Cheetah
Back to Villains Main > CheetahReal Identity: Barbara Ann "Barbi" Minerva
Affiliations: Metropolis High School and Legion of Doom
Appearances (Episodes): #MeetTheCheetah and #ShockItToMe
Appearances (Super Shorts): #LostAndFound, #TheBeeStandsAlone, #PurseScratcher, and #FlashForwardFlashback
Appearances (Teen Titans Go!): Space House - Part 1 (Hologram) and Space House - Part 2 (Hologram)
Appearances (Movies): Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse
Appearances (Graphic Novels): At Metropolis High, Powerless, Midterms, and Ghosting
Appearances (Comics): Giant #1 (Fall Festival)
Powers/Skills: Enhanced Physcial Attributes and Unarmed Combat
Voiced By: Tara Strong
Barbi Minerva was Metropolis High School's perfect student-athlete and comes from an affluent family. She once won the Metropolis High Science Fair with "The Preservation of Ancient Artifacts in Controlled Temperature Environments." During gymnastics team practice, Minerva performed her cleanest vault yet. One of the teammates was hopeful they could win the gold this year. Minerva pointed out she wasn't the one who fell off the uneven bar. Before she could be confirmed as team captain again, the coach called the last student-athlete, Diana Prince. Minerva didn't think much of the "new girl." Prince prayed to Boreas and asked that his wintery breath keep her aloft. The coach and team stared at her. The coach yelled her surname. Prince performed a perfect vault. The coach wanted to make Minerva and Prince co-captains but the former refused so the coach made Prince the captain. Minerva became angry and growled. In AP Calculus, Minerva got a 100 percent on a test. The teacher noted that didn't happen often but praised Prince for getting a 102 percent and setting a new school record.
Minerva drove up to the main stairs in her convertible and invited her team to a pool party at her mansion but they were staying behind to help Prince decorate for the homecoming dance on Friday night. Prince invited Minerva to join them. She screamed and gunned the gas pedal, heading back home. The butlers fearfully opened the front doors for her. Still screaming in anger, she went up the stairs to her father's study. The doors were locked and a "Private" sign was posted. She found it an amusing attempt and kicked the doors open. She walked up to a display case and looked at the artifacts inside. The urn marked with a skull and crossbones was deemed too quick. A curved dagger was deemed too humane. A vodun head was deemed too humorous. Minerva settled on a gold cat statue and realized it was the perfect curse for the perfect girl. She grabbed the statue and recited the curse, "Woe to she in Cheetah's path, for she shall feel the Cheetah's wrath, by claw and fang, and with spite and hate, swift as wind, she'll seal your fate!"
Minerva didn't see anything happen. She shook the statue then tossed it and left the study. The statue's eyes glowed. Instead of Prince, Minerva was given the curse and discovered she could transform into the Cheetah with all of her physical attributes enhanced greatly. She returned to Metropolis High to ruin Prince. Cheetah vandalized all the posters in Metropolis High. Cheetah slashed her locker door than ambushed her. The girls heard Prince scream and checked on her. Prince didn't get a good look at her assailant. Gordon immediately deduced the perpetrator was someone suffering from having their status quo upended by Diana's arrival in Metropolis, and their crippling insecurity most likely caused by absentee parenting and a lack of proper modeling in childhood had unleashed a horrible ancient curse that manifested itself in the form of a weird cat beast now stalking its perceived enemy, Diana Prince. Cruz proposed they get her somewhere safe. Danvers disagreed and didn't think she was the one that needed protecting. Prince was worried about the other students.
While they pondered how to evacuate the students outside without causing them distress, Danvers hit the fire alarm. They suited up but Cheetah slashed up the electrical panel and caused a school-wide blackout during the storm. With a lot of territory to cover, they split up. Cheetah ran up aisle G of the library and attacked Green Lantern. She made a beeline for Batgirl and stuck to the ceiling to avoid detection until she was right above her. Cheetah played cat-and-mouse with Zatanna in the cafeteria and peered out from a table. Zatanna freaked out and blasted blindly. She thought she saw Cheetah atop the vending machine and fired. Cheetah shoved tables aside and charged but Zatanna flew out of the cafeteria. Supergirl looked in the principal's office. She used her infrared vision but was unable to land a punch as Cheetah sped around. She wasn't impressed with its super speed and tried chasing after it into the hall but Zatanna was spooked and blasted Supergirl. Cheetah attacked Zatanna.
Bumblebee looked around the corner and saw Cheetah. She shrank and hid in a drawer in the gym. She steeled herself then burst out and fired stingers. Cheetah stared her down, shook the stingers off, and chomped on Bumblebee. Wonder Woman arrived. Cheetah spit Bumblebee out then charged with slashes and kicks. Wonder Woman took a defensive stance and blocked her attacks with her bracelets. Cheetah kept up her assault. Wonder Woman eventually jumped up to the rings. Cheetah jumped off the bar but missed. Wonder Woman landed and they traded blows again. Wonder Woman grabbed Cheetah's tail but was dragged along then crashed into a bar. They charged and jumped off spring boards at each other. Wonder Woman made a perfect landing while Cheetah landed on her back. Cheetah escaped into the locker room and changed back into Barbi Minerva. Wonder Woman changed back and ran in and thought she was another victim. Minerva admitted to being jealous of her and releasing the Cheetah.
Prince told her she needn't be jealous because one person's success doesn't preclude another's and jealousy would consume her if she didn't let it go. Prince checked on a noise in the gym. Minerva went to a sink and splashed her face with water. Her eyes turned green and she laughed maniacally at the notion of letting go. Leslie Willis started a channel on Metropovids aimed at mean memes. She closed the sliding doors on Barbara Minerva and she walked into it. She opened the doors then closed them on her again. Willis called it #Barbie@TheGates. She was up to five million followers.
Minerva told the rest of the gymnastic team that she told an agency she would never model for any magazine who wasn't European. Harley Quinn stole Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth and used it on Barbara Ann Minverva on her. She admitted she was not a natural blonde, had extensions, and her contacts were color ones then bemoaned she was a fraud. In a game of dodge ball, Minerva went third in trying to hit Karen Beecher and ending the game. She threw her ball up and did an elaborate toss but Beecher still dodged it. Beecher eventually won. Barbi Minerva saw a designer purse she wanted but Selina Kyle had it. She tried to undermine Kyle by saying the purse made her look like her great-grandmother, who was a beauty queen 70 years ago. It worked and Kyle put the purse back. She was relieved she didn't still an old lady purse. Minerva grabbed it and was elated. Kyle hissed and changed into Catwoman. While Minerva was looking at a rack, Catwoman stole the purse and ran across the rafters. Minerva spotted her and changed into Cheetah.
Cheetah crashed through a wall and searched the changing rooms for Catwoman. Catwoman hid on a clothes rack. Cheetah narrowly missed her. Catwoman tossed a hanger across the room. Cheetah went to investigate the sound. Catwoman sneaked off but she stepped on broken glass. Cheetah grabbed the end of Catwoman's whip and threw her through a wall. Catwoman frantically grabbed hangers to block Cheetah's strikes. She dodged a punch then pulled a carpet from under Cheetah and swung away. When Cheetah looked up she saw the purse dangling in the air. She leaped for it. At the last second, Catwoman yanked it away. Cheetah crashed into a light and was electrocuted then fell atop a mannequin along with the purse. Before Kyle could recover the purse, Zee Zatara declared it was divine and took it. Not knowing that was Cheetah, Zatara commented she wouldn't have paired it with such tacky faux fur and thought the idea was hideous. Kyle facepalmed. Minerva was in contention for the Metropolis High's Fall Festival Harvest Queen but lost to Zee Zatara.
Flash tried to pull down a cat stuck in a tree for a police officer but she clung to it. Flash fell off a branch. Later in the day, Flash realized the cat was Cheetah. The Super Hero Girls battled Cheetah at the Greek exhibit of the Metropolis Natural History Museum. She tossed up several vases to distract Lantern and Zatanna. Wonder Woman noticed a great rendering of Zeus on one. Bumblebee led Cheetah on a chase and she was lassoed by Wonder Woman. However, she escaped. During class, Barbi Minerva was angry to have gotten an A- on her exam. The teacher highlighted Prince's achievement of getting a 170 percent on her exam. Prince in turn was pleased she found only three errors in the section on ancient Greece. Danvers couldn't believe she rushed to school. Minerva was annoyed Prince once again showed everyone up at gymnastics practice. The Super Hero Girls found Cheetah in the history classroom with a thumb drive. She clapped two erasers together and used the smoke screen to get the drop on the girls then escaped.
The next day, Prince was surprised Minerva beat her to feeding Sir Isaac the Newt. The teacher announced a pop quiz with a speed bonus to the first person to finish. To Prince's surprise, Minerva was the first and the answers were all correct. At track, Minerva also took first. Half of Gotham High's gymnastic team didn't show up but Prince finished second to Minerva. During the Mallory O'Madden's Irish Fest Dance-Off, Minerva's team was showed up by the Stepping Shanes thanks to Katana substituting for Shane O'Shaughnessy. Katana created and followed the wisp of O'Shaughnessy's soul to a warehouse where she spied on Star Sapphire and Cheetah. Cheetah used a stone mask on Sapphire and turned her into a Cheetah clone. She learned Cheetah amassed a whole army of clones and was planning to raid museums of all their artifacts while others created distractions around the city like at the casino where the Zataras performed. Katana was found out but she escaped and jumped out a window onto a Lexcorp truck. She called up Zatanna to warn her and Bumblebee but she didn't pick up.
Zatanna tried a spell to summon her father but only a Cheetah appeared. Katana arrived and called in Wonder Woman and Lantern from the Pier. The girls went to the school library and eventually discovered the artifact Cheetah had was the Mask of Dolos. Prince declared they needed to return to the museum but they found it shambles. Zatanna cast a spell to clean it up then Katana had the wisp lead them back to the Cheetahs' lair. Wonder Woman and Katana strategized about dealing with the 20 or so Cheetahs. Supergirl went in first to take out those near the door then Zatanna conjured a vase to lure several to a trap Lantern would construct. Katana took on the rest and corralled them into a room that Batgirl rigged shut with a gadget that was electroute them if they tried to escape. Wonder Woman confronted the real Cheetah and pretended to be defeated. At the last second, she pinned Cheetah. Bumblebee grabbed the Mask and flew back to base.
Over 12 hours later, Batgirl picked up a crime alert at a Lexcorp construction site across town. Bumblebee recalled ancient artifacts were unearthed there. Wonder Woman believed Cheetah wouldn't resist trying to steal them. Wonder Woman secured the artifacts with a worker while the others cleared the crew from the site and fought the Cheetahs. Several Cheetahs tried to bury her in cement but she was distracted by one with burrito breath. She realized the clone was O'Shaughnessy and had Katana use her incantation on it. It worked and O'Shaughnessy was restored to normal. Soon, Giovanni Zatara, Garth Bernstein, numerous teenagers, Star Sapphire, Livewire, Blundie, and Steve Trevor were also restored to normal. Cheetah slipped away and avoided arrest.