Major Story Arcs

Golden Age

Born into a family of wealth and prosperity, Priscilla Rich was considered one of the "loveliest, sweetest" debutantes. Despite her role as leader of the Junior League Committee, Priscilla was an insecure and reserved young woman suffering from an inferiority complex. During a fundraiser for women and children in Europe, Wonder Woman appeared as a guest of honor. Priscilla Rich was given the duty to introduce Wonder Woman, but the crowd dismissed her, clamoring for the Amazon to appear immediately. After performing a few stunts, Wonder Woman had Priscilla tie her up with chains that she and the Junior League Committee collected from prisons all over the world. Blindfolded, Wonder Woman had no idea Priscilla also used her Magic Lasso along with the chains. Wonder Woman was placed into a tank of water, and after a struggle, was able to remove her lasso and the chains. Priscilla expressed her concern for Wonder Woman, but the heroine couldn't help but feel suspicious over her.

Later, Priscilla went to meet with her friend Mr. Courtley Darling, who had planned to take her to dinner. Darling instead decided to go with Wonder Woman to a party at the 400 Club, leaving Priscilla to herself. Alone in her room, Priscilla vented her frustrations about Wonder Woman and Darling until she saw herself in the mirror wearing a cheetah costume. Her reflection told her that she's the real Priscilla Rich, and that she would do whatever she commands. Priscilla used her cheetah rug to create her costume, and declared herself the Cheetah. During the night, Cheetah went to Courtley Darling's office and stole the money raised at the benefit. Cheetah then found Wonder Woman at the 400 Club and followed her home, planning to murder her. At the last minute, Cheetah decided instead to disgrace her by placing the money she stole under her bed. The next morning, Priscilla called Darling and told him she was worried about the money. He decided to deposit the money in a bank, as per her request, and told her to meet him there. At the bank, Priscilla sat patiently until Darling burst through the door, claiming the money had been stolen. The police show up and Priscilla convinces them that Wonder Woman must have done it, as she was the only other person who saw the safe. They attempt to arrest Darling, but Wonder Woman showed up and was arrested instead.

Wonder Woman is bailed out of prison and found Cheetah attacking Darling. Cheetah led Wonder Woman and Darling into a bin of wheat at gunpoint, which sucked them in like quicksand. Cheetah then began to leave, setting afire the warehouse they were in. Wonder Woman rushed outside to find Cheetah on the roof. Cheetah, noticing that Wonder Woman survived, fell into the burning building and was thought to have died. However, Priscilla Rich quickly reappeared, encountering Diana Prince in a beauty shop. Cheetah had started to form a group of slave girls on an island, dressed as zebras. Cheetah later tied up and gagged a hurdler named Kay Carlton and posed as her to participate in an all-female challenge on Paradise Island, pitting trained female athletes against women who were trained by Amazons. With her superior speed, Cheetah won many of the challenges. However, during one challenge, Cheetah tripped one of the human hurdles, causing her to fall in the way of Paula von Gunther, her opponent. The hurdle girl told Wonder Woman of Cheetah's actions, but Paula believed Cheetah earned the win and Diana allowed it. Priscilla, enraged that they condescendingly let her have the win, decided she would find the Amazon power source and destroy it.

After discovering about Queen Hippolyta's girdle, Cheetah decided to steal it when the Amazons were asleep. With it, she kidnapped Hippolyte and challenged Wonder Woman to a duel. The two women battled, but Wonder Woman eventually loosened the girdle from Cheetah. Cheetah, refusing to admit defeat, dropped a boulder on Hippolyta, but Wonder Woman quickly saved her. The Amazons captured Cheetah and Wonder Woman discovered her identity as Priscilla Rich. She confessed of her multiple personalities, and Wonder Woman decided to keep Priscilla on Reform Island.

Before Cheetah was allowed to stay on Reform Island, Wonder Woman gave her the task of releasing her Zebra Girls. When Wonder Woman returned to work as Diana Prince, she discovered that a submarine had gone missing and evidence led to the Cheetah's doing. Diana decided to call Priscilla Rich and see if she was home, which she was. As they spoke, Cheetah burst into Steve Trevor's office and attacked. She was subdued by Diana Prince, but was able to escape. Wonder Woman chased Cheetah back to the Rich mansion, where she finds Cheetah strangling Priscilla Rich. Wonder Woman scares Cheetah off and helps Priscilla, who tells her that the new Cheetah is one of her former slaves, Sandra. Sandra had apparently captured the submarine using the Cheetah guise, since the world knows the Cheetah is Priscilla Rich. When Wonder Woman left, Priscilla returned to her Cheetah costume, finding Sandra and punishing her for scratching her throat during their ruse on the Amazon. It is also revealed that Sandra had been the voice of Priscilla that Diana Prince heard on the phone.

Later, Wonder Woman and Etta Candy joined Priscilla Rich on her private yacht in order to search for the missing submarine. Reaching the spot, Etta and Priscilla jumped under water, despite Wonder Woman's protests. Wonder Woman followed, and upon discovering the sub, was blasted by an electric weapon. Cheetah captured Wonder Woman and Etta Candy, threatening Etta's life in order for the heroine to surrender. Wonder Woman agreed to do as Cheetah ordered. First, Cheetah forced Wonder Woman to dance while in chains. She was unable to, which pleased Cheetah. Cheetah then performed her own dance, which astonished everyone including Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman told her that her dancing could attract millions of admirers and make people love her. Suddenly, Priscilla no longer felt jealousy or hatred for Wonder Woman or attractive females, and regained her senses. She tried to surface the submarine, but crashed. Wonder Woman brought the submarine up herself and decided to take Priscilla back to Reform Island after all.

Despite her attempts at reforming, Priscilla Rich returned to her Cheetah guise several times, often aligning herself with other enemies of Wonder Woman, such as Doctor Psycho, Giganta, and the Duke of Deception. She also joined Villainy Inc., who attempted to overthrow the Amazons and take over Paradise Island. She eventually gave up being the Cheetah, and at one point fell ill. She decided to tell her niece, Deborah Domaine, the secret about her past, but she died before she was able to.

Modern Age

Post-Crisis, Priscilla Rich remains the original Cheetah. She was exactly the same as her Golden Age counterpart, having battled Wonder Woman (Hippolyta) on several occasions. She also dealt with multiple personalities, which Hippolyta supposedly helped her overcome. She was also crowned Miss New York 1938, and was a film actress. As she grew older, Priscilla Rich wrote books about her time spent as the Cheetah, but also became reclusive. She was eventually murdered in her home by the current Cheetah, Barbara Minerva.

New-52

After the reboot of the DC Universe, Barbara Minerva became the first Cheetah. However, she has gone by many alter-egos, including Priscilla Rich. As Priscilla, she had blonde hair similar to the Golden Age version.

Alternate Versions

Justice

Cheetah (Priscilla Rich) is one of many villains who have recurrent dreams of nuclear apocalypse and heroes can do nothing to stop it. She allies herself with Brainiac and Lex Luthor to prevent that future from happening. They plan to eliminate the heroes and save as many people possible. Unbeknownst to Cheetah, Brainiac has other plans. Wonder Woman is selected as Cheetah's target, who won't attempt it unprepared. She again asks dark gods to grant her the power of the cheetah by sacrificing two cheetahs and donning a garb from their skin. She asks Persephone to give her the very poison that once killed Hercules: centaur's blood. Cheetah attacks Wonder Woman on a conference she holds. She successfully scratches Wonder Woman with the poison on her claws, but she is beaten by the Amazon. Having lost the battle but won the war, she returns to the alliance of villains. When the time comes to raise the new cities, Cheetah is chosen as the governor of a jungle city. Eventually heroes come to ruin their plans, but Cheetah manages to escape the first confrontation by teleporting back to her city. Wonder Woman follows her while a few other heroes go to save the civilians. Cheetah faces Wonder Woman, and the battle is won by the Amazon princess.

Wednesday Comics

Priscilla Rich appears as the Cheetah in Ben Caldwell's Wonder Woman, published in Wednesday Comics. She is a member of the Baltimore Riches, a wealthy family. Like Barbara Minerva, Rich was an archeologist, and encounters Wonder Woman on her quest.

The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Cheetah (Priscilla Rich) is one of several Wonder Woman villains hired by Talia al Ghul to stop Batman from marrying Wonder Woman. During the battle, she teams up with Catman to battle Vixen and Beast Boy. However, Cheetah is ultimately defeated along with the rest of the criminals.

The Legend of Wonder Woman

Priscilla Rich appears as an ally for the Nazi forces, alongside the Duke of Deception.

Other Media

Challenge of the Super Friends

Priscilla Rich, as Cheetah, was a prominent member of the Legion of Doom, and was labeled as Wonder Woman's arch-nemesis.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Cheetah appears in the episode "Triumvirate of Terror." In the teaser, she is seen playing baseball alongside the Legion of Doom. Later, she is seen at the Museum of History, where she kidnapped Steve Trevor. She battled Wonder Woman, but was quickly defeated. After her defeat, she returned to the Legion of Doom headquarters, where she, Lex Luthor, and Joker decided to swap enemies. Cheetah was assigned to battle Superman. In Antarctica, Cheetah bested Superman using the powers of Urzkartaga. After teleporting back to the Legion of Doom base, the trio of villains argued over the areas they'd control, and were subsequently defeated by their original archenemies. Cheetah was voiced by Morena Baccarin.