Zabu

Origin

Zabu was the last sabre-toothed cat in the Savage Land. Zabu was born in the Savage Land. His mother and siblings were killed by a local tribe. After that, Zabu was adopted by a pack of wolves, but ran away because he killed the eldest wolf cub in a fight for leadership.

Zabu wandered the Savage Land, teaching himself how to survive. After his first birthday, he encountered his first female which became his mate. Maa-Gor, a leader of a tribe was hunting and killing sabre-tooth tigers, making them almost extinct. Maa-Gor and his men killed Zabu’s mate. Zabu, angry, attacked them and was about to attack a boy called Kevin Plunder. Maa-Gor killed his father and would’ve probably killed him, if Zabu didn’t attack. Maa-Gor fought back as he was about to throw a spear to Zabu, but Kevin shot Maa-Gor with his father’s gun.

After that, they both became friends. As Ka-Zar made contact outside of the Savage Land, he would often bring Zabu on his trips.

Other Versions

Zabu and the Pet Avengers

As the Pet Avengers traveled their way through the Savage land, Zabu saved them from a T-Rex that attacked them. And he later joined the team in their quest to try and find the Infinity Gems. As Zabu joined the team, he then helped them battle against Devil Dinosaur and Thanos as well as surviving being swallowed by Giganto in the undersea world. But after they managed to recover all the gems, Zabu was teleported back to his homeland along with all the other Pet Avengers. But he may rejoin with the Pet Avengers on yet another mission for the animal heroes.

Character Profile

• Height: 4′ (at the shoulders)
• Weight: 800 lbs
• Eye Color: Green
• Hair Color: Orange
• Species: Smilodon (Sabre-Toothed Tiger)
• Place of Birth: Savage Land
• Known Masters: Ka-Zar/Kevin Plunder
• Distinguishing features: Two sabre-like fangs

Powers:

He has two long saber-like teeth. great strength and agility. He is unusually intelligent for a saber-tooth tiger. His lifespan extended by gases in the Savage Land’s “Place of Mists”

In Other Media

Television

• Zabu appeared in the Spider-Man episode “The Hunter and the Hunted,” where he was menaced by Kraven the Hunter.
• Zabu appeared in the two-part X-Men: The Animated Series episode “Reunion.
• Zabu appeared in The Super Hero Squad Show episode “Stranger From a Savage Land!”
• Zabu appeared in the Ultimate Spider-Man episode “The Savage Spider-Man.” Ka-Zar and Zabu later joined the New Warriors.

Merchandise

• Ka-Zar and Zab were featured in the X-Men: Savage Land line from ToyBiz during the 1990s.
• Bowen Designs produced a bust featuring Ka-Zar and Zabu.
• Ka-Zar and Zabu were featured in The Classic Marvel Figurine Collection from Eaglemoss Publications.
• Ka-Zar and Zabu were featured in the HeroClix figure game.
• Ka-Zar, Shanna and Zabu appeared in a special Marvel Legends box set, which was produced by Hasbro as a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive.