 | |
| Evolved animals | |
| Classification: | Miscellaneous |
| Associated franchises: | DC Universe Marvel Universe Marvel Cinematic Universe Planet of the Apes |
| Associated films: | Battle for the Planet of the Apes Beneath the Planet of the Apes Conquest of the Planet of the Apes Planet of the Apes |
| Associated programs: | Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Return to the Planet of the Apes |
| Associated comics: | Adventures on the Planet of the Apes Vol 1 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 Kamandi Vol 1 Rocket Raccoon Vol 1 |
| Character examples: | Cosmo; Doctor Canus; Doctor Zaius; General Ursus; Howard the Duck; Phinneus Pogo |
| Related articles: | Animals; Evolution; Evolved apes; Evolved human; Mutant |
Evolved animals are animals that are either from Earth, or possibly native fauna of a different planet, which, through various circumstances, develop characteristics beyond that of which nature intended for the species. Evolved animals have appeared in many different forms of speculative and science fiction.
In fiction[]
Planet of the Apes[]
The most well-known example of evolved animals are the apes featured in the Planet of the Apes multimedia franchise. The TV series presented a setting that was radically different than that seen in the original film series, but both projects maintained the position that following an unrevealed violent period in humanity's history, apes evolved to become intelligent, talking bipedal humanoids with a sense of culture and even religion. As the dominant life forms on the planet, these evolved apes lord over the remaining vestiges of mankind as part of a caste system, where apes are the rulers and humans are the servants and laborers.
Kamandi[]
Different races of evolved animals exist in the dystopic future reality of Earth-AD as seen in the Kamandi comic book series by DC Comics. Many years ago, on an Earth of an alternate dimension, there lived a man named Dr. Michael Grant. Grant was a scientist who had developed an experimental chemical agent known as Cortexin. He tested his mutagenic drug on several species of animals inside of his laboratory including, apes, rats, bats and tigers. The exact purpose or nature of the Cortexin compound remains shrouded in mystery however.
Shortly after beginning the initial stages of his experiments, the world fell sway to a global catastrophe commonly referred to as the Great Disaster. Earthquakes and tidal waves erupted all across the globe and the nations of Earth found themselves at the mercy of nuclear Armageddon. Dr. Grant did not survive long enough to see his experiments come to fruition, but the lasting after-effects produced a legacy that would endure for centuries.
A large section of the Earth was rendered uninhabitable due to atmospheric nuclear radiation. However, the radiation produced a mutagenic side-effect with the surviving Cortexin-infected animals from Dr. Grant's labs. Not only were they safe from the long-term side-effects of nuclear fallout, but the strange drug permanently altered their genetic structure. With each successive generation, the various animal species began to evolve adopting specific physical human characteristics. Within two human generations, apes, birds, felines, canines and many other breeds were developing heightened intellect, bipedal locomotion, extra fingers, toes, thumbs and even the ability to articulate.
As each race grew in strength and numbers, they began to form primitive tribal societies and family clans. Many of the clans did not live in harmony with their cousins, and a culture of survival of the fittest soon developed among them.
Characters[]
Notes[]
- Evolved animal redirects to this page.
- Talking animals redirects to this page. Talking animals is a trope found in many different cartoons and comic books in which a character is presented in a state of anthropomorphism, in which they possess physical characteristics similar to that of humans, such as a bipedal physicality and the ability to speak.
- Some races of animals may be prompted for advanced steps in the evolutionary process by way of scientific experimentation. Such an example was perpetuated by an unidentified alien race in mental health facility on a planetoid known as Halfworld in the Keystone Quadrant. They were developed as a race of artificially-engineered, intelligent, bipedal, anthropomorphic animals. Representing a number of species native to Earth, their cute appearance was specifically selected to make them more pleasant caretakers for their mentally unstable patients. [1]
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