Battle Cat
Battle Cat is a giant cat character who features in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Cringer
A member of the Green Tiger Tribe, Cringer was saved from a Parek-Narr attack by a young Prince Adam and afterwards became his devoted companion for life. He assisted Adam during his quest to unite both halves of the Power Sword of He and afterwards was enhanced by it’s power to become Battle Cat the fighting tiger of He-Man.
1980s series
Man-At-Arms tells Orko a story from before the Trollan first came to Eternia, about how Adam first discovered Cringer. Adam was on his way to a camping trip in the hills, and volunteered to test Duncan's latest invention, a device to simulate the sounds of various wild animals. Adam spent his trip documenting the creatures he saw, including a spinedeer, but he eventually ran afoul of a hungry sabrecat threatening a green tiger cub. Adam quickly tried scaring the beast off with his device, simulating the sound of a manticore. Adam found the cub injured and alone, so he took it with him back to the Royal Palace for Man-At-Arms to treat. With proper care, the cub recouperated, and Adam adopted it as a pet. However, the other kids at the palace made fun of the animal for the way it was easily spooked. Teela began calling it a "cringer," and the name stuck. One day, Adam received a telepathic vision of the Sorceress, who advised him not to be impatient with Cringer, as he would someday be most important to the boy. As Adam grew up, Cringer didn't change, following Adam everywhere and panicking at the slightest disturbance. This became a problem when Adam started becoming He-Man, as he would have to make sure Cringer wasn't in sight. One day, an archaeological party led by Melaktha came to the king and Queen Marlena with news of an amazing discovery in the Tikon Jungle: ancient ruins possibly dating back over ten thousand years. Fascinated, Randor ordered a larger team to follow up on the site. Queen Marlena recommended Man-At-Arms to lead the party. Ram Man and Teela are also assigned for the trip. Adam planned to go along as well, although he couldn't find a way to keep Cringer from coming with him.
Adam, while on a few days exploring the jungle as a boy, found a green tiger cub being attacked by a vicious sabrecat. After scaring the sabrecat away, Adam took the kitten back to the palace where it was tended to by Man-At-Arms. After it became well, Adam adopted the kitten as his pet. However the kitten was scared very easily, and Adam and the kitten were teased by Teela and the other children, with the kitten being called a cringer. Although Adam defended his pet, the name stuck. The Sorceress appeared and told Adam that Cringer might bring him embarrassment now, but in the future he would be useful. Years passed, and after Adam was given the ability to become He-Man he usually hid from Cringer. However, when an archaeological dig was attacked by a recently released monster, Adam transformed into He-Man without knowing Cringer was watching. After spotting him, He-Man tried to reassure his pet that he was really Adam, but after pointing the Sword of Power towards Cringer it let out the usual energy beam, transforming Cringer into Battle Cat for the first time. He-Man was shocked to see the change in the usually timid cat, but remembered the Sorceress' words from when he was a child and he received another message, telling him Battle Cat was now his partner. Using Battle Cat, he was able to confine the beast and save the endangered team.
2000s series
He and Orko were tasked to rescue Adam from Snake Moutain, and Orko casts a spell on Cringer to make his fur resemble that of Panthor, despite the fact that Panthor is far larger and more muscular than him. On at least one other occasion, Cringer saved the life of Adam, facing great danger of his own.
Revelation
Cringer was present during the grand ceremony that would conclude with Teela being given the title of Man-At-Arms. Cowardly as ever, Cringer hid beneath a table when fireworks exploded in the sky. At this point, the original Man-At-Arms, Duncan, made a play on words involving the name of Cringer's secret identity, Battle Cat. Orko cast a spell to encase Cringer in a protective bubble, but this attempt backfired when Cringer quickly began to run out of air. When Orko tried to adjust his spell, the bubble onlby became smaller. Luckilly, Prince Adam arrived on the scene and used a sharp object to burst the bubble, saving his pet tiger from suffocation. Before Teela's ceremony could be completed, she and the entire guard were called away to defend Castle Grayskull from an attack by the forces of Skeletor. Despite Cringer's plea to Adam to 'sit this one out', Adam used the Sword of Power to transform himself into He-Man and Cringer into Battle Cat. The confrontation at Grayskull ended in tragedy. He-Man tried to absorb the magical energy erupting out of the Orb of Power with his sword, which split in two, causing himself and and Battle Cat to revert to their true forms. Both He-Man and Skeletor perished during the explosion, and Teela and King Randor finally learned the truth about Prince Adam and Cringer. Feeling betrayed by Duncan, the King stripped his former Man-At-Arms of his title and banished him from Eternos on the spot.
Overview
Personality and attributes
Cringer is one of only a handful of allies who knows Adam’s secret and fights alongside the other Masters of the Universe, carrying He-Man into battle against the forces of evil.
Powers and abilities
Cringer originally was an ordinary green tiger possessing all the natural traits of a large cat.
Through the Sword of Power, Cringer could also undergo a mystical transformation into a much larger and more powerful form that was Battle Cat. Equipped with a saddle, Battle Cat can carry several warriors into battle like a steed, but his ferocious claws make him more formidable in combat than a mere horse.
Notes
- Battle Cat was created by Mattel and featured in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
- In The Toys That Made Us, then-marketing VP of Mattel Paul Cleveland recounts the story that while the decision was made for He-Man to have some sort of vehicle, they no longer had the budget to be able to produce one; the decision was then made to repurpose a tiger from the Big Jim toy line.
In other media
Television
Appearances
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe:
External Links
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