Zebra-Man Explained

Zebra-Man is the name of four fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

Publication history

Jacob Baker first appeared in Detective Comics #275 (Jan 1960) and was created by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff.^[1]

Kobra's Zebra-Man first appeared in Outsiders #21 and was created by Mike W. Barr.

Fictional character biography

Jacob Baker

Character Name:	Zebra-Man
Publisher:	DC Comics
Debut:	Detective Comics #275 (1960)
Creators:	Bill Finger (writer) Sheldon Moldoff (artist)
Real Name:	Jacob Baker
Species:	Metahuman
Powers:	Can magnetize anything

Jacob Baker is a scientist whose machinery gives him the ability to attract and repel anything besides metal (referred to as "Diamagnetism").^[2] He becomes the criminal Zebra-Man, deriving his name from his striped body. After being irradiated with Zebra-Man's energy and gaining similar abilities, Batman defeats and arrests him.^[3]

Kobra's Zebra-Man

The second Zebra-Man is a member of Kobra who was recruited to help the group usurp Simon Stagg's business and achieve world domination. He later joins the Secret Society of Super Villains in Infinite Crisis.^{[4] [5]}

Character Name:	Zebra-Man
Publisher:	DC Comics
Debut:	Outsiders #21 (1987)
Creators:	Mike W. Barr
Real Name:	Unknown
Species:	Metahuman
Alliances:	Strike Force Kobra Secret Society of Super Villains
Powers:	Can magnetize anything

Vortex

The third Zebra-Man, also known as Vortex, is an inmate of Arkham Asylum.^{[6] [7] [8]} He battles Batman and Catwoman on numerous occasions before being killed by Psych.^{[9] [10]}

Character Name:	Vortex
Publisher:	DC Comics
Debut:	(vol. 2) #1 (2011)
Creators:	Paul Jenkins (writer) David Finch (artist)
Real Name:	Unknown
Species:	Metahuman
Aliases:	Zebra Man
Powers:	Can magnetize anything

Menagerie's Zebra-Man

A fourth, unnamed incarnation of Zebra-Man appears in Forever Evil as a member of the Cheetah's Menagerie.^[11] He later joins the Suicide Squad under Lok's supervision.^[12]

Powers and abilities

The first two incarnations of Zebra-Man possess "diamagnetism" which enables them to attract and/or repel matter besides metal. Both use an inhibitor belt to control their abilities.

In other media

• The Jacob Baker incarnation of Zebra-Man makes non-speaking appearances in .^{[13] [14]} This version's powers can affect metal.
• The second incarnation of Zebra-Man appears in The Lego Batman Movie.
• The Jacob Baker incarnation of Zebra-Man appears in .

See also

• List of Batman family enemies

Notes and References

1. Book: Greenberger . Robert . The Essential Batman Encyclopedia . 2008 . Del Rey . 9780345501066 . 384.
2. Book: Fleisher . Michael L. . The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume 1: Batman . 1976 . Macmillan Publishing Co . 0-02-538700-6 . 29 March 2020 . 386.
3. Detective Comics #275. DC Comics.
4. Outsiders #21-22. DC Comics.
5. Infinite Crisis #7. DC Comics.
6. Batman: The Dark Knight (Vol. 2) #1 (2011). DC Comics.
7. Catwoman (Vol. 4) #19 (2011). DC Comics.
8. Batman (Vol. 3) #14. DC Comics.
9. Doomsday Clock #4. DC Comics.
10. The Flash (Vol. 5) #61. DC Comics.
11. Forever Evil: A.R.G.U.S. #5. DC Comics.
12. Suicide Squad (Vol. 6) #1-2. DC Comics.
13. Web site: July 25, 2008 . Comic-Con International - Batman: The Brave and the Bold . December 30, 2010 . Comics Continuum . August 11, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080811140632/http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0807/25/batmanbrave.htm . bot: unknown .
14. Web site: Zebra-Man Voices (DC Universe) . October 27, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors. 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.