COUGAR

Real Name: None

Identity/Class: Renegade member of the Cat-People

Occupation: Industrialist, criminal

Group Membership: Cat-People

Affiliations: Lover of Sheila Conklin, manipulator of Conklin Industries

Enemies: Thing, Tigra, the Cat-People

Known Relatives: Sheila Conklin (fiancée)

Aliases: Curt Ranklin

Base of Operations: Conklin Industries, New York

First Appearance: Marvel Two-In-One#19 (September, 1976)

Powers: As a member of the Cat-People, the Cougar possessed the standard powers of claws, heightened strength, agility, vision (including night-vision), and smell; he was also able to alter his form between his normal cat-appearance, and a human guise; in battle, he wielded a gas-gun, able to knock the Thing unconscious. He also wore the Null-Bands on his wrists, and could fire energy blasts from them.

History: BTS- The Cat-Person known only as the Cougar was one of the Cat-People born on Earth. At some point in time, he turned against his people, and allied himself with Conklin Industries, in the human guise of Curt Ranklin. Sheila Conklin desperately needed his scientific knowledge to save her business from bankruptcy. Eventually, the two of them fell in love, and were engaged. "Ranklin" also made her aware of his true identity.

(Fantastic Four I#80 - BTS)- Tomazooma, a robot imitator of the Keewazi spirit, built by the Red Star Oil Company, was defeated and destroyed by the Fantastic Four. Agents of Conklin Industries, working for the Cougar, obtained the robot's Null-Bands for him.

(Marvel Two-In-One#19)- Learning that Tigra was aware of his activities, the Cougar sent his men to the Baxter Building to capture her, but she had already alerted the Thing to his plans. When the Thing and Tigra appeared at Conklin Industries, the Cougar knocked them out with gas, then strapped the Thing to the Null-Bands, hoping to drain his powers into himself. However, Sheila Conklin shut off the power, spoiling that plan. Changing to his cat-man form, he engaged them in physical combat, and attempted to activate a Positive-Charge Annihilator to destroy them, but he was shot in the back by Sheila, who was disgusted by his actions.

Comments: Created by Tony "The Tiger" Isabella, Bill Mantlo, and Sal Buscema.

At one point during the story, the Null-Bands are called "Nega-Bands". Whoops.

The scene where Cougar's men storm the Baxter Building is a "come on" moment. We were told earlier that one of the Thing's workouts damaged the security systems, so that's how Tigra slipped through his window. Okay, but how did these goons get past all the security systems in the lower levels of the building? How'd they use the elevator? Were all of the security systems offline?

I'm assuming that Cougar retrieved the Null-Bands himself; it could've been the Red Star Oil Company that recovered them, but if they are, as George Olshevsky postulated, a branch of Roxxon Oil, there's no way Roxxon would let Cougar get his hands on them.

by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Cougar has no known relation to:

• Cougar, of the old west, @ Rawhide Kid I#68
• Cougar of the old west, Adano Andiani, a cat trainer who was nearly framed by his brother, @ Ghost Rider I#3
• Tabur, another evil cat-man, @ Marvel Premiere#42
• Cheetah, yet another evil cat-man, @ Captain Marvel I#48
• Or any other evil cat-men. Just forget about them, they aren't the Cougar.