Tigra
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- For the Ethiopian ethnic group known as the Tigra, see Tigray
Image:TIGRA 1.jpg Tigra (real name Greer Grant) is a comic book superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. As the Cat, she first appeared in Claws of the Cat #1, and was created by Linda Fite. She first appeared as Tigra in Giant-Size Creatures #1, by Tony Isabella and Don Perlin.
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Character history
The Cat
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. Image:The Cat 1.jpg 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 capabilities. 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 abilities, 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.
Another of Donalbain's Cat costumes surfaced years later, when Patsy Walker discovered it while accompanying the Avengers. She donned it and dubbed herself Hellcat.
Tigra
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 via a magic amulet, Greer preferred her feline form and abandoned her previous identities to become Tigra full time.
For several years Tigra appeared sporadically in such titles as Marvel Team-Up the Fantastic Four. She briefly starred in Marvel Chillers, which had the sub-title Tigra the Were-Woman. In the 80's Tigra became a member of the Avengers, particularly associated with the West Coast branch.
Current status
Since the cancelation of the West Coast Avengers, Tigra has had few appearances. Most of these have been in Avengers related titles.
Tigra received her own miniseries in 2001, in which she joined the police in memory of her late husband.
Powers and abilities
Tigra possesses superhuman strength at "Class 10" capability, meaning she can lift (press) approximately 10 tons under optimal conditions. Her agility, speed, stamina, and sensory acuity are similarly superhuman. Her durability is heightened considerably as well; entailing that her recovery rate is greater than that of an ordinary human. However she is not bullet proof nor capable of regenerating large portions of damaged tissue.
Tigra possesses heightened senses enabling her to see and hear distant objects more clearly than a normal human, and identify and track someone purely by scent. Her heightened sense of smell is acute enough to allow her to detect subtle alterations in the pheromones and perspiration of a person indicating that person's emotional state. Most notably her eyesight is so keen that she can see in almost complete darkness, just as a nocturnal cat. This may be a result of being able to see into the infrared and ultraviolet spectrum.
Tigra's physical appearance also displays animal-like characteristics, including striped orange fur, sharper-than-normal teeth with two pronounced canines and retractable claws where ordinary humans have fingernails. Her claws and teeth are sufficiently strong enough to tear through human tissue easily. Tigra also has a semi-prehensile tail.