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Wildcat (DC Comics)

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(Redirected from Yolanda Montez)
For works with similar names, see Wildcat (disambiguation) § Comic books and comic strips.
Wildcat
The Ted Grant and Yolanda Montez incarnations of Wildcat. Art by Sweeney Boo.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceSensation Comics #1 (January 1942)
Created byBill Finger
Irwin Hasen
In-story information
Alter egoTheodore "Ted" Grant
Hector Rameriez
Yolanda Montez
Tom Bronson
Team affiliationsJustice Society of America
AbilitiesAll versions of Wildcats are typically considered skilled boxers and mixed-martial artists with feline-related abilities.

Wildcat is the name of several superheroes in the DC Universe prominently connected to the Justice Society of America. Each version of the character is commonly a cat-themed hero with powers associated with felines in some manner and are commonly depicted as accomplished mixed martial artists. The original version of the character debuted in Sensation Comics #1 (January, 1942), created by Bill Finger and Irwin Hasen.

The original version of the character, Theodore "Ted" Grant, is a long-time member of the JSA and former world-class heavyweight boxer and mixed martial artist who became inadvertently entangled in the criminal underworld and first becoming a hero to clear his innocence. Renown for his combat abilities, he also became a notable mentor to several superheroes in the art of boxing and has also served as co-chairman of the Justice Society.[1][2]

The second version of the character, Yolanda Montez, is the daughter of Juan Montez, a sparring partner of Ted known as "Mauler Montez", and Ted's goddaughter whose mother unknowingly underwent genetic experimentation by a corrupted doctor, giving Yolanda feline-like abilities. Eventually becoming a reporter, she adopted the Wildcat codename following Grant's injuries during Crisis on Infinite Earths. Yolanda is later killed by Eclipso but eventually resurrected. The character is notably a heroine of Latina descent, being the second after Green Fury in DC Comics.[3]

Other characters took the name, including Grant's one-time, short-lived protégé Hector Rameriez who was killed by Killer Croc[4] and Thomas "Tom" Bronson, a metahuman werecat who is tutored by Grant, his father, as a second Wildcat and a JSA member in late-2000s stories before adopting a different name.

Ted Grant has made several appearances in DC media, such as the third season of Arrow, in which he was portrayed by J. R. Ramirez, and the DC Universe streaming service show Stargirl, portrayed by Brian Stapf. Additionally, Yolanda Montez also appears in Stargirl, portrayed by Yvette Monreal.

Publication history

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La Garro appearing alongside the founding Infinitors.

The Ted Grant of the character debuted in Sensation Comics #1 (January, 1942), created by Bill Finger and Irwin Hasen. Four decades later, Yolanda Montez first appeared in Infinity, Inc. #12 (March 1985), and was created by Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, and Don Newton. Roy and Dann Thomas originally intended to create a Canadian superheroine named "The Lynx" for new 1980s-era descendants of the All-Star Squadron. An early incarnation of Wildcat named "La Garro" appears in promotional material for Infinity Inc.

Fictional character biography

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Theodore "Ted" Grant

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Main article: Wildcat (Ted Grant)

Yolanda Montez

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Yolanda Montez

Yolanda Montez is the daughter of Maria Montez and Juan Montez, and possesses cat-like abilities due to Maria being exposed to experimental drugs while pregnant.[5] She later succeeds her godfather Ted Grant as Wildcat following his retirement.[6] During this time, she joins Infinity, Inc. and has a flirtatious relationship with Nuklon.[7] Yolanda later retires after Infinity, Inc. disbands, but resurfaces to fight Eclipso, during which she is killed.[8]

New 52 onward

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Years after the New 52 reboot, which erased much of the history of the JSA including Yolanda's tenure, her history is restored in Doomsday Clock.[9] Montez alongside Beth Chapel is later resurrected in a precursor to the Lazarus Planet event, now instead joining the Justice Society of America but struggles with Eclipso's influence on her, forced to take pills known as Lazarus resin in order to suppress it while helping the team battle Per Degaton, whose current plot includes erasing their history by killing Doctor Fate and the JSA team across time.[10]

Tom Bronson

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Bronson as a "were-panther", art by Dale Eaglesham.

Thomas "Tom" Bronson is Ted Grant's youngest son.[11] Tom's mother Marilyn had a one-night stand with Ted, and never told him of Tom's existence. Despite the fact that his father was not involved in his life, Tom is not bitter towards Ted. However, he did tell Ted that he had no intentions of becoming the next Wildcat, as he was not a fighter himself.

It was revealed that Tom is a metahuman that can change into a were-panther at will, similar to the Wildcat featured in Kingdom Come.[12] When Ted was attacked by Vandal Savage, Tom changed into his were-panther form and managed to fight against Savage until help arrived.

In Justice Society of America 80 Page Giant Sized (2010), it was revealed that Tom's mother had the same powers as her son, but would change involuntarily every month. After a minor battle involving Ted, Marilyn, and the first Huntress, Ted took Marilyn to see Doctor Mid-Nite, who cured her of the involuntary aspect of her power, allowing her to change at will instead. While she is unconscious, Ted told Doctor Mid-Nite to "fix her and send her on her way" to protect her from his dangerous walk of life. Doctor Mid-Nite discovered that she was pregnant and revealed this to his now-conscious patient. She ultimately decided to withhold this information from Ted, but her motivations were unclear. She then raised Tom herself.[13]

Over time, Tom slowly forms a bond with Ted and eventually, after some initial reluctance, agrees to share the Wildcat name with his father. At this point, he is introduced and inducted into the Justice Society.[14]

In a team-up with the Justice League, he talks to Vixen and indicates the presence of enhanced senses.

Later, Tom, now calling himself Tomcat, parted ways with Ted and joined the All-Stars, an offshoot team created by the younger members of the JSA.

In the "DC All In" initiative, Tom was present at Ted's funeral after he had been killed by Lady Eve. Feeling guilty about killing that Kobra operative following the funeral, Yolanda interacts with Tom and states that he can be the new Wildcat. As Tom stated that he told his dad that he didn't want the title and tried out the superhero career, Yolanda walks away claiming that its the end of the Wildcat legacy.[15]

Powers and abilities

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Ted Grant's powers and abilities

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Main article: Wildcat (Ted Grant)

A boxer and mixed martial artist, Grant has mastered incapoeira, hapkido, kickboxing, krav maga, muay thai,[16] taekwondo,[17] and boxing, the last in which he favors.[16] Due to an alterations of a curse set on him, he possess nine lives, allowing for virtual immortality and making him long lived-lived so long he isn't killed nine times consecutively.[18]

Other versions

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  • Hector Ramirez first appeared in Batman/Wildcat # 1 (April 1997) and was created by Chuck Dixon, Beau Smith, and Sergio Cariello. He was a boxing protégé of Ted Grant. After learning that Ted used to be Wildcat, Hector aspired to be his successor, something that Ted had refused. Hector then took one of Ted's old costumes and went out as Wildcat in Gotham City. In an attempt to break up a secret fight club where caged villains fought to the death, Ramirez was himself caught and later killed by Killer Croc in the ring. The operators Lock-Up and Ernie Chubb were eventually apprehended by Ted and Batman.[19]

Alternate universe

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  • In Tangent: Superman's Reign #3, the Wildcat of Earth-9 is revealed to be a large, humanoid, cat creature, a member of the Nightwing organization's Covert Ops team.
  • An alternate universe variant of Yolanda Montez / Wildcat from Earth-2 appears in Earth 2: World's End and Convergence. This version is the demonic avatar of the Red, a cosmic force connecting animal life.[20]

In other media

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Television

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Live-action

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  • The Ted Grant incarnation of Wildcat makes a cameo appearance in the Smallville two-part episode "Absolute Justice", portrayed by Roger Hasket.
  • Ted Grant appears in the third season of Arrow, portrayed by J. R. Ramirez.
  • The Ted Grant and Yolanda Montez incarnations of Wildcat appear in Stargirl, portrayed by Brian Stapf and Yvette Monreal respectively.[21] As Wildcat, Grant and Montez wear an exo-suit capable of enhancing the wearer's natural athleticism, adjusting to different body types, possesses retractable claws that can pierce metal, and grant precise balance.
    • This version of Montez is a high school student, a fan of Ted Grant and the ex-girlfriend of Henry King Jr. Three months prior to the series, she became an outcast when her rival, Cindy Burman had leaked revealing photos she had sent to Henry during a school presidential election to ruin her candidacy, which also resulted in her parents revealing their true discussing natures, as they had started to treat Yolanda quite badly for no clear reason at all and had led to her pouring her frustrations into boxing. Yolanda later takes up Grant's identity of Wildcat at Stargirl's request to help rebuild the Justice Society of America (JSA). Yolanda would later go on to forgive Henry before he is killed by his father, Brainwave and avenge him by killing the latter. In the second season, Yolanda becomes a part-time waitress, but suffers from PTSD as a result of her killing Brainwave. This eventually leads her to quit the JSA after suffering hallucinations of Henry and Brainwave, although she later agrees to return to help her friends defeat Eclipso. In the third season, Yolanda moves in with Stargirl's family, as she was finally tired of being constantly abused, disrespected and mistreated by her parents, particularly by her mother, Maria. At the end of the third season, Richard Swift has indirectly implied that Yolanda had ultimately decided to press charges for child abuse against both of her parents, after coming to
      • Ahead of the series' premiere, Yolanda and the JSA made a cameo appearance in the Arrowverse crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths" via archive footage from the Stargirl episode "The Justice Society".[22]

Animation

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Film

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Video games

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Merchandise

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  • The Ted Grant incarnation of Wildcat was the first figure released in the ninth wave of the DC Universe Classics line and was available in his black and blue costumes.
  • In 2020, Fisher-Price released a 2.5 inch Wildcat figure as part of their Imaginext DC Super Friends series.

Miscellaneous

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Reception

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IGN listed Ted Grant as Wildcat as the 71st greatest comic book character of all time stating that, due to his age as a superhero, he is almost more mystifying than the Spectre.[24]

References

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  1. ^ Manning, Matthew K.; Wiacek, Stephen; Scott, Melanie; Jones, Nick; Walker, Landry Q. (2021-07-06). The DC Comics Encyclopedia New Edition. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-7440-5301-2.
  2. ^ 52 #23 (October 2006)
  3. ^ Frederick Luis Aldama, Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics, University of Arizona Press, 2017, p. 28-29.
  4. ^ Batman/Wildcat #1. DC Comics.
  5. ^ Infinity, Inc. #26 (May 1986). DC Comics.
  6. ^
  7. ^
    • Infinity, Inc. #31 (October 1986)
    • The Outsiders Special one-shot (July 1987)
    • Infinity, Inc. Special one-shot (July 1987)
    • Infinity, Inc. #53 (August 1988)
  8. ^
    • Eclipso #11 - #14 (September - December 1993)
    • Showcase '94 #8 (July 1994)
    • JSA #50 (September 2003)
    • JSA #58 (April 2004)
  9. ^ Johns, Geoff (2020-10-13). Doomsday Clock: The Complete Collection. DC Comics. ISBN 978-1-77951-095-2.
  10. ^ Johns, Geoff (2024). Justice Society of America Vol. 1: the New Golden Age. DC Comics. ISBN 978-1-77952-468-3.
  11. ^ Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #2 (March 2007)
  12. ^ Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #3 (April 2007). DC Comics.
  13. ^ Justice Society of America 80 Page Giant Sized #1. DC Comics.
  14. ^ Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #4 (May 2007). DC Comics.
  15. ^ JSA Vol. 2 #7. DC Comics.
  16. ^ a b 52 #23 (October 2006)
  17. ^ Birds of Prey #78 (March 2005)
  18. ^ Manning, Matthew K.; Wiacek, Stephen; Scott, Melanie; Jones, Nick; Walker, Landry Q. (2021-07-06). The DC Comics Encyclopedia New Edition. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-7440-5301-2.
  19. ^ Batman/Wildcat #1. DC Comics.
  20. ^
    • Earth 2 #30 (January 2015)
    • Earth 2: World's End #13 (February 2015)
    • Convergence #1 (June 2015)
  21. ^ Holbrook, Damian (December 17, 2018). "DC Universe's 'Stargirl' Casts Brian Stapf as Wildcat". TVInsider. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  22. ^ Orquiola, John (January 16, 2020). "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Every Single Cameo in the Arrowverse Crossover". Screen Rant.
  23. ^ "Interview". Collider.com. 2008-08-18. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  24. ^ "Wildcat is number 71". IGN. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
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