Grodd (Arrowverse)

NOTE: This article is about the incarnation of Gorilla Grodd from the Arrowverse. The mainstream version can be found here: Gorilla Grodd.

Grodd is a recurring/major antagonist in the TV show The Flash and its spin-off series DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

Initially a gorilla experimented on by S.T.A.R. Labs, Grodd forms a strong relationship with both Harrison Wells and Caitlyn Snow. After the explosion of the particle accelerator, Grodd became the only known animal meta-human and gained the power of intelligence and mind-control. After being used by Eobard Thawne to fight the Flash, Grodd starts stealing chemicals with which he intends to create more sentient gorillas. After this plan is foiled by the Flash as well, Grodd is cast through a breach to Earth-2, where he arrives in Gorilla City. Craving to return home, Grodd plots against the city's leader Solovar, eventually usurping him and leading the gorilla army against Earth 1. His plan failed and the gorilla remained on Earth-1, while still posing a great threat to both Flash and humanity.

He is portrayed by Simon Burnett and voiced by David Sobolov.

Biography

Test subject

Four years before the particle accelerator accident Grodd was kept as a test subject in S.T.A.R. Labs. He was scheduled to be part of enhanced gene therapy experiments conducted by Harrison Wells and Wade Eiling, the latter of whom wanted to explore the possibilities of mind control, torturing Grodd in a similar manner to that in which he tortured Martin Stein. However once Wells discovered Eiling's inhumane methods he shut down the program but decided on other plans for Grodd himself.  Along with Wells, Caitlin also grew fond of Grodd and often visited him in his cage.

When the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator exploded, the dark matter it released activated the drugs and medicines Eiling and his men had administered to Grodd, awakening his psychic powers. The gorilla then destroyed his cage and escaped. Thawne showed the cage to Barry Allen when he was taking him around S.T.A.R. Labs.

Living in the sewers and working with Wells

He took up residence in a sewer and began carving his own name into a wall repeatedly. He was encountered by workmen, who attempted to run but were attacked (and seemingly killed) by Grodd. Later, the Reverse-Flash abducted Wade Eiling and brought him to Grodd, revealing his identity as Harrison Wells. Grodd displayed telepathic powers, as Eiling could "hear" someone talking in his head and mentioned God. Grodd corrected him and said his own name before grabbed Eiling from behind and drag him away.Three months later, after Wells is exposed as the Reverse-Flash, he sends Grodd to distract Barry Allen's team.

To that end, Grodd mentally controls Eiling into attacking a gold reserve. As the Flash arrived on scene, Grodd, using Eiling as a conduit, incapacitated Barry by bombarding with mental hallucinations of Eiling's experiments on him, before having his puppet flee the scene. Grodd continued to control Eiling by attacking a police escort before he was captured by Barry and imprisoned in the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator. Grodd communicated through Eiling, acknowledging Barry and Caitlin Snow by name. Grodd later kidnapped Joe West when he, Barry and Cisco Ramon were searching the sewers for him. When Joe pulled out his gun, Grodd used his powers to make Joe point his gun at himself, but doesn't fire it while showing how he dislikes guns and bananas. Later, Cisco and Caitlin force Grodd away from Joe by remotely venting steam pipes so he'd be far enough for Barry, who was protected against his telepathy with a headband, to hit him with a super sonic punch, but Grodd's sheer size and strength enabled him catch his fist and lift Barry into the air by the neck. As he tossed the Flash through a brick wall into a subway tunnel, the latter lost his headband, allowing Grodd to mentally attack him again, crippling him as an oncoming train was approaching.

However, with help from Iris West's motivation, Barry obtained the will to overcome Grodd's attack and evaded the train. Grodd leaped at Barry, who dodged the attack, and the gorilla was hit by a second train. However, Grodd survived and made his way to the surface, climbing and jumping off a building, furious.

Sent to Earth-2

Grodd returns, using his mind control powers to force various people into stealing neuro-enhancing chemicals. With his power he also takes control of Caitlin, forcing her to hit Cisco in the face and leave S.T.A.R. Labs. Eventually, Barry's team finds out that Grodd is back but it is too late for them to save Caitlin who is taken by the gorilla right outside S.T.A.R. Labs.

When Caitlin wakes up at Grodd's bell tower hideout, she sees the stolen chemicals and formulas written to the walls. She is then addressed by Grodd, who remembers that she was kind to him when he was a lab ape. Grodd tells Cailtin that he needs help to understand how he became Grodd. After being told so, Grodd orders Caitlin to create more like him. When Caitlin tells him that she doesn't know how to do that, Grodd tells her to learn it. At S.T.A.R. Labs, Harrison Wells finds three possible locations where Grodd could possible hide. Planning to pose Earth-2's Harrison Wells at the Reverse-Flash, they intend to extract Caitlin. Eventually reaching the third location, Wells confronts Grodd. However, Grodd realizes that he is being fooled because the real Reverse-Flash wouldn't have asked for permission to extract Caitlin. Grodd attacks Wells and Cisco sneaks in to get Caitlin. To escape, Wells injects Grodd with some of the chemicals Grodd stole. While Grodd is knocked out, Wells, Cisco and Caitlin escape from the bell tower.

To get rid of Grodd without killing him, the Flash and his team plan to send Grodd through a breach to a refuge for scientific experiment gorillas on Earth-2. Barry manages to lure Grodd near the breach but there he is attacked by the gorilla. Caitlin talks to Grodd, claiming that he needs to let Flash go. Grodd is sad because he thinks that now Caitlin is his enemy too and advances onto Caitlin. In that moment, Cisco activates the breach which grabs hold of Grodd. However, Grodd struggles and slowly manages to get out of the breache's range. Barry then uses a sonic punch to hit Grodd who is sucked though the breach and arrives on the jungle on Earth-2. Grodd finds himself near Gorilla City, a city in the african jungle populated by sentient gorillas.

Gorilla City

On Earth-2, Grodd eventually captures Harrison Wells and brings him to Gorilla City. Wells' daughter Jessie Quick travels to Earth-1 to ask Barry and Team Flash for help. From the information they get from Jessie, Team Flash assumes that Grodd is planning something to get back to Earth-1 and that he needs Wells for it.

However, once Barry, Cisco, Caitlyn and Julian arrive, they are all stung by sleep darts and captured by a gorilla group led by Grodd. When they regain consciousness, they find themselves in cages inside Gorilla City. Wells is also captured and in a cage nearby. Furthermore, Grodd has found a way to dampen the entire teams powers. Grodd speaks to Barry and the team through Wells, revealing that he took Wells to lure in Barry and that he needs Barry's help. Grodd reveals that he hates Gorilla City, as he is forced to serve under the rule of Solovar. Grodd adds that Solovar wants to rule humanity as well and intends to conquer Earth-1. Grodd claims that he has come to make a deal with Barry. As Solovar will fight Barry in the arena to execute him, Grodd proposes that Barry kills him to show the other gorillas Solovar's weakness which would lead to Grodd becoming the new leader. Grodd promises that, should Barry do this, Grodd would refrain from attacking Earth-1 and swears to keep the gorillas in Gorilla City. Moments later, the telepathical connection to Wells breaks and Grodd appears in the prison complex in person.

Both Solovar and Grodd approach the cages and Solovar, angry that Grodd has not informed him that more people have been captured, strikes Grodd. Solovar then claims that Barry and his team must have come to study the gorillas for potential weaknesses or, worse, to make them their pets. Despite Barry arguing that they have only come for Wells, Solovar sentences them to death in the arena. However, after he has defeated Solovar in battle, Barry refuses to kill Solovar. An angry Grodd orders Barry sleep-darted once more and when Barry regains consciousness, he is back in his cell. Grodd contacts him through Wells once more, revealing that he will not let Barry and his friends go and that he never had any intention of doing so. He tells Barry that he himself had no chance of defeating Solovar in combat and that with Solovar being defeated by Barry, Grodd is now the leader of Gorilla City. Barry realizes that Solovar had never any intention of attacking Earth-1, however, Grodd has. Grodd confirms this, claiming that he will take back the Earth that he was banished from. He also states that the Gorillas are even more afraid now that Barry has defeated Solovar.

After his true intentions are revealed, Grodd confirms that he still needs Barry and his team, specifically Cisco, to open a breach to Earth-1 in order for his army to invade. He then leaves Wells' body and comes down into the prison himself, claiming that he does not need Barry who will be killed.

To escape captivity, Barry fakes his death by help of Caitlyn's cold powers. After Grodd enters Barry's cage and ensures that Barry is dead by feeling that he is cold, Grodd drags the body out of his cell and tosses him inside a corner. After Grodd has gone, Barry frees his friends. When they flee into the forest to open a breach, the team is pursued by Grodd. Although he almost catches up with the team, Grodd is too late to capture any of the escapees. After realizing that he has failed, Grodd lets out an angry scream.

Although his plans with Cisco have failed, Grodd gets hold of another breacher, Gypsy. He orders her to open a breach to Earth-1 so that he and his army of gorillas can invade.

Attack on Earth-1

After Gypsy successfully brings Grodd and his entire army into the forest near Earth-1's Central City, he sends her to kill Barry and the rest. However, Gypsy is captured and after the team manages to free her from Grodd's influence she tells them that Grodd is coming. Gypsy also reveals that she saw Grodd's intentions for the city when he controlled her, he wants to annihilate the entire city and kill or torture all of its inhabitants.

By using his vibe powers, Cisco is able to locate the exact point of Grodd's attack. Barry and the team head there immediately but when they arrive, Grodd mentally gets hold of Joe West and, remembering that he means a lot to Barry, forces Joe to press his gun at his head. Through Joe, Grodd warns Barry that Grodd will kill any humans he finds in the city after Bary and the others have fallen. Grodd then forces Joe to press the trigger but Barry speeds at him and moves him out of the way. After Joe is saved, Barry and the team realize that this was only a distraction and that Grodd is not coming. Meanwhile, Grodd attacks a military convoy and captures US general Matthew McNally.

To find the point Grodd truly intends to attack, the team analyzes the remainder of Grodd's presence inside Joe's brain. This causes Joe to draw McNally's face. Meanwhille, Grodd forces the general to head inside Fort Reynolds, a military base near the city where a nuclear missile is stored. McNally starts the missile launch sequence but Barry speeds to the launcher and deactivates the apparatus, successfully aborting the launch. After Grodd realizes that his plan has failed, he decides to take on the city himself and orders his army to attack.

When the gorilla army waltzes into the city, they are confronted by Barry, Wally and Jessie. Although Jessie and Wally manage to fend off some of the apes, Barry fails to defeat Grodd and is hurled away when he tries to attack. Moments later, the other gorillas hurl away the other two speedsters as well.

After the speedsters have lost the first fight, Grodd taunts Barry and claims that there is only one way of stopping Grodd - killing him. However, Grodd knows that Barry would never kill and thus belives himself victorious. Barry claims that this is correct but adds that Barry is not the only one who wants to stopp Grodd. At this moment, a breach opens from which Cisco, Gypsy and Solovar enter the scene. Solovar challenges Grodd and Grodd accepts the challenge, leading to a vicious battle between the two primates over the rooftops of Central City. Eventually, Solovar throws Grodd off the building and Grodd falls onto the street below. With Grodd's defeat, the gorillas submit to Solovar once more. However, when Solovar raises his spear to kill Grodd he is stopped by Barry who asks for Grodd's life to be spared. Solovar agrees, as Barry spared his life earlier. Solovar and the gorillas are brought back to Earth-2 except Grodd who is left on Earth-1. Grodd is delivered to A.R.G.U.S. where he is imprisoned.

When Barry invades the A.R.G.U.S. headquarter together with Leonard Snart, they walk past Grodd's holding cell. Snart asks Barry what or who Grodd is and Barry reveals their past history, also adding that Grodd attacked the city after Barry spared Grodd's life.

Moved in time

Because of an anachronism, Grodd is displaced in time and ends up in Vietnam in 1967, where he starts building a new empire, planning to bring peace to mankind by starting a nuclear war that would place "All Nations Under Grodd". In order for his plan to work, Grodd controls the mind of the population of a secluded village in the jungle. When a group of American soldiers arrive near the village, Grodds heads out and takes them out, leaving just one survivor.

He allows the survivor to return back to base in order to give the other soldiers the message "Stay out of the jungle". This, however, draws in the Legends who start investigate the event. They find one of the villagers and - unaware that she is being controlled by Grodd - agree to let her lead them to whatever has attacked the soldiers. Meanwhile, Grodd sends out several of his brainwashed soldiers - US soldiers that got too close to his sanctuary - but they are killed by Mick Rory and his father, who is actually a soldier in the war. Eventually, the Legends arrive at the village and are introduced to Grodd, who welcomes them to his kingdom. As the Legends have stated to be journalists, Grodd wants them to carry his message into the world.

While the rest of the "journalists" walk through the village and document what they see, Amaya sneaks into Grodd's lair in order to take him down. However, once she gets closer to him, Grodd breaks into her mind, cauusing her pain and forcing her to destroy the weapon she is carrying. Grodd angrily asks her whether this is how she repays his hospitality and sends images of atrocities committed by humans into her head in order to convince her that humanity is flawed and evil. He states that his wish is to bring humankind peace but when Amaya asks how he plans to do that, Grodd only smirks. At the same time, Zari realizes that Grodd plans to attack the convoy of the US president, who is currently visiting a base in Vietnam.

After all journalists are captured, Grodd holds a speech to his followers and claims that the president will pay for his atrocities. However, Amaya wrenches free and speaks to Grodd, acknowledging the horror humanity as wrought and that humans have hurt Grodd. However, she offers to take Grodd back into his own time, revealing that they are time travellers. Grodd refuses to return and states that there is only pain where he comes from. Amaya then offers to bring Grodd to a time before humans so that they can never hurt him again. When Grodd asks how he could trust her, Amaya uses her animal totem to get Gorilla powers herself. Grodd calms down and seems to agree but before they can leave, the US military attacks the village. Outraged, Grodd accuses Amaya of having betrayed him and although she tries to explain that they have nothing to do with the attack, Grodd does not listen anymore. In his fury, he reveals that he now plans to use the Waverider - the Legends' time machine - to exterminate humans altogether by erasing humanity from existence before it can evolve.

Grodd flees into the jungle and heads in the direction of the Waverider. He jumps onto the time ship before it can lift off and despite Martin Stein's best efforts, cannot be shaken off. To stop Stein, Grodd takes mind-control of Sara Lance, who has been comatose until now, and forces her to attack Stein. However, is knocked out by Isaac Newton, who is a guest aboard the Waverider, and Stein gets rid of Grodd by teleporting the ship away - causing Grodd to fall into the napalm struck forest below him. Grodd is saved from certain death by Damien Darhk, who pulls him into the present day, and recruited to join the agenda of the demon Mallus, which from now on allows him to time travel with a single thought.

Working for Mallus

On Mallus orders, Grodd confronts the director of the Time Bureau, Bennet, and viciously mauls him to death. As Mallus' resurrection draws near, he sends out two teams of henchmen to different time periods in order to break time completely and shatter the cage of time he is imprisoned in. Grodd is a team of his own and is sent to murder Barack Obama in his teens. As Grodd breaks into Obama's room, he states that it will be an honor to kill him.

Obama flees from his room but is pursued by Grodd, who eventually confronts him out in the open. Although the gorilla is clearly bent on killing him to fulfil his mission, Obama attempts to negotiate. Nonetheless, Grodd grabs him and lifts him into the air. While he strangles Obama, Mallus is drawn into the world but when the Legends show up in the last minute and attack Grodd with fire, he drops Obama and Mallus is imprisoned again without even having been fully released. Nonetheless, Grodd gets back up and calls Rory, who was the one to attack him, a hairless ape who fights with fire. Before he can strike, however, Ray Palmer shrinks Grodd down with his shrink ray and puts the miniature gorilla in a jar.

The Legends then plan to allow Mallus to be released by changing history themselves and preventing Zambesi from being destroyed. They plan to then defeat Mallus by using the totems but while they wait for Mallus' transformation, Darhk frees Grodd and returns him to his normal size. Angry for his imprisonment, he then turns to destroy the nearby village - Zambesi - and by doing so inadvertedly prevents the release of Mallus. Before he can destroy the village, Grodd is confronted by Esi who uses her totem to fight the gorilla. Although Esi is able to hold her own at first, Grodd eventually kicks her back. He then uses his telepathic power to freeze Esi, causing the old Amaya to attack him. Grodd delivers a powerful blow to Amaya, knocking her down, but Nate then appears with the Earth Totem and creates a powerful tremor that hurls Grodd far away into the wilderness.

Fighting King Shark

Due to DeVoe's actions the night of the Enlightenment, the A.R.G.U.S facility where Grodd was being held lost power. As a result, the meta-dampeners in Grodd's cell at were momentarily disabled, until generators came on, restoring power to the building. This gave him a window that he needed to take control of a guard's mind, forcing that guard to cut power to his cell, thereby allowing Grodd to escape.

Months later, he stole a device that Tanya Lamden was using on Shay Lamden/King Shark to suppress his more animalistic nature, which Grodd then used on himself to enhance his own psychic abilities, due to the crown causing his mind to grow, intending to take control of the minds of everyone in Central City. The Flash and XS tried to stop him, but Grodd was able to get the upper hand and make them unable to move, using his psychic abilities. He intended to complete his plan, but suddenly King Shark, who'd become an ally of Team Flash, came to stop him.

The two giants then engaged in a fierce battle. While Grodd seemed to gain the upper-hand, with a bit of help from Flash and XS, King Shark was able to come out on top, reclaiming the device from the evil gorilla. Grodd was then taken back into A.R.G.U.S. custody, where Caitlin and A.R.G.U.S.'s medical staff placed him in a medically-induced coma, thereby preventing him from being able to use his psychic powers. Furthermore, as an added stoppage measure, Cisco equipped Grodd's cell with improved power-dampeners, designed to upgrade themselves as Grodd's mind grew, due to the fact that his powers continued to grow stronger even after removing the crown.

Personality

As Grodd was raised in captivity and tortured since he was a youngling, all he saw was the worst of humanity and expected nothing less from the species. He refrained none of his strength from controlling or killing any humans he encountered. However, he is affectionate and trustworthy towards people who have showed him kindness before, such as Caitlin Snow or Eobard Thawne whom he considered his father.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Meta-gorilla physiology/Psychic serums enhancements: After Grodd was struck by the energy of the particle accelerator explosion but also due to all the drugs Eiling injected him with, this altered his DNA and supercharged his cells, augmenting his physiology into well-beyond normal gorilla condition.
  • Super agility: Grodd can scale a building and maneuver through sewers despite his large size with minimal effort. He can also move fairly quickly for his size. He was able to catch up with the Flash when he was goaded to chase him.
  • Super durability: Grodd is durable enough to survive getting hit by a train as well as take several super speed enhanced physical attacks from Barry unfazed, showing himself even more resilient than Tony Woodward's metallic form. However, with enough velocity behind his strikes, Barry can inflict some damage on him.
  • Super strength: Due to his unusually large size and modifications, Grodd has shown considerably high strength, far more than any other gorilla. With a single hand, he is able to easily lift a full-grown adult human male. As Barry attempted to perform a supersonic punch on Grodd, Grodd caught Barry's fist with relative ease and hurled him aside. His strikes can send people flying at great distances in the air, with enough force to make an impact with another surface fatal. Despite his mighty strength, he was not strong enough to defeat Solovar, or King Shark.
  • Telepathy: With the power to send neurological signals beyond himself and into others, Grodd gained mental-manipulation powers. Grodd most commonly uses this as a means to talk to others. This can also allow him to sense when people are near, quickly alerting him of the Flash running at him at Mach 1 speed. He can also control humans that are near him like puppets and maintain the control for prolonged periods of time. For offensive purposes, Grodd can overwhelm the minds of his enemies with his own negative memories and severely disorient and cripple them. Such attacks also can be projected via those under mind-control. Likewise, he is able to link his mind with the puppet's, allowing him to see and hear what they do. It would appear that his range of influence is only on what he can physically perceive through his senses. Those who have been continually exposed to Grodd's power appear to develop a lasting physic bond with him. Grodd can also control someone's actions while leaving them conscious as he did with Joe. He kidnapped Caitlinover mind control and when Cisco was talking to Caitlin, she punches him under Grodd's control. He can also mentally attack through the victim's own negative and traumatizing memories, as he did to Flash to make him see and feel Grodd's memories of being experimented on as if he were experiencing it himself. Barry managed to use his memories of Iris to counter this and continue to fight.
    • Mental detection: Being a telepath, Grodd can feel and detect the mind of others, as well as their intentions, emotions and mental states.
    • Mental shield: Being a telepath, Grodd can telepathically shield himself and others from mental intrusions with enough effort, such as preventing other telepaths from scanning his mind.
    • Psionic blasts: Being a telepath, Grodd can project a powerful "mental blast" than can hit the target mentally or leave them unconscious.
    • Psychic illusion: Being a telepath, Grodd can project realistic illusions in other people's minds and make them experience things that not actually happening, such as when he forced Barry to see the former's memories of being experimented upon by Wade Eiling.
    • Psychic translation: As a telepath, Grodd can psychically translate other languages; for example, he can translate human English and ape language.

Abilities

• Genius-level intellect/Expert tactician/Manipulator/Leader: Grodd's most noticeable and dangerous trait is his high intellect, making him a threat even to humanity and other meta-humans like the Flash. In 2015, after escaping S.T.A.R. Labs, Grodd went and lived in the sewers and started making math equations on the walls of his sewer home, with his intelligence rapidly expanding. Said intellect include changing the direction of Barry's sonic punch. Very calculating and methodical in every action he takes. He is able to plan for every plausible detail several steps ahead, a trait he learned from Eobard. By 2017, he was able to construct a plan in which helped him take control of Gorilla City and all of his other fellow Gorilla-kind. He also proved to be a strong leader of Gorilla City once Solovar lost his position.
  • Hand-to-hand combatant: Grodd is a capable close-range combatant shown in his fight with Solovar, however, he has stated he was no match for the latter which was proven when they fought in Central City.
  • Multilingual: Although he was using his telepathy, it can be assumed that Grodd is capable of fluently speaking English and animal languages. By 2017, he began speaking English fluently, through telepathy.

Weaknesses

• Consciousness: If Grodd is rendered unconscious, he's unable to use his powers, as mentioned when A.R.G.U.S. decided to put him in a medically-induced coma to keep him from posing any further threats.
• Power-dampening tech: Grodd's powers do not work while he is inside a power-dampening cell at A.R.G.U.S.'s headquarters.
• Non-sapient minds: Grodd is unable to control the minds of anything that does not have the same level of intelligence as humans. This made it difficult for him to control King Shark due to the fact that the latter has a more shark-like mind.

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