Cheetah (character)
| Cheetah | |
|---|---|
The Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah as depicted in Wonder Woman #750 (January 2020). Art by Nicola Scott. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance |
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| Created by | Len Wein George Pérez |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Priscilla Rich Barbara Ann Minerva |
| Species | Human (Priscilla) Demigod/Werecat (Minerva) |
| Place of origin | New York (Priscilla) Nottinghamshire (Minerva) |
| Team affiliations | Minerva: Legion of Doom Suicide Squad Injustice League Rich: Villainy, Inc. Secret Society of Super-Villains |
| Partnerships | Minerva: Etta Candy Wonder Woman Cheshire |
| Supporting character of | Wonder Woman |
| Notable aliases | Minerva: Priscilla Rich Deborah Domaine Sabrina Ballesteros Rich: Kay Carlton Claudia Rich |
| Abilities | Rich: Skilled acrobat and combatant. Outfitted with razor claws strong enough to cut through steel. Minerva:
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Cheetah is the codename for several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Among the most prominent of Wonder Woman's adversaries, the first version of the character debuted in Wonder Woman #6 (1943), created by William Moulton Marston and H. G. Peter while the most popular incarnation debuted in Wonder Woman #7 (vol. 2) (August, 1987) following Crisis on Infinite Earths.
The original Cheetah is Priscilla Rich, a socialite with mental complications who gained a strong disdain for Wonder Woman. Within the Golden and Silver Age, she battle Diana and eventually is sentenced to Arkham Asylum. Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, her history is instead attributed to Hipployta's tenure as Wonder Woman until being murdered by successor Minerva, whom she had previously condemned.
The most well-known version is Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva, famed archaeologist whose interests in Greek mythology and reputation for gathering artifacts regardless of the risks leads to an encounter with Urzkartaga, a plant god who transforms her by imbuing her with the spirit of the Cheetah, making her a demigod, the plant god's bride, and the third woman to take the Cheetah codename. Once an ally and close friend of Wonder Woman when she first left Themyscira, the pair's adversarial relationship originates from Minerva's fierce blame for Diana's inability to save her while the latter seeks to save her from Urzkartaga's curse.
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.