Apache Chief

Holling Longshadow

APACHE CHIEF is an Apache superhero with the power to grow to a massive size. He became a Superhero and member of the Justice League(also known as the Superfriends) in 1977. He remained active until 2001 when he retired and stopped using his Powder, which caused him to rapidly age.

## Biography

Apache Chief – his real name being Holling Longshadow – was born to an unknown tribe of Mescalero Apache somewhere in the American Southwest state of Sequoyah.

While still a young brave man, he went for a walk with his Native American Elder mentor. The two men were quickly attacked by a grizzly bear, but the Elder, recognizing that the young brave might be ready for a test such as this, gave the younger man a pouch of a special magic powder which will amplified the user's thoughts and abilities a hundredfold. The young man resolved to be strong and brave (heeding the Elder's advice that whatever is in his mind at the time will be amplified by the powder), and upon sprinkling himself with the powder and invoking the magic phrase "Inyuk-Chuk." grew to fifty feet in size, becoming stronger and braver. He disposed of the bear without violence, proving that he has passed the test.

This ability is rooted back thousands of years, to 1,000 BC at the very least, and the original tribes pre-dating the Apache. Manitou Raven, who would become a superhero himself, was among the oldest figures to know these magic words.

Unfortunately ta portion of the magic powder was stolen by Dr.Doris Zeul, who used it to becomes the supervillianess Giganta. Apache Chief vowed to stop her.

With this power, Apache Chief became an amateur crimefighter and hero, protecting his tribe from danger, though it is uncertain if he ever became their literal chief. Longshadow joined the Justice League, which was sometimes jokingly called the Superfriends around 1977. Not only did this bolster his own reputation, but helped improve Native American relations and nationalism.

Longshadow's most harrowing adventure with the group as well as the adventure that greatly tested use of his power was when Apache Chief grew to many times the size of the Earth, making himself able 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. Originally his tribal powers limited his growth to only 50 feet tall. However, thanks to the Atom's knowledge of atomic size he was able to increase his growing to unlimited size. He was then able to grow to 1/5 the size of the earth, with one foot the size of the entire eastern United States and defeated the creature, sending it back into space.

Despite his growing fame, Apache Chief found himself retired from the Super Friends by 1985. Though the exact reasons for this are uncertain, it was in the nick of time; only a year later was the Crisis on Infinite Earths, resulting in the deaths of a vast majority of world superheroes. Having retired from his role, Apache Chief was spared; however, he was not entirely finished with superheroics.  While he remained underground for many years, in the 21st Century, Apache Chief continued random acts of kindness as before; specific examples vary widely, from minor acts like helping put up a satellite dish to more major ones like stopping a meteor.

However, in 2001 Apache Chief – down on his luck, working odd jobs of dubious ethics to get by and suffering from a gambling addiction – spilled a cup of coffee on his lap, losing his ability to grow. Harvey Birdman took his case, and though he lost in the end, the process allowed Apache Chief to meet Sybil Shussler, his primary romantic interest, and inspired him to found the Multi-Culture Pals, a group of minority heroes (and the Reverend Jesse Jackson). He is currently succeeded by his grandson Tye Longshadow.

Longshadow was captured by CADMUS, along with other heroes including Toshio Eto(Samurai/Wind Dragon), Black Vulcan, and twins Zan and Jayna. The Heroes were used to create Clones. Amanda Waller wished to create her own superhero team called the Ultimen that would be government controlled. The Ultimen discovered they were clones and attempted to kill the Justice League with only the Longshadow clone aiding the League. He was given honorary membership before his clone body terminated. Upon the League freeing the original Heroes.

As a hero, Apache Chief is considered relatively minor. However, as an icon, he is larger than life – as one of the first Native American superheroes, he became an inspiration for many of his people to seek success outside of their tribes. His strong moral caliber and love of good in its purest form make him one of the better examples for modern heroes, both literally and figuratively. Despite his only brief time as a hero, Apache Chief is remembered for his quality as a man, and continues to inspire others to this day.