RAWHIDE CHIMP
Earth-8101
Real Name: Jonathan Clay
Identity/Class: Alternate Earth (Earth-8101) primate (Old West Era)
Occupation: Adventurer
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Two-Gun Chimp (Matt Hawk)
Enemies: Jesse James and his gang
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: The West's most Flamboyant Avenger
Base of Operations: Western USA, late 19th Century
First Appearance: Marvel Apes I#1/3 (November, 2008)
Powers/Abilities: The Rawhide Chimp possesses no superhuman abilities but is an exceptional gunfighter with remarkable speed, accuracy, and reflexes. His agility, toughness, and keen awareness allow him to outdraw, outmaneuver, and survive opponents in the harsh and lawless American West.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'8")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 170 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
History:
(Marvel Apes I#1/3 - BTS) - Famous across the frontier as the Rawhide Chimp, Jonathan Clay faced danger head-on, relying on his quick draw and steady nerves to survive deadly gunfights. No matter the odds, his aim stayed true and he never backed away from doing what he believed was right. Known for his striking outfit he was known as the West's most Flamboyant Avenger.
(Marvel Apes I#1/3 - BTS) - During an unrevealed event, Rawhide Chimp met another famous gunslinger, Two-Gun Chimp, with whom he may have shared a brief romantic involvement, though those feelings were not fully reciprocated.
(Marvel Apes I#1/3 - BTS) - As chance would have it, Rawhide Chimp encountered Two-Gun Chimp again and witnessed him confronting a group of life-sized rodents, later revealed to be Jesse James and his gang, seemingly altered by a Navajo curse, who were fleeing the scene of a bank robbery with sacks of stolen money. When Two-Gun Chimp was overwhelmed by the rodents, Clay chose to intervene and help.
(Marvel Apes I#1/3) - Rawhide Chimp leapt into the fight against the life-sized rodents, giving Two-Gun Chimp the chance to recover. After knocking the outlaws unconscious, the two gunslingers were stunned when the defeated rodents began to change, dissolving into blue, mist-like energy and reemerging as simians. Recognizing them as Jesse James and his gang, Rawhide Chimp suggested that the transformation may have been the result of the fabled Navajo curse at work. With the fight over, Rawhide Chimp impulsively kissed Two-Gun Chimp on the cheek, only to be firmly rebuffed. Two-Gun brushed off the advance, prompting Rawhide Chimp to remark that he was only half chimp and entirely closeted, implying that Two-Gun Chimp was unwilling to acknowledge his feelings.
Comments: Created by Tom Peyer.
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:
Rawhide Chimp has no known connections to
Images: (without ads)
Marvel Apes I#1, p29, pan1 (main image)
Marvel Apes I#1, p28, pan1 (swining into battle)
Marvel Apes I#1, p29, pan3&4 (kissing Two-Gun Chimp on the cheek)
Appearances:
Marvel Apes I#1/3 (November, 2008) - Tom Peyer (writer), Barry Kitson (pencils, inks), Stephen Wacker, Tom Brennan, Tom Brevoort (editors)
First Posted: 12/18/2025
Last Updated: 12/18/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
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