Vixen (character)

Vixen is a superheroine appearing in American comics books published by DC Comics. Created by Gerry Conway and Bob Oksner, she first appeared in Action Comics #521 (July,1981), in a Superman story, working alongside the superhero to catch a poacher. An African superhero, she is considered one of the earliest created black superheroes in comics.

Hailing from the fictional African nation Zambesi, Mari Jiwe (later Mari Jiwe McCabe when she travelled to America) is a metahuman who inherited the Tantu Totem, an artifact that allows the bearer to channel (or enhance the power to channel) the characteristics of animals. The character's background has varied, being a descendant of Tantu, the warrior gifted the totem by Anansi, and later the aforementioned African god. While also simultaneously a fashion model and businesswoman, the character is also the superhero "Vixen" affiliated with numerous superhero teams, including the Justice League (and derivates such as Justice League Detroit and Justice League International) and the Suicide Squad. She has operated in different cities throughout her life, both as a fashion model and as a superheroine, with the main city in which she operates being Metropolis.

The character has been adapted in various DC Comics-related media, including the DCAU Justice League Unlimited and Injustice 2 as an alternate "skin" of Cheetah with her own lines while sharing a move-set. Two versions of the character appeared in The CW's Arrowverse. The Mari McCabe version debuted in the CW Seed animated series Vixen, voiced by Megalyn Echikunwoke, who also reprised her role in an episode of the live-action Arrowverse series, Arrow. Legends of Tomorrow introduced a World War II–era Vixen and Mari's grandmother, Amaya Jiwe, portrayed by Maisie Richardson-Sellers.