The DC Universe’s latest live-action series Stargirl may only be on its fourth episode, but many critics have already praising the show for its perfect balance of light-hearted idealism and real-world relevance. The show’s plot revolves around high school student Courtney Whitmore juggling the life of being the new girl in Blue Valley, Nebraska while simultaneously trying to rebuild a long defunct band of mystery men called the Justice Society of America. And Stargirl’s latest episode, “Wildcat,” offers a live-action origin to a lesser-known ‘80s comic book character by the name of Yolanda Montez.
The episode, written by Starman co-creator James Robinson, offers its own unique take on Wildcat that allows Montez (played by Yvette Monreal) to fit within the context of the show while also tackling modern issues. Once a model student running for school government, Yolanda’s life was upended when her rival, Cindy, steals her topless selfie off her then boyfriend’s phone and posts them during an assembly. Her former boyfriend (who is now dating Cindy) becomes her biggest bully, openly slut-shaming Yolanda in public without any consequence from the faculty. With her own family all but disowning her over the scandal, Yolanda retreats into boxing as her only outlet for her justifiable anger. This eventually leads to her becoming one of Stargirl’s crime-fighting allies.
So who is Yolanda Montez in the comics? Fitting the theme of the show, Yolanda is considered a legacy character in the DC Universe, meaning her codename was passed down by a previous hero. Her godfather is the original Wildcat, a grizzled former heavyweight boxer named Ted Grant and founding member of the JSA. Her cousin was also the former JSA Museum curator, who later fuses with the supervillain Eclipso.
Her character was first referenced in a promo image featured in All-Star Squadron #28, where she rocked a gold cat-suit, drove a “cat-cycle,” and went by the name La Garro. Later, Montez would make her official debut as Wildcat II in Infinity Inc. #12 in 1985. Originally, Yolanda was the daughter of a Mexican woman named Maria who was nonconsensually experimented on by a villainous gynecologist named Dr. Benjamin Love. The genetic experiments led to Maria giving birth to a Metahuman child with catlike abilities while her sister (who was also an unwilling guinea pig) gave birth to a monstrous human-shark hybrid who later becomes the villain Carcharo.
Dr. Love eventually loses track of his test subjects after Maria's sister gets deported back to Mexico. Maria decides to live with her sister for a time, but eventually moves back to the United States to live with her husband Juan ‘Mauler’ Montez, another boxing champ. It is through her father that the original Wildcat becomes Yolanda's godfather. Like the show, Yolanda was constantly pressured by her parents to overachieve in school, which eventually earns her a degree in journalism. For a time Yolanda lived a normal life as an LA based writer for Rock Stars Magazine, but when Ted Grant suffers a grave injury during the events of Crisis On Infinite Earths Yolanda decides to take up the mantle of Wildcat herself. She joins the superhero team Infinity Inc. and learns the truth behind her catlike abilities, and although Infinity Inc. eventually disbands, Montez joins a new group called the Shadow Fighters. Tragically, Yolanda and the Shadow Fighters are slain by Eclipso during a dangerous mission.
Yolanda Montez was later rebooted during DC’s New 52 mass retcon, this time as a high school student who becomes an avatar of the Red, a biological field that connects all animal life together. Her powers, like other DC superheroes such as Animal Man and Vixen, come from this primal force. At one point she is captured by Darkseid’s forces and transformed into a ferocious beast, but is eventually restored back to normal in DC’s Convergence storyline. In this version, Yolanda’s powerset is similar to her original, but derived from magic rather than science.
In Stargirl, her powers are neither Metahuman or magic in nature, but entirely technology based. Taking inspiration from Marvel’s Black Panther, Wildcat’s armor appears to be woven nanite technology that absorbs heavy impact, enhances strength and agility, and even comes equipped with a deadly set of retractable claws. When Yolanda first puts on her predecessor’s uniform she complains about the smell and extremely baggy fit on her body, but after donning Wildcat’s iconic helmet the suit comes to life with a purple glow that form fits itself to her smaller frame.
Though at first glance Stargirl might come off as a paint-by-numbers superhero show set in a Rockwell-esque America, the series is far more socially aware than it comes across on the surface. LatinX superheroes are still a pretty rare sight overall in science fiction, and having a young Latina superhero with an uncomfortably relatable #MeToo origin story offers a level of representation that is still sorely needed in 2020. While Yolanda Montez might not yet be a name-brand character in the DC Universe, hopefully Stargirl can rectify that.