Cheetah (DC Comics)

The Cheetah is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, most commonly as a major adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. Like her nemesis, she was created by William Moulton Marston and H. G. Peter, debuting in the autumn of 1943 in ''Wonder Woman'' #6.

There have been four incarnations of Cheetah: Priscilla Rich ( Golden and Silver Age), Deborah Domaine (Bronze Age), Barbara Ann Minerva (post-''Crisis'' and current), and Sebastian Ballesteros, a male usurper who briefly assumed the role in 2001.

The Cheetah character has been adapted in various forms of media outside of comics, including animated series, films, and video games. Kristen Wiig portrayed the Barbara Minerva version of the character in the 2020 DC Extended Universe film ''Wonder Woman 1984'', marking the character's live-action debut.

Publication history

Fictional character biography

Priscilla Rich

The first woman to become the Cheetah is Priscilla Rich, a 1940s-era Washington, D.C., debutante and aristocrat. She has a split personality that compels her to commit crimes dressed as a cheetah. Following the ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' reboot, Rich is killed by successor Barbara Minerva.

Deborah Domaine

Deborah Domaine is Priscilla Rich's niece, who was kidnapped by Kobra and forced to become Cheetah.''Wonder Woman'' #274. (Dec. 1980). DC Comics. Domaine has also been a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains. She has not appeared since ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''.

Barbara Minerva

The third Cheetah is British archaeologist Barbara Minerva, the heiress to a vast fortune in her ancient family seat in Nottinghamshire. Minerva finances an expedition to find a tribe in Africa, which is said to be protected by a female guardian with the powers of a cheetah. Minerva agrees to become the tribe's new guardian after being told that she would gain immortality. Minerva ingests a potion made from human blood and the berries and leaves of the plant god Urzkartaga, which gives her a cheetah-like appearance and abilities.

In The New 52 continuity reboot, Minerva is depicted as gaining her powers after accidentally cutting herself with a cursed dagger and being possessed by the Goddess of the Hunt.Johns, Geoff (w), Lee, Jim (p), Williams, Scott (i). ''Justice League'' (vol. 2) #13 (December 2012). DC Comics. The DC Rebirth relaunch restores her origin of being empowered by Urzkartaga.

Sebastian Ballesteros

Argentine business tycoon Sebastian Ballesteros becomes the fourth Cheetah, as well as the only male Cheetah. He is an agent of the Amazon's enemy, Circe, as well as her lover. He seeks Urzkartaga to become a new version of Cheetah, a supernatural cat-creature like Barbara Minerva. Minerva battles Ballesteros for control of the Cheetah's power by becoming the temporary host of Tisiphone. Minerva kills Ballesteros, regains her powers, and gives Ballesteros's blood to Urzkartaga as a sacrifice.

Powers and abilities

The Barbara Minerva and Sebastian Ballesteros incarnations of Cheetah exhibit similar abilities. Their basic attributes consist of enhanced strength and speed on par with Wonder Woman, as well as heightened senses of smell and hearing for hunts and night vision for stealth. Their reflexes and agility are similarly augmented, allowing them superior gymnastic abilities for inhuman mobility. These superhuman traits allow them to challenge Wonder Woman in physical battles. Additionally, their fangs and claws are preternaturally sharp and strong. While the two more modern incarnations of Cheetah possess superhuman powers, the earlier versions of Priscilla Rich and Deborah Domaine do not.

Originally only able to change during a full moon and remaining weak and frail in her human body, Barbara Minerva was chemically enhanced by the sorceress Circe to remain in her Cheetah body indefinitely and change at will. This also gave her dominion over all species of felines. In ''The New 52'' continuity, Minerva is shown to pierce Superman's invulnerable skin with her fangs just as easily as if he were human. Additionally, her bite transfers some of her powers into her victims, turning them into feline hybrids under her control.

Other versions

* An unidentified alternate universe variant of Cheetah appears in ''JLA/Avengers'' as a minion of Krona.
* An unidentified alternate universe variant of Cheetah appears in ''Wonder Woman: The Blue Amazon''.
* An alternate universe variant of Priscilla Rich / Cheetah makes a cameo appearance in '' DC: The New Frontier''.
* An alternate universe variant of Priscilla Rich / Cheetah appears in ''Wednesday Comics''. This version is an young archaeologist from a wealthy Baltimore family whose abilities are derived from enchanted artifacts.
* An alternate universe variant of Priscilla Rich / Cheetah appears in ''Justice''. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom.
* An unidentified alternate universe variant of Cheetah appears in the ''Odyssey'' storyline. This version was created from the corpse of a murdered Amazon after it is lowered into a mystical restoration pit and infused with the spirit of Magaera.
* An unidentified alternate universe variant of Cheetah appears in '' Flashpoint''. This version is a member of Wonder Woman's Furies before being killed by Etrigan.
* An unidentified incarnation of Cheetah appears in '' Scooby-Doo Team-Up''. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom.
* An unidentified incarnation of Cheetah appears in ''Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman''.
* An alternate universe variant of Priscilla Rich appears in '' The Legend of Wonder Woman''. This version is an ally of and financial backer for the Nazi Party.
* An alternate universe variant of Barbara Minerva appears in ''Superman: American Alien''.
* An alternate universe variant of Barbara Minerva appears in ''Wonder Woman: Dead Earth''.

In other media

Television

* The Priscilla Rich incarnation of Cheetah appears in the ''Super Friends'' franchise, voiced by Marlene Aragon. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU), voiced by Sheryl Lee Ralph. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is a former scientist who was involved in valuable genetic research and eventually resorted to experimenting on herself due to lacking funding and test subjects, causing her to mutate into a human-cat hybrid. Shunned by the scientific community for her recklessness and ostracized by humanity as a freak, she turned to crime to fund further research to undo the change. In ''Justice League'' and ''Justice League Unlimited'', Minerva respectively joins Lex Luthor's Injustice Gang and Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced by Morena Baccarin. This version resembles the Priscilla Rich incarnation.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears in the '' Super Best Friends Forever'' short "Name Game".
* The Priscilla Rich incarnation of Cheetah appears in the title sequence of the "DC Super Pets" segment of ''DC Nation Shorts''.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears in ''DC Super Hero Girls'' (2015) and its tie-in films, voiced by Ashley Eckstein. This version is a student at Super Hero High with an antagonistic attitude towards Wonder Woman and her classmates.
* The Priscilla Rich incarnation of Cheetah appears in ''DC Super Friends'', voiced by Blaze Berdahl.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah makes a non-speaking appearance in the ''Justice League Action'' short "Quality Time".
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears in ''DC Super Hero Girls'' (2019), voiced by Tara Strong. This version is a wealthy teenage high school student who uses the civilian nickname "Barbi", can control her transformations at will, and does not speak while transformed. Additionally, she gained her abilities after accidentally cursing herself with a cat idol while attempting to use it on Diana Prince after becoming jealous of her popularity.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah makes non-speaking cameo appearances in ''Harley Quinn'' as a member of the Legion of Doom.
** Minerva appears in '' Kite Man: Hell Yeah!'', voiced by Lake Bell.

Film

* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah makes a cameo appearance in ''Wonder Woman'' (2009).
* An unidentified incarnation of Cheetah makes a cameo appearance in '' Justice League: The New Frontier''.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears in '' Superman/Batman: Public Enemies''.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears in '' Justice League: Doom'', voiced by Claudia Black. This version is Australian and a member of Vandal Savage's Legion of Doom.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears in '' JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time'', voiced by Erica Luttrell. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears in the ''Batman Unlimited'' series, voiced by Laura Bailey.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears in '' Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Attack of the Legion of Doom'', voiced by Cree Summer. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears in films set in the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU), voiced by Kimberly Brooks. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom, Villainy Inc., and the Suicide Squad. In '' Justice League Dark: Apokolips War'', Minerva is killed during an assault on a LexCorp building.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears in ''Injustice''.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears in ''Wonder Woman 1984'', portrayed by Kristen Wiig. Similar to her ''DC Rebirth'' backstory, this version is initially a friend and colleague of Diana Prince who is ignored and shunned for her unattractive appearance and poor social skills. After wishing to be just like Prince while holding a magical artifact called the "Dreamstone", Minerva develops a more confident personality, her appearance becomes more conventionally attractive, and she develops superhuman physical abilities. However, she also becomes more mean-spirited and arrogant, which leads to her turning on Prince. Impressed, Maxwell Lord offers her more power. Wishing to become an "apex predator", he bestows upon her a cheetah-like appearance and superhuman abilities with the bloodlust and rage to match. However, Prince eventually defeats Minerva before confronting Lord. After convincing him to renounce his wish, Minerva loses her powers and reverts to her human form.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears in '' Batman: Death in the Family''. While being arrested by the police, she is killed by Jason Todd as either Hush or Red Robin depending on the viewer's choices.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears in '' Catwoman: Hunted'', voiced by Kirby Howell-Baptiste. This version is a member of Leviathan and figurehead for Talia al Ghul.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah makes a non-speaking appearance in '' Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse'' as a member of the Legion of Doom.
* An unidentified incarnation of Cheetah appears in '' Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths'', voiced by Cynthia McWilliams.

Video games

* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears as a playable character in '' Justice League Task Force''.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears in ''DC Universe Online'', voiced by Adriene Mishler. In the hero campaign, she serves as a boss. In the villain campaign, she is a vendor in the Hall of Doom's magic wing.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears as a boss and mini-boss in '' Justice League: Injustice for All''.
* The Barbara Minerva, Priscilla Rich, and Sebastian Ballesteros incarnations of Cheetah appear as character summons in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure'', with Minerva additionally appearing as a boss.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah, based on her ''New 52'' appearance, appears as an unlockable costume in ''LittleBigPlanet 2'' via the "DC Comics Premium Level Pack" DLC.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears as a playable character in ''DC Legends''.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears as a playable character in ''DC Unchained''.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears as a playable character in '' Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham''. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom.
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah, based on her ''New 52'' counterpart, appears as a playable character in ''Injustice 2'', voiced again by Erica Luttrell. This version is a member of Gorilla Grodd's "Society".
* The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah appears as a playable character in ''Lego DC Super-Villains'', voiced again by Erica Luttrell. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom.

Books

* An unidentified incarnation of Cheetah appears in ''Attack of the Cheetah'' and ''The Fastest Pet on Earth'', both by Jane B. Mason and published by Capstone as part of their ''DC Super Heroes'' line of illustrated children's books. Similarly to the Priscilla Rich incarnation, this version has a pet cheetah named Chauncey.
* An unidentified incarnation of Cheetah appears in the Capstone children's book, ''Cheetah and the Purrfect Crime'', by Laurie S. Sutton.

Miscellaneous

* The Priscilla Rich incarnation of Cheetah appears in the first two issues of the non-canonical ''Super Friends'' comic book series. She along with the Penguin, Toyman, Poison Ivy, and the Human Flying Fish mentor junior criminals, with Rich being partnered with a teenage girl named Kitten.
* The Deborah Domaine incarnation of Cheetah appears in the 1982 ''Wonder Woman'' audiobook story "Cheetah on the Prowl", voiced by Sonia Manzano.
* The Priscilla Rich incarnation of Cheetah appears in a flashback in ''Teen Titans Go!'' #54.
* The Priscilla Rich incarnation of Cheetah appears in the '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' tie-in comic book series.
* The ''Injustice'' incarnation of Barbara Minerva / Cheetah makes a minor appearance in the '' Injustice: Gods Among Us'' prequel comic.
* The Priscilla Rich and Barbara Minerva incarnations of Cheetah both appear in '' Wonder Woman '77''. The former appears in issue #6 as an illusion created by Doctor Psycho, while the latter makes recurring appearances later in the series after being empowered by Mafdet.

Cultural impact and legacy

Ever since her first appearance, Cheetah has been referred as the most iconic Wonder Woman villain. Abraham Josephine Riesman of ''The Vulture'' referred to her as a Big Deal stating "she’s one of the all-time most iconic Wonder Woman foes. She’s ubiquitous and colorful enough to possibly be defined as Diana’s Joker. Case in point: When the legendary Challenge of the Super Friends DC cartoon aired back in the day, WW’s counterpart on the Legion of Doom was Cheetah, confirming her archnemesis status". Sarah Moran of ''Screen Rant'' stated "Ares isn't Diana's most iconic villain, he isn't her Joker or Lex Luthor. That would be Cheetah, Rachel Leishman of ''The Mary Sue'' wrote, "Minerva is a fun villain in general because she often connects with people like Lex Luthor or the Joker to come after our heroes, and while neither of them are in 1984, it could set up future connections between the Superman and Batman villains and Cheetah as DC’s interconnected movie universe finds its path forward. The more I look at Wiig as Cheetah, though, the more I’m concerned that I’m going to end up really loving her as the villain".

See also

* List of Wonder Woman enemies

References

External links

*
* Jett, Brett
"Who Is Wonder Woman?--Bonus PDF"
, (2009): "The Villains: Major Allegories", pp 5–6.

Jett, Brett"Wonder Woman's Core Theme"
", ''(Article)'' (2017, October 13): World Of Superheroes online.
* Marston, William Moulton. ''Emotions on Normal People''. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co, Ltd. 1928.

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