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{{Short description|Fictional Masters of the Universe character}}
#REDIRECT [[List of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe characters#Battle Cat / Cringer]]

{{For|the wrestler also known as Battle Kat|Brady Boone}}
{{Rcat shell|
{{Redirect|Cringer|the band|Cringer (band)}}
{{R from fictional character|Masters of the Universe}}
{{redirect|Battlecat|the record producer|Battlecat (record producer)}}
{{R to list entry}}
{{Multiple issues|section=|
{{Cleanup rewrite|date=November 2023}}
{{Notability|date=December 2023}}
}}
}}
{{Merge to|List of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe characters|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Battle Cat
| species = Green Tiger
| gender = Male
| series = [[Masters of the Universe]]
| image = Cringer BattleCat.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption = Cringer ''(top)'' and Battle Cat ''(bottom)'' in their original 1983 incarnations.
| creator = [[Mattel]]
| voice = {{Plainlist|
* [[Alan Oppenheimer]] <br />(''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]'', ''[[He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword]]'', & ''[[He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special]]'')
* [[Stephen Root]] <br />(''[[Masters of the Universe: Revelation]]'')
* [[David Kaye (voice actor)|David Kaye]] <br />(''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2021 TV series)|He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2021)]]'')
|}}
| alias = Cringer<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2622275/review-sdcc-exclusive-motuc-queen-marlena-w-cringer/ |title=Review: SDCC Exclusive MOTUC Queen Marlena w/ Cringer|website=MTV|date=2011-07-19 |access-date=2020-06-09 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103195144/http://geek-news.mtv.com/2011/07/19/review-sdcc-exclusive-motuc-queen-marlena-w-cringer/ |archive-date=2014-11-03 }}</ref>
| lbl21 = Abilities
| data21 = *Enhanced strength, stamina, durability, speed, agility, and senses
*Sharp teeth and claws
*Powerful roar
*[[Courage|Fearlessness]]
}}

'''Cringer''' is a fictional large cat in the ''[[Masters of the Universe]]'' franchise. He has green and orange striped fur, similar to that of a tiger (although his species is not truly known), and is Prince Adam’s feline companion. Whenever Adam transforms into He-Man, he uses his [[Power Sword]] to transform Cringer into the much larger and mightier '''Battle Cat''' to serve primarily as his riding mount.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://battleram.wordpress.com/2015/09/10/battle-cat-fighting-tiger-1982/ |title=Battle Cat – Fighting Tiger (1982) &#124; Battle Ram |website=Battleram.wordpress.com |date=2015-09-10 |access-date=2016-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310045442/https://battleram.wordpress.com/2015/09/10/battle-cat-fighting-tiger-1982/ |archive-date=2016-03-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/10/19/he-man-and-the-masters-of-the-universe-season-one-volume-one|title= He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - Season One, Volume One|access-date=2020-06-09 |work= [[IGN]]|date=2005-10-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsarama.com/tv/He-Man-Art-Show-100111.html|title= By The Power of Grayskull: HE-MAN ART Show! |access-date=2010-02-02 |work= [[Newsarama]] | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100114145357/http://www.newsarama.com/tv/He-Man-Art-Show-100111.html| archive-date= 14 January 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref>

==''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'' (1983–1985)==

Cringer, despite being a large cat, displays characteristics more consistent with a domestic housecat. He sleeps most of the day, overeats, and gets scared very easily. He can talk, although no reason is ever given for this ability.

He has the appearance of a green and yellow-striped tiger. In the episode "Teela's Quest", [[Queen Marlena]] says to Adam with regard to the planet Earth: "There are no talking green tigers on Earth." It is not known if her referring to Cringer as a tiger means he is called a tiger on [[Eternia]], or if she is simply using it as a comparison, but in the episode "A Beastly Sideshow", [[Evil-Lyn]] also refers to Cringer as a tiger, and in the episode "House of Shokoti", a boy is surprised that he is "a talking tiger". It is unclear how many others are like him.

When Prince Adam transforms into [[He-Man]], he uses the Power Sword to shoot an energy beam at Cringer so he can become Battle Cat. Cringer hates the transformation, but he goes along with it out of loyalty to Adam.

Battle Cat is Cringer’s polar opposite. He is twice the size of Cringer, speaks with a growl, and has a mighty roar that can be heard from afar. He also gains a suit of red armor, which includes a saddle for He-Man to ride on. He largely serves as a mount for He-Man, but is known for fighting with villains as well. Unlike He-Man, who merely feigns a lazy carefree persona when he is in his alter-ego of Prince Adam, Cringer and Battle Cat seem to truly be two completely different characters. In particular, Cringer's constant cowardice in the face of danger is apparently genuine. Battle Cat also has a love interest in the episode "The Cat And The Spider": Kittrina, a warrior of the cat-people.
[[File:Cringer kitten.jpg|thumb|left|Cringer as an abandoned kitten in the episode "Battle Cat", which narrated his back story and how he was eventually adopted by Prince Adam.]]
The story of Cringer/Battle Cat's past is covered in the episode "Battle Cat". The episode recounts that Adam, while on a few days exploring the jungle as a boy, heard a kitten whining in a bush and a sabrecat approaching. Concerned that the sabrecat might attack the smaller cat, Adam was able to scare the sabrecat away by using a manticore call and headed to the bush where he discovered a small green tiger cub who had been abandoned. Adam took the kitten back to the palace where it was tended to by Man-At-Arms. After it became well, Adam adopted the kitten as his pet. However the kitten was scared easily, and he and Adam were often teased by [[Teela]] and the other children in Eternia, who took to calling him a "cringer" because of his fear causing him to cringe at everything he saw. Although Adam defended his pet, he agreed with calling him Cringer because it was appropriate for the little cat as he was afraid of his own shadow. The [[Sorceress of Castle Grayskull|Sorceress]] appeared and told Adam that Cringer might bring him embarrassment now, but in the future he would be useful.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/22884/he-man-and-the-masters-of-the-universe-season-2-vol-1/
|title= He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Season 2, Vol. 1|access-date=2009-11-05 |work= [[DVD Talk]] }}</ref>

Years passed, and after Adam was given the ability to become He-Man, he usually performed the transformation out of sight of Cringer who, even though he had grown to normal tiger size, was still afraid of just about everything. This all changed at an archaeological dig that Adam and Teela went on with Man-At-Arms, with Cringer in tow because he did not want to leave Adam's side. They inadvertently broke open a door releasing a monster, and to attempt to stop the monster Adam transformed into He-Man. Unbeknownst to him, Cringer was watching the entire transformation and ran away to hide. A now-transformed He-Man tried to reassure Cringer that he was still the same person, just with superpowers. However, as he was doing so, he accidentally pointed his still-energized sword at Cringer, who was quivering with fear at the sight. A beam of energy shot out of the sword and hit the cat, which caused Cringer to double in size, develop his loud roar, growling voice, and a newfound sense of courage, and be outfitted with his red armor for the first time. He-Man was surprised to see the change in the usually timid cat, but remembered the Sorceress' words from when he was a child; he then received another message, telling him Battle Cat was now his partner. Using Battle Cat, he was able to confine the beast and save the endangered team. This version of Battle Cat can be seen with He-Man in a ''[[MetLife]]'' commercial that aired in 2012.

Cringer/Battlecat also appeared in the 1985 movie (in the same production and continuity as the rest of the original Filmation He-Man series) ''[[He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword]]'', and in the 1985 ''[[He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special]]''.

==''[[She-Ra: Princess of Power]]'' (1985–1987)==
Cringer/Battlecat also appeared in several episodes of the shared continuity [[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]] spinoff/sister series [[She-Ra: Princess of Power]], usually remaining in his Cringer form and identity.

==''Masters of the Universe vs. The Snakemen'' (2002)==
[[File:Cringer_MOTU_2002.png|400px|thumb|right|Cringer ''(left)'' and Battle Cat ''(right)'' in the 2002 remake of the series.]]
In the 2002 remake of the ''He-Man'' animated series, Cringer is somewhat different as he does not speak, communicating more like a typical domestic cat as opposed to a talking tiger, and serves more as a pet to Adam. He is still cowardly, although this does not come up as much as in the original series, but more than once he has shown some bravery in order to help Adam. As Battle Cat, he is most often seen merely transporting He-Man and roaring loudly. However, while in the first season he only has a few moments where he fights, in season 2 the writers gave him a more active role; he often fights against the Snake Men and Skeletor's forces. Since he never speaks, there seems to be an effort to portray his relationship with Adam/He-Man as more than master/pet, most often through either Battle Cat or Cringer being badly injured and He-Man entering a rage, or by He-Man explaining things to him.

He is twice seen without his battle helmet, revealing a rather fiercer and saber-toothed version of Cringer's face beneath. In the episode "The Power of Grayskull", King Grayskull was shown to have his own mount, albeit more lion-like and with a mane, who stayed by his side until his death.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.toonzone.net/articles/23430/masters-of-the-universe-2002-the-power-returns-in-style|title= Masters of the Universe 2002": The Power Returns, In Style|access-date=2009-10-16 |work= Toon Zone }}</ref>

==''Masters of the Universe: Revelation'' (2021)==
Cringer/Battlecat appears again, styled after his original 1980s version.

==''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'' CGI Reboot (2021)==
A less timid version of Cringer with a different backstory than his original Filmation era identity is shown.

==Origin==
In ''[[The Toys That Made Us]]'', then-marketing VP of Mattel Paul Cleveland recounts the story that while the decision was made for He-Man to have some sort of vehicle, they no longer had the budget to be able to produce one; the decision was then made to repurpose a tiger from the [[Big Jim (toy line)|Big Jim]] toy line.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/he-man-battle-cat-origin-big-jim-panther/|title = He-Man's Battle Cat Had a BIZARRE Origin|date = 26 June 2021}}</ref> The tiger was, however, not the same scale as the He-Man figure, and compared to He-Man, was about the size of a horse. Cleveland, however, insisted it to be used, even after artist Tony Guerrero made a green version in an attempt to discourage Cleveland, who instead approved of the color change and suggested putting a saddle on it, which resulted in Battle Cat's final design.<ref>[[The Toys That Made Us]]; Episode 3</ref>

==Sculpture==
A life-size model of Battle Cat was part of the 2012 Go Safari exhibition,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gosafarinorthampton.co.uk/|title=Go Safari Main Website|publisher=Gosafarinorthampton.co.uk|access-date=2012-09-15|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825093545/http://www.gosafarinorthampton.co.uk/|archive-date=2012-08-25}}</ref> in [[Northampton]], and titled ''Taxi for Adam'' (a reference to [[He-Man]]'s alter ego, Prince Adam). The figure was sculptured by Rory Davis and painted by Ross White. The sculpture was the sixth in the series of "Go Safari" animals and was initially placed in Wood Hill (near County Hall). Following some naked revelers sitting on the sculpture,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/he-man-left-red-faced-by-naked-battle-cat-stunt-1-4019990|title='He-Man' left red-faced by naked Battle Cat stunt|publisher=Gosafarinorthampton.co.uk|access-date=2012-09-15}}</ref> and minor vandalism,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/battle-cat-temporarily-defeated-by-northampton-vandals-1-4027583|title=Battle Cat temporarily defeated by Northampton vandals|publisher=Gosafarinorthampton.co.uk|access-date=2012-09-15}}</ref> it was moved to the courtyard of the [[Northampton Guildhall]]. The sculpture was removed at the end of the public art project on 2 September 2012.
He was then owned by Mike Hatherall from South Wales before selling him on to be displayed in Camden at the famous Monkey's Emporium

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Masters of the Universe}}

[[Category:Animal superheroes]]
[[Category:Masters of the Universe Heroic Warriors]]
[[Category:Fictional characters who can move at superhuman speeds]]
[[Category:Fictional characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability]]
[[Category:Fictional characters with superhuman senses]]
[[Category:Fictional characters with superhuman strength]]
[[Category:Fictional shapeshifters]]
[[Category:Fictional tigers]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic felids]]
[[Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1983]]
[[Category:Male characters in animated television series]]
[[Category:Fictional familiars]]
[[Category:Fiction about talking animals]]

Latest revision as of 05:58, 16 July 2024