CAT PEOPLE

Classification: Magically evolved felines/demon hybrids

Location/Base of Operations: The Land Within;
    formerly safe houses in Inland Empire, California, USA and northwestern Mexico

Known Members: Balkatars (Berreg, Grigar, Tegnar), the Cougar, Richard Dannemillar, Faelar, Flavius, King Gerark, Helene, Professor Leon, Qord, Skubar, Tigra (Florence), Joanne Tumolo, Captain Tyger

Affiliations: Jules Bannion, Belasco, Daemond, Ebrok, William Grant Nelson, Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson), Werewolf (Jack Russell)

Enemies: Avengers (Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Iron Man/Tony Stark, Mockingbird/Bobbi Morse Barton, Hank Pym, Wonder Man/Simon Williams), Fantastic Four (Crystal/Crystalia Amaquelin, Human Torch/Johnny Storm, Ms. Marvel/Sharon Ventura, Thing/Ben Grimm), Hellcat (Patsy Walker), Daimon Hellstrom, Hydra, Master Pandemonium (Martin Preston), Morbius (Michael Morbius), Orann, the Rat Pack, Shuma-Gorath, Tabur

First Appearance: (Joanne Tumolo, species unidentified) The Cat I#1 (November, 1972);
    (in Cat People form) Adventure into Fear I#21 (April, 1974);
    (species identified) Adventure into Fear I#22 (June, 1974)

Average Height: (Purebloods) 6'2"; (hybrids) 5'11"
Average Weight: (Purebloods) 250 lbs.; (hybrids) 220 lbs.
Eyes: Various (usually green or yellow)
Fur: Various (usually brown, white or orange)

Traits: Cat People have fur all over their skin, a prehensile tail, claws on their fingers and toes, eyes which have great night vision seeing slightly into the infrared spectrum and a highly developed sense of smell. Cat People tend to reproduce in litters of multiple offspring and reach full-term in only two months. They possess enhanced strength, speed, agility, stamina and reflexes.

    The Cat People have a high degree of affinity towards magic but also have a robust understanding of science, especially chemistry and biology. Male Cat People have a strong compulsion to "please" female members of their species. Owing to their scarce resources, the Cat People of the Land Within are carnivores and enjoy eating small rodents. Some Cat People of the Land Within wear clothing but apparently just as many are comfortable clad only in their fur. The Earthbound Cat People had the ability to send a mental image of themselves to a loved one when in danger. This power was shown to activate in moments of extreme duress, such as death.

History:
(What If? I#35/2/Adventure into Fear I#22 (fb)) - In medieval times, the sorcerer Ebrok experimented with magic upon his pet cat to make it evolve into a higher lifeform. The evolved cat took on a humanoid form and magically gained the power of speech. Ebrok named him Flavius, the first of the Cat People. Ebrok made Flavius his disciple and taught him magic but Flavius preferred to study alchemy. In time, Ebrok realized that Flavius was lonely because he was the only one of his kind. To remedy this, Ebrok transformed a female cat into another Cat Person, dubbing her Helene. Flavius and Helene continued to learn from Ebrok and work alongside him.

(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme I#27/2) - The Caretakers of Arcturus aided Ebrok in creating the Cat People for their own mysterious purposes.

(What If? I#35/2/Adventure into Fear I#22 (fb)) - Ebrok shared his discovery with his fellow sorcerers, including Orann. Fascinated, the other sorcerers began creating Cat People of their own to use as servants but in time, they grew to question utilizing the creatures, as they learned they could reproduce very quickly due to giving birth in litters. Those who tried to make advances on Cat People were spurned and Orann found that the Cat People he trained for combat took to it a little too readily for his liking. The sorcerers convened another meeting with Ebrok and determined that all the Cat People should be sent into exile. The sorcerers gathered together all of the Cat People they had created and cast a spell which sent them to the Land Within, a demonic dimension.

(Fantastic Four I#314 (fb) - BTS) - One of the sorcerers who exiled the Cat People would later become Belasco, the demonic lord of Limbo. The Cat People would come to revere him like a deity.

(Adventure into Fear I#22 (fb)) - The sorcerers felt the Cat People owed them a debt for being their creators so they ordered the Cat People to chose one of their own to be deemed the Balkatar ("summoned one"). The Balkatar would be granted the ability to teleport from the Land Within to Earth when summoned but would be compelled to serve the sorcerer who summoned them.

(Avengers: Roll Call - Cat People entry - BTS) - The first Balkatar was named Tegnar.

(What If? I#35/2/Giant-Size Creatures#1 (fb)) - However, Flavius and Helene escaped the fate of their fellow Cat People by fashioning mystical amulets which permitted them to assume the appearance of humans. The two reconnected with Ebrok and resumed working alongside him in sorcery and science. They were discovered together by Orann, who threatened to expose them but Flavius hurled a bottle of a disease he had created at him; the disease became the Black Plague. Soon after Orann's attack, Ebrok died. Flavius and Helene continued to live in hiding, finding a means to control their breeding so that Helene would not give birth to litters.

(West Coast Avengers II#6 (fb)) - Flavius and Helene continued to be oppressed by the sorcerers guild. They summoned the Balkatar (Tegnar) for aid but the Balkatar could not strike back against his masters, much as he wished he could. Helene and Flavius tried to rebuild the Cat People's numbers on Earth by creating new Cat People but failed to transform cats into Cat People; therefore, they chose humans and transformed one...

(Avengers: Roll Call - Cat People entry - BTS) - named Florence...

(West Coast Avengers II#6 (fb)) -into a tiger-striped warrior woman dubbed Tigra. Tigra destroyed the remaining members of the sorcerers' guild, avenging Ebrok's death.

(West Coast Avengers II#6 (fb)/Giant-Size Creatures#1 (fb)) - Flavius and Helene eventually found a cure for the Black Plague, by which time they were very old.

(West Coast Avengers II#6 (fb)) - Flavius and Helene then summoned the current Balkatar, who at the time had no sorcerers to command him. The Balkatar mated with Tigra and her children became the start of a new colony of Cat People on Earth. The Earth colony dwelled among humans, disguising their appearances to pass as humans.

(West Coast Avengers II#15 (fb)) - In time, living in the Land Within transformed all of the Cat People there into demons. They came to refer to those outside as living in "the Land Without."

(Adventure into Fear I#22 (fb)) - Although the sorcerers assumed the Cat People would slaughter each other in the Land Within, after 100 years the Cat People had signed "the great treaty" and no longer warred against each other. They fashioned a city and civilization while also developing in the sciences, curing their most deadly plagues. Unfortunately, this meant that in due time, the litters which the Cat People bore caused the population to boom. After several centuries, the Land Within's supplies of food and oxygen were becoming scarce.

(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme I#17/2) - In the 17th century, the pirate Captain Tyger was descended from the Cat People of Earth.

(West Coast Avengers II#6 (fb)) - In recent times, Dr. Joanne Tumolo of the Earth colony of Cat People sought a means to transfer the abilities of her people to humans through scientific means.

(Marvel Chillers I#3 (fb) - BTS) - At one point, the Cat People's existence on Earth was discovered by Jules Bannion, who befriended them. Bannion worked as a legal counselor and became a good friend to Dr. Tumolo.

(The Cat I#1 (fb)) - With financing from health club investor Mal Donalbain, Dr. Tumolo completed her work on a machine that would enable women to fulfill their physical and mental potentials. Under duress from Donalbain, Dr. Tumolo was forced to make his preferred candidate Shirlee Bryant the first recipient of her treatment but Dr. Tumolo arranged for her assistant Greer Grant Nelson to secretly receive the machine's treatment while Donalbain was absent. Dr. Tumolo discovered Donalbain had used a collar to place Bryant under his mental control and fabricate a duplicate of Tumolo's machine. Donalbain also outfitted Bryant with a cat-like costume. Bryant died while testing the cat outfit and Dr. Tumolo stole one of the costumes to give to Greer. Greer donned the costume and, dubbed "the Cat," confronted Donalbain. Pathologically afraid of being touched, Donalbain killed himself rather than be apprehended by the Cat.

(Adventure into Fear I#21) - To defend himself from the living vampire Morbius, the sorcerer Daemond invoked the summoning ritual for the Balkatar. After a few minutes, the Balkatar (Berreg) teleported into the room and fought with Morbius. Daemond ordered the Balkatar to slay Morbius.

(Adventure into Fear I#22) - The Balkatar continued to battle Morbius and found an opportunity to slay him but received a telepathic command from King Gerark of the Cat People to instead transport Morbius to the Land Within. The Balkatar complied and teleported back to the Land Within with Morbius. The Balkatar released Morbius and explained that he had brought him to the Land Within against Daemond's orders and would have to sacrifice his own life for failing to obey the one who summoned him. The Balkatar guided Morbius through the Cat People's city and to the court of King Gerark. Morbius demanded to know why King Gerark wanted to see him. Gerark answered that, because the Cat People were so overpopulated, he wanted a killer to cull their numbers. King Gerark then explained his people's origins to Morbius and their population woes. Gerark hoped Morbius would feast upon his population but Morbius refused, stating he would hate himself if he performed that task. King Gerark summoned his guards but Morbius had no intention of fighting the entire city and simply glided out the nearest window to escape the palace. Despite his intentions, Morbius soon found he could not resist his bloodlust and fed upon a female Cat Person. An angry mob of Cat People formed in retaliation, seized Morbius then threw him into the River of Oblivion.

(Giant-Size Creatures#1 (fb)) - The terrorist organization Hydra learned of Earth's Cat People and that they possessed the secret of the Black Plague. Two agents were sent to abduct Dr. Tumolo in order to interrogate her but Greer, as the Cat, came to her rescue. However, in the process, the Cat was struck by a pistol that fired alpha radiation. Dr. Tumolo brought Greer to her fellow Cat People on the Mexican coast and revealed her true nature to Greer, explaining where the Cat People had come from. Noting that the alpha radiation would kill her, Dr. Tumolo offered to save Greer's life by changing her into one of them. Greer replied that "life is precious to me, Dr. Tumolo-- in any shape. Do what you must." Dr. Tumolo placed a sacred cat's-head ring on Greer's finger then gave her a serum. The assembled Cat People then concentrated upon Greer, harnessing their mental energies to focus upon the ring. The combination of the ring, the serum and the Cat People's mental energies worked upon Greer, transforming her into a being very much like the Cat People. The assembled Cat People were reminded of the famous warrior woman in their past named Tigra and so bestowed the name of Tigra upon Greer. Just then, the Cat People's lair was raided by Hydra, who were still pursuing the Black Plague. The Cat People fought back and Tigra wished to join them but Dr. Tumolo opined that she was still too weak to fight. Under Dr. Tumolo's guidance, Tigra used the sacred ring to resume her form as Greer and escape the Cat People's lair. Hydra conquered the lair and imprisoned the Cat People.

(Giant-Size Creatures#1) - When her strength returned, Greer became Tigra again and fought Hydra, only to be captured by them. However, Tigra had briefly encountered Jack Russell, the Werewolf. The Werewolf followed Tigra's scent to the Cat People's lair and released Tigra, who in turn released the Cat People whom Hydra had confined. Finally, Dr. Tumolo unleashed the Black Plague upon Hydra, infesting the lair with the deadly bacteria. Tigra, Dr. Tumolo, the other Cat People and the Werewolf fled the lair while the Black Plague slew the Hydra agents. Dr. Tumolo noted that, although her people had cured the Black Plague centuries ago, she feared with all the environmental changes to the Earth since then it wouldn't be effective. Noting that the Werewolf was attracted to Tigra, Dr. Tumolo helped her send him away by resuming her form as Greer. No longer seeing Greer as a creature like himself, the Werewolf departed. However, immediately after the Werewolf left, Greer transformed back into Tigra without using the sacred ring. Dr. Tumolo warned her that she'd completely adapted to her new form and might never be able to change to her human form again but Tigra felt that on the whole she had gained much more than she'd lost.

(Marvel Chillers I#3) - Professor Leon of Earth's Cat People was based in Kepkeville, California and was working on a scientific means for Tigra to resume her human form. When the Rat Pack conducted a raid in the town, Leon was knocked out by their gas and assumed his true appearance. The arriving authorities assumed Leon was somehow implicated in the Rat Pack's crimes and arrested him. Tigra broke Leon out of his cell.

(Marvel Chillers I#5) - Back in his human disguise, Professor Leon journeyed with Dr. Tumolo and their ally Jules Bannion to a nearby reservation where the Rat Pack had stolen the Soul Catcher item. They met with Red Wolf (Will Talltrees), who wrongly believed Tigra had assisted in the Soul Catcher's theft.

(Marvel Chillers I#6) - Professor Leon and Dr. Tumolo worked together on a formula to help Tigra become Greer Nelson again, unaware Bannion was secretly aiding the Rat Pack and spying on them.

(Marvel Premiere I#42 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, Dr. Richard Dannemillar of Earth's Cat People began working on an evolutionary reversal ray in the hopes that it could be used to restore Tigra to her human state. The Cat People of Earth found the creature Tabur, a cat who had been transformed into a humanoid by the High Evolutionary. Adrift and mentally unstable due to the High Evolutionary's exit from Earth, Tabur was welcomed into the ranks of the Cat People but they found he didn't "take" to their kind.

(Marvel Two-in-One I#19) - When Cougar of the Earth's Cat People sought the null bands, Tigra brought in the Thing for help. The Cougar tried to drain the Thing's power into himself but he was finally killed by his human lover, Sheila Conklin.

(Marvel Premiere I#42 (fb) - BTS) - Tabur sought out Dr. Joanne Tumolo in New Orleans, Louisiana and murdered her. He then sent a message to Dr. Richard Dannemillar of the Cat People claiming to be Dr. Tumolo. Tabur asked Dannemillar to bring the evolutionary reversal ray he was working on to New Orleans.

(Marvel Premiere I#42 (fb)) - Dr. Richard Dannemiller arrived in New Orleans and went to where "Dr. Tumolo" had instructed him. Instead, he found Tabur waiting. As Tabur started to assault Dannemillar, the man protested that he was a fellow member of the Cat People but Tabur naturally ignored this information. Tabur killed Dannemillar and stole the evolutionary reversal ray.

(Marvel Premiere I#42) - Dr. Tumolo sent a mental image of herself to Tigra warning her of her own and Dr. Dannemillar's deaths. Tigra sought out the other Cat People of Earth and learned from them of Dr. Tumolo's death and the threat of Tabur. They found Tabur had gone on a rampage in New Orleans with the evolutionary reversal ray. Tigra and the Cat People fought him but when Tabur used the ray to transform the Cat People into sabertooth tigers, they remained loyal to Tigra and continued to help her against Tabur. Tigra finally took the ray from Tabur and used it on him, transforming him back into a mere house cat. Tigra then restored the Cat People and others affected by the ray to normalcy.

(West Coast Avengers I#3 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, the remaining members of the Earth-based Cat People colony departed through circumstances as yet unrevealed.

(West Coast Avengers II#15 (fb) - BTS) - The demon Mephisto brought one fifth of the soul belonging to his pawn Master Pandemonium to the Land Within. Mephisto charged the Cat People with guarding the soul fragment from its owner.

(West Coast Avengers II#6) - To assist the Avengers, Morbius shared with them the spell Daemond had once used to summon the Balkatar so that Tigra could seek answers from the Cat People. Venturing into Daemond's home, the Avengers (Tigra, Hawkeye and Mockingbird plus non-member allies Firebird and the Thing) performed the spell within Daemond's summoning circle and Grigar the Balkatar appeared. The heroes began to fight the Balkatar until Tigra introduced herself to him. The Balkatar was fascinated to meet her, as he knew of the original Tigra from his people's legends. Tigra asked to visit his people's land and he consented, teleporting the heroes with him to the Land Within.

    Entering the city, the Avengers and the Balkatar were greeted by Skubar, who threatened capital punishment against the Balkatar for bringing outsiders to the Land Within but when the Balkatar revealed that he had brought Tigra to them, he quickly ushered them to King Gerark. The Balkatar presented Tigra to the court but the king insisted Tigra's companions be placed in cages during their audience. The Avengers started to fight back but the Balkatar convinced them to stop, noting that fighting wouldn't help Tigra. Reluctantly, Hawkeye told the Avengers to stand down for Tigra's sake. With the Avengers gone, Tigra began explaining her origins to King Gerark and how she had both a human soul and cat soul warring inside. Tigra asked the king to remove her cat soul even if it meant she would die from the earlier Hydra attack. King Gerark's counter-proposal was to remove her human soul but she dismissed that option, angering the king. As the king considered the problem, he asked the Balkatar to remove Tigra from the court. The Balkatar inquired whether he would be punished for bringing outsiders to the Land Within. The king replied that Tigra was most welcome but he hadn't made a decision about her friends.

    As the Balkatar spent time with Tigra, he soon began flirting with her and her cat soul responded, apparently leading to a sexual episode. The Balkatar continued to press the idea of her rejecting her human soul and when he called her "a Tigra," it led him to explain the origins of the Cat People to her, including those of the Balkatar and the creation of the first Tigra. The king finally summoned Tigra back to his court and informed her that she could choose which soul she would keep but must kill their enemy Master Pandemonium. Tigra refused at first because the Avengers were against murder but just then, the Avengers themselves burst into the room, having tired of waiting to be released from their cages. Tigra told her friends to stand down, claiming that the king had agreed to help her with no strings attached.

(West Coast Avengers II#7) - King Gerark held a celebratory banquet for Tigra and her friends, during which Tigra was seated by the Balkatar.

(West Coast Avengers II#9) - While Mockingbird infiltrated Master Pandemonium's base, the other Avengers planned to follow him. Tigra conjured up the Balkatar to request his aid. The Balkatar traced Master Pandemonium to an abandoned movie lot at Anvil Pictures and let the Avengers know. As the Avengers started to set after Master Pandemonium, the Balkatar confided to Tigra that he was impressed that her human side hadn't dulled her killer instinct. Once the Avengers began fighting their way through Master Pandemonium's demons at the studio, the Balkatar appeared again to offer Tigra a secret direct path to Master Pandemonium. However, Master Pandemonium evaded her.

(West Coast Avengers II#15 (fb) - BTS) - The Balkatar was summoned to Earth by another sorcerer.

(West Coast Avengers II#15) - While departing the demon realm of Allatou, the Avengers with their allies Daimon Hellstrom and Hellcat and prisoner Master Pandemonium sailed down the River of Death and found themselves at the Land Within. The Cat People swarmed to greet the intruders, angry at them for bringing their enemy Master Pandemonium to the Land Within and that Tigra had entered as Greer Grant Nelson. Greer had been unable to assume her Tigra form in Allatou's realm but found that she could revert to Tigra in the Land Within. The Cat People led the Avengers' entire entourage to King Gerark. King Gerark was angry to see the Avengers back in the Land Within and to have brought Hellstorm and Hellcat with them, as both heroes were known to be demon fighters. When he objected to Master Pandemonium being brought to him alive rather than dead, the other Avengers learned of the bargain he had made with Tigra.

    Master Pandemonium demanded to see the portion of his soul belonging to the Cat People, which King Gerark confirmed was still in his custody. King Gerark offered to fulfill his bargain with Tigra but only if she faced Master Pandemonium in combat and slew him as she had previously agreed. The Cat People brought Master Pandemonium to their arena and six Cat People restrained the demons that emerged from Master Pandemonium's limbs so that he would be left defenseless. Faced with the helpless Master Pandemonium, Tigra refused to kill him. Branding Tigra a traitor, King Gerark withdrew her cat soul, transforming her back into her human form. As the Balkatar was at that time away on Earth, King Gerark ordered the Avengers imprisoned until the Balkatar returned so that he could witness Tigra's fate.

    The Balkatar soon returned from his mission and King Gerark explained what had transpired. When King Gerark described Hellcat, the Balkatar immediately recognized who that was but by then, Hellcat had loaned her costume to the powerless Greer and, with the Avengers, Hellstrom and Master Pandemonium, had escaped their cells. Despite their numbers, the Cat People were easily fought back by the Avengers and their allies. When the Balkatar tried to remind Greer of the time they had spent together on the rocks, she replied that it wasn't her. The Balkatar tried to seduce her again but, absent her cat soul, Greer easily resisted and fought him, binding him to a pillar using her costume's cable claws.

    Trying to prevent King Gerark from using the Tigra soul against her, Greer grabbed the container holding the soul with the cable-claws but it fell from the cable's grasp and shattered on the floor, releasing the Tigra soul, which immediately re-entered Greer's body. King Gerark boasted that the Tigra soul had grown in strength under his care and Tigra became more like the Cat People this time, as she grew a tail, but the presence of the Hellcat costume and the science in it that Dr. Tumolo meant to increase human ability strengthened Greer's own soul; Greer and the Tigra soul had merged together and the resulting Tigra was now controlled by Greer's mind, instead of warring between the two souls. Seeing that Tigra now resembled the original Tigra even more than before, the Cat People refused to continue fighting her.

    Distracted by Tigra's transformation, King Gerark failed to see Master Pandemonium steal the portion of his soul which had been under his guard. Master Pandemonium fled the Cat People's palace and leaped into the River of Oblivion to escape the Land Within. The Avengers were permitted to depart in peace.

(Fantastic Four I#314) - Escaping from Belasco's dimension, the Fantastic Four traveled through a portal which led them into the Land Within. The Thing immediately recognized the city from his earlier visit and eagerly led the Fantastic Four up to the gates, assuming that the Cat People would still be his allies. However, the Cat People launched an attack on the heroes under the command of King Gerark. When Belasco appeared, the Cat People fell to their knees to honor him. Belasco explained to the Thing what the Avengers had learned - that the Cat People were demons. Belasco admitted that he was previously unaware that the dimension he had been inhabiting had a link to the Land Within. The standoff was interrupted, as the assembled characters saw an image of Doctor Strange battling the demon Shuma-Gorath, the reverberations of which threatened to collapse the Land Within. Belasco set to work preserving the dimension while the Fantastic Four fled on a boat into the River of Oblivion.

(Avengers Spotlight I#38 (fb) - BTS) - In time, Tabur regained his humanoid form and somehow found his way into the Land Within. He slew King Gerark and thereby was proclaimed the new king of the Cat People.

(Avengers Spotlight I#38) - As Tigra became consumed by the power of her cat soul, Agatha Harkness invoked the Balkatar to seek aid from the Cat People. However, Tabur emerged from the portal Harkness had created and struck her down. Using a gem he brought from the Land Within, Tabur stabilized Tigra's condition. To legitimize his rule over the Cat People, Tabur asked Tigra to become his mate. Seeing his cruelty, Tigra refused and fought him. Agatha Harkness finally brought the cat soul out of Tigra and placed it into Tabur, transforming him into a normal cat again, who was then chased away by Agatha's cat Ebony. Agatha used the amulet Tabur had brought to restore Tigra's powers but in such a manner that her human side would remain dominant.

(Avengers: The Initiative I#35 (fb) - BTS) - Impregnated by the Skrull spy Criti Noll while he was impersonating Hank Pym, Tigra came to term in two months. Her son, William, was given to the formerly Earth-based colony of Cat People, who assigned him a nursemaid.

(Avengers: The Initiative I#31 - BTS) - Serving in the Avengers Resistance against the authoritarian policies of Norman Osborn, Tigra helped the team relocate to one of the Cat People's now-abandoned safe houses in Inland Empire, California in order to keep off Osborn's radar.

(Avengers: The Initiative I#35) - After the defeat of Osborn, the Cat People sent their nursemaid to bring William back to Tigra, who showed off her son to her allies.

(Moon Knight IX#4 (fb) - BTS) - The Cat People again tended to William for Tigra, taking him on a field trip.

Comments: Technically created (due to retcon) by Linda Fite, Roy Thomas, Marie Severin and Wally Wood. Actually created by Steve Gerber, Gil Kane and Vince Colletta.

    It's amazing that Gerber's Cat People and Isabella's Cat People were developed at the same time without any intended connection. I guess there was something in the water (of Oblivion). As recounted in Giant-Size Creatures#1, Tigra was developed through a story conference between Tony Isabella and Duffy Vohland and her visual was designed by Gil Kane. Note, however, that in Giant-Size Creatures#1, the Cat People were simply highly-evolved cats; although they used magic to create Tigra, there was no mention of magic in their own origins. The heavy work of tying the two types of Cat People together fell on Roger Stern and Steve Ditko in What If? I#35.

    According to Tom Brevoort, Mark Gruenwald really didn't like the Cat People and wanted to write them out of the Marvel Universe. Apparently, that's what he asked Steve Englehart to do with his Tigra storyline in West Coast Avengers -- except, in order to write the Cat People out, Englehart wound up writing even more stories about the Cat People. The lesson Brevoort took from all this was: if you don't like something in the Marvel Universe, just don't tell stories about it.

    Gruenwald was much more successful at writing out the Earth-based colony of Cat People. Tigra informs us that they're gone, an editorial box claims we'll hear that story later... and we never do. We still haven't. Well played, Gruenwald.

    As the Cat People themselves frequently say, we don't know why the Land Within is called that. "Within what?" is the question every visitor asks.

    The Balkatar first seen in Adventure into Fear I#21-22 intended to take his life as punishment for disobeying Daemond. Since Avengers: Roll Call identifies this Balkatar as Berreg, this indicates he must have killed himself after that story since the Balkatar who appeared next in West Coast Avengers II#6 was Grigar.

    Grigar revealed his name in West Coast Avengers II#6. The real names of the other Balkatars and first Tigra were revealed in the Cat People's Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe entry found in Avengers: Roll Call.

    Tigrina might be from the Earth-based Cat People group.

    This profile was completed on 1/7/2026 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary celebratory event to represent (Adventures into) Fear & Morbius.

Profile by Prime Eternal.

CLARIFICATIONS:
These Cat People should not be confused with:

The Land Within

The Land Within is the name given to the demon dimension where the Cat People reside. It is an extremely overcrowded city inside of an immense cavern said to be somewhere in "Hades." Light is generated by a hovering glowing sphere above called the Glowsphere. Unfortunately, nothing can grow within the arid soil. Flowing through the Land Within is the River of Oblivion, which flows "from nowhere to nowhere." The river has a teleportational effect, in one instance depositing a person on the planet Arcturus IV. There is also access from the dimension ruled by Allatou and Belasco's dimension.

Due to the terrific overpopulation of Cat People, the Land Within has a scarce supply of food and oxygen. Normally, access to the Land Within is known to be possible through mystical teleportation. Among the Cat People, only the Balkatar is able to journey outside the Land Within.





--Adventure into Fear I#22 (What If? I#35/2/Adventure into Fear I#22 (fb), #22, West Coast Avengers II#6, #15, Fantastic Four I#314,

Skubar

Skubar is a member of the Cat People that serves as a guard. He was aghast when Grigar the Balkatar brought the Avengers into the Land Within and began to read him the riot act, threatening capital punishment but when the Balkatar revealed he had brought Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson) to them, Skubar was flabbergasted and insisted they see King Gerark immediately.

Skubar wields a spear.





--West Coast Avengers II#6

images: (without ads)
Avengers: Roll Call, Cat People entry (Cat People, main)
What If? I#35, page 17, splash page (creation of Cat People)
Adventure into Fear I#22, page 9, panel 3 (Cat People king with Morbius)
West Coast Avengers II#7, page 4, panel 1 (Cat People celebrating)
Adventure into Fear I#22, pages 6-7 (Land Within)
West Coast Avengers II#6, page 11, panel 5 (Skubar)

Appearances:
The Cat I#1 (November, 1972) - Linda Fite (writer), Marie Severin, Wally Wood (artists), Roy Thomas (co-plotter, editor)
Adventure into Fear I#21 (April, 1974) - Steve Gerber (writer), Gil Kane (penciler), Vince Colletta (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Adventure into Fear I#22 (June, 1974) - Steve Gerber (writer), Rich Buckler (layouts), Luis Dominguez (finishes), Roy Thomas (editor)
Giant-Size Creatures#1 (July, 1974) - Tony Isabella (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Vince Colletta (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Marvel Chillers I#3 (June, 1976) - Tony Isabella (writer), Will Meugniot (pencils), Frank Chiaramonte, Sam Grainger (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Marvel Chillers I#5 (June, 1976) - Tony Isabella (writer), Will Meugniot (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Marvel Chillers I#6 (August, 1976) - Tony Isabella (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Frank Springer (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Marvel Two-in-One I#19 (September, 1976) - Tony Isabella (plot), Bill Mantlo (script), Sal Buscema (penciler), Don Heck (inker), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Marvel Premiere I#42 (June, 1978) - Ed Hannigan (plot, script), John Warner (co-plot), Mike Vosburg (breakdowns), Ernie Chan (finishes), Jim Shooter (editor)
What If? I#35/2 (October, 1982) - Roger Stern (writer), Steve Ditko (artist), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers I#3 (November, 1984) - Roger Stern (writer), Bob Hall (penciler), Brett Breeding (inker), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#6 (March, 1986) - Steve Englehart (writer), Al Milgrom (penciler), Kyle Baker (inker), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#7 (April, 1986) - Steve Englehart (writer), Al Milgrom (layouts), Joe Sinnott (finishes), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#9 (June, 1986) - Steve Englehart (writer), Al Milgrom (breakdowns), Joe Sinnott (finishes), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#15 (December, 1986) - Steve Englehart (writer), Al Milgrom (breakdowns), Joe Sinnott (finishes), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Fantastic Four I#314 (May, 1988) - Steve Englehart (writer), Keith Pollard (penciler), Joe Sinnott (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme I#17/2 (May, 1990) - Roy Thomas (writer), J. M. Lofficier (writer), Geof Isherwood (penciler), Mickey Ritter (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers Spotlight I#38 (November, 1990) - Roy Thomas (writer), Dann Thomas (writer), June Brigman (penciler), Doug Hazlewood (inker), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme I#27/2 (March, 1991) - Roy Thomas, J. M. Lofficier (writers), Geof Isherwood (artist), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers: The Initiative I#31 (February, 2010) - Christos N. Gage (writer), Rafa Sandoval (pencils), Roger Bonet (inks), Bill Rosemann (editor)
Avengers: The Initiative I#35 (June, 2010) - Christos N. Gage (writer), Jorge Molina (pencils), Andrew Hennessy (inks), Bill Rosemann (editor)
Avengers: Roll Call (2012) - Jeff Christiansen, Stuart Vandal, Sean McQuaid (head writers/coordinators), Mike O'Sullivan (head writer, coordinator, art refurbishment), Markus Raymond (assistant coordinator, writer), Rob London, Patrick Duke, Patrick D. Ryall, Madison Carter, Ronald Byrd, Anthony Cotilletta, Kevin Garcia (writers), Roger Ott (writer, art refurbishment), Dalibor Talajic, Ive Svorcina, Gus Vazquez, Tom Chu (select character artwork), Mike Fichera (assistant coordinator, art refurbishment), Jeremy Bomberg, Gally Articola (art rerfurbishment), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Moon Knight IX#4 (October, 2021) - Jed MacKay (writer), Alessandro Cappuccio (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)

First posted: 09/02/2026
Last updated: 08/21/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

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