"When? How? Where? What? Why? - Life's full of questions, isn't it?"
This article contains information that has not been verified. You can help the DC Database by adding reliable sources in order to bring this article to a higher standard of quality.
This is an in-universe article with out-of-universe material.
Fists are nature's problem solvers.
- — Wildcat src
History
Earth-Two
Early Life
Ted Grant grew up in the Great Depression with his father Henry. As a child, he participated in many sports at his father's behest, and excelled at boxing. As an adult, Ted attempted to study medicine, but became a professional heavyweight boxer instead.
Becoming Wildcat
Early in his career, Ted became entangled in criminal plot crafted by his managers Flint and Skinner. Flint and Skinner attempted to fix one of Ted's matches by placing a poisoned in one of his opponent's boxing gloves to slow him down. However, Flint and Skinner miscalculated the dosage, and the opponent, "Socker" Smith, died as a result. Not wanting to get caught, Flint and Skinner framed Ted for their crime.
After Ted was arrested, Flint and Skinner arranged a hit on the prizefighter to prevent the truth from coming out. Ted survived the hit, but the nearby police officers were killed. Ted was also wrongly accused of murdering the officers, and fled the scene, becoming a fugitive. While on the run, he came across a boy who was robbed of his Green Lantern comic. The boy described Green Lantern which inspired Ted to become a vigilante. He create a costume of a large black cat, called himself Wildcat, and vowed to clear his name. He forced Flint and Skinner to confess, and Ted was cleared of all charges. Ted then continued to fight against crime as Wildcat.
Joining the JSA
He became a member of the Justice Society of America and the All-Star Squadron. Later, Ted became a paraplegic when his legs were shattered by an out-of-control Red Tornado. However, his god-daughter Yolanda Montez became Wildcat in his place.
Post-Crisis
Ted never experienced paraplegia but was injured. He later recovered and became Wildcat again after Yolanda was killed in action. He joined the re-formed JSA as they entered a limbo state to save the world from an oncoming onslaught initiated by Hitler decades before. Eventually, he and his teammates were released from this dimension and regained prominence as the forefathers of the heroic community. He recently claimed to have magically acquired nine lives early in his career and has, in fact, survived several otherwise fatal or seemingly crippling injuries. For example, a wall once collapsed on him during.
Ted was also one of the many combat instructors sought out by a young Bruce Wayne on the path towards becoming Batman. He also helped mentor Black Canary, teaching her a variety of boxing techniques suited to her build despite her mother's discontent.
Ted is one of the four members of the original JSA on the current team and is seen as a kind and rowdy avuncular figure by the other teammates. He frequently scraps with the similarly rowdy Power Girl.
Romantic Relationships
Ted Grant has had several notable relationships with women. One included Irina, the mother of Ted's eldest son Jake. After Jake was kidnapped by the Yellow Wasp, they soon parted ways.[2] Selina Kyle followed soon after. In addition to training her to improve her fighting skills,[3] Ted and Selina have shared a mutual attraction and had a torrid affair at one time.[citation needed] Queen Hippolyta also had a sexual affair with Ted when Hippolyta traveled back in time to World War II.[4] Ted was visibly shaken up after Hippolyta's death. Another was Marilyn Bronson, the mother of Ted's youngest son Tom.
After fighting among the heroes of Earth against Darkseid's forces,[5] Ted was summoned to Gotham City along with several other heroes to be part of the Network that would maintain order after Batman's death.[6]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Resurrection: Ted Grant possesses the ability to return from the dead, a total of nine times. These "nine lives" are characteristic of the mythical properties of average house cats.[7] Ted apparently acquired this power when the magician Zatara altered a curse placed on him by the villain King Inferno. He at one point believed he had used up all nine lives, but the sorcerer Mordru (while disguised as Doctor Fate) later informed him that he always has nine lives unless he is killed nine times in a single "cycle".
- Decelerated Aging: The process that enables Ted to return from the dead has also retarded the aging process, enabling him to keep himself in peak physical condition. His aging processes were further retarded by exposure to the energies wielded by Ian Karkull on their first encounter in 1941.
- Enhanced Vision: In addition to the superfluous lives, Ted Grant also has preternatural eyesight that allows him to see in the dark. He once claimed to have witnessed Doctor Mid-Nite perform open heart surgery in total darkness. [8]
Abilities
- Martial Arts: Ted Grant is a master combatant and has used his skills to train other heroes how to box including, Batman, Oracle, Catwoman, Black Canary, and Superman. His favorite, foremost and first learned combat skill was and always will be Boxing. No matter how big the opponent or how seemingly impossible the odds might be in or out of combat Wildcat will always solve the issue with boxing. He has also mastered other fighting styles like Muay Thai, Capoeira, Krav Maga, and Hapkido.[citation needed]
- Driving
Paraphernalia
Transportation
- Wildcat's Catocycle: Wildcat rides a modified Indian stunt motorcycle, which he uses during many of his crime-fighting adventures.[9] Ted's cycle is distinguished by the oversized cat's-head ornamental fairing, above the front fender.
Notes
- Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-Two era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and no longer apply.
- An Earth-One version of Ted Grant existed pre-Crisis and teamed up with Batman on several occasions, himself a retired world heavyweight champion like his Earth-Two counterpart. This Grant had a relatively minor career, and much of his early years were left unchronicled as to his origin, although his origin is likely similar to the golden age Ted Grant. Initially, this variant of Wildcat was thought to have been a resident of Earth-B (an attempt to rectify discordant stories in Brave and Bold that did not fit neatly on Earth-One), however his later appearance in a few outside stories verified his existence on both mainstream Earths. This version of Ted Grant ceased to exist following the events of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, with the Earth-Two version becoming the dominant version on the new unified universe, although it was still said Post-Crisis that Batman received some training from Ted Grant.
Trivia
- Since 1947, Ted Grant has been part owner of a silver mine.[10]
Recommended Reading
Related
- 656 Appearances of Ted Grant (New Earth)
- 181 Images featuring Ted Grant (New Earth)
- 13 Quotations by or about Ted Grant (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Ted Grant (New Earth)
External Links
- Wildcat article at Wikipedia
- Wildcat biography page at the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe
- Wildcat biography page at Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics
- The Origin of Wildcat at DC Comics' Heroes and Villains Page
- Wildcat at the DC Animated Universe Wiki
Footnotes
 Justice Society of America member |