Animal Man (Bernhard "Buddy" Baker) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As a result of being in proximity to an exploding extraterrestrial spaceship, Buddy Baker acquires the ability to temporarily "borrow" the abilities of animals (such as a bird's flight or the proportionate strength of an ant). Using these powers, Baker fights crime as the costumed superhero Animal Man.
Created by writer Dave Wood and artist Carmine Infantino, Buddy Baker first appeared in Strange Adventures #180 (September 1965) and adopted the name Animal Man in issue #190. Animal Man was a minor character for his first twenty years, never gaining the popularity of other DC heroes such as Batman or Superman. He made only five, non-consecutive appearances in Strange Adventures (four of which were reprinted in Adventure Comics), followed by two appearances in Wonder Woman, two in Action Comics, and two in DC Comics Presents, appearing in consecutive issues of each. These eleven stories constitute the entirety of his pre-Crisis appearances. He later became one of several DC properties, such as Shade, the Changing Man and Sandman, to be revived and revamped in the late 1980s for a more mature comics audience. As seen in Strange Adventures #195, he was billed as a "full-time hero", an aspect that would be the most changed by the revamp.
Film stunt man Buddy Baker, to whom aliens gave animal-themed powers, debuted in Strange Adventures #180 (cover-dated September 1965), in the story "I Was the Man with Animal Powers" by writer Dave Wood and penciler Carmine Infantino. Baker gained a costume and a name, initially A-Man, in Strange Adventures #190 (July 1966). He continued as a semi-regular feature in the book, making occasional cover appearances, through #201 (June 1967).
His subsequent appearances were sporadic. In 1980, he had a guest appearance in Wonder Woman #267–268. His main appearances in the remainder of the decade were as a member of the "Forgotten Heroes", a team of minor DC heroes.