Catspaw (DC)
Catspaw is a female extraterrestrial superhero who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
April Dumaka
During the Dominator occupation of Earth, she was betrayed by a man called Ansis, who turned her over for experimentation in their underground chambers. (Legionnaires v1 #9)
In that time, she found her chamber was near Danielle Foccart's. Danielle could 'talk' to computers and sensed their impending destruction. She freed them along with Xao Jin and Bobb Kohan, and the four of them escaped death in the chambers. (Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #33)
While seeking shelter, they encountered the SW6 Legionnaires, Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl, who took them to their command post. There April got accustomed to her new self and when Reep Daggle decided to help establish the SW6 team on New Earth, he brought April into the group. He gave her the super-hero code name of Catspaw. (Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #41)
Little is known of April's life before she was a test subject for the Dominion, save that she was at some point in her past betrayed by a beautiful boyfriend of hers named Ansis and handed over to the Dominators. Dumaka, who got her powers (cat-like speed and agility) from the genetic manipulation of the scientific aliens, was held in the same underground chambers where the SW6 Legion ultimately emerged. When the power generators blew out across Earth, Catspaw was freed and banded together with two other test subjects, Xao Jin and Danielle Foccart. The SW6 Batch had been freed weeks prior, but returned to look for survivors and found Catspaw.
When the SW6 Legionnaires were given their own headquarters and rebranded themselves as the heroes of New Earth, Catspaw and her fellow escapees joined the heroes. She assisted in building up their new home whilst home some fun with the boys, like Inferno. She was formally inducted onto the team and seemed to enjoy having plenty of boys in spandex to flirt with.
Catspaw served with the Legionnaires until the Zero Hour event, which caused the collapse and eventual death of the Glorithverse. Catspaw specifically was arguing with the Legion's science team when time blinked her out of existence, replacing her with Inferno and making her one of the earlier casualties to the timestream.
Overview
Personality and attributes
Powers and abilities
Catspaw possesses enhanced, catlike agility and speed. She is a hunter and tracker with good combat skills. She has sharp claws and teeth.
A hybrid of human and feline, Catspaw has the agility, speed, and heightened senses (smelling, hearing, and balance) of a cat, as well as retractable claws on her fingertips and toes. She has excellent night-vision and animal-like instincts. Her hybrid physiology grants many animal traits including tendencies in cat-like behaviors and instincts. She also has accelerated regenerative traits which allow faster time to heal.
As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes Catspaw was issued a Legion Flight Ring. When wearing the ring the issuer is granted the ability to fly. Housing a micro-computer within its chamber the ring also is a powerful communications devise, able to reach vast distances within the galaxy. It also is a beacon devise when needed during emergency situations.
Notes
- Catspaw was created by Tom Bierbaum, Mary Bierbaum and Chris Sprouse where she made her first appearance in Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #33 (September, 1992).
- In an interview, Bierbaum noted, "At one point he and we were trying to work out a 'Legionnaires' fill-in that would have given more of her background, but we didn't start thinking about that possibility until our time there was almost up. Basically, Catspaw was just a woman on Earth when the Dominators were secretly nabbing people and experimenting on them. There was a boyfriend character (from the Legionnaires story where they meet all the Protys on Antares, I think his name was Ansis) who was supposed to have somehow betrayed her and been the cause of her being kidnapped by Earthgov/Dominators."
Alternate Versions
In other media
Films
Appearances
- Legion of Super-Heroes v4: (1992)
External Links
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