The saber-toothed tiger and one of the last of his kind, Zabu protects his home, the Savage Land, alongside his long-time companion, Ka-Zar.
Savage Land Survivor
Zabu is the last male member of the Smilodon, or saber-toothed tiger species known to survive in the Savage Land, an artificial preserve for prehistoric wildlife located in Antarctica. As a cub, Zabu is made an orphan by the Man-Apes, neanderthal-like creatures who slaughter his mother and siblings. Zabu is found by the wolf Zagah who brings him to his mate Thana for food, but instead Thana adopts Zabu as her own cub and he grows up beside her children Jhet and Fheta. Jhet grows to resent Zabu and hates Fheta for admiring him; when Jhet slays Fheta, Zabu is forced to kill him in combat, estranging him from Zagah and Thana.
At the age of one, Zabu meets a female Smilodon and takes her to be his mate. She becomes pregnant with Zabu’s litter, but one day while he’s out hunting, the Man-Apes burst into their cave and kill his mate. Enraged, Zabu pursues the Man-Apes and comes upon them just as they kill the outsider Robert Plunder and are about to kill his son Kevin. Zabu’s arrival saves Kevin’s life and when the Man-Ape’s chief Maa-Gor goes to strike Zabu from behind, Kevin shoots Maa-Gor with his father’s pistol, returning Zabu’s favor.
Both deprived of family, Zabu and Kevin adopt each other. Zabu teaches Kevin how to survive in the Savage Land and their bond earns Kevin a new name from the locals: “Son of the Tiger” or, “Ka-Zar.”
Ka-Zar and Zabu make their first home in the Place of Mists and the unusual gasses there delay Zabu’s aging so that by the time Ka-Zar is an adult male, Zabu is still in the prime of his life.
Smilodon Species
Zabu is a superior member of the Smilodon species, possessing greater strength and a larger size than most of his race. Zabu possesses claws on each of his paws and two saber-like fangs.
Zabu is an excellent tracker. Through years of adventures, Ka-Zar and Zabu have a uniquely honed complimentary fighting style.
Fearsome Foes
When Ka-Zar’s existence became known to the outside world, he made the first of several excursions to his homeland alongside Zabu. The duo’s adventures in the outside world included encounters with Sergei Kravinoff, AKA Kraven the Hunter, Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.), Ted Sallis, AKA Man-Thing, Joshua Link, AKA Gemini, and Ka-Zar’s brother Edgar Plunder, AKA Plunderer. Plunderer proves to be one of Zabu’s most persistent foes.
When the Skrulls invade the Savage Land, Zabu comes to the defense of his homeland alongside his allies.
Family Ties and Allies
Zabu has a close rapport with Ka-Zar, Shanna and their friends. He also helps raise Ka-Zar and Shanna’s son, Matthew, whom he teaches strength, the drive to survive, and how to forage for food.
Over time, more outsiders visit to the Savage Land, notably the X-Men, who befriend Ka-Zar and Zabu. Zabu also befriends Ka-Zar’s allies including Tongah, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Bobbi Morse, AKA Mockingbird, Shanna O’Hara, AKA Shanna the She-Devil, Bernard Kloss and James Howlett/Logan, AKA Wolverine. When enemy invaders arrive, Zabu continues protecting his home land alongside Super Heroes, such as Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man, and the Avengers.
A Prehistoric Tiger’s History
Ka-Zar and Zabu soon met Leanne, queen of Lemura who possessed a pet giant cat named Felina; although Ka-Zar and Zabu were respectively taken with Leanne and Felina, Ka-Zar ultimately married Shanna.
Zabu was briefly abducted by the Impossible Man as part of a “scavenger hunt,” but was returned to the Savage Land by the X-Men. The Savage Land was eventually destroyed by Jorro, a Deviant wearing the armor of Terminus. Zabu lived with Ka-Zar and Shanna in the outside world until the Savage Land’s restoration at Herbert Wyndham, AKA High Evolutionary’s hands, at which time Zabu rejoined Ka-Zar, Shanna and their son Matthew in the Savage Land.
Zabu continued to aid Ka-Zar and Shanna both in adventuring about the Savage Land and protecting their homeland from exploitation. When the Plunderer sent the villainous Gregor to the Savage Land to abduct Matthew, Zabu was badly injured after taking an energy blast intended for Ka-Zar. Eventually besting the Plunderer, Ka-Zar and Zabu were later held up in New York by legalities, but were released thanks to Everett K. Ross and T’Challa, AKA Black Panther. Zabu once mysteriously disappeared, driving Ka-Zar to attempt to recruit Jessica Jones to find him, but Ka-Zar ultimately found Zabu himself.
Zabu was one of the first beings on Earth to learn about the Skrulls’ "Secret Invasion" when attacked along with Ka-Zar and Shanna by Skrulls posing as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents at their Vibranium mining operation in the Savage Land.
Zabu was later caught by Heracles, AKA Hercules, as part of the demi-gods televised new Twelve Labors, but he was eventually returned to Ka-Zar. Zabu then joined many of the Savage Land's people in repelling an attempted invasion by Roxxon Oil and the Plunderer.
After a Skrull ship crash landed in the Savage Land filled with Skrulls believing themselves to be Earth heroes, Zabu followed Ka-Zar, Spider-Man, and many others into combat against the threat and was badly beaten by Pitt'o Nili, the Skrull posing as Captain America. Zabu soon joined the Avengers along with his friends and helped kill the remaining Skrull invaders within the Savage Land after they were exposed by Reed Richards, AKA Mister Fantastic.
When a bioweapon entered the Savage Land in the form of Deadpool’s zombie head from another dimension, Cavemen and Hydra agents attempted to steal it. Alongside Ka-Zar, Zabu helped prevent the bioweapon from falling into Hydra’s hands, thanks to their allyship with Wade Wilson, AKA Deadpool.
Zabu also protected the Sakaarians—an alien race who sought asylum in the Savage Land—by allying with Bruce Banner, AKA Hulk, and his Warbound against a mysterious creature killing the Sakaarian refugees. In a twist of events, the Sakaarian Elder cut a deal with Miek, betrayer of Hulk’s Warbound: Turn over the Hulk, and he’d stop killing Sakaarians. Zabu continued fighting for the Sakaarians against Miek’s massive wasps, while the Hulk, despite getting brainwashed and infected with larvae by Miek, finally defeated their enemy.
A series of seemingly natural catastrophes soon compromised the survival of many of the humanoid tribes just as companies from the outside world attempted to reopen foreign trade with the “Pangeans” of the Savage Land. Torran, a member of the mythical “Ether” tribe appeared and promised deadly consequences to those who dealt with the outsiders. Zabu helped Ka-Zar and his family hold the tribes together but an abandoned oil rig exploded off the Pangean coast, spewing thousands of gallons of raw petroleum and poisoning the surrounding lands and peoples. Arwandi, leader of the Zebra tribe, pleaded to the Pangeans at the United Nations for non-interference. Zabu supported Ka-Zar as he faced Torran, taking a bite out of him even, and while Arwandi won the case at the UN, Zabu and Ka-Zar finally pushed the Ether tribe back, preventing them from inciting further conflict.
hen the plantlike Cotati, who claimed Earth’s moon as their own and threatened to exterminate all animal life, starting with Earth, Zabu joined an Avengers team to combat them. After an Avengers meeting aboard a Wakandan helicarrier, Ka-Zar, Dane Whitman, AKA Black Knight, Wanda Maximoff, AKA Scarlet Witch, and Jericho Drumm, AKA Doctor Voodoo, traveled to the Savage Land where they detected an energy surge. They were attacked by both the Man-Thing and Ka-Zar’s wife Shanna, who had been manipulated into aiding the Cotati. But just as Ka-Zar broke the Cotati’s hold over her, he was brutally impaled with the Ebony Blade wielded by a Cotati warrior. Zabu fought fiercely beside Ka-Zar’s son, trying to keep up the pressure on the Cotati. Meanwhile, Shanna placed Ka-Zar in the waters imbued with the spirit of the Savage Land and with pleading, the waters revived him.
When the cosmic Phoenix Force came back to Earth, it tested Shanna, whom Zabu was with, as its next host. It brought them to the White Hot Room and imbued them with portions of itself and pitted them against other potential candidates in combat. Zabu and Shanna defeated Devil Dinosaur and Jason Strongbow, AKA American Eagle, but met their match in Red Widow. The battle only ceased as Echo was chosen as the Phoenix’s next host and she removed the Phoenix portions from them.
The resulting resurrection gave Ka-Zar new powers, and soon both Zabu and Ka-Zar had new enemies. Techno-organic creatures began attacking all over the Savage Land, spreading sickness and corruption wherever they tread. Zabu and his allies the Plunders discovered a map that led to the mysterious entity behind the attacks—Domovoy the flesh weaver—whom Matthew formed a secret alliance with and stole the map. Zabu, Ka-Zar and Shanna followed Matthew to Domovoy’s lair where they were defeated. Matthew let Domovoy outfit him and Zabu with their own “enhancements.” Though Domovoy seemingly killed Ka-Zar and discarded Shanna. Realizing that Domovoy didn’t care about the Savage Land, Matthew and Zabu attacked Domovoy. When Zabu was threatened, Matthew stood up for him, as the animal had a hand in raising him. Matthew attempted to kill Domovoy, but his father intervened and reminded him and Zabu to focus on the now and reintegrate with nature.
