“She was always less interesting as a foil to Wonder Woman, because she often got overshadowed by fights with actual deities and mythological figures,” critic and DC Beat reporter Cori McCreery points out. Casual comic fans are certainly aware of Barbara Minerva, but in an absolute sea of female and feline-themed super villains, Cheetah hasn’t exactly shined. In short, she is the kind of character readers love to hate.ĭespite an entertaining debut, however, Barbara’s transformation into the ultra baddie Cheetah has not exactly rendered her iconic. In her second appearance, the very next issue, she’s flying to the United States, an absolute nightmare of a passenger, chewing out an in-flight stewardess over the preparation of her steak. She was all sharp edges and classic villainous hallmarks a long nose and a cutting jaw, angry eyes and clutching fingers. Only six issues in, the second volume of the Wonder Woman comic already had a wealth of supporting female characters, but Barbara was different. She’s a haughty character, a British aristocrat with an ancestral home in Nottingham, seen sprawled on a canopy bed in her castle awaiting a manservant with her the daily dose of news. When Barbara Minerva first appears on panel in 1986’s Wonder Woman #6, she’s a far cry from the shy interpretation put forth by actor Kristen Wiig in this year’s DC cinematic release. The two share a degree of mutual respect, occasionally fighting together against a common enemy, though ultimately Barbara still harbors jealousy.Who is Barbara Ann Minerva? Depends on who and when you ask. She develops a growing hatred for Wonder Woman over the years, yet the Amazon Princess still often takes pity on Barbara, even saving her life when she’s in peril. She presents herself as an ally to earn Wonder Woman’s trust, but her plot fails when holding the lasso of truth causes her to reveal her true intentions.
She first encounters Wonder Woman while trying to steal her golden lasso. As a result, she can only live up to her true potential as the Cheetah.īarbara is much less sympathetic than Priscilla, and she’s shown murdering people even before she turns into the Cheetah. Instead, she receives the ability to transform into the catlike Cheetah, gaining superhuman strength and speed the ritual partially backfires, and her human form becomes frail and weak. Here, Barbara Minerva is a greedy and selfish archaeologist who forces an African tribe to perform a ritual on her, hoping it will give her immortality. The writers George Pérez and Len Wein introduced a different version of the Cheetah in 1987 with “Wonder Woman” No. Priscilla eventually retires from her Cheetah lifestyle and dies of an unspecified illness, with her niece Deborah briefly taking over the alter ego. Those rehabilitation efforts end up having mixed results, with Priscilla returning as the Cheetah several times over the next 40 years as Wonder Woman continued to offer her opportunities to redeem herself. Wonder Woman takes pity on her and allows her to stay as a captive of the Amazons to try to reform her ways.
Wonder Woman defeats her and uses her lasso of truth to uncover the Cheetah’s true identity, causing Priscilla to reveal her insecurities.
#Wonder woman cheetah series#
While she has no super powers of her own, Priscilla dons a cheetah costume and engages in a series of elaborate schemes to try to bring down her rival and ruin her reputation. Her envy manifests into a split personality called the Cheetah. The original Cheetah is a wealthy socialite named Priscilla Rich who becomes intensely jealous of the attention Diana receives for her abilities. The Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston first introduced the Cheetah in 1943, with “Wonder Woman” No.
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