Tigra
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- For the Ethiopian ethnic group known as the Tigra, see Tigray
Tigra is a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. She has also used the code name the Cat during her career, and is a member of the Avengers. Created by Tony Isabella and Don Perlin, she first appeared as the Cat in Claws of the Cat #1, and became Tigra in Giant-Size Creatures #1 (July 1974). Tigra is a member of the Cat People.
Tigra_and_spiderwoman.jpg
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Background
Greer Grant was a sophomore at the University of Chicago when she met her future husband, policeman Bill Nelson. She left college to marry him, but regretted the act when Bill treated her more like a possession to be protected than an equal. Bill was killed in an off-duty shooting, and Greer had to find a job of her own. After weeks of searching, she ran into her old physics professor, Dr. Joanne Tumulo.
Dr. Tumulo was working on the human potential experiments that turned Shirlee Bryant into the super-powered villainess called the Cat. Not trusting the test subject chosen by her financial backer, Malcolm Donalbain, Greer persuaded Dr. Tumulo to let her undergo the experimental treatments as well. She emerged with superhuman physical and mental capabilites. When Donalbain had Dr. Tumulo's lab dynamited, Greer donned one of dozens of the Cat costumes that he had created and the doctor had appropriated and set out to put an end to his scheme. With her new abilites, she adapted quickly to the strange garb and wrecked Donalbain's headquarters. Rather than let himself be touched by the Cat's raking claws, Donalbain committed suicide. A fire set off by the ruined equipment destroyed Donalbain's headquarters. Greer embarked on a brief career as the Cat, mostly battling old Daredevil foes.
Career as the Cat
In Giant-Size Creatures #1, Dr. Tumulo was retconned with membership in the Cat People. When members of Hydra tracked her down to obtain "The Final Secret," Greer once again donned the Cat costume and drove them off. However, she was fatally injured by a blast from one of their alpha radiation pistols. It was then that Dr. Tumulo revealed her ancestry and told Greer that she could save her, but only by making her one of the Cat People. Greer agreed, and together they flew cross-country to a Pacific Coast cavern in Mexico and a gathering of the Cat People. They administered a serum that caused Greer to develop feline features, such as pointed ears, vertically-slit pupils, elongated fang-like canines,a tail, clawed hands and feet, and a tiger-striped pelt. They then used their collective psychic powers to bond one of their disembodied souls to Greer. They immediately recognized the result as one of their legendary warriors, Tigra.
Greer found that her already highly-developed senses were more refined than ever. Her strength had been vastly increased. Although able to change back to her human form, Greer preferred her feline form and abandoned both of her previous identitiies. Tigra became a member of the West Coast branch of the Avengers.
Future
Tigra received her own miniseries in 2001, in which she joined the police in memory of her late husband.
External links
- Tigra's profile at Toonopedia (http://www.toonopedia.com/tigra.htm)