Animal Man

Origin

In his teen years Bernhard was a punk rocker.  One day he went into the Adirondack Mountains, he found an alien object which changed his biological structure.  This object connected him to the Red which is the Morphogenetic Field.  This holds every living animal together.  This granted him the power to gain the power of any animal in his vicinity.

History

Buddy decided to wear a costume and accidentally started to fight crime.  He retired and married Ellen Frazier then moved to San Diego.  He started to work as a stuntman.  Buddy had two children a boy named Cliff and a girl named Maxine.

After accidentally crashing into a pyramid, he talked to the Immortal Man.  They then found a group called the Forgotten Heroes.  The group disbanded after Immortal Man died, this gave him the feeling that he wanted to become a superhero again.  He resumed his Animal Man persona and fought villains.  He decided to start becoming protector of all animal life on earth.  He sabotaged organizations which hurt animals and stopped plenty of animal experiments all over the world.  When he was doing this, a scientist named James Highwater told him his powers were much bigger than he was using them for.  Buddy then became a member of the European branch of Justice League International.  Buddy then quit the team after someone died in a fire started by one of his animal activist groups.

Change of Power

Buddy began to work as a stuntman and still was a part-time hero.  His powers started to malfunction.  Whenever he absorbed an animals trait the animal would die.  Animals acted strange whenever he was in their vicinity.  He would then absorb an animal's appearance and behavior.  Buddy figured out he killed every animal in the San Diego zoo.  Buddy decided to take his family to Ellen's mother's house which was a farm.  His powers acted up due to the Shining Man.  While on the farm, Animal Man meets a shaman who told him he was a protector of nature.  With the other Animal Masters, Vixen and Tristess, he defeated the Shining Man.  Animal Man also learned his daughter was a Animal Master as well gaining abilities such as himself.

Buddy was looking for his son who had been kidnapped.  On his way to find his son, he was hit by a car and died.  His spirit went into different animals until he was reborn.  Buddy being dead to the rest of the world retired from the city and superheroics.

Animal Religion

Buddy was taken over by his animal instincts and made love with Cassidy.  He then, angry over what he did, went to Washington and caused mayhem with the other animal-attacking people.  He was arrested but soon let out.  Annie then came up with an idea of starting a church or religion, of animal rights.  The church grew very quickly.  Ellen couldn't deal with Buddy having an affair so she broke up with him.  Buddy, his kids, Cassidy, and Lucy traveled across the state picking up believers.  They then settled down in Montana.

Animal Man was with Starfire and Adam Strange when they were stranded on a paradise island.  They escaped with the help of Adam fixing his ship.  They were then attacked by Devilance.  Lobo comes and saves them.  They then fight another villain who kills Animal Man.  Starfire and Adam Strange leave Animal Man in space.  Animal Man comes back to life with the aliens who gave him his abilities standing over him.  They repair him and send him in space.  Here Animal Man reaches out and gains the ability of a Sun-Eater able to breath in space and having a homing sense.  Animal Man comes back to earth.  He rejoins with Starfire.  He lets her stay at his home due to her wounded condition.

Powers

Animal Man has the ability to access the Red.  Which gives him the power to access the ability of any animal in his vicinity.  Later on, he gains the ability to access every animals' ability, yet he doesn't know how to control it.  He then figures out he can access animals throughout the universe.

Animal Mimicry: Animal Man can mimic any ability of any animal. Such as if he gains the ability to fly he wont grow wings he will just fly. If he gains a dolphins ability to breath under water he wont grow gills. He have been able to also shapeshift into hybrids of the animals he's mimicking.

Animals he mimicked before.  (This is not the full list.)

The Strength of an Elephant or T-Rex.

The Flight of a bird.

The ability to breath in space and homing sense of a Sun-Eater.

The ability to breath underwater from a fish.

The sonar sense of a dolphin.

The speed of a cheetah.

The wall crawling of a spider.

The sonic blast of a pistol shrimp.

The sense of smell of a rabbit.

The stench of a skunk.

The color changing of a chameleon.

The agility of a cat.

The electricity of an eel.

The ability to grow lost limbs of a worm.

The reproduction abilities of protozoa.

The durability of a cockroach.

The animals ability he access are proportional to his size.  Such as if he gains the jumping ability of a frog.  He won't jump as high as a frog of that size but he will jump as high as a frog of his size.  But if he use an animal that is larger then him the ability doesn't shrink to fit his size.

Animal Man also can feel animals emotions and read their minds.  He can communicate with animals.  And control them.  He can transfer his mind into animals, this has no limit to how long he has escaped death using this ability.

Appearances

Action Comics 552-553

DC Comics Presents 77-78

Strange Adventures 180-205

Wonder Woman Volume 1 267-268

Animal Man 1-89

Aquaman Volume 3 35

Captain Atom 34, 38

The Children's Crusade 1

Crisis on Infinite Earths 10-12

Day of Judgment 4

Doom Patrol Volume 2 28-29

Hawkman Volume 4 16-17

Invasion! 3

JLA 27, 40-41

JLA Annual 3

JLA: Year One 12

JLA-Z 1

Justice League America 32

Justice League Europe 1-12

Justice League International Volume 1 24

Resurrection Man 24-27

Secret Origins Volume II 39

Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. 8

Superman: The Man of Steel 120

Time Masters 4

Totems 1

Vertigo Jam 1

War of the Gods 3-4

52 Week Sixteen

52 Week Seventeen

52 Week Nineteen

52 Week Twenty

52 Week Forty-Three

52 Week Forty-Seven

Countdown to Mystery 1-6

Justice League Unlimited 29

Teen Titans Volume 3 17-19

Family

Ellen Frazier Baker (wife)

Cliff (son)

Maxine (daughter)

Frank Baker, Jr. (father)

Phyllis (mother)

Frank, Sr (grandfather, deceased)

Teddy (great grandfather, deceased)

Sherman (great-great grandfather, deceased)

Jack (great-great-great grandfather, deceased)

Mary Frazier (mother-in-law)

Dudley (uncle-in-law, deceased)

Annie Cassidy (mother of second daughter)

Lucy Cassidy (half-sister of second daughter)

Gender-Male

Hight-6"

Weight-185 lbs

Eyes-Blue

Hair-Blonde