Mandrill (comics)

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Mandrill
The Mandrill as depicted in The Defenders #79 (January 1980). Art by Herb Trimpe and Ed Hannigan (pencillers), Mike Esposito (inkier), and Carl Gafford (colorist).
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceShanna the She-Devil #4 (June 1973)
Created byCarole Seuling (writer)
Ross Andru (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoJerome Beechman
SpeciesHuman mutant
Team affiliationsBlack Spectre
Mutant Force
PartnershipsNekra
Notable aliasesHensley Fargus, Monkey Face
AbilitiesGifted planner and strategist
Skilled acrobat and hand to hand combatant
Superhuman strength, speed, agility, dexterity, flexibility, reflexes, coordination, balance and endurance
Above-normal intellect
Mind control via pheromones

Mandrill (Jerome Beechman) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Mandrill is a mutant resembling his namesake who has battled Daredevil, Shanna the She-Devil, and the Defenders on multiple occasions. He can generate pheromones that place women under his control, which he used to found the all-female cult Black Spectre.

Mandrill has made limited appearances in media outside comics, with Fred Tatasciore and Kevin Michael Richardson voicing him in the animated series The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and M.O.D.O.K. respectively.

Publication history

Mandrill was created by writer Carole Seuling and artist Ross Andru, and first appeared in Shanna the She-Devil #4 (June 1973).[1] Steve Gerber contributed to the comic, but denied having any role in the character's creation, crediting it to Seuling.[2]

Fictional character biography

Jerome Beechman is the son of Frederic Beechman, a physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, and Margaret Beechman. Due to his parents being affected by radiation, Jerome was born with black skin and tufts of body hair.[3][4][5] As a result, he was rejected and abandoned in the New Mexico desert.[6][7]

While wandering the desert, Jerome encounters Nekra Sinclair, the daughter of a cleaning woman who was bombarded by radiation in the same accident that affected Jerome's father. Although her parents were black, she was born albino and developed vampiric features. For six years, the two live by theft and scavenging until they are attacked by a lynch mob whose members believe them to be monsters. During the battle, Jerome and Nekra's mutant abilities activate, enabling them to escape.[8]

Now possessing a monkey-like appearance, Beechman becomes a professional criminal and takes the name Mandrill. He and Nekra found Black Spectre, a cult of black women committed to overthrowing America.[7][9] As leader of Black Spectre, Mandrill battles the Thing and Daredevil.[10]

In the Dark Reign storyline, Mandrill joins the Hood's gang in attacking the New Avengers, who were expecting the Dark Avengers instead.[11]

In the "Hunted" storyline, Mandrill is among the animal-themed superhumans who are captured by Taskmaster and Black Ant for Kraven the Hunter. During Kraven's Great Hunt, Mandrill is killed by hunter robots.[12] In Captain America (vol. 9), Mandrill is revealed to have survived.[13]

Powers and abilities

Mandrill is a mutant who possesses superhuman physical abilities as well as pheromones that can control women.[3][5][14][15] In at least one instance, he used technology to affect men as well.[10]

In other media

Television

Video games

Mandrill appears in

Marvel: Avengers Alliance
. He is killed by the Circle of Eight.

References

  1. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0
    .
  2. ^ [1][dead link‍] August 18, 2005 post to Howard the Duck Club (members only)
  3. ^ a b Trinos, Angelo Delos (February 6, 2023). "10 Dark Marvel Villains Everyone Forgot About". CBR. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  4. ^ Bailey, Caleb (January 16, 2020). "10 Marvel Villains That Would Never Be Made Today". CBR. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Albinder, Cole (March 19, 2020). "10 Weird Marvel Characters We Want To See Join The MCU". CBR. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  6. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[2]
  7. ^ a b Bjork, Juliette; Allan, Scoot; Curtin, John (July 1, 2018). "The 30 Weirdest Marvel Characters Not Even The MCU Could Sell to Fans". CBR. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  8. ^ Shanna the She-Devil #4 (June 1973)
  9. ISBN 978-1605490564
    .
  10. ^ a b Marvel Two-in-One #3 (May 1974)
  11. ^ New Avengers #50 (April 2009)
  12. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #19 (June 2019)
  13. ^ Captain America (vol. 9) #11 (August 2019)
  14. ^ Chrysostomou, George (January 8, 2020). "5 Marvel Characters That Will Stick Around For The Next Decade (& 5 That Will Be Forgotten About)". CBR. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  15. ^ Eckhardt, Peter (April 15, 2023). "15 Avengers Villains Too Controversial For An MCU Adaptation". CBR. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  16. ^ "Mandrill Voice - The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved February 18, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  17. ^ "Marvel's M.O.D.O.K.: Every Single Easter Egg You Might Have Missed". Marvel.com. May 24, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
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