| February 2044 | Edition nº46 |
Wildcat: The Boxer Feline
Who is DCs Wildcat?
To be honest, the first thing I thought upon hearing Wildcat was High School Musical, but this is a totally different universe. Wildcat is one of the heroes in the DC Universe, based in Gotham City, like Batman. The first identity of Wildcat is Ted Grant, and he is known to be the son of Henry Grant, the father of Jake Grant and Tom Bronson, and the godfather of Yolanda Montez. He used to be a boxer, but then he retired, and then he found his way to use his ability to be a superhero.There are two more known Wildcats: Yolanda Montez and Tom Bronson. Both of them continued their father’s journey of fighting for good under the same identity. Also, please note that this entire story is from the New Earth universe of DC!
The First Wildcat: Ted Grant
Ted Grant’s History as Wildcat
Becoming Wildcat
Ted grew up with his father, Henry. Since he was little, he was used to boxing and was very good at it. When he grew up, he wanted to study medicine, but he became a professional boxer instead. Unfortunately, during his career, he was framed for a murder of one of his opponents, “Socker” Smith, who actually passed away because of being drugged by another party. Ted was arrested, and once again was framed for another murder. This time, it was the murder of the police officers who arrested him. He escaped and managed to be on the run. During this time, he found out about Green Lantern and was inspired to be a vigilante. He made a costume and used a new identity to clear his name by making the actual murderers confess. After this was done, he continued serving justice in the city of Gotham.
Wildcat and His Kids
During World War II, Ted joined the Justice Society of America and the All-Star Squadron. During this time, he had a girlfriend, Irina, who later on delivered his baby, Jake Grant. His relationship with Irina sadly ended because Ted was kidnapped by Yellow Wasp and could not find Irina and her baby after once he was free. Later on, he met Marilyn Bronson, who gave birth to his son, Tom Bronson.The Change of Wildcat
Ted was injured by Red Tornado, so he could not continue on as Wildcat. Fortunately, Yolanda Montez stepped in and took his place as Wildcat. Unfortunately, Yolanda was killed later on, so Ted decided to take on the name again with the best of his abilities. Ted was also one of the combat instructors for Bruce Wayne, Dinah Lance, and Selina Kyle.Powers and Abilities
Powers
Ted has Resurrection and Enhanced Vision. His resurrection power allows him to return from the dead, and even return to the age where he is at his best (Decelerated Aging). As for his vision, he is able to see in the dark.Abilities
Ted is a good pilot and driver, and other than English, he also speaks an African tribal dialect. His ability in Martial Arts is impressive and he does not only excel in one, but a lot of Martial Arts forms. He is trained in Capoeira, Hapkido, Krav Maga, Muay Thai, Boxing, Kickboxing, and Tae Kwon Do. He uses this ability to teach other people how to fight.Wildcat’s Catocycle
Ted has a modified Indian stunt motorcycle that he uses to go from one place to another while fighting crimes. Sounds fun!
The Only Girl
Wildcat in DC: Yolanda Montez
The Story of Yolanda Montez
The second Wildcat would be Yolanda Montez. Her mother, Maria, was a test subject of Dr Love’s experiment. Maria ran away from Dr Love when she moved to Mexico and married a boxer, “Mauler” Montez. This was how Ted Grant became Yolanda’s godfather, because he (most likely) knew Mauler.Due to the experiment, Yolanda developed superpowers along with feline characteristics. She continued Ted’s “career” as Wildcat and joined Infinity Inc. afterwards. Unfortunately, during a battle against Eclipso, Yolanda was killed.
Powers
She has a unique physiology, being a cat-like person. She has claws, that’s for sure, and she has superpower agility. Aside from that, however, her powers and abilities are unknown. We would like to assume that she is, more or less, good at martial arts too. Maybe not as good as Ted, but good enough for fighting crimes.The Transformed Cat: Tom Bronson
The Story of Tom Bronson
Tom Bronson, or actually Thomas Bronson, is another known Wildcat. He is the illegitimate son of Ted Grant.
When he was still a little boy, he found out that he could transform into a were-cat (like a werewolf, but a cat). He never revealed this to anyone until he was a young man. One day, Ted was visiting him just to get reacquainted, but they got attacked during the time. Ted was knocked out, so Tom had no choice but to transform and fight. He never actually took the Wildcat mantle, but Ted did invite him to join the Justice Society of America as Wildcat. Later on, Tom decided to use another name: Tomcat.
Powers
Tom has Therianthropy, which is the ability to transform into an animal form, albeit not that exact animal because he is more of a were-cat than an actual cat. With this power, he also obtains enhanced strength, enhanced agility, enhanced speed, enhanced vision, and enhanced hearing. He also has claws and fangs upon transforming.Which Wildcat is your favourite? Let us know in the comments, and receive a small gift. Share any thoughts you have about this blog right now!