365 Marvel Comics Paper Cut-Out SuperHeroes - One Hero, Every Day, All Year…
Greer Grant had been an adventurous young woman who married quite young yet was sadly widowed when her police officer husband was killed in the line of duty. In order to support herself, Greer took a position as a laboratory assistant to an experimental biology researcher named Dr. Joanne Tumolo. Funded by a health-obsessed tycoon, Tumolo was working on a means of artificially augmenting physical attributes.
Greer ended up a test subject for the process and was bestowed substantially enhanced speed, strength and dexterity as well as highly amplified senses. Wanting to utilize the successful results for nefarious purposes, the project’s benefactor planted a bomb that killed Tumolo. Greer discovered what had happened and decided to use her newfound abilities to bring the villain to justice. She donned a cat-themed costume and, calling herself ‘The Cat,’ was ultimately successful in taking down the murderers.
Greer chise to continue on as a costumed hero and had a number of adventures, one of which saw her teaming up with the Amazing Spider-Man. Greer would later discover that Dr. Tumolo had not perished in the explosion but had actually managed to survive. Furthermore, Tumolo was secretly a member of ancient race of beings known as The Cat People. These were cat/human hybrids who were created by magic some time in the middle ages and had continued on in isolation.
Tumolo sought out Greer after she had been mortally wounded battling a cell of Hydra agents. To save her life, Tumolo and the Cat People mystically transformed Greer into the legendary half-human, half-cat warrior they called the ‘Tigra.’ Greer was imbued with even greater physical and sensory abilities and was transformed into a cat/human hybrid, with orange fur, sharpened claws and a tail. Taking on the mantle of Tigra, Greer helped the Cat People defeat the Hydra agents.
Greer would have further adventures as Tigra, ultimately joining The Avengers for a brief period of time before relocating to San Fransisco where she had adventures alongside Jessica Drew. Tigra was later recruited to serve as a member of the West Coast iteration of The Avengers.
During her time with The West Coast Avengers, Tigra began experiencing increasing difficulties controlling the more primal, animalistic nature of her hybrid form. This ultimately resulted in her devolving into a four legged cat-like creature. She was eventually cured thanks to the help of the sorceress, Agatha Harkness.
Later, Tigra joined Iron Man pro-registration forces during the superhero Civil War. She also became an instructor for the Avengers Initiative Program at Camp Hammond, taking special interest in her student Reptil.
Around this time, Tigra entered into a romantic relationship with Hank Pym, unaware that he had recently been replaced with a Super Skrull imposter. Following the Secret Invasion event, Tigra discovered she was pregnant and she was quite frightened over the potential ramifications of her baby being half-Skrull. As it turned out, the Skrull imposter had duplicated Hank Pym on a completely genetic level and, as such, Tigra’s son was born without any traces of Skrull DNA. The child, whom Tigra named William, did however possess the properties of the Cat People and, like his mother, is a half human/half cat hybrid. The circumstances of the child’s conception notwithstanding, the real Hank Pym was happy to be a part of his genetic son’s life and offered to support Greer and the baby in any way she liked.
Following Hank Pym’s apparent death, Tigra introduced William to Hank’s daughter, Nadia Pym, who was overjoyed to meet her half brother. Both Tigra and William have since participated in the adventures Nadia has had as the Unstoppable Wasp.
The heroine first appeared in the pages of The Cat #1 (1972).
