IRON PAW
Earth-8101
Real Name: Daniel Rand
Identity/Class: Alternate Earth (Earth-8101) primate
Occupation: Superhero
Group Membership: None;
formerly Outcasts (Beast/Henry McCoy, Colobbus/Piotr Rasputin, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Dr. Druid/Anthony Druid, Elektra/Elektra Natchios, Ghost Rider/Johnny Blaze, Huhr/Bruce Bananner, Icemonk/Robert Drake, MACH IV/Abner Jenkins, Moonstone/Karla Sofen, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, Power Monk/Luke Cage, Psylocke/Betsy Braddock, Punisher/Frank Castle, Speedball/Robert Baldwin, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Wolverine/James Howlett)
Affiliations: Captain America (Steve Rogers)
Enemies: Captain America (Baron Blood/John Falsworth), Invaders (Bucky/James Barnes, Red Raven, Sub-Mariner/Namor McKenzie, Toro/Thomas Raymond);
formerly Ape-Vengers (Ape X/Roy Reyna, Gro-Rilla/Hank Pym, Hawkape/Clint Barton, Iron Mandrill/Tony Stark, Ms. Marvel/Carol Danvers, Spider-Monkey/Peter Parker, Thorangutan/Thorangutan Odinson), Fantastic Four (Invisible Simian/Susan Storm, Simian Torch/Johnny Storm, Thing/Ben Grimm)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Monkhattan;
formerly Outcast's safehouse, Sanctum Sanctorum, hidden in a memory through the Monkey's Paw
First Appearance: Marvel Apes I#2/1 (November, 2008)
Powers/Abilities: Iron Paw can channel his inner energy, or chi, to enhance his strength, speed, and reflexes. By focusing this energy into his paw, he can strike with tremendous force capable of shattering solid objects.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'6")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 150 lbs.)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Unrevealed
History:
(Marvel Apes I#2/1 - BTS) - Daniel Rand was trained in martial arts and earned the power of the Iron Paw, choosing it as his codename he returned to Monkhattan as its sworn protector.
(Marvel Apes I#2/1 - BTS) - Iron Paw and Power Monk became part of the Outcasts, which emerged as a loose resistance within the simian world, formed by super-powered apes who had learned a truth most refused to face, the heroic Captain America was no patriot at all, but a powerful über-vampire (secretly the undead Baron Blood in disguise). The Outcasts saw the danger and united in secret to oppose the growing corruption within their world's heroes, operating from the Sanctum Sanctorum, the former home of the late Doctor Strange, their sanctuary was mystically concealed within a shared memory and could only be reached through the Monkey's Paw. To most simians, the Outcasts were little better than the criminals they opposed and were actively hunted by "Captain America's" Ape-Vengers.
(Marvel Apes I#2/1) - Iron Paw was present at the Sanctum Sanctorum when Speedball brought Dr. Fiona Fitzhugh and the Gibbon of Earth-616 to their hidden refuge to safe them from "Captain America", the Fantastic Four and Ape-Vengers after being accused for killing Reed Richards.
(Marvel Apes I#3/1) - Iron Paw and Ghost Rider chased the Gibbon. Ghost Rider used his burning hellfire chains to grab the primate by the neck, after which Iron Paw jumped him and accidentally struck the chains with his iron paw. Freed, the Gibbon ran past Wolverine and accidentally fell into the Dark Dimension, where he was surrounded by the dangerous Mindless Ones. The Gibbon was quickly rescued by Speedball, after which the confusion was cleared and it was revealed that the Outcasts knew Captain America was the undead Baron Blood in disguise. Realizing that the true Captain America must still be trapped in ice, held in suspended animation for decades as on his own Earth-616, the Gibbon proposed rescuing him to finally stop Blood.
(Marvel Apes I#4/1 - BTS) - Iron Paw was chosen to be part of a strike team to oppose Baron Blood who'd convinced the Ape-Vengers and Fantastic Four to prepare an interdimensional invasion on Earth-616.
(Marvel Apes I#4/1) - During that very night, as Dr. Fiona Fitzhugh was forced to activate the portal to Earth-616. Just as the portal was to be opened, Iron Paw and other outcasts, arrived in force. Iron Paw was seen facing Spider-Monkey during the fight until the original Captain America, saved by the Outcasts, revealed himself and exposed Baron Blood's deception. When the vampiric Invaders appeared, the Outcasts allied with the Ape-Vengers and Fantastic Four to battle Blood and his forces when Red Raven seemed to slit Iron Paw's throat with his razor-sharp claws. In the climactic battle Fitzhugh and the Gibbon returned to their home-reality with the gravely wounded Speedball, after which Ape X slew Baron Blood, destroying the portal in the process. The blast tore apart part of the Ape-Vengers Tower, but the heroes emerged victorious.
Comments: Created by Karl Kesel.
It remains to be seen if Iron Paw survived his encounter with Red Raven, although these kind of injuries usually aren't too deadly.
The Marvel Apes limited series (2008) was conceived as a playful companion to the earlier Marvel Zombies phenomenon. Following the unexpected commercial success of Zombies, Marvel looked to replicate the formula by reimagining its superheroes in another offbeat, high-concept alternate reality. Writer Karl Kesel, inspired by Silver Age whimsy and the classic "What If?" tradition, pitched a world where Marvel's heroes and villains were evolved primates rather than humans. The project was greenlit as a four-issue miniseries, launching with a tongue-in-cheek promotional campaign that leaned into its absurdity while still delivering a surprisingly dark, satirical storyline. The series spawned several tie-ins and one-shots, positioning the Ape-Verse as both a parody of and homage to Marvel's multiverse storytelling.
Earth-8101 is the main Marvel Apes reality, but there are three others as well:
- Earth-81218, possible future of Earth-8101 set in the year 2099.
- Earth-90543, monkey Speedball was send back to his world and branded a traitor by the Ape-Vengers. This was a bad dream of the Gibbon.
- Earth-95019, diverged from 8101 when zombies invaded their world. The reset button was eventually pushed on the original Earth-8101, preventing the divergence.
Profile by MarvellousLuke
CLARIFICATIONS:
Iron Paw has no known connections to
Images: (without ads)
Marvel Apes I#3, p6, pan2 (main image)
Marvel Apes I#3, p6, pan3 (the iron paw)
Marvel Apes I#4, p13, pan2 (fighting the Invaders)
Appearances:
Marvel Apes I#2/1 (November, 2008) - Karl Kesel (writer), Ramon Bachs (pencils, inks), Tom Brennan (editor)
Marvel Apes I#3/1 (December, 2008) - Karl Kesel (writer), Ramon Bachs (pencils & inks), Tom Brennan (editor)
Marvel Apes I#4/1 (December, 2008) - Karl Kesel (writer), Ramon Bachs (pencils & inks), Tom Brennan (editor)
First Posted: 12/19/2025
Last Updated: 12/19/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
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