Zookeeper (comics)

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Zookeeper
DrRegister.jpg
Zookeeper as depicted in Teen Titans (vol. 3) #14 (October 2004). Art by Tom Grummett, Lary Stucker and Jeromy Cox.
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Teen Titans (vol. 3) #13 (September 2004)
Created by Geoff Johns
Tom Grummett
In-story information
Alter egoSamuel Register
Species Metahuman
Team affiliations Secret Society of Super Villains
Notable aliasesDr. Register
Abilities Metamorphic ability to transform into any animal

Zookeeper (Samuel Register) is a character appearing in DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of the Teen Titans.

Contents

Publication history

Zookeeper first appeared in Teen Titans #13 (September 2004) and was created by Geoff Johns and Tom Grummett. [1]

Fictional character biography

Dr. Samuel Register is a former colleague of Mark and Marie Logan who worked with him in Africa. He despises their rambunctious son Garfield, who constantly causes damage in his lab. [2]

After Garfield's parents successfully cure him of the virus Sakutia, Register goes on to try to finish their work. He inhumanly experiments on animals, for which he is nicknamed "Zookeeper". [3]

In the "Beast Boys and Girls" storyline, Register steals a sample of Sakutia in an attempt to mutate it like Garfield's parents did. He accidentally infects himself and every child in San Francisco, gaining purple skin and shapeshifting abilities. When Beast Boy is infected, the virus in him is canceled out and he is cured, losing his own shapeshifting abilities. [3]

Zookeeper injects venom from the Australian funnel-web spider into Garfield and attempts to extract the cure to Sakutia from him. Cyborg and the other Titans keep Register busy while Raven heals Beast Boy. Garfield reinfects himself with Sakutia to regain his powers, defeats Zookeeper, and uses his blood to cure the children. [4]

In Infinite Crisis , Zookeeper escapes prison with help from Mammoth and joins Alexander Luthor Jr.'s Secret Society of Super Villains. [5] Some time later, Zookeeper is recruited by Superboy-Prime as part of a new version of the Legion of Doom. [6]

Following The New 52 and DC Rebirth relaunches, Zookeeper is reintroduced in Titans (2025). [7] During the events of Absolute Power , Amanda Waller's Amazo army stole the powers of Zookeeper, which were transferred to Beast Girl after the Amazos were destroyed. [8] He recreates the serum that gave him his powers, but his body is unable to handle the serum, causing genetic instability that will eventually kill him. [9] Zookeeper sends an army of genetically altered creatures after Beast Boy and Beast Girl in a bid to reclaim his powers and use the two's DNA to stabilize his body. However, Cyborg and Robotman destroy the device that Zookeeper was using to influence the creatures' behavior, causing one of the creatures to turn on and eat him. Beast Boy believes that Zookeeper survived being eaten, but will have to survive the creature's digestive process to escape from its body. [10]

Powers and abilities

Zookeeper gained shapeshifting abilities similar to that of Beast Boy after accidentally infecting himself with Sakutia. [1] He is able to turn into a purple-hued version of any animal and shift between forms without reverting to his human form first.

References

  1. 1 2 Chrysostomou, George (May 23, 2023). "10 Forgotten DC Comics Characters Who Debuted In The '00s". Screen Rant . Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2025. Always researching the Sakutia virus, Zookeeper's infatuation with animals led to self-experimentation and thus Beast Boy-esque powers of transformation. A copycat once more, Geoff Johns and Tom Grummett first came up with the character in 2004 as part of Teen Titans #13.
  2. ↑ Johns, Geoff  ( w ), Grummett, Tom  ( p ),Stucker, Lary ( i ), Cox, Jeromy  ( col )."Beast Boys and Girls, Part 2: Wild Life" Teen Titans ,vol. 3,no. 14(October 2004).DC Comics.
  3. 1 2 Johns, Geoff  ( w ), Grummett, Tom  ( p ),Stucker, Lary ( i ), Cox, Jeromy  ( col )."Beast Boys & Girls, Part I: Concrete Jungle" Teen Titans ,vol. 3,no. 13(September 2004).DC Comics.
  4. ↑ Johns, Geoff  ( w ), Grummett, Tom  ( p ),Stucker, Lary ( i ), Cox, Jeromy  ( col )."Beast Boys and Girls, Part 3: Changelings" Teen Titans ,vol. 3,no. 15(November 2004).DC Comics.
  5. ↑ Simone, Gail  ( w ), Eaglesham, Dale  ( p ), Thibert, Art ; Geraci, Drew ( i ),Schwager, Rob; Mayor, Guy ( col )."A Hero Dies But Once" Infinite Crisis Special: Villains United,vol. 1,no. 1(June 2006).DC Comics.
  6. ↑ Krul, J.T.  ( w ),Pansica, Eduardo ( p ),Ferreira, Eber ( i ),Wright, Jason ( col )."Prime Numbers" Teen Titans ,vol. 3,no. 98(September 2011).DC Comics.
  7. ↑ Brooke, David (May 16, 2025). "Full August 2025 DC Comics solicitations: H2SH ends and new Justice League Red". AIPT. Archived from the original on May 18, 2025. Retrieved July 26, 2025. But the family reunion is cut short when they find themselves trapped and hunted by Samuel Register, also known as the Zookeeper! Can the heroes escape Zookeeper's most dangerous game?
  8. ↑ Johnston, Rich (June 20, 2025). "DC Comics' September 2025 Full Solicits - More Than Just Batman #1". Bleeding Cool . Archived from the original on June 21, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2025. Seeking to reclaim the powers he lost during Absolute Power, the Zookeeper sends all manner of misfit mutant monsters to take down the heroes.
  9. ↑ "DC Preview: Titans #27". AIPT. September 12, 2025. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  10. ↑ Layman, John  ( w ),Raynor, Max ( p ),Raynor, Max ( i ),Herms, Matt ( col )."Are We Not Men?"Titans,vol. 4,no. 27(November 2025).DC Comics.
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