Origin
Rosabelle Mendez was New York University student, who was kidnapped by Maxwell Lord, then sold to Wildebeest Society. Steve Dayton as Crimelord was obsessed with experimentation which led to the creation of the technology that turned Rosabelle into the cat-hybrid by the Wildebeest. The new Wildebeest Society began their own genetic alterations with animals and humans to make a suitable host for the true Wildebeest. By altering the humans/animals they experimented on their bodies would become strong enough to withstand the force of the true Wildebeest. All the experiments died except one and that was subject X-24/ Pantha. She managed to free herself and escape but would return to exact her revenge on the people who created her.
Creation
Pantha was created by Marv Wolfman and Tom Grummett. She appeared first in The New Titans #73 as a shadow and fully in The New Titans #74.
Major Story Arcs
Meeting the Titans
After her escape she started to pick off Wildebeests one by one. After one of the attacks, she heard of a mugging on the streets; at first she tried to ignore it but then she remembered that no one helped her, and that got her where she is now. She jumped down from the roof and attacked the mugger, but before she could kill the last man, she herself was attacked. The attacker was Deathstroke, Pantha knew who he was and what he was after. She said that they have similar goal, but their methods are different, she wanted all of Wildebeest dead. Pantha made another try to attack Wildebeest base, but was confronted by Deathstroke again. After a quick argument, she escaped him, and met Phantasm, who too wanted to join her. Pantha wanting to avenge herself alone, took the first chance she got to slip away. Inside the base she found Number 1 of the Wildebeests. He is Pantha’s primary target and she leaped to attack him, but to her surprise she was taken over by him, as the Number 1 was Jericho. When she was knocked unconscious, Jericho left her body and started to tear the base apart. Pantha recovered in time to escape to destruction and agreed to go to the Titans Tower. In the tower she got into another fight with the Titans, and decided to leave, but she was stopped by Nightwing. She was tied up and left that way, even when the Wildebeests attacked. She was freed by the Phantasm and she joined the fight. They manage to escape before the tower exploded. Pantha joins the Titans in their mission to Russia to see who was blown up in the rocket. After some talk and Pantha’s raid to a meat store, they manage to find Cyborg. He was rebuilt by Russians and now totally under their control. After a brief fight Titans managed to get Cyborg back, also Red Star joined them from Russia. At the same time Donna Troy returned to United States; Titans went to her only to witness her disappearance along with Nightwing’s. They abandoned their quest to hunt Wildebeests and chased leads about Donna Troy. Pantha at first wanted to leave, but for some reason changed her mind and joined others in the search. After the War of The Gods; Donna Troy returned and Titans concentrated on finding Jericho. Their only leads were painted pictures, and it was Pantha who figured out that all the painting were painted from one location, and if they find the building, they find Jericho and their friends. In that house they found a door to Azarath, where Jericho was finalizing his plan. Titans attacked the compound and tried to rescue Nightwing, but for their surprise Jericho was inside him, and Titans were captured. Jericho tried to give their bodies to the souls of Azarath. Before being killed by his father Jericho almost succeeds in that, but when he died, those Titans who were unconscious were taken over by the souls. That didn’t last long as Raven summoned all the souls to her for more power, but it still wasn’t enough to fight her own mother. Titans won the battle and the Wildebeest Society was ultimately destroyed. Pantha returned to our world alongside the Titans. Jericho’s house also imploded, and in its place appeared Phantasm with Baby Wildebeest. Other Titans wanted to keep the baby, but Pantha was against it from the start. One time Baby Wildebeest was playing outside and a car drove towards him, Pantha decided to do nothing and just watch him die. The car hit the baby, but it didn’t even hurt him. In time Pantha started to realize that the baby and she are the same, both victims to Wildebeests. For some reason Pantha was always left to babysit the kid, and she didn’t like it one bit. But one time when Pantha got away from the child, Titans were soon called back to the Steve Dayton‘s estate, as Baby Wildebeest was causing damage. Baby Wildebeest only calmed down when he got to hug Pantha, who he thought to be his mother. Trouble with the baby was interrupted by the hunt of Deathstroke and then the threat on Donna Troy’s life. Fight ensues between New Titans and Team Titans, but Lord Chaos intervened and kidnapped Donna. In another fight with Team Titans; Baby Wildebeest grew big out of anger for the first time. Now that Lord Chaos had born in this timeline, he returned to kill his father. Donna returned as a goddess to fight him and Titans were caught in the middle. Lord Chaos’ present-self was then taken by his future-self to the old Titans Island. Both Titans group went there along with Donna Troy. The fight over the baby was finally stopped by gods themselves. The Titans got to rest for a while and took a vacation to Hollywood.
It didn’t take long for trouble to find them again, Eclipso had returned to earth. Pantha was among the first to be taken over by him. Pantha traveled to moon with other heroes who had been taken over. Only in the final battle was Pantha released from his control with solar weapons. Pantha seemed to adjust more to her feline body, she constantly went outside wearing nothing and hunted animals. On one of her hunts she saves a woman from muggers; after that she notices a marking “D” on one of the guns and remembers that the “D” was everywhere in Wildebeests facility. Now living with Steve Dayton, she knows that that exact D is a symbol for Dayton Industries. At the same time Beast Boy stole one of Dayton’s Mento helmets, and he wanted Titans to help him retrieve it. Pantha took it as an opportunity to spy on Dayton to make sure his involvement in her condition. Warp escaped from other villains and knew where Beast Boy was; Pantha was able to convince him to teleport Titans there. The fight was brief and the ship was blown up, fortunately for Titans they were able to escape. Even Beast Boy was saved by Aqualad. Pantha was still hunting clues of her past and broke into one of Dayton’s records rooms. She found some info on Project Hybrid, where humans and animals were crossed. Now Pantha knew who was behind her pain, but she still couldn’t remember was she animal turned into human or human turned into animal. Her search of her past is interrupted by Technis. Technis’ main goal was to take over earth. To gain Titan’s trust they offered Pantha to restore her memories, but she got only partial flashes of faces. After learning Technis true plan, Titans try to fight them, but it is Cyborg who wins the fight by merging with the Technis and flew into space after he teleported Titans back to earth. Pantha managed to find the person who she saw in her memories, but when she got to her house she had been abducted. Pantha then confronted Steve Dayton about it and he admitted getting rid of her. Her questioning is interrupted by other Titans who need a spaceship from Dayton to stop villains from destroying the world. Red Star promises to help Pantha after she helps them. Dayton however didn’t want to help heroes and they turned to Lex Luthor. Lex lent them one of his shuttles and heroes were of to save the world. After that adventure, Pantha stayed up in the space station for a while. She was given last glue of the woman from the vision location, but when she got there, she again was gone. When Red Star learned that the group was going to be funded by the US government he decided to leave. Pantha joined him as they had grown close to each other and where Pantha went Baby Wildebeest would follow because of its bond to her. They joined Red Star as a rag-tag dysfunctional family and decided to leave the Titans behind.
Red Star, Pantha and Baby Wildebeest later settled in Science City, Russia. They lived there as a indifferent family while serving under the Russian government. And they would help the Titans if called upon. She and Red Star were once called back to help with returned Cyborg, this took her into conflict with Catwoman, who named her a pretender. Pantha’s skills were again needed when Dr. Light was attacking Titans.
Infinite Crisis
When the Superboy-Prime of Earth-Prime ran amok around the worlds Superboy called upon all Titans to help in defeating his enemy. Superboy mistakenly decapitated Pantha and slaughtered Baby Wildebeest before being sucked into the Speed Force. Red Star was left to mourn his only family.
Kid Eternity used Pantha’s form while stopping Ravager, who was fighting with Bombshell and Wonder Girl.
Blackest Night
Pantha was raised as a Black Lantern alongside with Baby Wildebeest, they then attacked Titans Tower with other deceased Titans. She didn’t get to be back for long though, as Dove released her powers, and Pantha’s connection to the Black Power Ring were severed and her body disintegrated.
Powers and Abilities
Being a werecat, Pantha possesses super human strength, agility, speed, reflexes, and leaping. She also has razor sharp claws on her hands and feet that are able to cut through metal and used to crab onto stone walls. She also has a slight healing factor that allows her to recover from minor injuries with super human swiftness.
Alternate Versions
Alternate Timeline
Here Pantha have joined resistance along with Anthro, Green Arrow, Wild Dog and Hawkman to fight Maxwell Lord and his army of O.M.A.C.s. It’s revealed that her name used to be Rosabelle Mendez, she was a veterinarian student in NYU. She was kidnapped and turned into animal-human hybrid, then she was sold to Wildebeest society by Maxwell Lord. Pantha joined the resistance against Maxwell Lord, who controlled thid world’s Superman. When the resistance with Booster Gold and Blue Beetle attacked Checkmate HQ, where Maxwell resided, she was killed with a shot in the head by Wild Dog who was controlled by Maxwell Lord.
Elseworlds
On Elseworlds, Pantha was one of Queen Raven’s subjects who was transmuted by her magic. She was given half-cat look and abilities. She escaped along with other prisoners who also were empowered by Raven. With these new-found powers they opposed Ravens rule and defeated her.
Other Media
Animated
Teen Titans
Pantha appears in the animated Teen Titans television show. She wears is a wrestler and wears a wrestling mask as part of her superhero costume. She fights against the Brotherhood of Evil with the rest of the Teen Titans.