Kenneth Hale (Marvel)

Kenneth Hale in Gorilla-Man v1 #3.

Kenneth Hale is a male comic superhero who features in Marvel Comics.

Biography

Origin

Kenneth Hale

The young Kenny Hale grew up in Missouri on a farm with his parents, but after a tornado claimed their lives, he was sent to live in an orphanage. In 1930, Kenny when he was 10 years old was being picked on by bigger kids when J. Avery Wolward called him. He offered to adopt the boy and mould him as a businessman in his holdings around the world. Kenny eagerly agreed and was told to drive the car on the way out, as driver Basil moved to the passenger seat. (Gorilla-Man v1 #1) Over the years, Hale grew to be impressed with Wolward’s ability to influence people, but he eventually realized that Wolward’s serpent-headed cane, one that had mystic properties, allowed him that influence. Hale spent years traveling the world, learning all about geography, and he developed a penchant for survival. (Gorilla-Man v1 #2) Years later, Hale, now an adult, was stationed on a Polynesian island where he enjoyed the women, before Wolward summoned him to fly out a cargo plane that night. Men working for Wolward’s enemy Bastoc attacked and Hale fought back until Wolward threatened the men and they ran away. (Gorilla-Man v1 #1) Hale piloted a small plane to a remote island with a professor and Sam to find the lost civilization of Kala-Kulai, and they were captured by the tribe. Sam was taken hostage as the tribe sent Hale and the professor to retrieve a hawk totem from within the volcano. Inside, after nearly being killed by flowing lava, Hale retrieved the hawk and realized it matched the one on Wolward’s cane, then exited to find Bastoc waiting outside. As Bastoc took the hawk totem, the professor was lost in a lava eruption. Hale narrowly escaped. (Gorilla-Man v1 #2) Hale made it back to Wolward, who was happy to see Hale alive but furious about the loss of the professor and the hawk totem. After the events at Pearl Harbor in WWII, Hale decided to enlist in the military, disappointing Wolward. Hale fought as a pilot in the war. Hale went looking for Wolward after the war, but he found his daughter, Lily Wolward, was now running his business, and she reported that Wolward was now gone, but that he’d always considered Hale to be a son. (Gorilla-Man v1 #2) Hale married Lily, who loved adventure as much as he did, but domestic life left Hale feeling afraid and itchy, his old traumas showing up in his brain. Believing he was dying, Hale began looking for ways to keep himself alive. He researched the serpent-headed cane and realized that it allowed the one who carried it to mentally influence others, and that when paired with the hawk totem, it could grant immortality. Hale searched the world for Bastoc and the totem, leaving Lily behind, but he was met with failure. (Gorilla-Man v1 #3)

Avengers

He was approached by the Black Panther T'Challa who asked to Hale to become one of his Agents of Wakanda that were part of an active support staff to assist the Avengers. Kenneth accepted and he was stationed at their new headquarters situated at Avengers Mountain. (Avengers v8 #12)

Overview

Powers and abilities

His power actually derived from the spirit of the Gorilla God Ngi who was summoned into the world by the ancient Jabari tribe of Wakanda. They had called forth a champion to protect them from their enemies with this being a mix of human and gorilla thus making the Gorilla-Man. However, the spirit grew savage and wanted to take over the world as its only god leading to it being slain by a champion thus enacting a curse whereby each person who slayed the Goilla-Man became the next successor. (Marvel Comics Presents v3 #2)

Notes

• The Kenneth Hale Gorilla-Man was created by Stan Lee and Robert Q. Sale where he made his first appearance in Men's Adventures v1 #26 (March, 1954).

Appearances

• Men's Adventures v1: (1954)
• Agents of Atlas v1:
• Avengers v8:
• Marvel Comics Presents v3:

External Links

• Marvel Database Entry

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