First Appearance: (Priscilla Rich) Wonder Woman 6 (1943)
Creators: William Marston and H.G Peter
Abilities: Multiple personalities, with agility of a cat, grace of a dancer, and the power to bring out a persons fury and control it subliminally. Command over animals, a ‘cheetah claw’ wrist gun, and magic false nails.
Backstory: Priscilla Rich has the distinction of the being first of 3 women to bear the title The Cheetah. Born in the lap of luxury with a silver spoon in her mouth, but with a fondness for philanthropy, her fear of failure would begin a theme of struggling with self-confidence and conflicting dual natures.
As one of the wealthy and privileged, Rich could have wiled away her days in extravagant wealth without ever having to work a day in her life; However, desiring to make something of herself, Priscilla took up dancing, becoming one of the most talented ballet dancers in the world. Joining the Junior League Committee and becoming its leader, Priscilla would use her wealth and connections to organize fundraisers to encourage people to donate their money to a good cause; But, alas, Priscilla was always someone driven by a need to boost her ego and prove her self-worth.
When one of her events leads to the crowds denouncing her as a fraud, calling for her head, and declaring that she was worthless and would never be as good as Wonder Woman, Priscilla Rich is sent into a self destructive spiral, leading to her second personality, her inner fury, to take control: The Cheetah.
A separate ego, the Cheetah knew everything Priscilla knew but not the reverse. She was driven by the burning need to tear others down in order to build herself up—believing herself incapable of any triumphs otherwise. The Cheetah’s hold growing more powerful the more she doubted herself, she would become an even greater menace by summoning the inner rage within others and take command of their animal within. Creating an army of unconscious minions who would go about their daily lives until activated, carrying out Cheetahs nefarious schemes before the second personality subsided, leaving the original unaware of their own actions.
Priscilla Rich, a victim of her own darkness, might one day be free if she could regain a positive view of herself; But that would be difficult to accomplish when her own family, fearing the embarrassment of the association with villainy, publicly disowned her, ceased her fortunes, and adopted a new daughter to replace her…
