Battling Bewildering Boxers: Two Titanic Teds

A rugged and incredulous boxer encountered another Earth’s golfer during his prize fight match, during an inter-dimensional crisis on Earths One and Two involving the incursion of the Anti-Matter Man into their universes. Random individuals on each Earth were being shifted over to the other Earth, but this including this golfer. 

Simultaneous to this event, the Batman of Earth-One was sent to Earth-Two, where he immediately came into conflict with the Ted “Wildcat” Grant of that world. The heroes were able to return most individuals back to their home worlds following repelling the threat from the Anti-Matter Universe.

Evidence suggests this boxer was heavy weight champion Ted Grant. Interestingly, Batman of the Justice League never met the Wildcat of the Justice Society before this, and so may have thought this was the older crimefighter of his world. Meanwhile, that Ted had been a teammate and friend of the Society’s Batman aka Bruce Wayne for years. 

Three years later, that Batman would finally team up with his world’s Wildcat, who retired from boxing soon after his match which the golfer crashed. Undoubtedly, he saw the potential in this man from meeting his doppelgänger a universe away.

The Brave and the Bold: Wildcat - Part 7

Now comes the key question, who in a fight between Ted "Wildcat" Grant and Bruce "Batman" Wayne, would ultimately win?

In the tale of the pair versus Joker on Earth-One, the Crown Prince of Crime forced the Brave and Bold pair to fight one another... or else his henchman would kill a dog with life saving antibodies in its furry hide. Batman and Wildcat in a pure boxing match nearly knocked one another out, In the tale of this pair battling one other due to the malevolent machinations of the Joker, it was Wildcat who came out on top over Bruce, who had long since retired as Batman.

However, if using all their skills and with both in their prime, the question becomes more difficult to answer. As the Earth-Two Robin tells his Justice Society teammate Wildcat, Ted knows karate in addition to  his boxing skills. Would the Earth-One Wildcat likewise have such martial arts training? Yet despite this, as for a the broad spectrum of physical training and abilities, it would seem logical that ultimately Batman would come out on top. Or would he?

The Brave and the Bold: Wildcat - Part 6

Throughout their history together, the Bruce Wayne and Ted Grant of Earth-One formed a deep friendship. When they first met, Ted had long retired his costumed career as Wildcat, and his business Grant's Gym had been a financial failure. Still, thanks to Bruce... and his alter ego Batman... believing in Ted, Grant resumed his career as a youth boxing coach and superhero. Later, Ted became a treasure hunter in Mexico... then still later an oil company executive. He used his Wildcat alias for charity events, and after once more entering the boxing ring to regain his title, Ted found one last obstacle to face. 

During a boxing match, Grant unintentionally killed boxer Kid O'Hair. Yet now, on his own private island turned luxury spa resort, Ted had to become Wildcat one last time in order to help Batman track down a criminal smuggler for foreign residents into America... El Zapatero. The Brave and Bold pair of Wildcat and Batman uncovered the truth, that a famed writer was the criminal mastermind, and thwarted him.

On Earth-Two, around this same timeframe, the Justice Society was resuming regular activity, battling a wide-range of threats with Wildcat present for numerous adventures. Eventually, the supervillian Psycho-Pirate used his powers to cause dissention between members of the Society, leading to now Commissioner Bruce Wayne with other retired Society members battling the active members. During this encounter, Bruce battled Wildcat, although now out of practice, Ted bested the former Batman until Robin came to assist.

The Earth-One Ted Grant was content with keeping his Key Allegro island luxury spa open... despite it losing some money... and hanging up his cowled costumed once and for all. Following his fifth and final teamup with Batman, this Wildcat was never to be seen again. What became of Grant following this is unknown, although whatever he may have faced, he would always inevitably bounce back.

The Earth-Two Ted Grant found that his role as a mentor to younger members of the Justice Society such as Power Girl and Star-Spangled Kid had motivated him into reopening Grant's Gym once more, to train a new generation of youths such as future lawyer Charlie "Blackwing" Bullock. He would come out of retirement when some of his teammates were under the influence of Koehaha.. the Stream of Ruthelessness... but during the Crisis on Infinite Earths he passed on the title of Wildcat to his old friend's granddaughter Yolanda Montez.

The Brave and the Bold: Wildcat - Part 5

As 1975 wrapped up, the Ted Grant of Earth-One once more involved himself in assisting the underprivileged youth... in this instance Vietnam War orphans. Using his fighting prowess, Ted as Wildcat fought the current heavyweight champion in an exhibition match to hype up an upcoming tournament in the Carribean island nation of San Lorenzo. During this match, covered by television journalist Jack Ryder, the gangster Proteus used a gas to disorient those present in the auditorium, kidnapping the boxer Shim. Believing that Wildcat was his old foe Proteus, Jack as his Creeper alter ego leaped into the boxing ring, battling Wildcat.

Once regaining their senses, the pair traveled to San Lorenzo in order to save Shim, bring Proteus and his gang to justice and expose the true culprit behind this... the island's President!

The sole tale of Earth-Two's Wildcat involved he and the Justice Society battling the Injustice Society while allied with the Justice League of Earth-One. Interestingly in this adventure, just as Wildcat-One was made to look like Proteus, Wildcat-Two was made to look like the crook known as Sportsmaster. Years previous, Wildcat was captured by Sportsmaster and his wife (and fellow Injustice Socialite) the original Huntress, only to be freed soon after by Ted's Justice Society teammates Starman and Black Canary. During this adventure, that Brave and Bold pair sidelines Wildcat, perhaps thinking he was rusty as a crimefighter. This no doubt motivated Grant into adopting his Wildcat alias full time... leaving his boxing career behind, aside from occasional awards ceremonies noting his professional accomplishments.

How would the history of the Earth-One Ted Grant conclude as Wildcat, and what was next on the horizon for the Ted Grant of Earth-Two? Find out next...

The Brave and the Bold: Wildcats - Part 4

The year is 1975, and twice Batman has to battle his good friend Wildcat. Actually two of them! In each instance, this was due to the methodical maniacal schemes of master supervillian.

In the spring of that year, the Joker's henchman Dubcek is kept in Gotham City's Sparta Prison. There, he is kept in solitary confinement, with the hopes of his reveal the location and plan of his bad boss. During a boxing match within the prison between Ted Grant and his former boxing Dubcek, that convict and hundreds of other Sparta prisoners are exposed to a deadly tropical fever. Only a lone pooch with antibodies within it can combat this disease, which is dog-napped by the Joker! Forced to fight one another in order to save the dog, which then will save the prisoners, Wildcat and Batman nearly knock one another out. However, the puppy bites Joker, freeing itself and thus saving hundreds.

In the fall of that year, writer Cary Bates of Earth-Prime is accidentally propelled into Earth-Two, where the evil Wizard gives Bates superpowers. With these abilities as a now corrupted agent of Wizard's Injustice Society, Bates leads Wildcat and his Justice Society allies into a trap, and then mentally manipulates the heroes into impersonating the Injustice Society. These mind-controlled heroes battle Batman and his Justice League allies of Earth-One, the result of which is the seeming death of Wildcat and his teammates. However, they are soon after revived, and aid the League in defeating the Wizard's gang while freeing Cary of his control. During this tale, while the Earth-Two Wildcat and Earth-One Batman are opponents until the end of the tale, Wildcat and his world's Robin worked side-by-side from beginning to end. And it would be Earth-Two's Robin who dressed like his mentor, the now retired Batman.

The Brave and the Bold: Wildcats - Part 3

The fall of 1972 and 1973 were pivitol years in the lives of each Ted Grant. It was at this time that they were tasked with Batman into tracking down long lost individuals missing for decades, so as to save their respective worlds with energy harnessing discoveries, as their planets' futures were at stake.

On Earth-Two in 1972, it began with a giant mysterious hand encircling the globe, with its creator threatening to use it to crush that world. Twice the Justice Society of America, including Wildcat, attempted to remove this threat without success. Enlisting the aid of the Justice League of America, including their Batman, from Earth-One... the JSA and the JLA traveled through time with the goal of retrieving the long missing Seven Soldiers of Victory. Decades previous, this team created a nebula rod that destroyed an alien adverary of theirs named the Nebula Man, but as a result they were seemingly erased from history as they were sent to seven distinct eras in the past. Wildcat and two others traveled to prehistoric times while Batman and his two partners journeyed to ancient Egypt. Retrieving these seven, also known as Law's Legionnaires, the teams were able to reconstruct the nebula rod that was used to destroy the nebula hand.

On Earth-One in 1973, it began when Ted Grant was embroiled in a controversy as his employer Tryton Oil was charges with theft of a break-through Miracle-2000 fuel additive that would avert the world's energy crisis. Together, Ted as Wildcat along with Batman (the same one who helped his counterpart the year previous) tracked down that additive's inventor, a chemist who had experienced amnesia for decades. Reunited with his son, this scientist's sculpture revealed that he was the rightful owner of this discovery, while the Tryton executives were brought to justice.

Interestingly, during this timeframe, Ted Grant of Earth-Two was still living off his wealth acquired from his time as a world heavyweight boxing champion. Grant's Gym, which he opened a few years before in order to train the next generation of young fighters, ended up closing down due to his returning to active membership in the Justice Society starting with this adventure. Although he had previously attended a team meeting due to the threat of Creator2, he did not participate. From this point forward, Wildcat would be heavily involved with his World's Greatest Superheroes.

As for the Ted Grant of Earth-One, his wealth as a world heavyweigh champion was lost when his version of Grant's Gym lost money due to lawsuits, gets in debt and was abandoned by friends due to his getting involved in trying to help underprivileged kids in his community. Without a Justice League of America to fall back on, Grant accepted the offer to become a vice president of public relations for Tryton Oil, a decision he now regretted.

Transitioning into the mid-1970s, the lives of each Ted Grant would take further dramatic twists and turns...

The Brave and the Bold: Wildcats - Part 2

The next appearance of the Wildcat from Earth-One was in Mexico. Batman had been tasked with tracking down a smuggling racket, when he found just outside of Acapulco a young cliffdiver named Luis Mercado performing before a crowd. There, Bruce Wayne saw a would-be assassin aiming a rifle at the lad, and so Wayne as Batman dove into the crook... disarming him. Curiously, Wayne noticed a poster for boxing legend "El Tigre", which looked like his old friend Ted "Wildcat" Grant.

Attending a boxing match that evening, Wayne witnessed El Tigre felled by a combination by drugged water before his opponent El Machette could connect his fist with him. However, Batman swooped into the boxing ring, saving his friend from men trying to abduct him. With Luis beside him, Batman learned from the lad that Ted Grant and Mercado's father were close friends from their fighting days... with Ted joining his Mexican pal in retrieving the valuable ancient treasure of Choclotan. Before they could do so, the racketeer leader El Grande (Mister Big) and his henchmen killed Luis' father and left an amnesiac Grant for dead in the mountains, which Luis soon after found.

With Ted leading the way, Batman and Luis were accompanied by "Macho" Mercado's old boxing manager El Sordo into the mountains to retrieve the treasure. In the course of events, they learned that Sordo was El Grande, with Wildcat force to fight Grande's prize boxer El Buey. Overpowered, Grant (with his memory now recovered) was coerced into revealing the location of Choclotan, although he sent the thugs into a trap. Honoring his late friend's dying wish, Ted secured the treasure for a Mexican museum.

Around this same period of time, the Wildcat of Earth-Two was facing his own perilous trial, with Batman also present during that adventure. The alien invader known as Creator2 along with his minions sought to destroy Earth-Two, in order to build a new planet to the specficiations of his mysterious clients (a year later revealed to be the Buddak, evil counterparts to the Guardians of the Universe, that desired to make this area of space the center of their universe as was Oa in Earth-One's realm).

Those minions attacked Superman, Doctor Mid-Nite and the Flash... disabling each of them temporarily. The remainer of the Justice Society were called into an emergency meeting which included honorary members Batman and Wildcat, although neither actively participated in this case which was quickly resolved thanks to their fellow members.

Around this period of time, this world's Ted Grant met the counterpart to Macho Mercado in the Mexican boxer Montez. He would likewise befriend that man and his family, and end up being the godfather to Mister Montez's granddaughter Yolanda. Yolanda later used her mutant feline abilities under the alias of the second Wildcat, after Ted became disabled during the Crisis on Infinite Universes.

The Brave and the Bold: Wildcats - Part 1

The Undefeated Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Ted Grant, faced just as many obstacles as successes in his life. After training under former professional boxer Joe Morgan, Grant rose up the ranks of boxing until he fought the current champion and his sparring partner, Soccer Smith. When framed for Smith's dead during a fight, Grant sought to clear his name, and was inspired by a young boy regaling about the masked hero known as Green Lantern. Inspired by this example, Ted adopted the alter ego of Wildcat, and brought Soccer's killers to justice. Shortly thereafter, Wildcat joined the All-Star Squadron, and later Earth-Two's Justice Society of America. 

Decades later, Grant had retired from boxing and only recently came out of retirement as a costumed crimefighter. After a few teamups with his fellow members of the Justice Society, Wildcat found he was overwhelmed by a lowly crook named Sad Jack Dold, who had gained cosmic power. With the help of Jim Corrigan and his caped alias of the Spectre, Ted was able to shake off this lost and instead started Grant's Gym. This Gym was dedicated to training young men in the art of self-defense.

A couple years later, on the parallel planet of Earth-One, that world's Ted Grant had closed down his version of Grant's Gym due to various financial problems. Bruce Wayne sought him out in order to recruit Grant into becoming the coach of America's boxing team for the World Youth Games. however, Grant had lost his confidence in himself, which force Wayne to orchestrate a fake mugging that Ted was able to rescue him from... and still later in Vienna Austria where the games were being held, as Batman he fought Grant to a draw.

This inspired Ted to once more put on his Wildcat costume, and in both identities he assisted Batman in battling foreign spies. After a decisive victory versus the enemy country's boxing coach Koslov, himself an agent of this adversarial spy network, Ted used this experience to reignite his love of teaching young men the art of self-defense.

Would Ted-Two succeed with his gym where Ted-One failed? Will Ted-One resume his costumed career full time as had Ted-Two? Find out next time…

The Brave and The Bold: Wildcats - Part 3

By the year 1972, the Ted Grants were living drastically different lives, yet each tackled threats to the worlds that were their homes. Once more, each Wildcat was working along with Batman in order to uncover a decades old missing persons mystery which had an impact on the lives of humanity in modern day. And both men battled daunting threats courageously.

In October 1972, Wildcat was his allies of the Justice Society of America, attempting to rid Earth-Two of the threat from a mysterious hand that was gripping the planet... threatening to crush it. Enlisting the aid of the Justice League of Earth-One including that team's Batman, Ted and Bruce... accompanied with their respective teammates... with locating seven missing heroes that were members of Law's Legionnaires... a group of masked men who disappeared in the late 1940s. These brave All-Star avengers had battled the alien Nebula Man, and after destroying the creature were sent to various centuries. This left no memory of their existence. Batman and two others were sent to ancient Egypt, and Wildcat with two others was sent to prehistoric times. They and their fellow heroes retrieved the missing Seven Soldiers of Victory, returning them to the 20th Century in order to use their knowledge to create a nebula rod device that destroyed the giant nebula hand. 

A little over a year later, the League's Batman once more met up with his world's Wildcat, who had retired as a masked manhunter in order to become an oil company executive for public relations. Together, they discovered that Grant's new employer Tryton Oil had hired an industrial spy to steal a secret fuel additive formula of a long deceased scientist. This Dutch scientist, Hans Voss, was found by Batman, now an amnesiac due to an explosion from a World War II bombing raid. However, Voss still had a distant memory of his formula, which he carved into a statuette as proof. Together, Wildcat and Batman brought the Tryton Oil executives to justice, with the additive now public domain.

Interestingly, Ted of Earth-Two was still wealthy from his boxing career. However, Grant found a sense of belonging with the Justice Society that was stronger than his desire to keep Grants Gym open. And so, in order to become an active participant with his team, he closed the Gym.

As for the Ted of Earth-One, he lost his fortune from his boxing career when his version of Grants Gym went bankrupt due to a variety of factors. Rather than join fellow superheroes, he joined Tryton Oil as a new career, as he was always a loner and was in need of making a living.

Where would the two Ted Grants and their feline alter egos appear next?

The Golden Age Elongated Man

When Ralph Dibny debuted his alter ego in Central City, after extracting the necessary  ingredient from the compound known as Gingold to gain superhuman powers, he initially competed with the Flash. Together they formed an alliance that became a budding friendship. His hyper elastic body allowed him to perform heroic feats that led to team ups with other superheroes such as Batman and, ultimately, the Justice League of America. Concurrent with this, Ralph established his most enduring relationship with his girlfriend turned wife Sue Dearborn.

Ralph was following the footsteps of an older stretching sleuth like he was in Plastic Man. However there were more than one Plastic Man, not only on Dibny’s home on Earth-One but also in the parallel world known as Earth-Two. And in the reality, there was a golden age Elongated Man, though not adopting that name as Ralph had.

That man was Hiram Skinner, nicknamed Stretch due to his unnaturally elongated proportions in his limbs and overall body frame. Skinner like Dibny loves unraveling mysteries, becoming a private detective. He immediate caught the attention of prize fighter Ted Grant, and soon after joined Ted's feline alter ego Wildcat on a case that led to a long lasting partnership. Around this time, Ted and Hiram were assisted by Joan Fortune, although unlike Sue she didn't have a romantic attraction to Stretch.

Eventually, Stretch decided to copy Wildcat by wearing adopting the costumed identity of Tomcat, although this was a short-lived fad. While he never joined the Justice Society, his pal Wildcat had and would team up on occasion with Skinner's cosmic twin Elongated Man when the Society and League fought alongside each other during cross-universe adventures.

What became of Stretch Skinner is unknown, although Ted would later fondly reflect on his old friend when he reopened his gym after retiring as Wildcat.

Justice Society vs Avengers: Crafty Cats

Wildcat and Black Panther stood tall alongside their fellow superheroes despite a lack of powers as each is a master of hand-to-hand techniques and highly conditioned bodies, as well as unrivaled courage.

Animal Avengers Attack Antagonists Aggressively

Mari McCabe and Yolanda Montez were women granted cat-like abilities, allowing them to combat injustice within their own families. As Earth-One's Vixen and Earth-Two's Wildcat, these feline furies gained notoriety during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, fighting alongside their world's greatest superheroes.

Mari was a resident of the African nation of Zambesi until first her mother and then her father perished, with her uncle the wicked General Maksai pursuing her as he had her family to gain possession of her Tantu Totem, which would bequeath the powers of animals to its possessor. Immigrating to America, she had a career as a fashion model and an alter ego as the superheroine known as Vixen.

Yolanda's family originated in Mexico and she was the victim of treatments performed on her mother while she was pregnant with her by the evil Doctor Love. The daughter of "Mauler" Montez, a famed wrestler, Yolanda became the god-daughter of Ted "Wildcat" Grant. When she developed her abilities and saw Grant immobilized saving innocents, she was motivated to adopt his alter ego as the new Wildcat. Juggling her costumed career with her secular one as a fashion photo journalist.

In Mari's case, after two adventures alongside Earth-One's Superman, she became a member of the Justice League in Detroit.  In this incarnation of the League, she proved herself a stabilizing influence for the predominantly younger team, and earned the respect of its seasoned veterans.

In Yolanda's case, she was quickly invited into Infinity, Inc. which were the second generation proteges of the Justice Society, There she had a lengthy stint alongside her teammates, developing a romance with fellow Infinitor Nuklon and friendships with the rest.

While Vixen could access all types of animal powers, Wildcat was limited to those of a cat. Vixen would find a foe in General Maksai who transformed into a ox-man while Wildcat would face her mutated cousin Carcharo the shark-man. Both ladies would triumph over their kinfolk.