Deborah Domaine (Earth-One)

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"You are the Cheetah! And you will fill the world with terror!"

--Kobra

Real Name: Deborah Domaine
Nicknames: Debbi
Former Aliases: No known former aliases
Other Current Aliases: No other known current aliases

Status

Occupation: Former environmental activist; currently a criminal
Legal Status: Deborah Domaine is a citizen of the United States with a criminal record; declared mentally unstable
Identity: Secret
Marital Status: Single
Group Affiliation: Former member of the Organization For Ecological Sanity; former member of the Secret Society of Super-Villains
Base of Operations: Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

Origin

Deborah Domaine was a woman born of wealth and privilege. Growing up in Chesapeake Bay, she became very close with her eccentric aunt, an heiress named Priscilla Rich. Even as Debbi grew into adulthood however, she never knew her aunt's most closely guarded secret – that she was once the psychotic villain known as the Cheetah.

Several years ago, Debbi became a socially active individual, involving herself in various environmentally conscious initiatives such as the Organization for Ecological Sanity (O.E.S.). She quickly rose to prominence within the O.E.S.'s ranks, and even used her private yacht off of Shore Marina as a de facto headquarters for the group. Debbi would sail about the world, tracking down ecological disasters and raising public awareness concerning dangers to the Earth.

On one such occasion, the O.E.S. discovered an oil tanker that had ruptured and set ablaze. The super-hero known as Wonder Woman responded to the emergency and effectively contained the fire, as well as the tons of oil that had spilled out into the bay. Debbi and her crew met the Amazon and she invited her aboard her yacht to clean up. The two would likely have become friends, had fate intervened.

Shortly after the oil tanker incident, Debbi received a letter from her aunt. Priscilla Rich was dying and wanted to see while she still had a small amount of time available to her. Debbi visited Priscilla's mansion, and the aging heiress struggled to reveal her darkest secret. However, Priscilla died before she could say any more. Reeling from shock, Debbi stumbled backwards into Priscilla's boudoir, overturning a mannequin. Upon the mannequin was the costume of the Cheetah. The mannequin struck her upon the brow, rendering her unconscious.

Meanwhile, the terrorist leader known as Kobra had been looking to acquire fresh new recruits. He sent one of his agents to Chesapeake Bay to enlist the services of the Cheetah. Upon discovering that the Cheetah was dead, the agent instead abducted the unconscious Deborah Domaine.

When Debbi awoke, she found herself a prisoner of Kobra. As he was unable to make use of the original Cheetah, he decided to craft one of his own. He placed Debbi inside of a monitor station, suspended from the ceiling by electric cables. Using a brainwashing technique reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange, Kobra exposed her to a barrage of violent images of ecological disasters. With every flickering image she was forced to witness, an electric charge was sent coursing through her body. Within a short period of time, the process drove Debbi Domaine irrevocably insane. Kobra outfitted her with a feline costume similar in design to that once worn by her aunt. He further implemented her with a set of chrome-steel claws, and thus the new Cheetah was born.

Place of Birth: Chesapeake Bay, Maryland
Known Relatives: Priscilla Rich (aunt, deceased); Claudia Rich (aunt)
First Appearance: Wonder Woman (Volume 1) #274
Final Appearance: Crisis on Infinite Earths #9

History

Deborah Domaine's first foray into crime was on behalf of her new master, Kobra. Under his instruction, she infiltrated the security station at Hampstead Dam in Maryland and sabotaged the controls that operated the spill-gates. The dam burst and water from Chesapeake Bay flooded throughout the small town. The disaster earned the attention of the super-hero, Wonder Woman, who arrived just in time to save as many people from the flood waters as possible.

Cheetah surveyed the damage from her speedboat, and found herself crossing swords with Wonder Woman. The two fought one another, and Diana quickly realized that this new Cheetah was actually the environmental activist that she had met only days before. During the struggle, the Cheetah managed to get the upper hand, and stole from Wonder Woman, her magic lasso. She propelled the heroine into the bay and made her escape.

Cheetah and Wonder Woman fought one another again that very same night. Diana had tracked Debbi to her old O.E.S. yacht, where she quickly recovered her magic lasso. The Cheetah leapt upon her from behind, but Wonder Woman was able to keep her at a safe distance. During their struggle, Debbi's yacht had pulled itself free from its mooring and began drifting out into the bay. It fell into the path of an oncoming ferry, which struck the boat causing it to explode. The blast propelled both combatants into the water, and Cheetah used the fiery blaze as cover to make her escape.

Before long, the Cheetah cut ties with Kobra and joined a more prominent terrorist organization known as the Secret Society of Super-Villains. She worked with the team for a brief time until she was ultimately captured and sent to Arkham Asylum in Gotham City.

The Cheetah eventually escaped from Arkham shortly before the catastrophic event known as the Crisis on Infinite Earths. During the Crisis, she aligned herself with Lex Luthor and several other villains in an effort to save their beleaguered planet from the likes of the Anti-Monitor.

The Crisis culminated in the collapse of the Multiverse. Cheetah's native world (known as Earth-One) was reborn and all evidence of the Pre-Crisis reality ceased to exist.

Characteristics

Height: 5'7"
Weight: 122lbs (55.338 kg)
Eyes: Green
Hair: Brown
Unusual Features: No unusual features

Powers

Known Powers: If the Cheetah is goaded into a fit of frenzy, her strength level enhances to near superhuman levels.
Known Abilities: Like her namesake, the Cheetah possesses the swiftness and agility of a jungle cat. She is also a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and has been known to even keep Wonder Woman on her guard.
Strength Level: While in a relatively relaxed emotional state, Debbi Domaine possesses the strength level of a woman her age, size and weight who engages in moderate regular exercise. When enraged, her strength level increases exponentially. The full limits of her superhuman strength have never been measured.

Miscellaneous

Equipment: No known equipment.
Transportation: No known transportation.
Weapons: The Cheetah's costume is equipped with chrome-steel claws which are capable of rending even metal.

Notes

The character of the Cheetah was created by writer, Gerry Conway, based on original concepts by William Moulton Marston.

This version of the Cheetah is germane to the reality of Pre-Crisis, Earth-One. As Earth-One ceased to exist following the events of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Cheetah's existence is considered apocryphal.

Animated Series

To date, there have been two animated projects which featured characters named the Cheetah. However, neither version of the Cheetah applies to the character of Deborah Domaine. Marlene Aragon provided the voice for the character on the 1978 animated series, Challenge of the SuperFriends. This character however, was Priscilla Rich, the original Cheetah. In the 2001 series, Justice League, Sheryl Lee Ralph lends her voice to the Cheetah character, however this version is intended to represent Barbara Minerva, the Post-Crisis Cheetah.

External Links

References

Cheetah II appearances list
Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #4 (Cheetah biography page)