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Vixen

Vixen

155 appearances · Bronze Age · 1978–2026 · 5 key issues
Who is Vixen?

Mari Jiwe McCabe is an African-born model and superhero who inherited the mystical Tantu Totem, a fox-shaped talisman said to have been created by the god Anansi. Channeling Earth's morphogenetic field—known as the Red—through the totem, she can mimic the abilities of any animal in existence.

Few characters have a debut story quite like Vixen's — she first surfaced in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #1 in 1978, a Bronze Age artifact born from DC's infamous inventory limbo, brought to life by Gerry Conway and Dick Ayers. What makes her arc genuinely remarkable is that this inauspicious beginning gave way to nearly five decades of continuous presence in the DC Universe, with 152 catalog appearances and five key collector issues marking the milestones along the way. She's found her greatest stage in the pages of Justice League of America, Action Comics Weekly, and DC Comics: Bombshells, sharing adventures with the absolute top tier of DC's roster — Batman, Superman, and The Flash among them. That kind of company, sustained across 48 years, tells you everything: Vixen is no footnote, she's a genuine pillar of the DC Bronze Age and beyond, and any serious collector owes it to themselves to explore her run.

Identity

Real name. Mari Jiwe McCabe

Powers. Vixen wields an object called the Tantu Totem, a fox-shaped talisman, which enables her to tap into the "morphogenetic field" of the Earth, sometimes known as the Red. This allows her to mimic the abilities of any animal she can think of. The Totem is not the source of her powers but rather helps her channel the power.

Teams & affiliations
Justice League
★ First appearance
Action Comics #521
Jul 1981

Trivia

  • Vixen holds the bittersweet distinction of being poised to become DC's first Black female superhero to headline her own solo series — a milestone that was cruelly snatched away when the DC Implosion axed the book before a single issue could hit the stands.cbr.com

Top series

Covers through the years — 1978–2023

The Flash #266 1978
The Flash #266
Justice League of America #242 1985
Justice League of America #242
Action Comics Weekly #637 1989
Action Comics Weekly #637
Justice League Task Force #7 1993
Justice League Task Force #7
JLA #26 1999
JLA #26
JLA / JSA: Virtue and Vice #[nn] 2003
JLA / JSA: Virtue and Vice #[nn]
Firestorm #22 2006
Firestorm #22
Vixen: Return of the Lion #2 2009
Vixen: Return of the Lion #2
The Animal Man Omnibus #[nn] 2013
The Animal Man Omnibus #[nn]
Identity Crisis #[nn] 2016
Identity Crisis #[nn]
Justice League of America by Brad Meltzer: The Deluxe Edition #[nn] 2020
Justice League of America by Brad Meltzer: The Deluxe Edition #[nn]
The Other History of the DC Universe #[nn] 2023
The Other History of the DC Universe #[nn]

Appearances (151–155 of 155, oldest first)

Detective Comics (2011)
Jenny Sparks (2024)
#7
Batgirl (2025)
#7
DC Finest: Justice League of America: The Return (2025)
Michel Fiffe Portfolio (2016)
#2