Gorilla Man

 Gorilla Man is a fictional supervillain in the Belch Dimension Comics universe. He is a member of the Cobra Clan, the primary adversaries of the Treehouse Warriors. He is half man, half ape and possesses the ability to speak, which makes him more intelligent than a normal ape, though compared to a human his brain power is decidedly substandard. He is easily the largest member of the group, standing about seven feet tall (214 cm) when fully erect (though like a lowland ape he generally hunches over and knuckle-walks) and weighing over 600 pounds (220 kg). He is not to be confused with Marvel Comics' "Gorilla-Man".

Inspiration
Artist Jonathan M. Sweet based the character on Grizzlor, a minor baddie from She-Ra, Princess of Power. However, the orginal character was more hairy and bearlike; Sweet went with something more similar to an ape. Still, they both serve the role of brainless muscle in their respective series, and both possess a savage bestial rage. Sweet also attributes aspects of Gorilla Man's physique, such as a prominent belly and large pectorals, to old-school pro wrestlers like King Kong Bundy and Capt. Lou Albano.

Gorilla Man follows, too, a long tradition of humanoid apes in the comics--e.g. Gorilla Grodd and Monsieur Mallah--though unlike them he isn't especially intelligent. However, his titanic strength and unquestioning loyalty make him an asset to the team.

History
The legend goes that he was concieved after an African bushman, after consuming fermented fruit and becoming intoxicated, has sex with a female lowland gorilla. Though he resembles an ape, he possesses no prehensile feet, is of an exceptionally large size, and has decidely human features such as a human nose and opposable thumbs. Poachers discovered the strange talking man-ape and captured him, selling him to a sideshow. He spent many years performing for the circus, billed as "The Wild-Man of Borneo", until Hiss Hole discovered his amazing strength and (relative) intelligence. He purchased Gorilla Man and made him his enforcer.

Gorilla Man seems to serve as the evil counterpart to the Warriors' own primate member, Jason The Gibbon, although the two only interact briefly in #1. When Billy and Rocco are caught spying outside their new hideout by Gorilla Man, Jason escapes easily. Hiss Hole tells Gorilla Man to forget about him.

Often Gorilla Man is undone by his own dogged loyalty to his master coupled by his hot temper. A memorable example of this is in "Dizzy Doctors" when he throws a punch and accidentally smashes his fist through a soda machine, then can't get it out. When Hiss Hole summons him and the other mutants, he runs obediantly to his master--dragging the heavy machine along behind him, still attached to his hand!

Appearances

 * Hiss Hole Comes to Town, #1 (May 2005)
 * A Girl and Her Chair, #9 (Jan 2006)
 * Soul Feud, #13 (May 2006)
 * Demi-Jon, #19 (Nov 2006)
 * Junk Bonds, #32 (Dec 2007) (nonspeaking cameo)
 * Dizzy Doctors, #33 (Jan 2008)
 * The Nefarious Four, #37 (May 2008) (nonspeaking cameo)