Most people think Tarzan’s story ends with the vine-swinging ape-man and his wife, Jane, living a quiet life in a British manor or an African estate. They're wrong. Actually, Edgar Rice Burroughs—the guy who started it all—decided the legend needed a second act. Enter Jack Clayton. Or, as the Great Apes called him, Korak.
The son of Tarzan isn't just a carbon copy of his dad. Honestly, he’s kind of a beast in his own right, often outdoing the Lord of the Jungle in sheer grit and survivalist instinct. While Tarzan was born into the jungle and had to learn to be a man, Korak was born a refined English aristocrat and chose to become a savage. That’s a massive psychological shift that most modern adaptations just completely ignore.
The Kid Who Ran Away to the Jungle
Jack Clayton first showed up in the 1914 novel The Beasts of Tarzan. He was just a baby then, a plot device used by the villainous Rokoff to lure Tarzan into a trap. But by the fourth book, The Son of Tarzan, published in 1917, Jack is a restless teenager living in London. He’s miserable. Imagine being the son of the world’s greatest adventurer and being told you have to sit still and study Latin.
It didn't last.
Jack eventually sees a trained ape named Akut performing in a music hall. He recognizes the language. He feels the pull. He helps Akut escape, they head to Africa, and suddenly, the "son of Tarzan" becomes Korak the Killer. That name isn't for show. In the Mangani tongue, "Korak" literally means "Killer." He earned it by taking down a bull ape with nothing but a knife and his bare hands before he even hit twenty.
More Than a Spin-Off: The Korak Identity
Burroughs wasn't just recycling ideas. He was exploring legacy. You see, Tarzan had the benefit of being raised by Kala; he had no concept of "civilization" to compare his life to. Korak, on the other hand, had the memories of hot baths and tailored suits. He rejected them.
The son of Tarzan represents a more intentional version of the wild man archetype. He’s faster than his father. Burroughs explicitly notes that Korak’s youthful agility and lean muscle made him a terrifying presence in the canopy. While Tarzan was a powerhouse of brute strength and refined combat, Korak was a blur of motion and steel.
He also found his own "Jane," a girl named Meriem. Their romance is actually pretty wild for the time period. They survived years in the jungle together as teenagers, fighting off Arab slave traders and prehistoric predators. It’s basically The Blue Lagoon but with way more stabbings and giant cats.
🔗 Read more: Shamea Morton and the Real Housewives of Atlanta: What Really Happened to Her Peach
Why Hollywood Keeps Rebranding the Son of Tarzan
If you look at the movies, things get messy. Really messy.
In the famous Johnny Weissmuller films from the 1930s and 40s, the producers didn't want Jane to have a biological child because of the "Hays Code" (the censorship rules of the time). They didn't want to imply Tarzan and Jane were... you know. So, they had the couple find a baby in a plane crash.
They named him Boy.
"Boy" is a far cry from the Korak of the books. He was played by Johnny Sheffield, and while he was charming, he was basically a sidekick. He got into trouble, and Tarzan had to save him. The literary son of Tarzan would never have needed saving. He would have already dealt with the problem and been halfway up a Baobab tree by the time Tarzan arrived.
The Comic Book Era and the 1970s Revival
If you want the real Korak, you have to look at the comics. DC Comics and later Dark Horse did some incredible work with the character. In the 70s, Joe Kubert—a legendary artist—gave Korak a visual identity that felt distinct from his father.
- The Look: Leaner, longer hair, usually carrying a very specific long-bladed knife.
- The Tone: Much darker. The Korak stories dealt with the brutal reality of the jungle.
- The Villains: He often fought remnants of ancient civilizations that Tarzan had missed.
One of the coolest things about the son of Tarzan in these runs was his relationship with his parents. There’s a scene where Tarzan finally tracks him down, expecting to bring a lost boy home. Instead, he finds a warrior. The mutual respect between the two is one of the best "father-son" dynamics in all of pulp fiction.
The Evolutionary Gap: Tarzan vs. Korak
There’s a debate among Burroughs fans about who would win in a fight. It’s a bit like the Superman vs. Batman argument.
💡 You might also like: Who is Really in the Enola Holmes 2 Cast? A Look at the Faces Behind the Mystery
Tarzan has the "Old Man Strength." He’s fought everything from dinosaurs in Pellucidar to Nazi platoons. But Korak has a certain recklessness. He doesn't have Tarzan’s occasional hesitation born of British nobility. When the son of Tarzan goes into a fight, it’s purely about the kill.
Burroughs wrote them as two sides of the same coin. Tarzan is the King of the Jungle who accepts his crown. Korak is the prince who doesn't want the crown; he just wants the hunt.
The Cultural Impact You Probably Missed
The son of Tarzan didn't just stay in books and comics. He influenced a whole generation of "Jungle Boy" tropes. From The Jungle Book’s later adaptations to 1950s adventure serials, the idea of the "son of the wild" became a staple.
But why don't we see him now?
Modern Tarzan movies, like the 2016 Legend of Tarzan, focus so much on Tarzan’s origin that they never get to the "family" stage. We’re stuck in a loop of retelling how Tarzan met Jane. We never get to see the interesting part: what happens when their kid grows up and decides that London is a cage?
Factual Breakdown of the Son of Tarzan’s Timeline
- 1912: Tarzan of the Apes is published.
- 1914: Jack Clayton (Korak) is born in The Beasts of Tarzan.
- 1917: The Son of Tarzan is published, detailing Jack’s flight to Africa.
- 1920s-1940s: Korak appears in various sequels, often as a supporting commander in Tarzan’s "Waziri" army.
- 1939: Johnny Sheffield debuts as "Boy" in Tarzan Finds a Son!, permanently confusing the public about the character's name.
- 1964: Gold Key Comics launches a dedicated Korak, Son of Tarzan series that runs for years.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think Korak is just a "young Tarzan." He isn't.
He’s actually a bit of a tragic figure. He spends a lot of his life trying to bridge the gap between his father’s shadow and his own identity. In the later books, he becomes a bridge between the white world and the African tribes, often acting with more cultural nuance than Tarzan did in the early, more problematic 1912 writings.
📖 Related: Priyanka Chopra Latest Movies: Why Her 2026 Slate Is Riskier Than You Think
He’s also one of the few characters in the Burroughs "universe" who gets a definitive happy ending. He marries Meriem, they have a son named Jackie, and the cycle continues. Yes, there is a grandson of Tarzan. He’s just not as famous.
Actionable Steps for the Pulp Enthusiast
If you're tired of the same old superhero movies and want to dive into the world of the son of Tarzan, here’s how you actually do it without getting lost in the 26 original books.
Start with the Source Material
Don't bother with the movies if you want the real character. Read the novel The Son of Tarzan. It’s actually one of Burroughs’ better-paced books. It feels like a YA adventure novel written before that was even a category. You can usually find it for free on Project Gutenberg since it’s in the public domain.
Track Down the Joe Kubert Comics
Search for the DC Comics Korak, Son of Tarzan archives. The art is visceral. It captures the "Killer" aspect of his name better than any prose could. The way Kubert draws the jungle makes it feel like a living, breathing character that wants to swallow Korak whole.
Watch the 1920 Silent Serial
If you’re a film buff, try to find clips of the 1920 serial The Son of Tarzan. It was surprisingly faithful to the book for its time, featuring P. Dempsey Tabler as Tarzan and Gordon Griffith as the young Korak. It’s a trip to see how they handled the stunts before CGI existed.
Understand the Legacy
The son of Tarzan isn't just a footnote. He represents the idea that the "wild" isn't something you're just born into—it's something that can call to anyone, even a boy in a London manor. That’s why the character still works. He’s the ultimate escapist fantasy for anyone who has ever felt trapped by a desk job or a classroom.
Basically, Korak is the character Tarzan fans turn to when they want more edge and less "Lord of the Manor" politeness. He’s the raw, unrefined version of the legend. And honestly, he’s overdue for a massive big-screen comeback that actually gets his name—and his ferocity—right.