Though a great warrior and leader among his people (the brutal and mirthless Tharks) he possesses a sense of compassion and empathy uncharacteristic of his race. In the first novel, A Princess of Mars, with the help of the newly arrived earth man John Carter he becomes a Jeddak (king) of the Tharks. Tars Tarkas is the very first Barsoomian encountered by John Carter when he appears on Mars. In fact, Tars Tarkas begins by making a very earnest attempt to kill Carter, having discovered the Earth man inspecting the Tharks' incubator (in which the tribe's precious eggs are sealed up for five years prior to hatching). The attempt fails, and Tars Tarkas instead takes Carter prisoner and transports him back to the nearby dead city in which a group of Tharks have taken up temporary residence. John Carter kills one of the Tharks in a fight and finds that he not only won a victory over an enemy but gained his victims rank and possessions as well.After hearing of how Tars Tarkas aided in the rescue and salvation of his granddaughter Dejah Thoris, the great Tardos Mors, Jeddack of Helium, esteems Tars Tarkas as the greatest living warrior on Barsoom and wished to lay his hand on his shoulder as a friend and ally. The movie version of Tars Tarkas is very similar to the book, except he starts out as Jeddak and is defeated but not killed by Tal Hajus. He shares the stage with John Carter and Sola in the fantastic white ape fight scene in the arena. He plays a heroic role in the climactic battle against Zodanga as he does in the book and remains allied to John Carter. Show less «