Say hello to Tigra, Marvel's ferocious feline fighter. Super fans may recognize her from her run in West Coast Avengers, her appearances with BFF Jessica Drew, or her many romances, including Hank Pym, Moon Knight, and a Skrull clone just to name a few. For those unfamiliar with the hero, here's everything you need to know about Tigra, the human-cat warrior hybrid.
With a swift gymnastic flair, killer character design, and feral strength, it's no wonder Tigra hosts a devoted cult following. She's taken part in the infamous Civil War, Secret Invasion, and Secret Empire story arcs. A robust personality and quick wit establishes her as an important player on the Avenger's roster, even if it can get a tad complicated; Tigra does double cross Tony in Civil War, after all. But motivation to do the right thing, no matter what, is key in shaping her heroic journey throughout her many comic appearances. So here's an in-depth look at the character.
Comic Powers Explained
Tigra hosts a myriad of enhancements: super speed, super strength, super healing, and super senses are just a few of her feline-inspired powers. Heightened reflexes help her gain the upper hand in combat, and those iconic fangs and claws help her get the job done when taking down foes. Her healing is swift, but not equivalent to Wolverine's, as she can't fully regenerate every aspect of an injury. Her bones can regrow, but once an organ or two is gone, Tigra is out of luck. A few cuts and breaks won't put her out of a battle as an immense stamina allows her to fight for hours on end; as Captain America puts it, she could, "do this all day."
Tigra also possesses extremely durable skin, making her largely immune to intense blows and strikes. Her cat sense allows her to track with expert precision and her super strength provides her with heightened jumping and traversing capabilities. Pray for the poor character who ever dares to talk behind her back, because Tigra's incredible hearing will sense it, and she's not afraid of confrontation. Tigra's vision, immensely enhanced by her cat powers, can see inhumanly far distances and view infrared light sources. A tail is present for balance and extra hits, but it's not quite on the same level as an extra limb.
Like Spider Woman, Tigra spends time as a PI, as well as a cop when she defeats the sinister "Brotherhood of the Blue Fist." She's intelligent, eager to learn, and is also a qualified pilot. Most importantly, Tigra wears the Cat's Head Amulet, a necklace that allows her to shift between her human and cat form. Her sensitivity to pheromones allows her to detect what others might be feeling, especially if they break a sweat.
Comic Origins Explained
Tigra first appears in her human, pre-cat transformation form, in 1972's The Cat #1. She's Greer Grant, a hard-working young woman who marries a Chicago police officer. Tragedy strikes when Grant's husband is shot and dies in her arms, sparking Grant's journey into heroism. Finding work as a lab assistant, Grant and her peer fall subject to shady lab politics and experiments. This is where Grant first becomes The Cat, the precursor to her true Tigra transformation. A cat costume gives Grant a few feline powers and for a time she protects Chicago before moving to fight crime in New York. Grant soon discovers that her Lab mentor, Dr. Tumolo, is actually one of the mystical and ancient Cat People, and HYDRA has beef with them. In order to survive a HYDRA attack, Grant undergoes a transformation from Tumolo and the Cat People in 1974's Giant-Sized Creatures #1. Here, readers see the birth of Tigra as Grant inherits the mystical Cat People warrior spirit into her body. Equipped with the aformentioned amulet, Grant now shifts back and forth between her human self and her Tigra persona and fends off HYRDA.
In her early Avenger days, Grant struggles with a split personality between her human and cat souls. This attributes to her several above mentioned romances. Grant entangles herself with both Wonder Man and Hank Pym. The reason? Just like a house cat craves attention and affection, so does Grant. Or least her cat side does. Grant worries her cat soul will one day overtake all control. But thanks to an intense ritual involving Pandemonium and The Cat People's Land Within, Grant battles Balkatar and wins her true form as a rejuvenated, more stable Tigra in 1986's West Coast Avengers Vol. 2 #15. On occasion, Tigra's cat and human personalities still struggle for control, but it's not as strong as The Hulk's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde dynamic. Tigra is more similar to She-Hulk. While her cat senses may overpower her from time to time, more often than not Grant maintains her intelligence.
Villains She's Defeated
Who hasn't Tigra fought? Tigra travels to space in 2000's Avengers: Infinity #1 to successfully assist Thor, StarFox, and Moondragon against The Infinites. The heroes must stop the literal rearrangement of their galaxy, and save the day against a potentially deadly shift in cosmic energy. She's also battled the likes of: Kraven the Hunter, The High Evolutionary, Asgardian Doom Maidens, HYDRA's Steve Rogers, Thanos, and The Hood. Most notably, Tigra has a long-standing revenge arc against The Hood that permeates the subplot of her many comic book stories.
2007's New Avengers #35 sees The Hood record a brutal beating of Tigra as well as the theft of her amulet. Tigra is quick to track him back down and deliver him a beating of his own, but it's not the last Tigra sees of The Hood. When Norman Osborn steels The Initiative away from the Tigra and her allies, Tigra goes on to help start the Avenger's Resistance as she continues her quest to to track down The Hood and his associated criminal pals. Her eventual revenge is truly sweet.
Tigra Trivia
Tigra is no stranger to crazy galactic storylines. She even has a half-skrull baby! Or does she? Enter the world of confusing Skrull genetics. In the Secret Invasion arc, Skrull Criti Noll impersonates Henry "Hank" Pym. In 2008's Mighty Avengers Vol. 1 #17, Noll second guesses the invasion and is killed by his fellow Skrull imposters. By Queen Veranke's command, Criti Noll is cloned, and another fake Hank Pym is born. Little does Tigra know or suspect something is amiss as she finds herself, once more, romantically involved with "Hank." Tigra later learns that her son, Willam, is technically the human Hank's son in 2011's Avenger's Academy #7. Emphasis on technically. Because the Skrull father had been duplicating Hank's DNA at the time of conception, which granted Tigra's baby human genetics rather than that of a Skrull. Hank Prym accepts this after Tigra asks if he'll watch over William in case she ever goes missing or dies in battle. Despite this turn of events, Tigra goes on to successfully lead the Avengers Academy as an invaluable mentor to the younger heroes.
Fans are hoping she'll make an MCU appearance soon, and with rumors going around that the third Tom Holland Spider-Man movie and Captain Marvel 2 could help usher in the Secret Invasion story line, there's no better time to introduce the feline fighter. Whether it's on Disney+ or the big screen, Tigra makes for a stellar addition to any Avengers roster. In the meantime, be sure to follow her latest comic appearances in 2019's Tigra: The Complete Collection trade paperback.