A South African by birth, Freedom Beast was born Dominic Mndawe. His first appearance was in Animal Man #13. That issue takes place during the rule of apartheid in South Africa; Dominic was under arrest for taking pictures of racially motivated acts of violence being committed by white Afrikaner policemen. In a cell, Dominic was about to be killed by his captors when he is rescued by Animal Man and B'wana Beast (Mike Maxwell), Mndawe's predecessor and future mentor.[1]
After the rescue, Maxwell gives Mndawe the elixir and helmet that confer powers on their owner. Those powers include mind control and the ability to fuse two or more animals into one hybrid beast under the control of Freedom Beast.
Animal Man and Freedom Beast then prevent the massacre of a group of peaceful demonstrators by Afrikaner police. Animal Man returns to the USA, while Maxwell and Freedom Beast stayed in South Africa.
