Name: Animal Man
Universe: Post-Crisis
Alter Ego: Bernhard "Buddy" Baker
Occupation: Movie Stuntman
Marital Status: Married
Group Affiliation: Justice League Europe
Base of Operations: San Diego, California & Pownal, Vermont
Known Relatives: Ellen Frazier (wife), Cliff (son), Maxine (daughter)
Height: 5 ft. 11.5 in.
Weight: 172 lbs.
Hair Color: Blond
Eye Color: Blue
First Appearance: Animal Man #1

History:
For Buddy Baker, a hellraising rock 'n' roller just out of high school, life was a blast. But what really happened that afternoon in 1978, when Buddy Baker went hunting in the Adirondack Mountains?

Over the years since he acquired his superhuman powers, Buddy Baker has tried many times to recall the events of that fateful day. But up until now the truth has been blocked by amnesia... and by memories that may only be the desperate imaginings of a man who can't yet face the truth.

One thread of recall leads Buddy to the fantastic possibility that he was killed – incinerated – in a blast from an enormous, partially buried alien spacecraft. In that instant, Baker's body was destroyed. Fortunately, his spirit – or essence – stayed around long enough to be captured by a pair of yellow-skinned aliens who emerged from the downed spacecraft. According to this version of events, these aliens visit Earth from time to time to alter the destinies of specific human subjects. Under the direct action of the aliens, Buddy was connected to the morphogenetic field, a reality behind created reality as we know it. In fact, this "M-Field" is a vast continuum linking all of Earth's living creatures, from single-celled paramecia to mankind itself. As the aliens rebuilt Baker's body, they made it a conduit for the energies of the entire field!

But space aliens? As Buddy gropes in the shadows of his unconscious, an alternate chain of memories leads back to a mysterious explosion of indeterminate origin, perhaps involving a UFO of some kind. The explosion gave Buddy the power to absorb the characteristic abilities of any animal he found nearby.

This much is certain: at the suggestion of his best friend, Roger Denning, Baker then donned a colorful costume and began fighting crime locally (mostly for kicks) as "Animal Man".

Baker later retired his Animal Man identity, married his high-school girlfriend, Ellen Frazier, and moved to San Diego. Between Ellen's work as a storyboard artist and book illustrator, and Buddy's growing career as a movie stuntman, the Bakers were able to mortgage a house in the suburbs and begin raising a family. Buddy thought his super-hero days were over – until the growing public acceptance of other crimefighters, such as the new Justice League, convinced him that there was still a need for Animal Man. Since resuming his costumed identity, Animal Man has been involved in numerous world-shaking adventures, such as the Invasion of Earth by the Dominators. He is a member in good standing of Justice League Europe, although, for personal reasons, he took a leave of absence.

Today, Buddy Baker splits his time between his family, his career as Animal Man, and regular stuntwork for films such as the box-office smash, Day of Dread II. Most recently, Animal Man has encountered an Indian shaman with the curious name "Stone That Cracked Open the Earth Like an Egg". "Stone" has led Buddy to look deeper into himself... and to realize that there are undiscovered secrets about his origin – secrets now emerging from behind the veil of illusory memories...

Animal Man is, as could be expected, a man of great compassion toward all creatures. He is an ardent animal rights activist, an environmentalist, and a vegetarian. Although he wears a mask, he goes to no great lengths to conceal his true identity.

Powers:
In the presence of virtually any animal, Buddy Baker can temporarily absorb any of its characteristic abilities; for example, he can run as fast as a cheetah, leap like a grasshopper, or fly like a bird. But even these undeniably real powers are a mystery to Buddy; recently it was pointed out, by his friend Travis Cody, that birds don't actually have "powers" – they use the physical adaptation of wings to fly.

Despite such uncertainties, Buddy Baker finds the wonders of nature at his command. The only real limits on Animal Man are the limits of his imagination.