Wildcat (Ted Grant)

Ted Grant first donned the Wildcat costume in Sensation Comics #1 (January 1942), the same issue in which Mister Terrific premiered.[5]

Wildcat in the 1940s; art by Irwin Hasen.

Wildcat's origin is chronicled in Sensation Comics #1 as well as Secret Origins #3 (1973) and All-Star Squadron Annual #1 (1982). Henry Grant vowed on his baby son's crib that the child would not grow up afraid of life, so he encouraged his son to participate in sports. Orphaned during the Great Depression, Ted Grant found himself unemployed in the big city. One night, he saved "Socker" Smith, the heavyweight boxing champion, from a mugging. "Socker" took Ted under his wing, and soon Ted became a heavyweight boxing champion in his own right. He also became tangled unknowingly in his manager's sinister plans. His mentor "Socker" Smith was killed by Grant's managers Flint and Skinner who used a syringe, loaded with poison, in a boxing glove. The dose was only intended to slow down Smith, but the duo misjudged the potency. When Grant was arrested for the crime, Flint and Skinner, afraid that he might know what had really happened, arranged for the young fighter to be killed. Grant escaped the attempt and survived, but the policemen with him were killed. As a result, he became a fugitive. Later, he came upon a child who had been robbed of his Green Lantern comic. The boy, describing the mystery-man Green Lantern, inspired Grant to create the costume of a large black cat. He took the name Wildcat and vowed to clear his name. He brought Flint and Skinner to justice; the criminals were forced to confess, clearing Grant's name, and obtaining justice for Smith. Using the identity of Wildcat, Grant continued to fight crime.[6]

By issue #4, Wildcat had a custom motorbike, the Cat-o-Cycle and a comedy sidekick named Stretch Skinner.[7][8]

In the pages of All Star Comics, Wildcat had a few adventures as a member of the Justice Society of America (JSA). In the 1980s, when the All-Star Squadron was published, it created a retroactive continuity in which the majority of WWII mystery-men interacted with each other. Wildcat had a place as a member of that conglomeration of heroes as well. The 1970s run of All Star Comics (1976–1979) had Wildcat play a central role as a JSA member. In the story arc, which saw Green Lantern go berserk, and Commissioner Bruce Wayne issue arrest warrants for the JSA, it was Wildcat's ability to look fear in the face that allowed him to defeat the real mastermind of the disaster: the second Psycho-Pirate.

In 1985, during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Ted's legs were shattered by an out-of-control Red Tornado and he was told he would never walk again. He soon discovered that his goddaughter Yolanda Montez had recently become the second Wildcat.

An Earth-One version of Ted Grant existed Pre-Crisis and teamed up with Batman, himself a retired world heavyweight champion like his Earth-Two counterpart, on five occasions. This version of Ted Grant had a relatively minor career and his origin and early years were not chronicled.[9]

This version of Ted Grant ceased to exist following the events of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, with the Earth-Two version becoming the dominant version in the new unified universe.

After the Crisis, the injuries that Ted had sustained were downgraded from paraplegia to less severe injuries from which he recovered quickly. He was also still a former heavyweight champion of the world. In addition, Ted is credited with being an expert at combat, though he prefers to trade punches as part of his brawling style. Even in his advanced years, on several occasions Ted has knocked out experienced fighters with a single punch.

Later, Ted was present when the JSA willingly exiled themselves into Limbo to prevent Ragnarök as part of a time loop. He remained there for several years until he was freed with the rest of the JSA in Armageddon: Inferno. He was present during the Justice Society's disastrous fight with Extant during Zero Hour and fell victim to Extant's time manipulation powers, which restored Wildcat to his proper age, that of an elderly, sickly man.

Wildcat and Hippolyta share an intimate moment, art by Phil Jimenez.

In the wake of Zero Hour, Wildcat retired from active crimefighting and again became a full-time trainer in his role as a professional boxer. In private, he continued to train younger superheroes in the martial arts. In addition, new details were revealed about Wildcat's past, one being the existence of two sons. His eldest son Jake was kidnapped by the Yellow Wasp and later murdered by Killer Wasp. His youngest son Tom was raised exclusively by the boy's mother without Ted's knowledge.

Ted also had torrid affairs with Selina Kyle,[10] as well as an affair with a time-displaced Queen Hippolyta.[11]

Twice during his Post-Zero Hour retirement, Ted was severely injured defending innocent lives. He received the first injury defending patrons of the bar Warriors, run by the ex-Green Lantern Guy Gardner.[12] Later, he was injured in rescue operation during a planet-wide snowfall.[13] On both occasions, he was treated on site at Warriors and miraculously recovered from his injuries.

It was later revealed that Ted possesses "nine lives", the result of the magician Zatara altering a curse placed upon him by a sorcerer named King Inferno after Ted refused to throw a boxing match for the wizard. Ted was given nine lives as opposed to being turned into a cat as King Inferno wanted. Since then, Ted has lost his nine lives as a result of a variety of deaths, many of which occurred off-panel. In Justice Society of America #34, Mordru told Ted that he had nine lives for every "cycle", although Mordru did not define a cycle's duration. This meant that Ted had somehow regained his spent lives. In Justice Society of America #36, this was confirmed; Ted gained nine lives at any given time, meaning that he had to be killed nine times in rapid succession to be killed permanently.

In the "Watchmen" sequel "Doomsday Clock", Wildcat is among the superheroes that return after Doctor Manhattan was inspired by Superman to undo the experiment on the timeline that erased the Justice Society and the Legion of Super-Heroes. He was seen with Yolanda Montez in her Wildcat attire.[14]

In the pages of "Dark Nights: Death Metal", Wildcat was with Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, and Doctor Fate where they guarded the Valhalla Cemetery.[15]

Wildcat cameos as the world heavyweight champion, defending his title against Cassius Clay.

In Kingdom Come, Alex Ross (and writer Mark Waid) portrayed Wildcat as a humanoid black panther with the soul of Ted Grant. He is seen working with Batman's group and with the other offspring of the Justice League. It is not clear whether or not he dies when the UN unleashes a nuclear attack against the metahumans at the end of the comic.

Wildcat is portrayed as boxer (not superhero) Ted Grant in Prez Rickard's world in The Sandman: Worlds' End.[33] A woman obsessed with Wildcat shoots at Prez and his girlfriend, killing her and injuring him. Prez has Wildcat spend several hours with him while he is at the hospital. It is said that there is no ill will between them – Prez even offered clemency to the assassin, but she was still sent to the electric chair.

In the story Earth 2: Worlds' End (a part of "The New 52" reboot) set in Earth 2, Ted Grant appears as a boxer living in the same World Army refugee camp as Dick and Barbara Grayson during Darkseid's invasion of Earth. After Barbara's death, Ted trains Dick in offensive and defensive fighting techniques and joins him on a mission to recover his lost son.[34]

• Ted Grant / Wildcat makes a cameo appearance in the Smallville two-part episode "Absolute Justice", portrayed by Roger Hasket. This version is a member of the Justice Society of America (JSA), who were primarily active in the 1970s, until the government forced them to retire from superheroics. Despite this, Grant remained active as a professional boxer.
• Ted Grant appears in the third season of Arrow, portrayed by J.R. Ramirez. This version runs the "Wildcat Gym" as a place to help kids on the streets by training them to box in the hopes it will steer them straight. Additionally, he originally operated as a vigilante who fought street crime in a crime-infested district of Starling City called the Glades, but retired after his partner, Isaac Stanzler, beat someone to death; something he felt was morally wrong. In the present, he trains Laurel Lance, providing her the foundation she would later need to become a skilled combatant while training under Nyssa al Ghul. He later helps the Arrow and his allies defeat Stanzler,[35] and stop Daniel Brickwell's siege on the Glades. Grant is wounded in the battle, though his fate was left unknown. Series producer Marc Guggenheim would later go on to state that the character did not die.[36]
• Ted Grant / Wildcat appears in Stargirl, portrayed by Brian Stapf.[37] This version was a member of the Justice Society of America (JSA) who wore an exosuit that enhanced his natural athleticism to aid in his superheroics. In the pilot episode, Grant and the JSA were attacked by the Injustice Society, with an unknown opponent fatally throwing Grant out of a window. Ten years later, Yolanda Montez inherits Grant's suit and becomes the new Wildcat.

• A character based on Ted Grant / Wildcat called T. Blake / Catman (not to be confused with Thomas Blake / Catman) appears in the Justice League two-part episode "Legends", voiced by Stephen Root. He was an athletic superhero armed with a grappling hook and retractable claws, a skilled martial artist, and member of the Justice Guild of America from an alternate universe until the team was killed in a nuclear war.
• Wildcat appears in Justice League Unlimited, voiced by Dennis Farina. This version is a member of the Justice League who trains other members and serves as one of the group's front-line fighters.
• Wildcat appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by R. Lee Ermey.[38] This version is a member of the Justice Society of America and one of Batman's mentors who strives to keep fighting crime despite his aging body. Additionally, an unnamed alternate universe version of Wildcat appears in flashbacks in the episode "Deep Cover for Batman!" as a member of the Injustice Syndicate.
• Wildcat makes a cameo appearance in the Young Justice episode "Humanity" as a member of the Justice Society of America, who were active in the 1930s.
• Wildcat makes a cameo appearance in the Robot Chicken DC Comics Special as an associate of the Justice League until he is disintegrated by Darkseid.

• Wildcat appears in Justice League: The New Frontier as a former member of the now retired Justice Society of America, which had disbanded after the death of Hourman.
• An alternate universe version of Wildcat makes a cameo appearance Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths as a minor member of the Crime Syndicate.
• Wildcat makes a cameo appearance in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.

• Wildcat appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame, voiced again by R. Lee Ermey.
• Wildcat appears in DC Universe Online, voiced by Ken Webster.

• Wildcat received a figure in the JSA Wave 3 from DC Direct on December 12, 2001.[39]
• Wildcat, in his black and blue suits, received figures in the ninth wave of the DC Universe Classics line.

• Wildcat appears in DC Super Hero Girls, voiced by John DiMaggio. This version works as a gym teacher at Super Hero High.
• Wildcat appears in Injustice 2 as a member of Batman's Insurgency.