Jacob Baker Jacob Baker is a high-tech scientist whose machinery irradiated his body, giving him the ability to attract and repel anything besides metal (referred to as "Diamagnetism"). He takes the name Zebra-Man, derived from the stripes covering his body. During his first fight with Zebra-Man,
Batman is accidentally irradiated by the same energy and left unable to control his powers. Batman attracts Zebra-Man to himself and takes him to the Gotham City Police Department.
Kobra's Zebra-Man When
Kobra researches the origins of some of Batman's enemies and creates a strike-force called
Strike Force Kobra to usurp
Stagg Enterprises in his goal of world domination, one of the villains he creates is patterned after the original Zebra-Man. This version lacks the aura of the first Zebra-Man and has a mohawk that evokes the image of his
equine namesake. Zebra-Man, alongside the other Strike Force Kobra members, fights the
Outsiders to a draw, but Zebra-Man escapes with Elemental Woman,
Planet Master,
Lady Eve, and Kobra. His colleague Spectrumonster does not survive the battle while Clayface escapes. Zebra-Man appears as a member of
Alexander Luthor Jr.'s
Secret Society of Super Villains during the Battle of
Metropolis alongside his Strike Force Kobra teammates Planet Master and Spectrumonster.
Vortex In 2011,
The New 52 rebooted the DC Universe. A version of Zebra-Man first appears as an inmate of
Arkham Asylum, currently going by the moniker "Vortex". He is one of the many prisoners attempting to escape in a massive breakout attempt, which is stopped by
Batman. He later appears attempting to help
Catwoman escape her incarceration in the asylum, but is physically beaten by her. Vortex appears in the
DC Rebirth reboot, renamed
Zebra Man. This version sports short hair with black leather gloves, boots, and shorts. Zebra Man is one of the many villains taken down by Batman and Catwoman after he takes her along with him on an average night of his job. In
Doomsday Clock, Vortex is seen as an inmate at Arkham Asylum at the time when Batman incarcerated
Rorschach there. He protects Rorschach from the other inmates. Vortex is later seen in
Zambia partaking in a card game with
Fiddler,
Psych, and
Shrike. When Psych learns that Fiddler has cheated, Fiddler is held at gunpoint only for Psych to kill the three villains with the projections of the people they killed.
Menagerie's Zebra-Man During the "
Forever Evil" storyline, a different Zebra-Man appears as a member of
Cheetah's Menagerie. He is among those frozen by
Killer Frost. Zebra-Man later join an Anti-
Task Force X group called
The Revolutionaries before joining the
Suicide Squad under their new supervisor Lok. ==Powers and abilities==