Super Hero Of The Week, 7/14/12

Super Hero Of The Week: 

Vixen (DC Comics)

Vixen (Mari Jiwe McCabe) is a character, a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics universe. She debuted in Action Comics #521 (July 1981), and was created by Gerry Conway and Bob Oksner.

Alter ego: 
Mari Jiwe McCabe

Abilities:
Mimics the abilities of any animal that has ever lived on Earth

In ancient Africa, there was a legend that the warrior Tantu asked Anansi the Spider to create a totem that would give the wearer all of the powers of the animal kingdom, if they would use the power to protect the innocent. As shown in the pages of Animal Man, it is possible that the "Anansi" who Tantu met, may have been a member of the alien race who gave Buddy Baker the ability to "tap the morphogenetic field" — or, as shown in the pages of Justice League, the aliens may have been Anansi in disguise. This field allows Buddy to imitate the abilities of nearby animals. According to the Animal Man series, Mari's Tantu totem may tap into that same field. Tantu used the totem to become Africa's first legendary hero. The totem was later passed down to Tantu's descendants until it reached the McCabes.
Growing up in a small African village in the fictional nation of Zambesi, M'Changa province, Mari Jiwe McCabe hears the legend of the "Tantu Totem" from her mother. Sometime later, Mari's mother is killed by poachers and she is raised by her father Reverend Richard Jiwe, the village priest. Reverend Jiwe himself is killed by his half-brother (Mari's uncle) General Maksai. Maksai wants the Tantu Totem, which Jiwe had possessed.
Mari moves to America, where she establishes an identity as Mari McCabe and gets a job as a model in New York City. She uses her newfound wealth to travel the world. On a trip back to Africa, she comes across her uncle and takes back the Tantu Totem, using its power to become the costumed superhero Vixen.

Via Wikipedia