Wonder Woman #9
Wonder Woman #9 (vol. 2, October 1987) delivers the first full appearance of Barbara Minerva as the Cheetah — the post-Crisis incarnation who would become Wonder Woman's most enduring arch-nemesis and the definitive version of the character for every subsequent generation of readers. Where the earlier Cheetah was a costumed villain, George Pérez reimagined the role as something genuinely mythological: a British archaeologist cursed by the plant-god Urzkartaga, physically transformed into a feral humanoid predator whose only goal is possession of Diana's Lasso of Truth. The issue also delivers a landmark story beat — the Lasso of Truth actually fails to subdue the Cheetah, shaking Diana's confidence so profoundly that she resolves to return to Themyscira, a rare moment of genuine doubt for the heroine. Barbara Minerva's design and origin proved so compelling that she was chosen as the central villain for the 2020 film Wonder Woman 1984, bringing the character to a global live-action audience more than three decades after her debut here.
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Issue #9 falls squarely within the collaborative creative arrangement George Pérez maintained throughout the first year of his Wonder Woman relaunch: Pérez supplied the plot and layouts while veteran scripter Len Wein put dialogue to the pages, with Bruce Patterson providing finishes over Pérez's pencils. Pérez would not take sole scripting control until issue #18, meaning Wein was the voice of these early defining stories. The post-Crisis relaunch itself had been editorially gestated by Greg Potter and editor Janice Race before Pérez joined; Potter exited after issue #2, and Karen Berger replaced Race as editor, giving Pérez increasing creative latitude by the time the Cheetah arc arrived.
Trivia · 10 facts
- First FULL appearance of Barbara Minerva as the Cheetah (The Cheetah); she had appeared in human form in #7 and in shadowed silhouette as the Cheetah in #8.
- Story title: 'Blood of the Cheetah'; cover-dated October 1987, part of the 'Challenge of the Gods' story arc.
- Credits: plot and layouts by George Pérez, script by Len Wein, finishes/inks by Bruce Patterson, cover by George Pérez.
- The issue establishes the Cheetah's origin: Barbara Minerva, a British archaeologist and heiress, underwent a ritual involving the plant-god Urzkartaga and his priest Chuma, gaining feline powers but also a painful curse because she was not the virgin the ritual required.
- The Cheetah's motivation in this issue is theft of Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth, which she covets as a divine artifact — and in a pivotal scene, the Lasso fails to restrain her, the first time it has been shown to be ineffective against a foe.
- Wonder Woman is ultimately rescued not by her own power but by Julia Kapatelis, who shoots the Cheetah with a hunting rifle — a deliberate storytelling choice that underscores Diana's vulnerability and shakes her sense of purpose in Man's World.
- The encounter triggers Wonder Woman's decision to return to Themyscira, closing out a major phase of the post-Crisis relaunch.
- Reprinted in: Wonder Woman: Challenge of the Gods (trade paperback), Wonder Woman by George Pérez Omnibus (Vol. 1), and Wonder Woman: Her Greatest Victories.
- Debut of the 'Postscripts to Paradise' letters column art by Pérez.
- The Barbara Minerva Cheetah introduced here was later adapted for live-action in the 2020 film Wonder Woman 1984, portrayed by Kristen Wiig.
Cast · 12 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Diana meets with Barbara Minerva and shows her the lasso made from Gaea's girdle, but holding it, Minerva must reveal that she brought Diana to meet her under false pretenses. Later, Minerva transforms herself into the Cheetah and tracks Diana in order to wrest the lasso from the princess. To defend Diana, Julia shoots the villainess, but Cheetah slips away. Several days later, Diana says her good-byes to Julia and Vanessa and heads for home.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).