One of Wonder Woman's oldest and most formidable enemies is Cheetah. In fact, Cheetah has been around in one form or another since the 1940s, when she was first created by Wonder Woman's own creator William Moulton Marston along with illustrator H. G. Peter.
Of all of the characters to clash with Wonder Woman, it is difficult to think of any who has caused the Amazon warrior more strife than the feline femme fatale. Only the God of War, Ares, has a longer and more connected history to Wonder Woman. But with Cheetah, things are personal in a different way. That said, there have been numerous versions of Cheetah over the years, just as there have been multiple reboots to DC continuity, resulting in a series of versions of this villain— not all of them equal.
6 Sebastian Ballesteros
One of the things that makes the dynamic between Cheetah and Wonder Woman so compelling is that they are two strong women who challenge one another's worldviews. Sebastian Ballesteros, the only male to bear the mantle of Cheetah, undermines this dynamic.
Created by Phil Jimenez and Joe Kelly, this version of Cheetah— referred to by some fans as "He-tah"— debuted in 2001's Wonder Woman #170. Like Barbara Ann Minerva, Sebastian Ballesteros became Cheetah by making a pact with the evil plant god Urzkartaga. Sebastian fights Wonder Woman and rises as a new threat, but after only a handful of appearances, he is killed in issue #206. Sebastian actually had a compelling backstory involving military dictatorships and corrupt business practices gone too far, but for him to gain his powers as he did, much of the established DC canon was ignored.
5 Deborah "Debbi" Domaine
The second Cheetah is Debbi Domaine, a rich socialite and environmentalist who discovers that her aunt Priscilla was the villain Cheetah. Even as she discovers the costume in her aunt's home, she is abducted by the cult Kobra. Suspended in the air and electrified, Debbi is bombarded with images of environmental devastation, brainwashing her into becoming the Cheetah (and giving her a new costume).
Created by Gerry Conway and Jose Delbo, Debbi is an obvious attempt to update the villain, especially since it was getting difficult to believe that a woman from the '40s could still run around committing crimes dressed in a cat costume. Having no powers and no agency, Debbi really is not all that impressive as a villain, and she would be replaced a few years later.
4 Priscilla Rich
The original Cheetah is Priscilla Rich, who appeared in 1943's Wonder Woman issue #6. After being upstaged by Wonder Woman in front of a crowd during a public theatrical spectacle, Priscilla tried to kill the Amazon during the performance. Diana was about to perform an act of escape artistry while chained and underwater, but Priscilla tied Wonder Woman's lasso around her— the only item that the Amazon could not break through. Wonder Woman narrowly escapes by chewing through her hood and wriggling out of the bonds.
William Marston created both Cheetah and Wonder Woman. His stories and characters were deeply symbolic of issues he cared about, and Priscilla Rich is an example of the monstrousness of jealousy. While she has no powers, she begins dressing as a cat to attack Wonder Woman.
3 Barbara Ann Minerva (New 52)
Barbara Ann Minerva is the version of Cheetah most fans are probably familiar with. Appearing in the aftermath of the reality-altering story Crisis on Infinite Earths, Dr. Minerva was created by George Perez and Len Wein and made her debut in 1987's Wonder Woman #7. Unfortunately, that is not quite the version of the character who appears here.
The New 52 was the result of DC Comics once again rebooting their entire continuity, as they had previously done with Crisis on Infinite Earths. Some characters were updated and improved on. Wonder Woman and characters attached to her were some of those who were most mishandled. While the bare bones of the character remained, this new reinterpretation of Dr. Minerva was raised by her aunt, the head of a female supremacist cult who worshipped Amazons as goddesses of the hunt. While this gives her pathos, it undermines the strength that makes Cheetah so compelling. Also, she gave herself powers by intentionally stabbing herself in the chest with a god-possessed knife because Wonder Woman laughed at her, which just seems unnecessary.
2 Barbara Ann Minerva (Post-Crisis)
The original version of Dr. Minerva from the post-Crisis world is the one most fans are familiar with. This brilliant scholar tried to trick Wonder Woman into thinking she had a second version of the Lasso of Truth. When the con failed, Dr. Minerva made a pact with the blood-drinking plant deity Urzkartaga, wedding herself to the god in exchange for primal predatory powers.
Given godlike strength, Dr. Minerva was able to hurt Diana, whose own gods-given abilities were not enough to defend against this predator. Time and again, this new Cheetah proved as smart, strong, fast, and tough as Wonder Woman, while lacking none of the morality or restraint of the Amazon princess. She also shares Amazon's understanding of history and mythology, making them dark mirrors of one another.
1 Barbara Ann Minerva (Post-Rebirth)
Like with Crisis on Infinite Earths and The New 52, 2016 saw another reboot to the DC Universe known as Rebirth. In fact, though it was technically a soft reboot, Rebirth was done in response to the backlash against The New 52 mishandling so many characters, and no example of this is better than the ways that Wonder Woman had been dramatically altered.
Writer Greg Rucka was tasked with fixing Wonder Woman's continuity, which involved remaking her origins. When Wonder Woman entered man's world, Dr. Minerva was the brilliant linguist and Classical archaeologist who helped translate the ancient Amazonian language into English and taught Wonder Woman to speak English. They developed a deep friendship, and Dr. Minerva fell in love with Wonder Woman's dear friend, Etta Candy. When she succumbed to the influence of the god Urzkartaga, it was a tragic fall, and one that did not leave her merely transformed, but cruelly warped by an abusive god who mishandled her. The post-Rebirth version of Cheetah has a pathos and intelligence unlike anything seen in earlier versions of the character, and a personal connection to Diana that imbues their every encounter with emotion. They care for each other, and neither can save the other. This is Cheetah at her very best.