Cunning & Ferocious!! The CHEETAH Appreciation

[Thirteen]

Seeing Cheetah paired off against The Flash (a no brainer that should happen more often) brings to mind the Cheetah/Zoom vs Wonder Woman/Flash quadrangle

[AmiMizuno]

That would be interesting. I do think both Cheetah and Diana should be able to keep up with Zoom and Flash

[WonderScott]

I added this comment to the Cheetah Reading List discussion, but it's better suited here and less off topic.

The discussion was diving into the similarities and differences between the various Cheetahs and the possibility of amalgamating aspects them all into Barbara Minerva (for the comic or DCEU.)

I'm mostly curious as to how Barbara will be portrayed in the comics and her next plot, considering how she left things with Diana and Veronica Cale. One could claim she might hate Cale more than Ms. Prince at this point.

Anyway, original comment on that discussion thread follows...

---

Well, it seems that the DCnU Cheetah has been tossed out the window with her various aliases as Priscilla Rich, Deborah Domaine, and Sabrina Ballesteros, which was a nice nod to previous versions at the time.

Rebirth Barbara doesn't seem like the type to have had fake identities in the past, but we'll see what happens in her future chararization. Like Cale, it's going to take a great creative idea to turn her into a full-tilt boogie villain after being a sympathetic character most recently.

I can see some overlap between the Perez Barbara Minerva and Marston/Bronze Age Priscilla Rich. Some superficial, one comes from English royalty of sorts and the other's a monied American socialite. And both have devious and cunning natures. Some more serious, one is often trapped in a curse by Urzkartaga and the other is challenged by mental health issues. (Although there's an argument for what happens to one's mental health when becoming the bride of Urzie or forced back into the role of Cheetah by a ruthless businessvillainess.)

It'll be interesting to see where they take Barbara and her motives now. One avenue could be that now that Urzie is defeated she can come into her own as Cheetah and what that means for her human self and Cheetah self - if the two both exist at this point. Right now she kind of stands alone as a Wonder foe, having antagonistic feelings towards both Diana and Veronica for different reasons, as well as her own self-loathing. That status of her feelings has some aspects or echoes of Priscilla Rich I guess.

It's interesting that Diana's dealing with multiple characters that have abandonment issues with her - Cheetah, Silver Swan, and to some degree Jason in some issues. I wonder if any writer will pick up that affect she has on people in a future story. Not that I'm blaming her for those characters's feelings and actions, but it's interesting that Diana is such a light and special personality to people when she meets them, that some of them feel such longing for her friendship and participation in their lives that they feel extra empty without her presence in their lives. It's like she augments a person's self-confidence and "specialness" when she's around and they can't quite deal with reality when she's called off for other adventures.

The downside of being an incredible person and friend, perhaps, and the sometimes ugliness that happens when it's denied someone or that relationship changes for some people.

Definitely some Marstonian psychology to consider in that state of affairs.

:: puts on thinking cap to ponder that idea some more ::

(Also, this probably a better, on topic response to a Barbara Minerva or general Cheetah Appreciation thread.)

[WonderScott]

That would be interesting. I do think both Cheetah and Diana should be able to keep up with Zoom and Flash

Yeah, I think Cheetah's divinely-based speed should be on par with Flash, but not quite being able to gain light speed or anything. She should be able to hold her own better than most.

I think of Diana as incredibly fast but slower than Cheetah, Superman, or the Flashes. Her speed and reflexes will assist her in a fight with them, but she's never going to win a race against Cheetah, Superman, or any of the various Flashes.

I've got a story in my head to tell where Barbara Minerva does some study of the Speed Force and it's history/myths in the anthropological and archeological record and goes after an artifact that allows her to tap into the Speed Force. It's a bit of an around-the-world tale for Barbara and her team to find additional mystical totems and archeological artifacts that give her access to/control over various powers - the Green, the Red, etc.

[The Dying Detective]

I added this comment to the Cheetah Reading List discussion, but it's better suited here and less off topic.

The discussion was diving into the similarities and differences between the various Cheetahs and the possibility of amalgamating aspects them all into Barbara Minerva (for the comic or DCEU.)

I'm mostly curious as to how Barbara will be portrayed in the comics and her next plot, considering how she left things with Diana and Veronica Cale. One could claim she might hate Cale more than Ms. Prince at this point.

Anyway, original comment on that discussion thread follows...

---

Well, it seems that the DCnU Cheetah has been tossed out the window with her various aliases as Priscilla Rich, Deborah Domaine, and Sabrina Ballesteros, which was a nice nod to previous versions at the time.

Rebirth Barbara doesn't seem like the type to have had fake identities in the past, but we'll see what happens in her future chararization. Like Cale, it's going to take a great creative idea to turn her into a full-tilt boogie villain after being a sympathetic character most recently.

I can see some overlap between the Perez Barbara Minerva and Marston/Bronze Age Priscilla Rich. Some superficial, one comes from English royalty of sorts and the other's a monied American socialite. And both have devious and cunning natures. Some more serious, one is often trapped in a curse by Urzkartaga and the other is challenged by mental health issues. (Although there's an argument for what happens to one's mental health when becoming the bride of Urzie or forced back into the role of Cheetah by a ruthless businessvillainess.)

It'll be interesting to see where they take Barbara and her motives now. One avenue could be that now that Urzie is defeated she can come into her own as Cheetah and what that means for her human self and Cheetah self - if the two both exist at this point. Right now she kind of stands alone as a Wonder foe, having antagonistic feelings towards both Diana and Veronica for different reasons, as well as her own self-loathing. That status of her feelings has some aspects or echoes of Priscilla Rich I guess.

It's interesting that Diana's dealing with multiple characters that have abandonment issues with her - Cheetah, Silver Swan, and to some degree Jason in some issues. I wonder if any writer will pick up that affect she has on people in a future story. Not that I'm blaming her for those characters's feelings and actions, but it's interesting that Diana is such a light and special personality to people when she meets them, that some of them feel such longing for her friendship and participation in their lives that they feel extra empty without her presence in their lives. It's like she augments a person's self-confidence and "specialness" when she's around and they can't quite deal with reality when she's called off for other adventures.

The downside of being an incredible person and friend, perhaps, and the sometimes ugliness that happens when it's denied someone or that relationship changes for some people.

Definitely some Marstonian psychology to consider in that state of affairs.

:: puts on thinking cap to ponder that idea some more ::

(Also, this probably a better, on topic response to a Barbara Minerva or general Cheetah Appreciation thread.)

Well Robinson had his work cut out for making Cale a villain again and there's also Barbara Ann Minerva's grudge against the Greek gods that's a helpful plot point to making her a villain again they just have ot wipe away how sympathetic she became somehow. Well when Diana is such a loving person well it is sort of inevitable that people would want her company and she makes good company it just has to be part of a an overarching story though.

[nj06]

Seeing Cheetah paired off against The Flash (a no brainer that should happen more often) brings to mind the Cheetah/Zoom vs Wonder Woman/Flash quadrangle

Can someone explain why one of Cheetah's hands remains unchanged in her battle with the Flash?

[nj06]

I can't wait to see Cheetah on screen. I hope she gets portrayed well.

[AmiMizuno]

What should Cheetah look like?

[The Dying Detective]

If the DCEU so chooses to stay the course I wonder How Cheetah will join Luthor's Injustice League? Unless immortality is going to be one of Cheetah's powers.

[marhawkman]

Well... they could retcon it that becoming the Cheetah means you won't die a natural death.

[nj06]

What should Cheetah look like?

I want some sort of were-cheetah like the comics, so I'm guessing CGI will be needed. I hope we get something decent.

[SiegePerilous02]

If the DCEU so chooses to stay the course I wonder How Cheetah will join Luthor's Injustice League? Unless immortality is going to be one of Cheetah's powers.

In the Perez era, she got immortality when she "married" Urzkartaga, and it was one of the reasons she did it. This bit her in the ass when her cursed her, because it meant she was eternally stuck with the pain and madness he inflicted on her.

Her being described as a demigod in Rebirth seems to indicate that she's got immortality there as well. So the DCEU could take its cues from that. With how poor JL did I doubt we will see the Legion of Doom any time soon, but they have an easy way to use her while keeping WW2 in the 80s.

[The Dying Detective]

In the Perez era, she got immortality when she "married" Urzkartaga, and it was one of the reasons she did it. This bit her in the ass when her cursed her, because it meant she was eternally stuck with the pain and madness he inflicted on her.

Her being described as a demigod in Rebirth seems to indicate that she's got immortality there as well. So the DCEU could take its cues from that. With how poor JL did I doubt we will see the Legion of Doom any time soon, but they have an easy way to use her while keeping WW2 in the 80s.

And then in the present day Luthor finds Cheetah and offers her a seat on the Injustice League she can just be part of the slow build up that DC should have gone with instead of racing to chase Marvel's tail.

[WonderScott]

I can't wait to see Cheetah on screen. I hope she gets portrayed well.

I'm guessing we'll get the bestial werecheetah without a lot of humanity at first...that way Diana can "reach her" to potentially save her and recover some of her personality.

[nj06]

I'm guessing we'll get the bestial werecheetah without a lot of humanity at first...that way Diana can "reach her" to potentially save her and recover some of her personality.

Indeed.

I also hope we get some nice fight scenes between these two. It should look like a war-zone after these two fight, with both of them walking away with wounds/injuries.