One of the most popular Wonder Woman villains is Cheetah, a character that has had multiple interpretations over the decades. One of her most popular interpretations, however, begins with Doctor Barbara Ann Minerva who was first introduced in issues #28 and #29 from the Wonder Woman run created by Dick Giordano and George Pérez. The two reinvented the Cheetah character into what she’s most popularly known as today. Now, body painter and cosplayer Charr, has taken up the task of turning herself into Cheetah with a body paint cosplay.
The talented artist looked to the popular comic book interpretation of the character and used that inspiration to paint her own body. As a result, she created a very comic-accurate Cheetah cosplay that’s much more appropriate for the character than what we ended up getting in Wonder Woman 1984. While that film had a very unique take on the character, to say the least, this one is much more colorful and faithful to what fans are familiar with.
As you can see below:
[Self] I’m a bodypainter and this week I painted myself into Cheetah from DC Comics. I hope you like it! from cosplay
Specifically, it appears to be inspired by the way Doctor Barbara Ann Minerva appears in the New 52 run of DC Comics. With the bright colors, including yellow skin and eyes, it’s a very uncanny and surreal appearance. The painted necklace, for example, gives the paintjob a two-dimensional feel. But once you look into her very real eyes or teeth, it’s clear that this Cheetah could just as easily snarl and attack for real. It’s a great blend of styles and it really pays off for this Cheetah cosplay.
While the recent film Wonder Woman 1984 wasn’t as much of a hit with fans as its predecessor, the film still brought up many discussions regarding Cheetah and her place in DC. It also gave many fans an opportunity to open up and discuss the Wonder Woman character and what makes her tick as well. Ultimately, many of them agree – Cheetah, specifically the comic version of the character, is the perfect Wonder Woman villain. While she didn’t have the best outing in Wonder Woman 1984, it’s still something fans would like to see given another shot someday. And this Cheetah cosplay is just proof of what can be done.