Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman 2 has started to come together, and the casting of Saturday Night Live alum Kristen Wiig as Cheetah has created quite a bit of hype around the movie. That said, we haven't heard much about the actual version of Cheetah that Wiig will play in the film, until now. New rumors have indicated that we can expect to see the Barbara Minerva incarnation of Cheetah in the upcoming DCEU solo film.
A new rumor floated by the folks over at Omega Underground seems to suggest that Kristen Wiig may portray arguably the most iconic version of Cheetah from the DC lore: Barbara Minerva. An archaeologist by trade (which lines up with Diana's DCEU job as a museum curator), Minerva is a selfish rival of Diana Prince who finds herself turned into a cheetah-like entity after a bizarre tribal ritual in the lost city of Uzkartagan. The ritual was intended to endow her with immortality; however, unbeknownst to Barbara, it was only meant for use on virgins, thus cursing her to her the persona of Cheetah.
The use of this form of Cheetah embraces some of the more iconic and familiar elements from the DC lore, and it also continues the DCEU's willingness to go all in on magic. Some of the earlier incarnations of Cheetah were merely women wearing Cheetah-inspired costumes, but the Barbara Minerva Cheetah has powers rooted in mysticism that make her a formidable opponent against Diana Prince in combat.
But don't take my word for it. Check out a fight scene between the character characters from Justice League: Doom to see for yourself.
One other thing that we should note about Cheetah's presence in Wonder Woman 2 is how she could factor into the future of the DC Extended Universe. Cheetah has a long history as a member of the Legion of Doom in DC Comics, and the ending of Justice League suggested that Lex Luthor intended to form a version of the supervillain team for a sequel. If Wonder Woman 2 introduces us to Barbara Minerva, and if fans respond well to her presence, then it's entirely possible that we could see Kristen Wiig reprise the role in a future Justice League sequel alongside other notable bad guys.
Wonder Woman 2 is currently aiming for a November 1, 2019 release date. Until we learn more about the Diana Prince-focused DCEU film, make sure to mark down your calendars for James Wan's Aquaman, which will debut later this year on December 21.
