooks Kimberly D. Brooks (née Lawson) is an American voice actress who works in the voice-over, film, video games, and theatre industry. She has voiced in video games since the mid-1990s. She has played Ashley Williams in the ''Mass Effect'' serie ...

. This version is a technologically-minded yet shy and nervous individual.

Film

* An alternate universe version of Karen Beecher makes a brief appearance in '' Justice League: Gods and Monsters'', voiced by

Kari Wahlgren Kari Wahlgren (born July 13, 1977) is an American actress who has provided English-language voices for animated movies, TV series, and video games. She got her start in anime voice-overs as Haruko Haruhara in '' FLCL'', and would later land ma ...

. This version is a scientist in

Lex Luthor Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: Apr ...

's "Project Fair Play", a weapons contingency program meant to counter their universe's

Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...

if necessary. After three of their fellow scientists are killed, Beecher convenes with the remaining scientists involved, but they are all slaughtered by the

Metal Men The Metal Men are a group of superheroes that appear in DC Comics. The characters first appeared in ''Showcase'' #37 (March–April 1962) and were created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru. Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Boo ...

. * Bumblebee appears in '' Teen Titans: The Judas Contract'', voiced again by

. This version is a founding member of the

who primarily appears in flashbacks. * Bumblebee makes a brief appearance in ''

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies ''Teen Titans Go! To the Movies'' is a 2018 American animated superhero comedy film based on the television series ''Teen Titans Go!'', which is based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name. This film is directed by Peter Rida Mi ...

''. * Bumblebee makes a non-speaking appearance in a flashback in '' Justice League Dark: Apokolips War''. She rejoins the Titans to defend Earth from

Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby to serve as the primary antagonist of his "Fourth World (comics), Fourth World" metaseries, and was firs ...

, only to be killed by Darkseid's

Para Para, or PARA, may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Paramount Global, traded as PARA on the Nasdaq stock exchange * Para Group, the former name of CT Corp * Para Rubber, now Skellerup, a New Zealand manufacturer * Para USA, formerly ...

dooms. * Bumblebee appears in '' Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse'', voiced again by Kimberly Brooks.

Video games

* Bumblebee appears as an unlockable character in ''

'', voiced again by

. * Bumblebee appears as a boss in ''

Superman Returns ''Superman Returns'' is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris (screenwriter), Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris based on the DC Comics character Superman. I ...

''. This version is a supervillain who is accompanied by a "hive" of clones. * Bumblebee appears as a playable character in '' Young Justice: Legacy'', voiced again by

. * Bumblebee appears in ''DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power''.

Miscellaneous

* Bumblebee appears in the ''

'' comic book series. * Bumblebee appears in '' DC Super Hero Girls'', voiced by Teala Dunn. This version is a student at Super Hero High.

References

External links

World of Black Heroes: Bumblebee Biography
{{Doom Patrol Comics characters introduced in 1976 Doom Patrol DC Comics American superheroes DC Comics female superheroes DC Comics characters who are shapeshifters DC Comics metahumans African-American superheroes Fictional characters who can change size Fictional female scientists Fictional characters who can manipulate sound Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities