Publication History

The first Ka-Zar, David Rand, was first published in Ka-Zar 1 (Oct. 1936), making him the first Marvel Comics character.

The second Ka-Zar, Kevin Reginald Plunder, is similar to the first one and was first published in X-Men 10 (March 1965). It was believed this was the same character with a retconned origin, but recent handbook entries confirms they are separate characters.

Origin - Kevin Plunder

Kevin's father, Lord Robert Plunder, discovered the hidden jungle in the Antarctic continent that became known as the Savage Land.

A tribe of barbaric Man-Apes killed Lord Plunder, but as they attacked Kevin they were driven off by Zabu, the last survivor of a species of sabre-toothed tiger that the Man-Apes had hunted to near extinction.

Immediately forming an empathic bond, Zabu took Kevin to the Land of Mists, a region where the Man-Apes refused to set foot. The encounter soon passed into the Man-Apes' legends, and young kevin was given the name Ka-Zar, which means son of the tiger.

Young Kevin had banished most of the memories of his childhood as a pampered son of nobility, and came to think and act like a "savage". Ka-Zar grew up in the Land of Mists alongside Zabu, who taught him how to survive in the Savage Land.

Ka-Zar has teamed up with several of Marvel heroes. The X-Men are recurrent visitors to the Savage Land and Ka-Zar has been a frequent ally, helping the mutant team defeat both inside and outside menaces.

One day Kevin came upon an adventurer who had become lost in the jungle. Her name was Shanna O'Hara, later known as Shanna the She-Devil. Ka-Zar and Shanna became romantically involved and eventually married.

Powers

Ka-Zar has no super-Human powers, but he has peak human physical condition and is very skilled in hunting, tracking, trapping, fishing, swimming and has great overall survival skills.