Growing up in a small village in the fictional nation of Zambesi, M'Changa province, Mari Jiwe McCabe heard the legend of the "Tantu Totem" from her mother. Sometime later, Mari's mother was killed by poachers and she was raised by her father Reverend Richard Jiwe, the village priest. Reverend Jiwe himself was killed by his half-brother (Mari's uncle) General Maksai. Maksai wanted the Tantu Totem, which Jiwe had possessed.
Fighting crime
Vixen made only two appearances as a solo crime fighter: once fighting poachers in India[8] and once fighting against the techno-psycho criminal Admiral Cerebrus.[9] She was a reluctant hero until the Justice League of America was reorganized by Aquaman. She applied for full-time League membership and was accepted.[10] During her time with the JLA, the totem was taken from her by General Maksai, who still sought its power.[11] The totem would only grant its full power to those who would use it to protect the innocent, and it caused Maksai to be transformed into a raging beast. Maksai died in battle with Vixen.[12] When the team faced the killer android Amazo, Vixen and several of her teammates were beaten into unconsciousness and then left bound and gagged in a walled-off pit. Vixen saved the lives of herself and her fellow Leaguers by using her powers to shatter her bonds and dig to freedom.[13] Vixen continued with that particular incarnation of the JLA until her teammates, Steel and Vibe, were killed, leading to Martian Manhunter disbanding the team.[14]
Around this time, Vixen teamed up with Animal Man. She traveled to his suburban house with knowledge of a mysterious, murderous force that was affecting Animal Man's powers. He found himself unable to access his powers correctly.[15]
Suicide Squad
Vixen returned to modeling, but a Caribbean photo session turned violent; Mari's colleagues were killed by drug smugglers. She appealed to the government, who turned the matter over to the Suicide Squad. She went undercover to capture the drug kingpin Cujo, whose appearance had been revealed by footage from the photo shoot. Along with Captain Boomerang and Black Orchid, she destroyed the operation, but not before she lost control and killed the criminal kingpin. Revolted by what she had become, she agreed to work with the Squad until her animal instincts could be curbed.[16] She worked with the Squad for some time, again seeing more teammates and friends killed. When it was disbanded for a year,[17] Mari returned to modeling and even launched a successful line of clothing. Her failed romance with Ben Turner (the Bronze Tiger) made Vixen decline an offer to rejoin the Squad. She realized that Turner needed mental support, and she reluctantly returned.[18] She ultimately gave up on a future with the Tiger, sensing that he would never admit to needing help, and left the team.[19]
Other adventures
After the Suicide Squad's heyday, Mari continued to do undercover work. She was drafted for at least one mission for Checkmate (the Squad's brother organization).[20] At some point, she assisted Oracle and the Birds of Prey. She went undercover to investigate a strange "superhero" cult, where the leader was using mind control and wound up brainwashed by him herself. The Huntress tried to help her and was nearly killed. Vixen regained her senses by channeling the stubbornness of a mule to hold back the mind control of the cult leader. She and Huntress then rescued the other brainwashed heroes.[21]
Vixen may still have had trouble controlling her animal side while using the totem, as witnessed when she worked alongside the Flash to stop Gorilla Grodd.[22] She also served on one mission with the Justice League Task Force,[23]
Infinite Crisis
After Sue Dibny is killed in the Identity Crisis miniseries, Vixen rejoined her Justice League colleagues. She was present when the original Firestorm died during a battle with the Shadow Thief. Vixen adopted a new uniform in Infinite Crisis #7, resembling her Justice League Unlimited counterpart.
One Year Later
Vixen was tricked into battle in Hub City by Solomon Grundy, who had gained increased intelligence following his resurrection.[27][28][29] Using her totem, Grundy planned to merge his spirit with Amazo's body and thus gain further power. Without her totem, Vixen found that her innate connection to the "Red", the 'essence' of animal life', was falling apart.[30] She managed to 'lock onto' the totem, but her mind became lost in a flock of migrating birds. After mimicking the abilities of a young boy, Vixen managed to regain her mind and quickly flew to New York to retrieve her totem.[31] Vixen literally dropped into the JLA battle against Amazo.[32] After the villains were subdued, Vixen became a charter member of the newly revamped
Justice League of America
Vixen's main story arc in the early issues of Justice League of America Vol. 2, revolved around a change in her powers; Vixen changed from no longer drawing on animal characteristics, but to drawing on the powers of those around her. She matched others' skill levels and, as she suspected, drained powers from them. Superman was first to catch on to this and she subsequently revealed it to Red Arrow.[34]
Vixen sought out her former Suicide Squad teammate Bronze Tiger to discuss her situation, and subsequently admitted everything to the League.[35] Chairperson Black Canary instructed her to hand in her credentials and removed her from the team. Afterward, Dinah discussed with Mari the possibility of fixing the properties of the totem with the assistance of Zatanna.
When Zatanna attempted to find the source of the problem, she saw a mystic image of Vixen and Animal Man as puppets. When she tried to break the spell, she was repelled by an unknown force. When Vixen attempted to defeat the newly restored Amazo by absorbing all his stolen powers, she became mysteriously weak.[36]
Return of the Lion
Vixen: Return of the Lion is a limited series detailing Vixen's return to her home village for the first time. In that series, Vixen found that a local warlord named Aku Kwesi and his men had taken over several Zambesi villages. It turned out that this was the same man who killed Vixen's mother years ago. When Vixen confronted him, she found that he had powers that rivaled, and possibly surpassed, hers. These powers were based on advanced technology and chemicals that were given to him by Intergang lieutenant Whisper A'Daire. The rest of the Justice League of America went to Africa to render assistance, only to have several members get doused with Kwesi's Vodun zombie potion. This allowed A'Daire to take control of Superman and Black Canary and pit them against the rest of the League.
Final Crisis
During the Final Crisis crossover event, Vixen attends Martian Manhunter's funeral, and was later at the Hall of Justice when Empress, Sparx, and Más y Menos come there seeking help after being attacked by Mirror Master and Doctor Light. She later participates in a massive battle with Darkseid's forces after he nearly conquers Earth with the Anti-Life Equation.
After Final Crisis
In the aftermath of Final Crisis, the JLA was in tatters, with many of its members having to leave. Mari and the remaining team members enlisted the aid of Hardware after Kimiyo Hoshi went missing in her search for Shadow Thief and Starbreaker.[40][41] With help from Superman's friend Icon, the team emerged victorious in the battle with Starbreaker, with Mari having bright hopes for the future of the team.[42]
A short while later, Vixen broke her leg in a battle between the JLA and the dangerous villain Prometheus with Hawkman's mace.[43] While she and the rest of the team tried to recover, they were ambushed by Despero, who sought to destroy the weakened League. The JLA eventually defeated Despero, only to be informed by Zatanna of the events of Blackest Night
The New 52
In The New 52 (a 2011 reboot of the DC Comics universe), Vixen was recruited as part of the new Justice League International.[52] Her tenure with the team proved short, since she was injured in an explosion and rendered comatose.[53] Her old friend David Zavimbe later joined the team in her honor as Batwing.[54]
After the JLI disbanded, Vixen was seen as one of Cyborg's new recruits for the main Justice League roster.[55]
DC Rebirth
Vixen is recruited by Batman to join his new Justice League of America. Vixen is later seen working on behalf of the League, investigating a lead on a mysterious technology threatening America.[56]
