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| Mandrill | |
|---|---|
.png) The Mandrill as depicted inThe Defenders #79 (January 1980). Art byHerb Trimpe andEd Hannigan (pencillers),Mike Esposito (inkier), andCarl Gafford (colorist). | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Shanna the She-Devil #4 (June 1973) |
| Created by | Carole Seuling (writer) Ross Andru (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Jerome Beechman |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Team affiliations | Black Spectre Mutant Force |
| Partnerships | Nekra |
| Notable aliases | Hensley Fargus, Monkey Face |
| Abilities | Gifted 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 asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Mandrill is amutant resembling hisnamesake who has battledDaredevil,Shanna the She-Devil, and theDefenders on multiple occasions. He can generatepheromones that place women under his control, which he used to found the all-female cultBlack Spectre.
Mandrill has made limited appearances in media outside comics, withFred Tatasciore andKevin Michael Richardson voicing him in the animated seriesThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes andM.O.D.O.K. respectively.
Mandrill was created by writer Carole Seuling and artistRoss Andru, and first appeared inShanna 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]
Jerome Beechman is the son of Frederic Beechman, a physicist atLos Alamos National Laboratory inNew 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 encountersNekra 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 bornalbino and developedvampiric 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 primate-like appearance, Beechman becomes a professional criminal and takes the nameMandrill. He and Nekra foundBlack Spectre, a cult of black women committed to overthrowing America.[7][9] As leader of Black Spectre, Mandrill battles theThing andDaredevil.[10]
In theDark Reign storyline, Mandrill joins theHood's gang in attacking theNew Avengers, who were expecting theDark Avengers.[11]
In the "Hunted" storyline, Mandrill is among the animal-themed superhumans who are captured byTaskmaster andBlack Ant forKraven the Hunter. During Kraven's Great Hunt, Mandrill is killed by hunter robots.[12] InCaptain America (vol. 9), Mandrill is revealed to have survived.[13]
Mandrill is amutant who possesses superhuman physical abilities as well aspheromones that can control women.[3][5][14][15] In at least one instance, he used technology to affect men as well.[10]
Mandrill appears inMarvel: Avengers Alliance. He is killed by the Circle of Eight.
The Mandrill's Mutant powers basically made him a walking aphrodisiac. He used these to mentally control women and amass deadly armies composed of his enthralled victims. Unsurprisingly, The Mandrill was also a vile misogynist. Worse, Jerome Beechman was born white, but his powers first manifested by darkening his skin.
Here's the scenario; a White couple has child that inexplicably is born with dark skin and lots of curly, kinky hair. The husband suspects his wife of cheating on him but the truth is far more problematic. Frederic Beechman's son inherited the characteristics of an animal because Fred's Black coworker Gemma Sinclair got hit with atomic rays - somehow mixing Frederic and Gemma's genes together. Frederic's son Jerome would eventually become the Mandrill - a misogynist villain with the power to mind control any woman.
A mutant born with ape-like features due to his father's exposure to radiation, Mandrill was shunned by his family for his appearance and abandoned at ten years old. Later becoming a criminal, Mandrill's mutant ability is giving off pheromones that attract women and allow him to control them.
Jerome Beecham had the appearance and strength of an actual mandrill ape, which caused him nothing but pain and ridicule as a child. His father abandoned him when he was only ten, which gave him a hatred of American ideals and a burning desire to seek vengeance from his parents. Beecham's mutant powers later emerged, which gave him the ability to control women with his released pheromones. Mandrill used his gifts to raise multiple all-female armies for the purpose of overthrowing nations and punishing his parents for the pain they had caused him.
Mandrill has slowly been featured less and less. He once had a role on the Hood's gang and could be seen fighting heroes across New York but his days in the comic industry are almost numbered. The strange villain just isn't that memorable. Sure he has the appearance of a large primate and can use his powers to influence individuals to do his bidding, but there's not a lot to work with here.
The Mandrill is one of Marvel's few mutants not directly associated with the X-Men. Born with the ability to manipulate women through the use of pheromones, Mandrill never showed his fellow mutants any particular affinity. Instead, he opted for a series of sexually charged attempts at conquest and domination. The Mandrill was also a disgusting misogynist, racist, and sexual abuser. He used his power to have his way with women he controlled.
The Bar With No Name - A working-class Super Villain bar from the comics which first appeared in CAPTAIN AMERICA #318. The villain The Orb is the bartender in the show, he first appeared in MARVEL TEAM-UP #15. Other patrons are Whirlwind who first appeared in TALES TO ASTONISH #50 and The Mandrill who first appeared in SHANNA THE SHE-DEVIL #4.
