Apache Chief
Apache Chief is a fictional Native American superhero from the various Super Friends cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera. He was one of the new heroes added during the 1977 series Challenge of the Super Friends (along with Black Vulcan, Rima the Jungle Girl, El Dorado and Samurai) to increase the number of non-white characters in the Super Friends ranks. He was voiced by Michael Rye.
Biography
By speaking the word "Inuk-chuk," ("Big Man") Apache Chief could grow to vast sizes. The limit to this ability has never been revealed, but in an episode titled "Colossus," Apache Chief "Inuk-chuks" himself to cosmic proportions to battle the Colossus, a titanic space creature that plucked Earth from its orbit and placed it in a small (relative to him) glass bottle. He also spoke in stereotypical "Native American English" and recited vaguely Native American philosophy.
Apache Chief's origin, related in an episode of the animated series, was thus: While still a young brave, he went for a walk with the chief of his tribe. The two men are quickly attacked by a bear, but the chief - recognizing that the young brave might be ready for a test such as this - gives the younger man a pouch of a special magic dust, which will amplify the user's thoughts and abilities a hundredfold. The young brave resolves to be strong and brave (heeding the chief's advice that whatever is in his mind at the time, the dust will amplify), and upon sprinkling himself with the dust and invoking the magic phrase "Inuk-chuk", grows a hundred times larger, stronger and braver. He disposes of the bear, without violence, proving that he has passed the test. (Unfortunately, a passerby witnesses the entire affair and steals the potion, using it on herself - and becomes the evil Giganta).
Apache Chief does not appear in the mainstream DC Comics universe, but a somewhat similar character called Manitou Raven was created as an homage to him and joined the canonical JLA. Like Apache Chief, Manitou Raven, and later, Manitou's widow, Dawn Raven, have both been seen to say 'Inukchuck' when casting spells or invoking powers.
In popular culture
Apache Chief was also featured on Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law as the subject of the episode "Very Personal Injury", where he spills coffee on his "lap", preventing him from "growing larger" in size and thus tried to sue the coffee shop that served it to him (a parody of Liebeck v. McDonald's Corp.). When a beautiful witness makes an impassioned speech in court about his plight, he becomes so "excited" that his power returns. He also makes several sporadic appearances in the background of other episodes, and now has a deep fear of coffee. In this series, he is voiced by Maurice LaMarche.
In the episode of Robot Chicken titled "S&M Present," Britney Spears and her pop-music minions merge together into a giant in order to fight a Pat Morita-trained Joey Fatone, and "Inuk-chuk!" can be heard as they combine.
He had a cameo in an episode of Family Guy, helping Peter place a satellite dish on his roof. Afterwards, having nothing else to do, he dejectedly says, "that was the high point of my day" and decides to go gamble.
Trivia
- Apache Chief has appeared in several Super Friends cartoon series. They are: Challenge Of The SuperFriends, Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show, and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians.
- The character Long Shadow from the Justice League Unlimited series is based directly on him.