Cary Bates is a comic book and animation writer. He was born in Pennsylvania in the United States. Bates began submitting ideas for comic book covers to DC Comics at the age of 13, and a number of them were bought and published, the first as the cover to SUPERMAN #167 (February 1964). Bates began to sell stories to DC when he was 17.

Bates is best known for his work for DC Comics on such titles as ACTION COMICS, CAPTAIN ATOM, THE FLASH, LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES and SUPEMAN. He began working for the publisher in 1963 and continued to do so up until the early 1990s. His other work includes the comic strips The Lone Ranger (1980-1983), Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1981-1983), and Disney's Gargoyles during the 1990s. Bates appeared in his own comics several times alongside superheroes like the Silver Age version of the Flash and the Justice League of America.