''Marvel Apes'' is a four-issue limited series by comics publisher

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

which started publication in October

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

. The series is written by

Karl Kesel Karl Kesel (born January 7, 1959, Victor, New York) is an American comics writer and inker whose works have primarily been under contract for DC Comics. He is a member of Periscope Studio and is best known for his collaborations with fellow artis ...

with art by Ramon Bachs and covers by John Watson. The Marvel Apes reality is designated as Earth-8101, of which the series' incarnation of Spider-Man, the Spider-Monkey, will make his cinematic debut in the 2023 feature film '' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'', depicted as a member of

Miguel O'Hara Spider-Man 2099 is a Character (arts), fictional superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Peter David and Rick Leonardi in 1992 for the Marvel 2099 comic book line, and is a fut ...

's Spider-Forces.

Premise

''Marvel Apes'' was first suggested as a successor to '' Marvel Zombies'' by artist and fan Mark Walsh during a convention Q&A session with

Joe Quesada Joseph Quesada (; born January 12, 1962'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; page 107) is an American comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books ...

. As with ''Marvel Zombies'' before it, ''Marvel Apes'' takes place in an alternate universe, in this case a simian-dominated counterpart to Earth-616 that hosts anthropoid versions of popular Marvel Superheroes. As with the introduction of ''Marvel Zombies'' in the pages of '' Ultimate Fantastic Four'', the ''Marvel Apes'' universe is visited by an existing Marvel character, in this case Martin Blank a.k.a. Gibbon.NYCC '08: Marvel Apes

Newsarama Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website GamesRadar+, also owned by FutureUS. History ...

, April 20, 2008 He is accompanied by a female scientist named Fiona Fitzhugh in what has been described by Kesel as a "''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's b ...

''-style sprawling epic".

Plot

Martin Blank, the Gibbon, having been restored to his simian appearance, is left with his personal life in shambles. His attempts to side with the heroes are frustrated by his ineptitude and even

Princess Python Princess Python is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history Princess Python, Zelda DuBois, is a snake charmer who controls a gigantic snake to help with her crimes. She first appeared in ''T ...

, previously a caring and deeply devoted wife, is now fed up with the meek loser that Gibbon has become. Out of boredom and depression, he replies to an ad posted in the ''

Daily Bugle The ''Daily Bugle'' (at one time ''The DB'') is a fictional New York City tabloid newspaper appearing as a plot element in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The ''Daily Bugle'' is a regular fixture in the Marvel Universe, mos ...

'' by Fiona Fitzhugh, a spunky and cheery young scientist hoping to study the nature of super-powered individuals. Upon hearing that Gibbon had his powers since birth (as opposed to the majority of mutants who gain their mutation during puberty), Fiona analyzes his aura and hypothesizes that Gibbon may come from another reality in the Multiverse. While attempting to contact such a reality, Fiona and the Gibbon are sucked into a portal that takes them to a world populated by intelligent simians. Gibbon manages to help Spider-Monkey and the Ape-Vengers, simian versions of the Avengers, subdue Doctor Ooktavius, and he is inducted into the Ape-Vengers. Fiona is sent to ask for

Reed Richards Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member, and the leader, of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace and ...

' help in returning to Earth-616; she discovers that in the Marvel Apes reality the cosmic storm that gave the Fantastic Four their powers also gave a human appearance to Susan Storm. Gibbon is at first excited to become a member of the Ape-Vengers, but after witnessing the brutal lynching of Doctor Ooktapus, he questions the Ape-Vengers methods. Meanwhile, Fiona and the ape Mr. Fantastic are able to recreate a gateway back to Earth-616. Captain Ape-merica then reveals that he is actually the simian counterpart of the vampire

Baron Blood Baron Blood is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of Baron Blood, John Falsworth, first appeared in ''The Invaders'' #7 (July 1976). The second incarnation, Victor ...

, who in this reality was able, by sampling Captain America's blood in the forties, to take over his appearance and powers. The super-soldier serum also removed Baron Blood's vulnerability to sunlight. After turning the Invaders into vampires as well, Blood became the leader of the Ape-Vengers and uses their bloody lynching of supervillains as a way to feed. Gibbon, with the help of a cadre of dissident heroes, finds the real Captain America, still frozen in ice, and thaws him to lead the last free heroes against their vampiric foe. Baron Blood and the vampiric Invaders are destroyed, but in the melee, the portal is destroyed after Fiona and the ape version of Speedball are sent through. The Gibbon is happy to remain behind in the ape-centric world.

Characters

Heroes

* Ape-X — a small monkey that becomes a large

gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...

upon donning a magic Mexican wrestling mask * Ape-Vengers — this reality's version of the Avengers ** Captain America — a gorilla version of Captain America; actually Baron Blood in disguise. Gibbon managed to free the real Captain America who helps to fight Baron Blood. ** Boomerangutan — an

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genu ...

version of

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

** Gro-Rilla — a gorilla version of

Hank Pym Dr. Henry Jonathan "Hank" Pym () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, the character first appeared in '' Tales ...

** Hawkape — a primate version of Hawkeye ** Iron Mandrill — a mandrill version of Iron Man ** Juggermonk — a monkey version of Juggernaut ** Monkey-C ** Ms. Marvape — an

ape Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its sister g ...

version of

Ms. Marvel Ms. Marvel is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was originally conceived as a female counterpart to Captain Marvel. Like Captain Marvel, most of the bearers of the Ms. M ...

** Magneto — a primate version of

Magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...

** Quicksilver — a monkey version of Quicksilver ** Sandmonk — a monkey version of

Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The Sandman is a traditional charact ...

** Scarlet Witch — a primate version of Scarlet Witch ** Shang-Chimp — a chimpanzee version of

Shang-Chi Zheng Shang-Chi ( ), also known as the Master of Kung Fu and Brother Hand, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, debuting in '' ...

** Speedball — a chimpanzee version of Speedball ** Spider-Monkey — a

spider monkey Spider monkeys are New World monkeys belonging to the genus ''Ateles'', part of the subfamily Atelinae, family Atelidae. Like other atelines, they are found in tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil. The ...

version of Spider-Man ** Thorangutan — an orangutan version of

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...

** Vision — a primate version of

Vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...

** Wasp — a primate version of

Wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...

** Wonder Monk — a primate version of

Wonder Man Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #9 (October 1964). The c ...

* Beyonder — a chimpanzee version of

Beyonder The Beyonder () is a fictional cosmic entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Mike Zeck, the Beyonder first appeared in ''Secret Wars'' #1 (May 1984) as an unseen, self-procla ...

* Black Wido-rangutan — an orangutan version of Black Widow * Cleook — a primate version of

Clea Clea Strange () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by co-plotters Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Clea first appeared in the Doctor Strange feature in ''Strange Tales'' #126 (November 1964). S ...

* Dagger — a primate version of

Dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...

* Daregorilla — a gorilla version of Daredevil * Doctor Druid — a primate version of Doctor Druid * Doctor Strange — a gorilla version of Doctor Strange * Elektra — a primate version of Elektra * Eternals — this reality's version of the Eternals ** Thena — a monkey version of

Thena Thena (born Azura) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Martin A. Burnstein and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared as Minerva in ''Red Raven Comics'' #1 (August 1940), but was later reint ...

* Fantastic Four — this reality's version of the Fantastic Four ** Mister Fantastic — a

baboon Baboons are primates comprising the genus ''Papio'', one of the 23 genera of Old World monkeys. There are six species of baboon: the hamadryas baboon, the Guinea baboon, the olive baboon, the yellow baboon, the Kinda baboon and the chacma ...

version of

Mister Fantastic Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member, and the leader, of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace and ...

** Invisible Simian — this reality’s version of

Invisible Woman The Invisible Woman (Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four and was the first female superhero created by Marvel during ...

; unlike the rest of this reality’s Fantastic Four, when she acquired her powers, it also caused her to resemble a

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, cultu ...

** Simian Torch — a primate version of the

Human Torch The Human Torch (Jonathan "Johnny" Storm) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and artist Jack Kirby's reinvention of a si ...

** Thing — a gorilla version of the

Thing Thing or The Thing may refer to: Philosophy * An object * Broadly, an entity * Thing-in-itself (or ''noumenon''), the reality that underlies perceptions, a term coined by Immanuel Kant * Thing theory, a branch of critical theory that focuse ...

* Ghost Rider — a gorilla version of

Ghost Rider Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider. The first s ...

* Hulk — a gorilla version of Hulk * Insimians — this reality's version of the

Inhumans The Inhumans are a fictional superhuman race of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The comic book series has usually focused more specifically on the adventures of the Inhuman Royal Family, and many peop ...

** Black Bolt — a primate version of

Black Bolt Black Bolt (Blackagar Boltagon) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appears in ''Fantastic Four'' #45 (December 1965). Black Bolt is the ...

who is the King of the Insimians ** Medusa — a primate version of

Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those ...

who is the Queen of the Insimians ** Gorgon — a primate version of

Gorgon A Gorgon ( /ˈɡɔːrɡən/; plural: Gorgons, Ancient Greek: Γοργών/Γοργώ ''Gorgṓn/Gorgṓ'') is a creature in Greek mythology. Gorgons occur in the earliest examples of Greek literature. While descriptions of Gorgons vary, the te ...

** Karnak — a primate version of

Karnak The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (, which was originally derived from ar, خورنق ''Khurnaq'' "fortified village"), comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Constr ...

** Triton — a primate version of Triton * Iron Fist — a monkey version of Iron Fist * MACH IV — a primate version of MACH IV * Power Simian — a gorilla version of Luke Cage * Punisher — a baboon version of

Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...

* Silver Simian — a gorilla version of

Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...

* Wolfsbape — an ape version of Wolfsbane * X-Apes — this reality's version of the

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...

** Professor X — an ape version of Professor X ** Angel — a primate version of

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...

** Beast — a primate version of Beast ** Cannonball — a primate version of

Cannonball A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a lar ...

** Colossus — a gorilla version of Colossus ** Cyclops — a primate version of Cyclops ** Icemonk — a primate version of Iceman ** Marvel Chimp — a chimpanzee version of

Jean Grey Jean Elaine Grey is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix and Dark Phoenix. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack K ...

** Nightcrawler — a primate version of Nightcrawler ** Rogue — a primate version of Rogue ** Shadowcat — a primate version of

Shadowcat Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. The character first appeared in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #129 (January 1980) and was co-created by wri ...

** Warlock — a primate version of

Warlock A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft. Etymology and terminology The most commonly accepted etymology derives '' warlock'' from the Old English '' wǣrloga'', which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver" and was given special applicati ...

** Wolverine — a primate version of

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscul ...

Villains

— in this reality, retains his appearance and posed as Captain America while sampling his blood * Baron Heinrich Zemook — a primate version of Baron Heinrich Zemo * Doctor Doom — a baboon version of Doctor Doom * Doctor Ooktapus — an orangutan version of

Doctor Octopus Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''Th ...

* Enchantress — an orangutan version of Enchantress * Invaders — this reality's version of the Invaders who were infected by Baron Blood and turned into vampires ** Winter Soldier — a primate version of the Winter Soldier ** Namor — a primate version of

Namor Namor (), also known as the Sub-Mariner, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in early 1939, the character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for comic book packager Funnies Inc ...

** Red Raven — a monkey version of Red Raven ** Toro — a primate version of Toro * Lizard — this reality’s version of the Lizard * L-ook-i — a primate version of Loki * Master Brotherhood of Evil Apes — a group of primate villains. The name is a combination of the

Masters of Evil The Masters of Evil is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in '' The Avengers'' #6 (July 1964), with the lineup continually changing over the years. Publication ...

and the

Brotherhood of Mutants The Brotherhood of Mutants (originally called the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, sometimes referred to as BoEM or B.O.E.M) is a fictional team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters are depicted as being devote ...

** Absorbing Mandrill — a mandrill version of

Absorbing Man Absorbing Man (Carl "Crusher" Creel) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Journey into Mystery'' #114, cover dated March 1965, created by writer Stan Lee and writer/artist Ja ...

** Batrook — a primate version of

Batroc the Leaper Georges Batroc the Leaper (french: Batroc le Sauteur) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Tales of Suspense' ...

** Shang Chi-Chi — a chimpanzee version of

** Tigorilla — a gorilla version of

Tiger Shark The tiger shark (''Galeocerdo cuvier'') is a species of requiem shark and the last extant member of the family Galeocerdonidae. It is a large macropredator, capable of attaining a length over . Populations are found in many tropical and tempera ...

** Titanape — an ape version of Titania ** Wrencher — a wrench-wielding gorilla version of Wrecker * Mole Monk — a monkey version of

Mole Man The Mole Man (Harvey Rupert Elder) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Mole Man is a recurring foe of the Fantastic Four and was the first villain they ever faced. His schemes usually consist o ...

* Ooktron — a robot monkey version of

Ultron Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, and initially made his debut as an unnamed character in '' The Avengers'' #54 (July ...

Other characters

* Aunt May — a monkey version of Aunt May Parker * Edwin Jarvis — a chimpanzee version of

Edwin Jarvis Edwin Jarvis is a supporting character in the Marvel Comics titles ''Iron Man'' and '' The Avengers''. He is the loyal household butler of the Stark family. Since the 1990s, the character has appeared heavily in media adaptations of ''Iron Man'' ...

; Iron Mandrill's butler * F-ool-killer — a primate version of

Foolkiller The Foolkiller is the name of four different fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Gregory Salinger made his live-action debut in the third season of the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series ''J ...

* Uatu — a gorilla version of

Uatu Uatu (), often simply known as the Watcher, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #13 (April 1963). He is a mem ...

the Watcher * Uncle Ben — a monkey version of

Uncle Ben Parker Benjamin Franklin Parker, usually referred to as Uncle Ben, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually in association with the superhero Spider-Man. He is the husband of Aunt May, May Parker an ...

Sequel

A sequel to the above, which pits Earth 2149's Marvel Zombies against their alternate meta-simian equivalents, entitled ''Marvel Zombies: Evil Evolution'' has been released, as well as 4 other one-shot issues: ''Speedball'', ''Amazing Spider-Monkey'', ''Grunt Line'', and ''Prime Eight''.

Collected editions

In other media

The ''Marvel Apes'' incarnation of Spider-Man, known as the Spider-Monkey, will make his cinematic debut in the 2023 feature film '' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'', depicted as a member of

's Spider-Forces.

References

External links

Monkey Business: Karl Kesel on Marvel Apes

Comics Bulletin Comics Bulletin was a daily website covering the American comic-book industry. History Silver Bullet Comicbooks The site was founded in January 2000 as Silver Bullet Comicbooks by its New Zealand-based publisher/editor Jason Brice. During this ...

, April 20, 2008
Review of ''Marvel Apes'' #1
,

{{Marvel Multiverse 2008 comics debuts Animal superheroes Comics set in New York City Gorilla characters in comics Marvel Comics animals Marvel Comics dimensions

Premise

Plot

Characters

Heroes

Villains

Other characters

Sequel

Collected editions

In other media

See also

References

External links