sarah paulson

The sequel to one of this year’s biggest theatrical hits, ‘Wonder Woman’ is still in pre-production, but we do know that director Patty Jenkins is returning and is now working on the script with DC Comics’ chief creative officer Geoff Johns and Dave Callaham, (‘The Expendables’ movies, creator of the TV series ‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson’).  There’s no way to predict what the second film will be about– the first was basically an original story.  Unfortunately, Wonder Woman doesn’t have as extensive a Rogues Gallery as some of her male counterparts.  Other than Ares, arguably her most famous opponent is The Cheetah.  And one Hollywood star seems keen to portray her.

Sarah Paulson is best known for starring in every season of ‘American Horror Story’ plus ‘American Crime Story’, for which she won an Emmy Award.  She has had a lengthy career in both television and film.  She was in the acclaimed ’12 Years A Slave’ and will appear in next year’s ‘Ocean’s Eight’.

Jenkins discussed the sequel in August, saying:

“The greatest thing about making this movie was the fact that you’re really building to the Wonder Woman that we all love, but not until the end of the movie.  The most exciting thing about [the sequel] is literally seeing her loose in the world now, living those classic stories. Here’s Wonder Woman, and what can she do?”

The Cheetah is one of Wonder Woman’s most persistent foes, although there have been numerous individuals to inhabit the identity.  The first was Priscilla Rich, who premiered in ‘Wonder Woman’ #6 in 1943.  Rich was a wealthy socialite who was jealous of Wonder Woman and developed a villainous split personality.  After her death, her niece Deborah Domaine is brainwashed by the criminal organization Kobra into becoming the second Cheetah.  Neither Rich nor Domaine actually possessed any superpowers, but did utilize razor sharp claws as part of their costumes.

The main reason for the Cheetah’s fame among casual fans is that the Rich version was utilized as part of the Legion of Doom on the ABC Saturday morning cartoon ‘Challenge of the Superfriends’ after it was determined that Batman’s enemy Catwoman was off-limits because of a separate ‘Batman’ cartoon that aired concurrently on CBS.

Later in the 80s, a new more powerful Cheetah was introduced, Barbara Ann Minerva.  This Cheetah was half-human, half-animal and actually had natural claws, super strength, speed and agility and a prehensile tail.  Her history has since been altered in the New 52 and Rebirth DC relaunches, establishing that before her transformation, Minerva was actually a friend of Wonder Woman’s.

There’s no guarantee that Cheetah will be the villain in the second ‘Wonder Woman’ movie, but if so, Paulson could be a decent choice to portray her.  What do you think?