VILLAINS! Your Thoughts On: CHEETAH!

[Dr. Poison]

Ugh, seriously D: That sucks, doesn't surprise me that much that creators don't think of Cheetah much *Looks at Will Pfeifer's Catwoman run >_>* , but I mainly thought it's cause they didn't know much about her, I don't understand why someone would be so adamant even after reading about it. I agree that it are some sexist connotations in play regarding Cheetah and most other female supervillians, like, they aren't seen as on the same level as the men unless they're sly and mysterious like Catwoman or Mystique, when you're presented with a more physically dominant and ruthless female villain like the Cheetah, it's different.
Just look at Forever Evil, the main team of villains were all guys plus Catwoman (Who didn't rly do anything and was presented as more of the peacemaker/good guy), incidentally they all served as the main villains of each member of the Justice League, EXCEPT Wonder Woman. (And Cyborg, but he doesn't have villains) adding someone like the Cheetah there would have been PERFECT!



That's because, are there really a lot of female rogue gallery? Outside of Ms. Marvel who has...Mystique and...? Female superheroes do tend to get the short end of the stick there, like I even tried googling and outside of Wonder Woman, I can not find a lot of superheroine rogue galleries. Hell, Catwoman may have a bigger rogue's gallery than most superheroines.

Other female heroes have smaller rogues galleries but I still think Wonder Woman's is the best.

Supergirl has the Reactron and Comet.

Batgirl has Calculator, Nightfall, Grotesque, Mirror, and Bonecrusher.

Zatanna has Brother Night.

Black Canary has Bonfire and White Canary.

Power Girl has Da Bomb, Irradiated Man, & Desaad.

Mera has her ex fiance'(I forget his name) and Siren.

[SiegePerilous02]

Other female heroes have smaller rogues galleries but I still think Wonder Woman's is the best.

Supergirl has the Reactron and Comet.

Batgirl has Calculator, Nightfall, Grotesque, Mirror, and Bonecrusher.

Zatanna has Brother Night.

Black Canary has Bonfire and White Canary.

Power Girl has Da Bomb, Irradiated Man, & Desaad.

Mera has her ex fiance'(I forget his name) and Siren.

Well, as far as DC and Marvel go, yeah it's kind of limited. Though in Indy books, Sara Pezzini, Cassie Hack and Vampirella have a sizeable group of rogues.

Also, is Siren even in continuity anymore? I really liked her, I hope she turns up soon.

[tabo61]

Wonder how she would look like in a live action movie when Wonder Woman get's her own movie?

[daBronzeBomma]

The Committee Advancing The Cheetah Among Villains Everywhere (also known as The C.A.T.C.A.V.E.) revises its particular goals regarding the Cheetah to the following:

The First Goal of the CATCAVE is ... "The Cheetah ALONE is Wonder Woman's Arch-Enemy."
The Second Goal of the CATCAVE is ... "The Cheetah will always possess a look that inspires respect and/or fear, never ever ridicule."
The Third Goal of the CATCAVE is ... "If Wonder Woman is the Greatest Female Super-Hero Ever, then Cheetah is the Greatest Female Super-Villain Ever."
The Fourth Goal of the CATCAVE is ... "Since only there is only one Wonder Woman, there is only one Cheetah."
The Fifth Goal of the CATCAVE is ... "Whatever scope of Wonder Woman's heroic role, thus the scope of Cheetah's villainous objectives are likewise."
The Sixth Goal of the CATCAVE is ... "If Wonder Woman is 1/3 of DC's Heroic Trinity w/ Superman & Batman, then Cheetah is 1/3 of DC's Villainous Trinity w/ Luthor & Joker."
The Seventh Goal of the CATCAVE is ... "The Cheetah is always her own boss and never the hench or underling of another character or entity."
The Eighth Goal of the CATCAVE is ... "The Cheetah always represents the polar opposite of whatever Wonder Woman stands for."

I wonder if part of the reason that the Cheetah is so disregarded (aside from the pervasive sexism that applies to nearly ALL super-villainesses in comics) is that no takes cheetahs (the actual animal she is named after) seriously compared to other predators in the animal kingdom. Cheetahs are nowhere near as revered as lions, tigers or panthers/leopards. Jaguars get more respect. Cheetahs are just symbols of speed, not majesty or power. Not a great animal for a potential alpha villain to name themselves after.

Maybe our Cheetah should be less literally associated with the big cat at the back of the pack. But you really can't change her frickin' name .... can you?

Wait a minute.

Maybe you can.

What about instead of The Cheetah ... we called her The Cheater? It's only a 3-letter difference. Or go hybrid for a 1-letter difference: The Cheatah. OK, OK it's all a little silly, but we're already talking about someone who can look like the Pink Panther's sexy cousin not being taken seriously.

[daBronzeBomma]

Pondering this a bit more, you know what pre-existing character might be a good role model for a more respected and more powerful Cheatah (er... Cheetah)?

Desire of the Endless, a la Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN.







Self-absorbed, apathetic, alluring ... all suitable qualities for Priscilla Rich/Barbara Minerva. What if the Cheatah (really like that misspelling) was the super-villainous embodiment of desire in the DCU?

[gwangung]

Pondering this a bit more, you know what pre-existing character might be a good role model for a more respected and more powerful Cheatah (er... Cheetah)?

Desire of the Endless, a la Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN.







Self-absorbed, apathetic, alluring ... all suitable qualities for Priscilla Rich/Barbara Minerva. What if the Cheatah (really like that misspelling) was the super-villainous embodiment of desire in the DCU?

Very, very interesting. Maybe not a direct mapping, but a lot of those personality traits could easily be transferred over and fit into the existing character. It's thinking outside the box, which i like.

[Vanguard-01]

So, I just posted an idea of mine on the Vixen Appreciation Thread in the DC board, and it gave me an idea for Cheetah, as well.

Okay, so one of the biggest problems that people have with Cheetah is the question of how a woman with the speed of a cheetah is a threat to Wonder Woman, right? The fact that Cheetah has been shown to move faster than a Cheetah makes people scratch their heads and wonder why she should be called the Cheetah, then.

Well, on the Vixen thread, I put forward the idea that Vixen's animal powers can give her abilities beyond the animals on which she's drawing through the magical concept of totemism. In totemism, drawing on the strength of an elephant doesn't necessarily give you "merely" the strength of an elephant. In totemism, the elephant is merely a source of great strength. The stronger one's spiritual connection with the elephant, the greater the strength one can draw on.

The same can work as an explanation for Cheetah. Barbara Minerva has a connection with a god who is tied to the totemic symbol of the cheetah. Once again? Barbara isn't drawing on the literal capabilities of the EARTHLY cheetah. If she were, she'd be able to run a whopping 70 mph, for about a minute before her heart pretty much explodes inside her chest. Not very impressive. So, instead, Barbara draws on the "cheetah" as a totemic symbol of great speed and a fearsome hunter. As Barbara's spiritual connection to the cheetah grows, so grows the amount of speed upon which she can draw. Hence? Superspeed. Hence? The ability to actually give Wonder Woman a run for her money speed-wise.

[SiegePerilous02]

So, I just posted an idea of mine on the Vixen Appreciation Thread in the DC board, and it gave me an idea for Cheetah, as well.

Okay, so one of the biggest problems that people have with Cheetah is the question of how a woman with the speed of a cheetah is a threat to Wonder Woman, right? The fact that Cheetah has been shown to move faster than a Cheetah makes people scratch their heads and wonder why she should be called the Cheetah, then.

Well, on the Vixen thread, I put forward the idea that Vixen's animal powers can give her abilities beyond the animals on which she's drawing through the magical concept of totemism. In totemism, drawing on the strength of an elephant doesn't necessarily give you "merely" the strength of an elephant. In totemism, the elephant is merely a source of great strength. The stronger one's spiritual connection with the elephant, the greater the strength one can draw on.

The same can work as an explanation for Cheetah. Barbara Minerva has a connection with a god who is tied to the totemic symbol of the cheetah. Once again? Barbara isn't drawing on the literal capabilities of the EARTHLY cheetah. If she were, she'd be able to run a whopping 70 mph, for about a minute before her heart pretty much explodes inside her chest. Not very impressive. So, instead, Barbara draws on the "cheetah" as a totemic symbol of great speed and a fearsome hunter. As Barbara's spiritual connection to the cheetah grows, so grows the amount of speed upon which she can draw. Hence? Superspeed. Hence? The ability to actually give Wonder Woman a run for her money speed-wise.

Excellent post. I actually have always viewed her powers this way, and don't really understand why people think she has the strength and speed of a literal cheetah. She's a god of the JUNGLE whose monstrous form happens to look like a cheetah; she isn't something we'd see on the nature channel.

It's not like other animal themed supervillains, like say the Scorpion, have this problem. Gargan has a tail with a stinger, but real scropions don't fire laser blasts or spray acid out of their tails.

[daBronzeBomma]

I actually have always viewed her powers this way, and don't really understand why people think she has the strength and speed of a literal cheetah.

I do. Cheetahs are really only known for one thing: speed. And yes, they are fast, but not mind-blowingly fast. They're not even the fastest animals out there (Peregrine Falcon: 200 mph top speed vs Cheetah 70 mph top speed). And among the big cats, Cheetahs are not known for their strength. Cheetahs do not command the respect that the Bigger Cats such as the Lions, Tigers, Leopards/Panthers and Jaguars of the world do. So, as the real-life cheetah is dissed among its peers, so too is our fictional Cheetah among hers.

She's a god of the JUNGLE whose monstrous form happens to look like a cheetah; she isn't something we'd see on the nature channel.

Riiiiiiight. That may be the first time the words "monstrous" and "cheetah" have ever been in the same sentence. Cheetahs are considerably weaker and less ferocious than other jungle predators. A cheetah has little to no chance against a Bigger Cat in territorial disputes.

It's not like other animal themed supervillains, like say the Scorpion, have this problem. Gargan has a tail with a stinger, but real scropions don't fire laser blasts or spray acid out of their tails.

Of course not. People are terrified of scorpions. The image alone is worth its weight in villainy. You make a list of animals that many people have an innate fear of, you'll likely get man-eating lions, tigers, panthers, leopards, jaguars, hyenas, wolves, dingoes, bears, rats, snakes, crocodiles, alligators, sharks, orcas, scorpions, spiders, just about any insect, way before you'll see "cheetah" on said list. Heck, I think many people would put "raccoon" (rabies) and "skunk" (smell) before "cheetah".

Sorry, but compared to other predators, the cheetah simply isn't a fearsome enough beast to garner any respect. Our villainess is preceived as a loser in part due to the perception that her animal namesake is kind of a loser too.

Maybe it's time our villainess distanced herself from such a loser animal.

All it could take to start is one simple letter change: from Cheetah to Cheatah.

Less emphasis on the stupid animal and more emphasis on the immorality of the character.

[nj06]

I feel as long as Cheetah/Barbara is written well, it shouldn't matter how tough/scary a cheetah is in comparison to other animals. I think as long as she is written as a capable villain who is a credible foe for Diana, the Justice League, and the world at large then she should be good. Unfortunately she hasn't been written that way in far too long and I think it has really hurt the character.

[daBronzeBomma]

I feel as long as Cheetah/Barbara is written well, it shouldn't how tough/scary a cheetah is in comparison to other animals.

But she isn't, and it does. Perception becomes reality.

You say "fearsome creature", most people will rattle off more than 50 scarier animals before they ever get to "cheetah" (if they even mention it).

You say "Who's the Cheetah", most people will think of this:



or this:

I think as long as she is written as a capable villain who is a credible foe for Diana, the Justice League, and the world at large then she should be good. Unfortunately she hasn't been written that way in far too long and I think it has really hurt the character.

Priscilla/Barbara needs to let the cheetah motif fade to the background.

[SiegePerilous02]

Dude, sorry, but "Cheatah" sounds a great deal more lame than the more straightforward "Cheetah." As for her motif, it may be a bit silly, but it's what she has. It would be like Captain Cold not using cold guns or Two-Face being a villain with a clean, symmetrical face. I'm not seeing how cheating a lot would put her higher in the ranks of villainy.

I've been thinking more about alternate scenarios they could have gone with as sources for her power recently. Not that it would do much good now that her New 52 origin has been established, but....

1. There is an Egyptian goddess named Mafdet who presides over legal justice and executions. She is often depicted in artwork with a cheetah-like head, and is also known as "the runner" for her great speed. She was also said to protect against snakes and scorpions, and delivered the hearts of wrong doers to the feet of the pharaoh. Barbara could have become the avatar of this goddess, and even had a warped sense of justice that would still place her at odds with Diana.

2. Since the Roman Gods are separate beings from the Greek pantheon in the New 52, why not have Barbara become their champion while Diana represents the Greeks? Maybe they resent the Greeks for taking credit for a lot of their myths, and the lack of worship has made them weak and spiteful. After Barbara proves herself a worthy champion, she could receive gifts from them in a warped version of Diana's "christening" from the Greek Gods in the Perez version: the speed of Mercury, the strength of the Earth from Ceres, heightened senses and communion with beasts from Diana, and her form and bloodlust could come from Bacchus, who was said to have his chariot drawn from cheetahs and leopards. Minerva and Venus could be her guiding patron goddesses , the latter of which has some astrological connections to Lucifer, the "Light Bringer," so "Venus" could have some more sinister connotations than "Aphrodite."

[The_Greatest_Username]

Yeah, I don't think changing her name and motif is going to do her much favors. Bats aren't exactly the scariest animals and iron is hardly the strongest metal, but Batman and Ironman have no trouble being taken seriously. What they need to do is play up her cunning which is something associated with cats in general.

[Nyssane]

I always thought it'd be cool if they incorporated Mafdet into Cheetah's story!

And anyone who thinks "cheetahs" can't be taken seriously... Batman's archenemy is a clown. 'Nuff said.

[AmiMizuno]

Hey could the Cheetah be connected to Athena? I mean Athena did have the symbols of cats? What if a sub sections of the cheetah?