Because of his insane desperation to find a treatment for the virus, the villain ended up contracting it himself and suffering unexpected repercussions. We are talking about none other than Dr. Samuel Register, a researcher who is plagued by thoughts of the Sakutia virus.
He is also known as the Zoo Keeper. He unintentionally infected himself, giving him Beast Boy-like abilities. The one-of-a-kind therapy that saved Garfield’s life inspired Dr. Register to think about developing a cure that could be applied to everyone.
He put in a lot of effort to repeat the experiment, earning the nickname “Zoo Keeper.” Regrettably, Dr. Register handled the Sakutia virus carelessly. He became the first and only adult to ever contract this peculiar and uncommon illness.
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Exploring his dark origins and cruel nature
Zookeeper is a D.C. Comics supervillain and a nemesis of the Teen Titans and Shazam. Approximately thirteen years ago, Dr. Samuel Register was a talented geneticist who commanded the Upper Lamumba Research Center based in Africa. He collaborated with experts Mark and Marie Logan to explore the biodiversity of the local wildlife. He loathed the Logans’ boisterous kid, Garfield, who was continually causing havoc in his laboratory.
He was, and still is, fixated with people referring to him as “Dr. Register.” Garfield, the six-year-old child of the Logans, came across an uncommon green-capped monkey one day. The animal attacked Garfield and infected him with Sakutia, an incredibly unusual virus. Mark Logan whipped up medicine that altered the Sakutia virus, shortening its fatal life cycle. Garfield, on the other hand, experienced the contagion’s side effects, which included green skin and the power to shape shift into various animals.
Register was confident that the Logans had accidentally uncovered the biogenetic missing linkage between animals and humans. Register then went on to try to continue their job after the Logans had successfully healed Garfield of Sakutia. He grew obsessed with the results and butchered animals in experiments that resulted in horrible abnormalities. This gave him the moniker “Zookeeper.”
He then got a job at a federal animal research facility in Tampa, Florida. His employment at the research facility was marred by scandal, with allegations spreading on campus regarding his extreme and unconventional activities. The center refused to accept Register’s oddities and fired him. His work quickly caught the notice of S.T.A.R. Labs, who offered Register a job at their San Francisco site. He was put in command of S.T.A.R.’s aberrant and alien disease program.
Register continued to experiment with biogenetics and made several achievements in his quest to overcome the animal-human divide. He finally stole a Sakutia virus sample from a C.D.C. facility and started working on a method to build his own animal army. Register accidentally infected himself with the deadly Sakutia virus during one of his procedures. He started looking for a remedy right away.
Register learned that the virus had evolved considerably and had become airborne not long after exposing himself to it. Within a short period of time, every youngster below thirteen years of age in the San Francisco region found themselves form shifting into a variety of green-colored animals.
As fate would have it, the only other human to escape the Sakutia virus, Garfield Logan, was now active as Beast Boy, a representative of the Teen Titans. Logan’s biochemistry was changed by the airborne virus, undoing all of its prior effects. He was not green anymore and no longer had the ability to morph into different animals. Logan ultimately tracked Dr. Register and sought him for medical advice.
Register’s genetic composition has begun to change as a result of the Sakutia side effects. Instead of becoming green like the other victims, Dr. Register became purple. Logan, he assumed, housed the cure to the virus within his cell structure. Therefore, he knocked him senseless with a tranquilizing dart. When Cyborg, the Teen Titan, forced himself into the lab, tackling Dr. Register, he was about to cut Beast Boy apart.
Register morphed into a massive snake and took his fight with Cyborg outdoors. Garfield understood that the only way to stop a changeling was to stop another changeling. He re-infected himself with a specimen of Register’s stolen Sakutia virus, restoring all of his prior powers.
He fought Register on the streets of San Francisco as a big green Tyrannosaurus Rex. With a poison bite, Beast Boy changed into a Sydney Funnel Web spider and left Register unconscious. He also discovered a way to treat the sick children. Register, like Beast Boy, appears to be immune to Sakutia. Following his loss, the Zookeeper is jailed.
Looking into the comic book story arc that delve into this twisted supervillain
Doctor Samuel Register makes his first appearance in Teen Titans 2003, Issue 13, as the Logans’ companion. In Teen Titans Volume 3, Issue 14, Sakutia, the rare virus, has mutated and spread through the air, infecting scores of youngsters below thirteen years of age. These children are in great danger as the virus is deadly and causes death after only forty-eight hours of infection.
As an unintended consequence, the virus has reversed the processes that gave Beast Boy his abilities and looks. Doctor Robin examines Beast Boy and assigns him to Doctor Samuel Register, a specialist. Garfield recalls Register from his childhood. They debate over whether it is wise to consult the doctor, especially considering his rocky history, but they are running out of options and have no one to turn to.
While in California, the remaining Titans sprint across San Francisco, attempting to apprehend all of the Sakutia casualties who are now stampeding around the city in various animal forms. They hunt down one youngster who has changed into a humpback whale.
Meanwhile, Doctor Register comes to St. Luke’s and asks for an appointment with Beast Boy in private. He lies to Garfield about wishing to help him when he actually has more selfish ulterior motives. Ultimately, he pulls away some of the skin on his face, revealing purple scales. The actual carrier of the new virus strain is actually Register, and he had some sinister plan up his sleeve.
What made him such a powerful enemy of Beast Boy?
The Zoo Keeper obtained the power to change his form after being infected by Sakutia, allowing him to take on the shape of any creature on the planet. This enabled him to assume the bodies of snakes, mountain lions, mammoths, tyrannosaurus rex and other animals. He was also a carrier of the Sakutia virus, which could be passed on to others, allowing them to briefly obtain the power to transform into animals and have green skin, but they would perish after extended contact. He is a shape shifter, size manipulator, sub-mariner and also has super hearing, super sight, super smell and super strength.
Conclusion
Dr. Register is selfish and malicious. But ultimately, his quest to make use of the virus, although selfish, makes him a very interesting character. His abilities and constant purple hue also make him a very unique villain, all things considered. His intelligence and thirst for power are evident from his various experiments, and this makes one thing very clear to us, this man will stop at nothing and cross every limit to get what he wants. It will be interesting to see if the Zoo Keeper will make any further appearances in future DC Comics. We really hope to see him again, because we believe that he is definitely a character that cannot be ignored.