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The Cheetah

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Legion of Doom Team Member


Pricilla Rich (03x08.b - Secret Origins of the Superfriends) (6)
03x08.b - Secret Origins of the Superfriends (3)

The Cheetah was a supervillain who wore a cheetah costume, and utilized her claws as weapons.

She was the first villain to be called the Cheetah, and she was a member of the Legion of Doom and Wonder Woman's arch-nemesis.

Background Information[]

On the parallel-universe of Earth-1A, Priscilla Rich is sort of a jekyll-hyde character. A wealthy and beautiful socialite, she was jealous of anyone more famous than herself. Her evil nature prevailed when she saw people paying more attention to Wonder Woman - so she turned a cheetah-skin rug into a costume and launched her criminal career as the 'Cheetah.' Blonde-haired and green-eyed, she sometimes seems almost like a human cat.[5]

On the parallel-universe of Earth-One, Lt. Diana Prince and Colonel Steve Trevor are in military attire, taking a pleasant afternoon walk at the Zoological Park. Their enjoyment would be cut short by the appearance of a villainess calling herself the Cheetah (a nemesis who will plague Wonder Woman for years) and her gang from robbing a zoo of its priceless extinct animal exhibit for a client. Diana makes her ‘quick-change’ into Wonder Woman. As the two engage in battle, the Cheetah slips away. Later at Trevor’s home, Cheetah sneaks in and hypnotizes Trevor into smooching with her! When Wonder Woman (not in her secret identity) arrives concerned that her dinner date didn’t show, she sees them, as the Cheetah had planned. She is tear-stricken and upset, allowing the villainess to take her by surprise, steal her magic lasso, and encircle her with it. Wonder Woman, enslaved by the Cheetah, is forced to take her and Steve to the Cheetah's private island where her personal army awaits to fight as mercenaries. The Cheetah forces Wonder Woman to remove her bracelets so that she will not be able to repel bullets with them. But the removal of the bracelets causes Wonder Woman to go into a rage, negating the lasso's control and enabling her to break free and smash wildly into the Cheetah's men, defeating them. Steve, who has recovered from the hypnosis, manages to get Wonder Woman's bracelets back on her wrists. She kisses Steve, then captures the Cheetah, promising to take the villainess to an Amazon prison for reeducation.[6]

Later, after Cheetah possibly escaped, the villainess and her gang crash the ball given in honor of Lt. Diana's recent promotion to ‘Captain.’ They anticipate stealing the charity-marked proceeds. In the guise of Wonder Woman, Diana defeats them.[7]

In the Earth-1A universe, Cheetah joins the [short-lived] Super Foes - which consisted of: the Penguin, the Toyman, Poison Ivy, Cheetah and their protégés, Chick, Toyboy, Honeysuckle, Kitten, the Human Flying Fish and Sardine. The group desired to steal the components of a super-robot found at three secret labs. The technology behind this super-robot is 'Project SR'. A secret ultimate weapon for peace. A robot to end warfare. Super intelligent and indestructible. Its being assembled in three parts at three separate labs.[8] They are successful and are now in their secret base, constructing a Super Robot. Unbeknownst to our super-villains, the SuperFriends attached tracking devices to the Robot parts. Batman and Robin are the first to arrive on scene to stop this new menace. The Dynamic Duo has been captured and the other SuperFriends are busy saving the day. The Penguin is trying to get their protégés to kill the heroic pair. They refuse. During this rebellion, Wendy and Marvin fight the Penguin and defeat him. Superman arrives and adds the finishing blows to defeat the Super Robot. Through this, the protégés begin to have second thoughts about their allegiances.[9]

In the Earth-1A universe, after several years of struggle against superheroes, both individually and collectively, it soon became apparent to Lex Luthor that working together with his fellow villainous cohorts was the only way to enact their sinister plans on an unsuspecting populous. So he assembled twelve supervillains, forming the most powerful and sinister group the world has ever seen. They call themselves - The Legion of Doom! Cheetah is on the roster.[10]

[After Pricilla's time with the 'Legion of Doom,' she fell ill.] In the Earth-One universe, Priscilla, now in her North Shore Mansion in Maryland, is being visited by her niece, Debbi Domaine at Pricilla's request. Lying in her bed, she begins raving about her secret past. Before she can reveal too much information, she passes away, still holding tight to Debbi's arm. Unnerved, Debbi reels backward, falling into a walk-in closet. Inside the closet is the original costume of the villainess known as the Cheetah.[11]


Abilities[]


Legion of Doom Team Members[]

Members of the Legion of Doom

Core Members:
Lex Luthor • Brainiac • Black Manta • Cheetah • Sinestro • Gorilla Grodd • Captain Cold • Scarecrow
Toyman • Solomon Grundy • The Riddler • Giganta • Bizarro

Expanded Team:
Doctor Natas


Appearances[]

Super Friends (comic book):

  1. The Fury of the Super Foes (issue #1)
  2. Trapped By the Super Foes (issue #2)

SuperFriends Episodes:

  1. Wanted: The SuperFriends
  2. Invasion of the Fearians
  3. The World's Deadliest Game
  4. The Time Trap
  5. Trial of the SuperFriends
  6. Monolith of Evil
  7. The Giants of Doom
  8. Secret Origins of the SuperFriends
  9. Revenge on Gorilla City
  10. Swamp of the Living Dead
  11. Conquerors of the Future
  12. The Final Challenge
  13. Fairy Tale of Doom
  14. Doomsday
  15. SuperFriends: Rest In Peace
  16. History of Doom
  17. Revenge of Doom


Notes[]

  • Unlike her counterpart in the comic books, the Cheetah in the Superfriends episodes seems to be something other than an ordinary woman. In "Wanted: the Superfriends" Luthor creates multiple copies of Bizarro and Cheetah from ordinary people with his Mutation Device (implying that she is a mutant (as DC would put it, a "metahuman"). However, compare this to "Secret Origins of the Superfriends" where she needs the Legion's "radar-controlled bracelets" to overcome Diana. (Note that the latter episode refers to Cheetah's "cat-like skills" while showing her winning a contest on the parallel bars.)
  • The Pricilla Rich version of 'Cheetah' first appeared in Wonder Woman, #6 (Fall, 1943).[12]
  • Cheetah was created by Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter.
    • She was created by William Moulton Marston as an allegory of the folly of abnormal emotions such as jealousy, as well as to be another embodiment of what he called "less actively developed women" (emotionally misaligned) who needed emotional reform by a love leader (Wonder Woman).[citation needed]
  • The Cheetah's first Silver-Age / Earth-One version appeared in Wonder Woman, #160 (February 1966).
    • She was re-introduced to the Silver Age comic book world by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru.
  • There have been four different Cheetahs since the character's premiere:
  • Priscilla Rich (the Golden Age Cheetah) - 1943
  • Deborah Domaine (the Bronze Age Cheetah) - 1980
  • Barbara Ann Minerva (the Modern Age and current Cheetah) - 1987[?]
  • Sebastian Ballesteros (a male usurper who briefly assumed the role in 2001)


External Links[]


References[]

  1. ↑ Her real name was not mentioned in the series. Her Earth-One counterpart was succeeded by her niece, Deborah Domaine.
  2. ↑ Marlene Aragon provided the voice of Cheetah throughout the entire Super Friends series.
  3. ↑ Blaze Berdahl provided the voice of the Earth-508 version of Cheetah.
  4. ↑ Clare Grant provided the voice of a parody version of Cheetah in Robot Chicken.
  5. ↑ This origin is revealed in the Super Fans section of the Super Friends (comic book): Issue #2 (December 1, 1976) by E. Nelson Bridwell. This origin parallels the Earth-Two/Golden Age version found in Wonder Woman, #6 (September, 1943). An origin for the Silver Age/Earth-One Cheetah, had been previously unrevealed.
  6. ↑ As revealed in the Wonder Woman, #160 (February 1966).
  7. ↑ As revealed in Wonder Woman, #166/2 (November 1966).
  8. ↑ As revealed in SuperFriends, #1 (November 1976).
  9. ↑ As revealed in SuperFriends, #2 (December, 1976).
  10. ↑ As revealed in the Season 3b episode: History of Doom (December 23, 1978).
  11. ↑ As revealed in Wonder Woman, #274 (December, 1980).
  12. ↑ Go to DC Database for more on Wonder Woman, Vol. 1 #6 published in Fall, 1943.
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