This week, I thought I would feature a little-loved villainess, Deborah Domaine, the second woman to be called 'The Cheetah'. The niece of Priscilla Rich, the original Cheetah, Deborah combined two of my favorite DC Villains, Kobra and the Cheetah and provided Wonder Woman a new challenge for a short (I think less than ten issues) appearance prior to
Crisis on Infinite Earths and the rebirth of the Cheetah as Barbara Minerva. In many ways, the second Cheetah was as lethal as the third, offering a different take on the multiple personality Rich and the sociopath Minerva, clearly inspired by and inspiring the entire Cheetah concept.
Why the second Cheetah?
One of the best stories I've ever read was the JLA/JSA crossover, issues #195 - 197, where a collection of Earth-1 and Earth-2 villains unite and take down the collected heroes. I always liked that crossover of all crossovers, and I enjoyed the Cheetah being given a specific role, one that wasn't simply just as a Wonder Woman villain.
I also think that Deborah got the raw deal in 'Crisis', as she wasn't given enough time to really become the Cheetah before being written out of continuity and ultimately replaced with Barbara Minerva. I think that the fact that often the second Cheetah held her own against the pre-Crisis Wonder Woman says a lot, and I would have liked to seen more.
Third and finally, I think that the use of Kobra as an origin is a cool idea, and one that I think is often ignored. I like the idea of the 'world conquering' villain creating other villains is something that makes a lot of sense, but effectively to create one solely to occupy a potential threat in Wonder Woman is even more so.
So...Deborah Domaine, the Second Cheetah
Deborah Domaine
F: Rm (30)
A: Rm (30)
S: Gd (10)
E: Rm (30)
R: Gd (10)
I: Rm (30)
P: Ex (20)
Health: 100
Karma: 60
Resources: (As Domaine) Ex (20), as Cheetah Pr (4)/Rm (30) (Depending on support from others)
Popularity: (As Domaine) 5/ As Cheetah - 15
Talents:
As Domaine
Dilettante
Knowledge: Environmental Causes
Knowledge: Environmental Groups
As Cheetah:
Acrobatics
Tumbling
Martial Arts A, C, E
Crime*
Powers:
While Domaine has no real powers, it has been argued and shown that she has some degree of the following pseudo-Powers:
- Iron Will: Domaine, despite her brainwashing by Kobra, has a large degree of Iron Will, capable of shrugging off damage and/or effects with Rm (30) ability.
- Recovery: Domaine can recover from injuries far faster than a woman with her build and strength, from plunging into the Icy Potomac after being shot three times to recovering from a blast from Firestorm, Domaine can recovery from damage with Ex (20) ability
- Combat Sense: Domaine has some form of natural combat sense, granting her the ability at Ex (20)
Equipment:Sharpened Claws: Attacked to her nails, Domaine has been outfitted with Chronium steel nails painted red, which can halve effective normal body armor by half, and can do Ex (20) slashing damage. As a benefit of being trained with them, Domaine can make up to two Fighting actions a round without making a Fighting FEAT. Domain has also been known to poison her nails with a fast-acting toxin that causes unconsciousness at Ex (20) intensity.
Contacts:
Cheetah has the following contacts:
The Cheetah (1): Priscilla Rich was Deborah's aunt
The Secret Society of Supervillains
Kobra
Limitations:
Hopelessly Insane: Deborah has been driven insane by Kobra to become a living weapon. Very little of Deborah's caring personality remains. As such, Cheetah is easily provoked into action and is more reactionary than capable of planning.
Irrationally hate towards Wonder Woman: Cheetah will ignore all other opponents to attack Wonder Woman.
.gif)
