Bumblebee

Origin

Karen Beecher met Mal Duncan when he was in the Teen Titans original team. They worked together on developing the Gabriel Horn, and it was during this project that they fell in love.

Because Karen felt that the Titans did not appreciate Mal, she went back to the drawing board and came up with the Bumblebee’s uniform and equipment. She broke into Titans Lair: a move which led the Titans to believe that she was an enemy.

Her true plan was meant to give Mal a chance to flex his powers and look good in front of the other titans, but Mal’s teammates defended him, this ended when Bumblebee escaped, with her identity still intact. Karen learned how much Mal’s friends respected and cared for him. Karen revealed her identity to Mal and also to the Titans, and she apologized for her actions. Eventually, Bumblebee joined the Teen Titans, she was a member until the group disbanded. Karen took night classes in physics, computer technology and political science.

Personality

Karen Beecher is very smart. In fact, she is one of the smartest characters in the DC universe. She is very focused, motivated, and grounded. She is someone who knows what she wants and knows how to get it. She is very strong-willded, but will often joke around with her teammates.

Physical Appearance

Bumblebee’s physical appearance usually depends on whoever is drawing her, but she is very beautiful. She has long, black curly hair that is someties parted two ways on two buns. She has a dark skin complexion with brown eyes. As a superhero, she wears her Bumblebee uniform. The Uniform is a yellow and black form-fitted body suit complete with two pairs of wings. The costume allows her to fire blasts, fly, and change her size.

Creation

Karen Beecher was created by writer Bob Rozakis and artist Irv Novick. She is DC’s first female black superhero.

Major Story Arcs

Teen Titans

Scientist Karen Beecher was the girlfriend of Teen Titans member the Herald (a.k.a. Mal Duncan). In order to help make Herald look good in front of the team, Beecher secretly made herself a bumblebee-themed supersuit and attacked the Teen Titans. She escaped without this ruse being revealed.

When she later explained to Mal and the Titans what she had done, they were impressed enough to offer her membership, which she accepted. She and Mal subsequently moved to the new Titans West team, having relocated to San Francisco. When the Titans team dissolved for a time, Karen and Mal married and ‘retired’ from superheroics. Karen took a job with S.T.A.R. Labs, where she designs non-lethal weaponry.

They have returned to crime-fighting from time to time to assist the team, most notably during a short-lived revival of Titans West and the JLA/Titans event, which reunited everyone involved with the team. A fight broke out over the fate of Victor Stone, Cyborg. Bumblebee personally fought Zauriel, a member of the Justice League. Despite the assistance of the current Supergirl, Bumblebee was swiftly defeated.

Following this, Mal and Karen briefly joined the latest incarnation of Titans West (now called Titans L.A.), but this incarnation of the team never really got off the ground, and the heroes returned to their lives of semi-retirement. Several years later, Mal and Karen briefly returned to action as part of a team of over two dozen past and present Titans who were called in to stop a rampaging Doctor Light.

Infinite Crisis and One Year Later

Bumblebee and her husband are among the heroes recruited by Donna Troy to help avert a coming crisis that threatened the existence of the universe. After a battle in space, most of the heroes were trapped by a Zeta Beam Ray that Adam Strange was hoping to use for teleporting the heroes away from the rift in space. Due to the ray interactions with the rift itself, the Zeta Ray altered Bumblebee’s physiology, apparently transferring her body mass to Hawkgirl. This left Bumblebee approximately six inches in height and temporarily left Hawkgirl some 25 feet tall

Doom Patrol

Karen is a member of the Doom Patrol. Due to medicinal efforts from Dr. Caulder, she has grown to a height of seven inches, and she can live in a dollhouse.

As of Doom Patrol (vol. 5) #1, Karen is now a divorcée. In issue #18, Karen rejoined the team after months of inactivity due to her divorce from Malcolm. Now sporting a new costume and a Beehive hairdo, Karen returned to active duty just in time for a confrontation with the Secret Six, who had come to the team’s home of Oolong Island in order to claim it in the name of a teenaged crime lord.^[4] In the ensuing battle, Bumblebee inexplicably vanishes after a brief tussel with Bane, while her teammates ultimately fight the Six to a draw. As the members of the Secret Six are being forcibly deported from Oolong, Elasti-Girl stops Rag Doll and forces him to empty out his pockets, where Karen is found tied up with her mouth duct-taped shut. Ragdoll reluctantly returns Bumblebee to her teammates, telling them that he had wanted to keep her as a “souvenir”.

Following the disbandment of the Doom Patrol, Bumblebee appears as one of the former Titans who arrives at Titans Tower to repel Superboy-Prime and the Legion of Doom.

Titans Hunt

In the DC Rebirth continuity, Karen is the pregnant wife of Mal Duncan. She later reveals that she has the power to fire energy blasts from her hands, which comes in handy during the former Teen Titans’ battle with Mister Twister. At the end of the fight, she goes into labor and eventually gives birth.

Personal Information

First Appearance: Teen Titans (first series) #45 (December 1976)

Status: Super Hero

Citizen Name: Karen Bbeecher-Duncan

Occupation: Scientist, Research engineer, and writer

Base: San Francisco, California

Height: 5 Feet 9 Inches

Weight: 130 pounds

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Brown

Powers & Abilities

Karen had no special powers, however she is a high intellectually gifted young woman. She designed and created a power-suit that grants her with a number of superhuman abilities. She has the ability to fly, as well as enhanced strength & durability. She can manipulation her size and project energy. It also allows her to create powerful sonic blasts. At times, she has used other bee-themed gadgets as well (honey entangles, electric stings, U-V vision, etc).

Karen as of in Rebirth has gained access naturally to powers, She is able to shrink herself at will, move at Superhuman Speed, Superhuman Reflexes, Energy Projection, and with the use of her Biometric Exo-Suit she has the ability to fly.

Other Media

Television

Teen Titans (2004)

In the Teen Titans cartoon series, Bumblebee is a member (and possibly the leader) of Titans East, originally seen working undercover as a member of Brother Blood‘s H.I.V.E. Academy. This version of Bumblebee can shrink down in size while growing wings for flight, and fires electrical blasts from two weapons shaped like the letter “B”, giving her similarities to Wasp of Marvel Comic fame.

She initially has an antagonistic relationship with Cyborg, but the two later become friends. She makes her second last appearance in Season 5 episode, “Calling all Titans” where she is captured by Punk Rocket and Angel. She then makes another appearance in the next episode, Titans Together alongside Starfire and Red Star, where it appears she has escaped and defeated Angel and Punk Rocket. Along with all the other Teen Titans, she goes into an ultimate showdown with the Brotherhood of Evil, which ends with the Titans winning. Later, she is seen at the end of the episode among the other Titans waiting to take down a very surprised Dr Light.

Young Justice

We are introduced to Karen Beecher in episode 10 of Young Justice, ‘Targets‘. She appears to be a popular girl who is part of the cheerleaders who are coincidentally called the Bumblebees. We are led to believe that she is dating Mal Duncan. She is voiced by Masassa Moyo.

Young Justice: Invasion

In the sequel series, set five years after the original, Karen is now an official member of the Team as Bumblebee. She is a student of the Atom, presumably explaining her shrinking abilities. She is now dating Mal Duncan, but their relationship is shown to be somewhat strained because of how busy she usually is with working. However, the two of them worked out their differences by the end of the series.

Teen Titans Go!

Bumblebee make several appearences in the show. She has never have a speaking role yet even though she is what someone would consider a regular in this show.

DC Super Hero Girl’s

Bumblebee appears in the web series DC Super Hero Girls, voiced by Teala Dunn. She is a student at Super Hero High and is one of the 7 main character’s on the show.

Films

Justice League: Gods & Monster’s

Karen is part of the group of scientists responsible of the creation of the “Fair Play Program” meant to take down the Justice League in case they turn into a threat. She is first seen discussing with Will Magnus after the death of several members. After that she attends to a meeting with the surviving members where they are killed by the Metal Men. She is voiced by Kari Wahlgren.

DC Super Hero Girl’s: Super Hero High

Bumble Bee is one of the main characters and is voiced by Teala Dunn. She is a student at Superhero High and in this film befriends Supergirl, and helps her reach her full potential as a hero.

DC Super Hero Girl’s: Hero of the Year

Bumble Bee is one of the heroes nominated to Hero of the Year. After her suit is damaged during a fight with Dark Opal, she stars losing power but manages to help to save the day. Later, she repairs her suit with Supergirl’s crystal, and win the Hero of the Year Award. She is voiced by Teela Dunn.

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract

Bumblebee appears in a flashback five years prior the beginning of the story. She is shown with the original Titans (Robin, Beast Boy, Speedy and Kid Flash). She witnesses Starfire arrival to Earth, and helps her against some soldiers from her homeworld that are trying to capture her. After they defeats them, Starfire joins the team. She is voiced by Masasa Moyo.

DC Super Hero Girl’s: Intergalactic Games

Bumblebee is one of the main characters in the film. She appears at the beginning fighting the Metal Men. Then, she is present, as part of the IT group, when they decided to destroy them because they are too dangerous.

She is also one of the contestants in the Intergalactic game. She is part of a robot fight, partnering with Batgirl, against Lobo and Mongal. She destroys Lobo’s robot winning the game.

As part of the team in the final game, she in present in Lena Luthor attack and fights the robots commanded by Kryptomites. She then fight against Brainiac and provides an Anti-Kryptonite suit for Supergirl.

She is voiced by Teala Dunn.

LEGO DC Super Hero Girls

Bumblebee debuted in Season 1, Episode 1 “Body Building.”

Lego DC Super Hero Girls: Brain Drain

Bumblebee is one of the many characters in the direct to DVD film, “Lego DC Super Hero Girls: Brain Drain” by WB. She was first seen with Katana stealing magic jewels when Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and Supergirl came to stop them. It is important to note that Katana and her were being mind controlled.

Teala Dunn reprises her role.

Teen Titans Go To The Movies! DC Super Hero Girls: The Late Batsy

Before the Movie Teen Titans Go movie starts, there is a clip of the New upcoming DC Superhero Girls playing. The story follows Batgirl who wanted to go fight crime with her teammates, but can’t because her dad is still up. She pleads for the team to wait for her, but they do not want to since Mr. Freeze was destroying the city. Bumble Bee is one of her teammates who was waiting on Batsy. She also got a new costume to go along with the new animation style.

Video Games

Teen Titans

Bumblebee appears as an unlockable character in the Teen Titans console game, voiced by T’Keyah Crystal Keymáh.

Young Justice: Legacy

Bumblebee appears as a playable character in Young Justice: Legacy, voiced by Masasa Moyo. She is a part of a DLC character pack which allows you to play as some of the season 2 characters.