Starting out as a cadet in the Horde, Catra was soon promoted to the rank of Force Captain and eventually served as Hordak's second-in-command. After the invasion of the army of Horde Prime, Catra briefly served as an agent of Horde Prime. After her reform, she became Adora's girlfriend.
Catra was raised by the dark sorceress Shadow Weaver alongside her best friend Adora. Shadow Weaver was a cruel and unforgiving guardian, who would often chastise and severely taunt Catra in front of Adora.
When Adora defected to join the Rebellion, Catra tried to bring Adora back to the Fright Zone, convinced that she was just confused and going through a "phase."
But Catra slowly began to realize that Adora's absence provided the opportunity to step out from her friend’s shadow for the first time in her life. This event became fuel to strengthen her ambition for a more powerful position in the Horde.
Ultimately, Catra cast aside her friendship in favor of her newfound strength and achievement. Catra was elevated to the rank of force captain, filling the role abandoned by Adora. However, Catra's rage, anger, and sadness began to weigh heavily on her despite achieving multiple military victories over the Princess Alliance. In part because of Double Trouble's manipulation of her, she became discouraged and despairing, beginning to question her motivations.
In Season Five, Catra finally accepted that the choices she made and the people that she hurt were destroying her, and that her ruthless ambition was hiding the pain she felt in wanting to be accepted by others. She worked to redeem herself, renewed her friendship with Adora, and joined the Best Friends Squad to fight for the Rebellion.
In the series finale, she confessed her love to Adora, confirming their new, romantic relationship.
Show creator ND Stevenson declared Catra to be seventeen to eighteen years old at the beginning of the series and, by the end of the show, twenty to twenty-one years old.[Citation needed]
Appearance
Catra is a tan-skinned teenage girl (later young woman) of feline origins with a slender and athletic physique. She has angular features - such as a pointed chin, straight nose and slanted, almond-shaped heterochromatic eyes; pale yellow (left) and turquoise (right). She features three freckles on her cheeks, and soft curving dark eyebrows. Due to her feline display and ancestry, she has retractable black sharp claws on her hands and toes, small fangs, large, black catlike ears slightly buried within hair, a long prehensile dark brown cat tail, and light brown horizontal markings on her arms, with three on her back that resemble a tabby cat's stripes. She also sports wild, spiked, cedar-brown hair with two lighter-colored tufts below her ears, held back behind a scarlet headpiece inspired by the one worn by her '80s series counterpart.
In Seasons one to three, she wears a sleeveless, high-collared, two-toned red-orange leotard-like top over a set of fashionably torn reddish-violet stirrup leggings, exposing her knees and heels. Additionally, she's seen with two belts that cross over each other, the thicker of the pair sporting the Horde symbol, and, as the show progresses, we see her sport the Force Captain pin on her shirt over her heart.
As a partial appearance after returning from the void in Season three, the right side of her face, upper right torso, and right arm of Catra are all a very deep black, with purple cracks surrounding those parts as well. In this form, Catra's right eye is also dark purple.
In Season Four, Catra has a new outfit and hairstyle. While Catra maintains her slender physique, she looks slightly more muscular. Her hair is worn neater and straighter, and appears longer due to not being as wild and scruffy as it used to be, and the tufts of hair behind her ears are gone. She wears a maroon-red leotard which is worn with a black shrug top with a stand-up collar and one long sleeve on the right side, and together these form a small diamond-shaped opening at mid-chest (similar to Scorpia). The long sleeve ends in a fingerless glove and has a red diamond on the shoulder. On her lower body, she sports a V-shaped black belt around her waist and a set of burgundy and black stirrup leggings, which opens to show the back of her legs mid-thigh, and she is barefoot (as is typical for her). Catra also wears a black fingerless glove (similar to the long sleeve on her shrug top) on her left hand and forearm.
In Season Five, she goes through three major costume changes—her Horde Prime mind-controlled allegiance look, her spacesuit appearance, and her final look.
The first, she wears all white Horde clothing with a hood covering her face when she initially is presented. Her eyes both appear lime green given off by Prime's control chip placed on the back of her neck. Her hair has been cut short and slicked back to give off an even more menacing look.
Catra's space suit look seems to have the same design as her season four outfit. with a black plate covering the top of her chest, white sleeves a lot like Adora's. with a light pink stomach to waist cut, tall black boots, and dark red and pink leggings. When wearing her helmet, Catra has a similar style to her mask from Seasons One to Four, with her head cover in a white, glossy helmet and two white ears sticking out of the top of the helmet.
For the remainder of Season Five, Catra retains her Season Four outfit, albeit it is now completely sleeveless, she has a black belt, and she has stopped wearing her mask. Her hair is still cut short, but has gone back to being messy.
In Adora's vision of the future, Catra has let her hair grow long and messy again and has put it in a ponytail. She now appears taller, wearing a red-orange-colored short sleeve shirt, and a white coat with golden trim that she wears on one shoulder like a caplet. She is no longer bare foot, wearing thigh high boots with tight dark pants and has gone back to wearing fingerless gloves.
Personality
Catra excited.
In the opening episodes, Catra has shown to be a bit of a slacker without proper motivation, evident from when she showed up late to a training exercise, her tardiness apparently not a rare occurrence, but this is likely due to never getting validation from authority figures when she does actually put in the work. She is also someone who is the life of the party. She also seems to be a thrill-seeker, complaining about how boring the Fright Zone was, needing to blow something up, and extreme excitement at taking a Hordeskiff for a thrill ride. While on said ride, Adora advises saving fuel for the return trip. Catra brushes this off, saying it's a future problem. Which ends up being a mistake. However, it's also shown that Catra is a bit callous, showing no issue to the Horde's destructive behavior when it attacks an innocent town, and not thinking twice about striking her own best friend, Adora, with a Stun Gun multiple times to bring her back.
After becoming Force Captain, a darker side of Catra is unveiled. Though she doesn't outgrow her slacker tendencies (she doesn't attend orientation or do her paperwork, both which cost her), she proves a skilled strategist and manipulator, using their former friendship to distract Adora so she can kidnap Glimmer and Bow. She then uses the former to threaten Bright Moon into surrendering. She lies to persuade Entrapta into assisting her, a move that wreaks havoc on the ecosystem and almost allows her to take Bright Moon and replace Shadow Weaver as Hordak's second-in-command. In season three, she convinced Hordak that Entrapta, who he had begun to show feelings for, had betrayed him. This also has the effect of reassuring her position within the Horde after her failures in Season Two.
Catra talking to Shadow Weaver.
In many ways, it is her relationship with her makeshift family, Adora, and Shadow Weaver, that defines her. Despite her abusiveness, Catra still sees Shadow Weaver as a mother figure and craves her approval. This is something she has yet to outgrow. Towards the end of season one, Catra fights and defeats Shadow Weaver, replacing her as second-in-command in the Horde. This seems to imply Catra has moved beyond her need for Shadow Weaver's approval. However, in season two, Catra has her locked up and is still visiting her. Later, when Hordak asks why Shadow Weaver has not been executed, Catra offers a flimsy excuse. Shadow Weaver later uses this to trick Catra into giving her her Sorcerer's Guild badge, which she uses to escape, showing that Catra still has a love for Shadow Weaver. At the end of Season Three, when Shadow Weaver is leading the Princesses in an assault on the Fright Zone, Catra at one point pleads with Shadow Weaver, asking if she ever cared. Shadow Weaver, of course, had her in a magic bind, so this may have been Catra lying out of a situation.
Catra's situation on Adora has gone from friendly to ambiguous to negative to all the way around through the course of the show, to slowly rebuild their friendship and eventually end up romantically. In the beginning, Catra and Adora are seen jesting in the locker room, and later, taking a joy ride on a ship they borrowed without asking. Further, Catra is seen sleeping curled up at the foot of Adora's bed (which has a drawing of Adora and Catra's faces) at night, showing how close they are. However, when Adora defects, Catra gets Adora's promotion. Catra benefited from Adora's absence. Thus begins her descent into darkness. Their first meeting after this is the fight for the Salineas Sea Gate, where Catra leads an assault on the kingdom of Salineas.
Catra before she dropped the Sword of Protection and leaving Adora behind.
Catra spends her time mostly mocking Adora, before being driven off by Mermista. Things truly begin to get ambiguous during Princess Prom. Catra exploits Adora's former friendship to capture Glimmer and Bow while stealing the Sword of Protection. Catra then gives Adora back the sword and lets her escape unmolested. In the episode "Promise", Catra and Adora meet again, and start out civil and friendly with each other, even helping each other against the defenses of the First Ones' Temple. However, the Temple also shows Catra and Adora's past as children, as well as causing them to relive some painful memories. This seems to cement a rage in Catra, saying that Adora was a hero and that "every hero needs a sidekick". This implies that Catra has come to believe that Adora only saw her as a second, and was being a hero for the sake of glory. In the episode "White Out", Adora gets the upper hand on Catra, although Catra doesn't seem particularly bothered, expressing the belief that Adora won't strike her.
When Adora attacks and defeats her under the influence of the Corrupted First Ones' Disk, she shows shock and fear at Adora's rage, proving that she truly didn't believe Adora would strike her. After Adora is subdued by Scorpia, she spends time mocking Adora's unconscious form. In season three, after being effectively banished by Hordak, Catra wastes no time in establishing her control over the residents of the Crimson Waste. This could show a fondness for power and control, but when Scorpia suggests staying and noting how Catra hated the Fright Zone, Catra (having captured Adora) chooses to go back anyway, upon Catra learning that Shadow Weaver (their mother figure) visited Adora after leaving her. Returning to the Fright Zone, only to be attacked by Shadow Weaver, and hearing that Adora was right about the dangers of Hordak's plan to open a portal, and it makes her snap, causing her to attack Entrapta and lie to Hordak to get the portal open, despite it meaning suicide for her and the destruction of everyone and everything on the planet. In the resulting time/space collapse, Catra and Adora fight, Catra telling Adora all the while how it was her presence that caused all this. This could be one of two things, either an inability to take responsibility for her actions or resentment towards Adora. However, Catra could not hold her grudge forever and eventually the two fixed their broken bond which would also lead them to form a romantic relationship.
However, the true nature of Catra's descent is covered in the episodes "Razz" and "Promise". In these episodes, it shows that Catra may have never truly made friends with the rest of her squad. Since Shadow Weaver never loved her, Adora was the only one who showed her any affection. When Adora left her, she felt betrayed by the only one who ever loved her, and this was juxtaposed by her own rise to power. This has caused Catra to increasingly see Adora, who was always loved by everyone, as the obstacle between her and success. This is what caused her actions at the end of season three. Catra's failures were something she linked with Adora's increasing return to her life.
Catra breaking down into tears.
In Season Four, Catra's emotional walls begin to crumble from genuine guilt over what she had done to Entrapta and with Scorpia leaving the Horde as Adora did before her and she goes into a depression. She starts to lose all of her old friends and the one she made betrays her. Even when the Horde started winning the war, she was still not happy, which causes her to lash out and then break down in tears. Ultimately, it was Double Trouble who betrayed her and revealed to Catra that she had been deceiving herself all this time about what she wanted and that she alone was the reason everyone abandoned her which made her completely despondent. Indeed, Catra is very much her own worst enemy, proven by how Double Trouble picked her character apart piece by painful piece, basically leaving her flaws and troubled spirit naked and visible for all to see, that even Glimmer noticed Catra's despair upon finding her afterward and perhaps even pity her when Catra offered no resistance and even invited Glimmer to basically put her out of her own misery.
After she and Glimmer become "guests" aboard Horde Prime's flagship, Catra tries to play any and every card she can to worm her way into Prime's favor, only to be more and more disturbed by him and his mask of manners and civility failing to conceal his narcissistic despotism. Due to her precarious situation and feeling more alone than ever, Catra risks Prime's displeasure by speaking to Glimmer, as she is the only connection she presently has to Etheria. The two actually bond despite past transgressions and Catra begins to experience a fundamental change in herself, that she ultimately helps Glimmer escape and sacrifices herself, knowing she would face Prime's wrath. She saves Glimmer because "it's the one right thing" she's done in her life. After being subjected to Prime's mind purification, Adora heals Catra and cradles her in her arms. On Darla, she remains distant to others due to her past and abandonment issues and refused Adora's help at first, however she joins the group for a dinner of dumplings and gave Entrapta a heartfelt apology to for everything that she did. Entrapta affectionately pats her on the head with her hair, signifying a new friendship. She shows genuine guilt for her terrible deeds and strives to redeem herself. When an apologetic Catra approached Scorpia, she was content with and even enjoyed letting Scorpia hug her, when before she was annoyed by it; showing how much she changed for the better.
Catra is finally happy by Adora’s words.
When the Best Friends Squad head to Krytis, It is revealed that Catra does not like being called cute, as Bow commented Catra about the ear indents in her helmet and when a piece of magic pollen made her sneeze and Bow again commented on how cute she is. However, she responded angrily that she wasn't cute, causing Bow to say she was cute when she was angry as well.
After being rescued she began to trust other people and started valuing friendship. While she is still blunt, snarky, and temperamental, she has become much kinder, more loyal, and has truly found happiness, by the side of her beloved. She still continues to be a troublemaker, but she is a much better person nonetheless and has a much healthier outlook on life.
Powers and abilities
Powers
Cat Physiology: Due to her physiology, Catra possesses many cat-like traits such as sharp claws, flexible tail, enhanced strength, and agility.
Enhanced Strength: Catra appears to be stronger than the average Etherian, although not stronger than Adora in She-Ra form.
Enhanced Agility: Catra is able to jump, run and climb much better than a typical Etherian. Her speed is her main advantage. She can also block arrows in flight.
Enhanced Senses: Catra can see, hear and smell much better than the typical Etherian, as shown when she was able to pick up Entrapta's scent through the ventilation.
Claws: Catra's fingernails are retractable claws sharp enough to cut into metal.
Balance: Catra has a great sense of balance, as shown in her battles with Adora.
Abilities
Catra, as the rival to She-Ra, is an extremely powerful character, having defeated almost every character in the series she attempted to, with the only exception of Horde Prime. She's dethroned both Shadow Weaver and Hordak. Her power level is not constant throughout the show—initially, she has shown that she cannot beat Adora in a fight, but it is not long until Adora, like almost anyone else, is fundamentally incapable of even putting up a fight against her, unless in She-Ra form.
Master Strategist: Catra has, time and again, shown to have a brilliant strategic mind; outwitting, outmaneuvering and physiologically exploiting Adora, the Princess Alliance, and even Hordak. In fact, most of the victories won by the Rebellion have been due to the overwhelming power of the Princesses, as opposed to any sort of strategy. When facing off against a stronger opponent, Catra does not meet force with force but rather attacks their weak point. The only other character portrayed as approaching her general level of competence is Entrapta.
Survival Skills: Catra has been shown to survive several near-fatal events over the course of the series.
Weaknesses
Catra does not like water.
Insecurity: Catra grew up being heavily abused by Shadow Weaver, and shows many signs of childhood trauma. She has a tendency to be ambivalent to outright hostile towards her underlings, distancing herself from them, but when they leave, she becomes clingy and jealous. She exhibits notable anger issues in seasons three and four. After joining the Rebellion, her mental health has shown improvement.
Aversion to water: True to her feline nature, she is very uncomfortable when it comes to dealing with water.
Equipment
Stun Baton: Catra wields a stun baton when going up against Adora.
Whip: She starts using a whip during season three after she defeats and takes it from Tung Lashor, but it later gets incinerated by Glimmer in "Pulse".
Shank: She briefly had a shank that she stole, in the Crimson Waste.
Blow dart: She briefly had a dart-gun which she borrowed from Horned Goon.
Tracker Pad: She used it to find and locate Scorpia, and to check in on Double Trouble's infiltration of The Rebellion.
Adora is Catra's best friend, and it has been shown that the two once shared an extremely close bond, growing up together as orphans in the Horde. Both Adora and Catra developed romantic feelings for each other but never acted upon them. Often, Adora would comfort Catra when she was feeling sad and be optimistic about her when Shadow Weaver showed a great disdain for her. When Adora disappears, Catra is greatly concerned, but that all goes away when Adora reveals she's leaving the Horde and joining The Rebellion. At first, Catra is determined to get her back, but eventually, this turns to vengeance as she is determined that Adora was part of her downfall and she now needs to rise.
Catra being saved from falling off of a cliff during a fight with Adora.
Catra and Adora together in the Fright Zone.
This leads to the two having several tense interactions, with Adora saving Catra from falling off a cliff and vice versa a few times. Although they were portrayed as best friends (now ex-best friends), there was some romantic tension depicted at Princess Prom. Being the charismatic person she is, Catra shows up, surprises Adora, and then teases her by leaving a note in the trashcan and mindlessly walking about while Lonnie and the others plant heat bombs in the castle. Eventually, the dance begins, and Adora goes through several different partners, the first of which is Catra, who seems to be smug as if she arranged it to be so. The two dance together, but their dance is unlike the others because Catra ends up being bold and dipping Adora and such, showing the two to have a much closer dance than the other partners.
While she does so, Catra is still teasing Adora viciously, eventually breaking the news that she had captured Bow indirectly. Much tension is left between them and Adora is shown to still care for Catra as she grabs her as she nearly falls off a cliff as aforementioned, but Catra quickly lets go. By the end of season one, although both are still slightly nostalgic from their past relationship, Catra still continues on her path to destroy the Princess Alliance and make everything Adora loves come crashing down.
Catra intimidated by Adora.
During the end of season three, after she regains her memories while in the false reality, Catra lashes out at Adora, blaming her for the catastrophe, but Adora says, in the end, that it was Catra that pulled the lever, so she is the only one to blame for the consequences of her own choices, ending with "now live with it" before finally knocking Catra down. In the end, Adora manages to reinstate the normal reality and to destroy Hordak's portal emerging from it as She-Ra, but both Catra and Hordak manage to escape in the confusion, Adora giving Catra a cold, frightening stare that clearly scares her, thus causing Catra to realize that Adora is done trying to redeem her. Whatever remained of the friendship between Catra and Adora had disappeared.
Catra largely avoids directly fighting Adora in Season Four, instead exploiting Double Trouble and their shape-shifting skills to manipulate her. In their brief encounter in "Flutterina," Catra traps Adora along with her steed, Swift Wind, and begins insulting her, targeting her recent failure in protecting the citizens of Elberon. Adora responded steadily, mentioning that Catra was responsible for hurting too many people after she opened the portal, and letting her know that she, "won't let [Catra] hurt [her] friends, or anyone else, ever again!" Catra offers one more insult before the bots surrounding them activate, shocking Adora and Swift Wind, an idea that Catra states was inspired by Shadow Weaver. Catra lets Adora get tortured by her trap before Bow and Flutterina arrive and think of a plan to distract the robots, allowing Adora to destroy them and nearly strikes a blow to Catra, causing her to retreat. Adora still appears in her nightmares, asking her why she is doing what she does (implying that Adora acts more or less as her conscience).
After Scorpia leaves her and the Horde, Catra finds herself confronted with her abandonment issues from when Adora left her. In the Season Four finale, When it comes to Double Trouble's turn to betray her, they make a point to highlight her obsession with Adora after her strong reaction to them taking Adora's form and taunting Catra while reminding her that it was ultimately her own actions that led to Adora leaving her.
“
You can't give up. You have never given up on anything in your life. Not even on me. So, don't you dare start now!
— Catra encouraging Adora
”
Catra and Adora in their first kiss.
In Season Five, Catra finds herself yearning for Adora while trapped on Horde Prime's ship, and even bonds with Glimmer over their shared memories of her. She also looks back on memories of their childhood together and finally realizes, despite their differences, Adora was the only person who ever truly believed in her. When she switches sides and frees Glimmer, she warns Adora not to rescue her and risk her own life. Horde Prime recognizes Catra's feelings for Adora and uses them to manipulate both of them by placing her under his control through an implanted chip. However, Adora's devotion to rescuing Catra wins out and she manages to free her from Horde Prime.
Despite this, Catra is initially reluctant to rebuild her friendship with Adora, keeping her at an arm's distance and outright expressing her belief that Adora will try to leave her behind again. As she grows closer with Adora's friends and joins them on their adventures, she and Adora gradually warm up to each other again. When Adora decides to take on the fail-safe code for the Heart of Etheria, however, Catra decides she is too much of a distraction to Adora's duties and tries to flee, only to change her mind after learning of Horde Prime's final plan and running back to aid Adora in releasing the Heart of Etheria, saving her from an ancient security system. When Adora was rendered incapable of becoming She-Ra by Horde Prime's virus and nearly dies from it, Catra's confession of love, and her subsequent return of it by kissing her, is what ultimately reawakens Adora's powers. With Horde Prime destroyed and his empire no more, Adora decides to go on a quest spreading magic across the universe, inviting Bow, Glimmer, and her now girlfriend, Catra, to which Catra happily accepts.
Catra has been working with Scorpia since becoming a Force Captain. Their first meeting did not go well, with Scorpia enthusiastically greeting her as "Kitty" and Catra becoming immediately disturbed/annoyed by this. Throughout the series, Catra has been constantly annoyed by Scorpia's upbeat attitude and clueless persona. She frequently addresses her dislike of Scorpia's perkiness in conversation and often tells her not to "Be so you." She was shocked to learn that Scorpia was a princess, let alone tied to the Black Garnet. Nevertheless, she is competent enough to go on missions with Scorpia, albeit at her own expense.
Scorpia is constantly trying to express her like of Catra, to which the latter either doesn't pick up on or just exploits. Later, in season two, it was quite possible Catra's slowly beginning to open up to her but usually ends up denying it once Scorpia notices and becomes extremely eager. In season three, when Scorpia sees Catra happy for the first time she almost convinces Catra to leave the Horde and stay in Crimson Waste; this ends with Catra blushing, albeit with a frustrated attitude.
Catra actually says "Thank You" to Scorpia.
She fights it back due to Entrapta being favored by Lord Hordak and Shadow Weaver betraying her yet again when she escapes the Fright Zone. Eventually, she is seen pointing a stun gun at Scorpia, treating her more like a subordinate, trying to suppress anything she sees within her as weak (i.e. her care for others).
When Scorpia left the Horde, Catra was devastated and continued to bottle up the frustration from constantly feeling abandoned by others. Further, it leads her to a notable paranoia, yelling at others and frightened of what they might say of her. She tried to contact Scorpia multiple times but gets frustrated as she didn't get a reply. She took this out on the Horde Soldiers. She tried to use fighting with success to compensate the empty hole she felt when Scorpia left her.
"You know I'm a hugger."
In the Season Four finale, Scorpia is the final form that Double Trouble used when they reviewed Catra's "character", making her give in to her despair.
By Season Five, Catra was remorseful about how she treated Scorpia before and nervous about meeting her again; but In the series finale, Scorpia hugged her out of forgiveness, signifying they became real friends at long last.
Catra lied to Entrapta that her friends abandoned her, which led to her switching sides. At first, she was glad that the princess was improving the Horde's weaponry, albeit with some annoyances at Entrapta's upbeat, bubbly, and hyperactive personality and scientific mannerisms. But when Hordak began favoring Entrapta, Catra showed obvious resentment. Eventually, when Entrapta said Adora was right about the portal not being safe, she angrily snapped, using her stun gun on Entrapta, and had her sent to Beast Island. She then deceived Hordak by saying she betrayed him by letting the other princesses into the Fright Zone.
Entrapta forgives Catra.
In Season Four, she has guilt-inducing nightmares about what she had done to her, but she went with the lie until the truth was revealed.
In Season Five, Catra was hesitant to see her again but was grateful to Entrapta for removing the chip in her neck and sincerely apologized for what she did to her, Entrapta then quickly forgave her and they have become true friends.
Shadow Weaver is the one who took care of Adora and Catra from when they were young. However, it is shown that Shadow Weaver blames Catra for everything and always shows hatred towards her.
The clear display of Shadow Weaver's favoritism with Adora over Catra is shown as early as episode one, barely ten minutes into it. Shadow Weaver downgrades Catra's equal success with Adora's performance and shuts her into silence when Catra rightly shows visible hurt at her callous remark. Later, when Catra is informed that she isn't allowed to aid Adora in a battle, she openly asks her friend why Shadow Weaver doesn't like her. When Catra and Adora get into trouble, Catra is the one who bears the harsh punishment for the two of them. Because of this abuse, Catra is often openly blunt and disrespectful towards Shadow Weaver to reflect her feelings when they interact. In early episodes, there is not one instance where they do not show disdain for the other.
Shadow Weaver sweet talking Catra.
Despite her cruelty, Catra actually cares about Shadow Weaver somewhere deep down, because she was the one who raised her and despite the manipulation and abuse, she craves her affection and approval as a result of having been consistently put down. Catra later rendered her powerless and took her place as second-in-command, but Shadow Weaver manipulated Catra into providing her the means to regain some of her powers and escape, something that especially made Catra feel despaired and betrayed afterward.
Catra crying over Shadow Weaver's sacrifice.
After she learned Shadow Weaver went to Bright Moon, both her mind and heart began to fill with more anger and hatred than ever before. When Shadow Weaver returned to the Fright Zone to rescue Adora, a devastated Catra then breaks down in tears. In Season Four, Shadow Weaver's form was used by Double Trouble to successfully break Catra's spirit. In Season Five, Catra still showed resentment toward Shadow Weaver but she burst into tears after her mother figure sacrificed herself, but not before finally telling Catra she was proud of her.
She was afraid when she first met her leader, Lord Hordak, but he made her a Force Captain which she was both shocked and elated about. At the end of season one, Hordak recognized her achievements and made Catra his second-in-command, but when she tried to cover up Shadow Weaver's escape, he punished her with his gravity generation device. He was originally going to send her to Beast Island, but instead sent her to the Crimson Waste to get First Ones' tech (after the insistence of Entrapta), thinking she would not return. However, she not only returned but also was able to gave him Adora's sword, which was the key to completing his portal. She later deceived Hordak into believing Entrapta betrayed him by letting the other princesses into the Fright Zone in order to hide the fact that Catra sent her to Beast Island.
Catra and Hordak on the verge of victory.
Season Four starts out rather frighteningly with her attacking and defeating Hordak, and effectively taking functional control of the Horde and telling him that they are doing things her way now. Throughout the season, they still communicate like he is in charge, but she does at one point to yell at him for his unwise strategy. In "Princess Scorpia", Hordak is looking for one of Entrapta's records to complete a then-unnamed weapon. Hordak falls into despair at one point, saying how he needed her, Catra says that he doesn't need Entrapta, how they (Hordak and Catra) are strong without them. This cajoles him to finish the project without the notes. With his suit's new cannon Hordak went out into the field more and thanks to its power, Catra's tactical abilities became less valuable, which did not sit well with her, but they continued to work well together, expanding the Horde's territory. When Catra launches an attack, she informs him about She-Ra's absence and that the princesses were in chaos; this pleases Hordak and congratulates her on a job well done.
Catra about to defeat Hordak.
However, when Double Trouble reveals to Hordak the truth about Entrapta's supposed betrayal, Hordak tries to kill Catra. During their fight, she pointed out that Horde Prime believes that Hordak's existence is a "mistake" and said she was the one really running things in the Horde. She then claimed she did not need him and disabled his suit, defeating him. Double Trouble then used Hordak's form to torment Catra with the painful truth about why everyone left her. With his mind-wipe at the end of the season, any relationship, good or bad, comes to an end. During the final season, Catra realizes that some small part of him still remembers her because he called her by name. Despite her previous strained and bad relationship with him, she becomes horrified when Hordak goes through the purification ritual in "Corridors" (though more because it meant she’d be next if she screws up). She lately attacked and paralyzed Hordak who was serving Glimmer her dinner, saying him that this time wasn't "nothing personal". With Hordak free of Horde Prime's control, the status of their relationship is unknown.
Catra was never on friendly terms with the other training cadets. They distrusted and disliked her, mostly because of her slacker tendencies and blunt personality. Because they all liked Adora, Catra always felt second-best and therefore harbored resentful feelings towards them and her former friend. These feelings, twisted with the hurt and betrayal from Adora's defection and otherwise, no companionship from anyone else, would prove to be the catalysts for Catra's claw to power.
Upon becoming Force Captain, Catra was quick to claim authority over the other cadets. Some of them, namely Lonnie, were clearly dismayed by this but didn't put up a fight or protest. She typically shows annoyance over their bungles and failures, like Kyle. Still, she does show some trust in them, choosing them to help her in her various missions. They ultimately had enough of her cruelty and selfishness and left the Horde.
Glimmer and Catra used to have a very turbulent relationship characterized by childish taunting as they oppose each other. Although they do not interact much until season two, Glimmer and Catra share many parallels when it comes to their personalities, relationships with other characters, and motivations. Even ND Stevenson compares the two girls.
Personality-wise, both Glimmer and Catra are determined, hot-headed, and sensitive young girls, striving for the approval of their respective mother-figures. While Glimmer receives validation through healthier methods, and Catra is manipulative and conniving, both characters are products of their environments. Catra is quick to ridicule not only Glimmer but Bow as well, in their attempts to be 'morally righteous' about kidnapping her.
Likewise, Glimmer seems rather aggressive against Catra as the former is quick to attack upon seeing her. Their relationship is shown to be comical, as Catra is not hesitant to antagonize Glimmer upon being captured in "Ties That Bind", with actions such as licking her arm to create a diversion, dodging Glimmer to deplete her powers and ridicule her ideology. Catra typically refers to Glimmer as "Sparkles" during their interactions, and Glimmer calls Catra "the worst" whenever a dangerous situation ensues out of the latter's doing, specifically in "White Out".
Glimmer and Catra on Horde Prime's ship.
In "Destiny Part 2", after Double Trouble's betrayal and thorough psychoanalysis leave her despondent, Catra reaches the point that she flat out tells Glimmer to hurry up and kill her when she arrives. Glimmer ultimately chooses to spare Catra and instead attempts to stop the awakening of the Heart of Etheria. When both are transported to Horde Prime's ship along with Hordak, Catra personally stops Horde Prime from killing Glimmer by letting him know about the power of the Heart of Etheria and how important the princesses are to it.
Catra hugging Glimmer.
In Season Five, at the start of their time on the ship, Catra tries to maintain their previous adversarial relationship, but Glimmer easily sees that her heart's not in it and that they are both pretty much in the same situation. Catra ultimately turns to Glimmer's company for comfort, and the two spend their time with Catra sitting outside Glimmer's cell with their backs turned against each other despite Prime telling her not to talk to her. After receiving encouragement to try to do one good thing, she helps Glimmer escape the ship. After Adora, Glimmer, Bow and Entrapta subsequently rescue Catra from Horde Prime's ship, they grow closer and eventually become friends as they work to save the universe from Horde Prime. Glimmer even trusts Catra to protect Adora.
In terms of personalities, Catra is Bow's opposite. At the start, Catra's relationship to Bow is mainly centered around hostility. As Bow is an ally of the Rebellion and Adora's friend, he is her enemy by proxy. Usually, in their encounters, she immediately attacks him on sight. Catra captured him and Glimmer during the episode "Princess Prom" and held them hostage as bait to capture Adora. Nevertheless, despite all her previous actions against him, he was obviously ill-at-ease about holding her prisoner in "Ties That Bind", and even suggested letting her go. He attempts to be friendly and tries to start up a conversation with her, but she rebuffs him and knocks him off the side of a cliff.
The madder Catra gets the cuter she is.
“
You have an arrow that turns into a magnifying glass? I can't believe we were losing to you guys.
— Catra in disbelief about Bow's character
”
After Catra saves Glimmer and is subsequently rescued by the group, Bow is reasonably unsure about trusting her after their history, but gradually warms up to her and becomes so cordial with her that Bow even accepts her into the Best Friends Squad, which Catra is clearly very happy about. He also likes to tease her about how cute she can be sometimes, much to Catra's chagrin. Catra obviously still thinks Bow is kind of dorky, but she considers him a good friend nonetheless.
Catra was impressed by Double Trouble's shape-shifting powers and hired the mercenary. Unlike with Scorpia or Entrapta, Catra seemed interested in having a genuine friendship with the mercenary and often appeared happy when speaking with them. Catra was grateful enough when Double Trouble pulled her out from fallen debris that she thanked them unprompted. Although, she was visibly dismayed when Double Trouble made it clear they were only sticking with her for the money. After Scorpia left, Catra became mentally unstable, trying to reach out to anyone who she remotely considered a friend, Double Trouble included.
Catra was relieved when Double Trouble returned to the Fright Zone and trusted them enough to follow their advice to have her forces attack Bright Moon. Unfortunately, this was ultimately a poor decision as Double Trouble went to Hordak and told him everything about Catra's betrayal, and had purposely given Catra the information so the Rebellion could take out the Horde in an ambush attack. They later confront Catra, and psychoanalyze her personality, much to the girl's horror. Double Trouble transforms into Adora, Catra, Shadow Weaver, Hordak and Scorpia, telling Catra that it's her own fault where she ended up and that she has driven away everyone around her. They explain to her that the Horde's forces have been destroyed and everything she has worked for will be torn down, leaving Catra so distraught to the point of which she tells Glimmer to kill her.
Before they met, Catra used Horde Prime's incoming approach to motivate Hordak into conquering Etheria before he arrived. When she was teleported onto his ship, she spoke up and informed him about the Heart of Etheria in order to convince him to spare Glimmer and not destroy the planet. Catra was likely motivated mostly by self-preservation as she heard that Horde Prime didn't want word getting out of his "brother's botched conquest" and she told Prime that he needs her to know how to use the weapon. She soon realized that Prime was not so easily fooled as Hordak and that the galactic tyrant was far more superior at mind games than she was. When Catra finally proved her worth to Prime, her conscience finally caught up with her and she helped Glimmer escape his ship. Horde Prime decided she still had a use for her and punished her by implanting a special chip into her nervous system that made her a part of the same hive mind Prime used to control his clones, effectively turning her into his slave. Horde Prime then used Catra as a tool against Adora, but She-Ra saved Catra. Even after the chip was removed, while she never openly said something, it was obvious that she now had great fear for Horde Prime. After the finale battle, when Adora confirmed Horde Prime's destruction, Catra simply said "Good Riddance".
Melog imprinted upon Catra in season five when the Best Friends Squad went to Krytis. The magical being explained to her that Prime destroyed its species, and it was the last one left. Melog is able to pick up on the emotions of its master, in this case, Catra, and is able to react to them. Catra realizes this and keeps her cool while befriending the Melog. The two formed a bond and Melog left Krytis to be with Catra and helped the Rebellion defeat Horde Prime. Catra has grown very fond of Melog and trusts it completely. Melog, in return, is fiercely loyal to Catra, instantly growing hostile when she is threatened, such as preparing to pounce when Netossa netted Catra, and often reflecting her emotions.
Netossa was hostile towards Catra and subdued her when the heroes returned from their space adventure, only for Adora to inform her that Catra was with the rebellion now. A skeptical Netossa then released Catra from her energy net. Despite this, however, Netossa was still grateful when Catra volunteered to help her and the Rebellion. After they saved Erelandia, Catra comforted Netossa by saying her wife Spinnerella would be alright. Netossa smiled at her words, symbolizing a sense of trust between them had begun.
When Frosta saw Catra at the new rebel base, she attacked her, but Adora stuck up for Catra, telling her that she was with them now. Frosta relented but said she "still didn't like her face". However after Horde Prime was defeated, she hugged Catra, meaning Frosta is starting to like her.
I hope your right. Scorpia's really lucky to have a friend like you.
— Catra to Perfuma
”
When Catra joined the rebellion, she and Perfuma had a rocky start. Catra derided Perfuma's apparent nativity while Perfuma berated Catra about how terribly she treated Scorpia in the Horde. However, after they returned from a mission from the Fright Zone they started to bond over their mutual concern about Scorpia. When Horde Prime was defeated, Perfuma joined Scorpia and Frosta in a group hug with Catra. On an interesting note, Perfuma is the only Princess who Catra has addressed by name other than Adora and Scorpia.
Plot
Past
Most of Catra's past is unknown, only that she has feline origins and is not a typical Etherian. At some point in her early life, she was left orphaned under unknown circumstances. She was eventually taken in by the Horde as an infant, primarily raised by Shadow Weaver alongside Adora to become a child soldier. Show-runner ND Stevenson said on their livestream that Catra was found in a box by Adora when they were very young. She also added that Shadow Weaver was confident that she could raise Catra until she began to claw and bite, as kittens tend to do.
Catra begins as a Horde soldier alongside her best friend, Adora, and the other cadets, Rogelio, Kyle, and Lonnie. To celebrate Adora's promotion to Force Captain, they go out on an excursion on a stolen skiff in the Whispering Woods. Things get out of control and Adora falls off the skiff, and unknown to Catra, her friend receives visions, to which Catra questions as to whether she's brain-damaged. Although the two girls return to the Fright Zone, Catra is asked by her friend to cover for her while she sneaks out. Catra is forced by Shadow Weaver to return Adora to the Fright Zone, But in doing so, the Horde attacks a civilian town. Catra is shocked by Adora's choice of defection and is visibly hurt that she chose Bow and Glimmer over her. As a result, they become estranged.
In Adora's absence, Catra is promoted by Hordak to Force Captain, something she gleefully accepts. Shadow Weaver makes her primary objective to bring Adora to the Fright Zone. While still holding onto the hope that Adora will return to her, Catra travels to the kingdom of Salineas with Scorpia and the other cadets to carry out the mission. She mocks Adora as She-Ra and expresses her disbelief that she abandoned her for "dress up games and a light show." She attacks Adora until Mermista uses a wave to smack her off the cliff.
In "In the Shadows of Mystacor", Catra is summoned by Shadow Weaver to stand guard outside her sanctum while the latter uses her magic to go after Adora. After her mentor fails, Catra realizes the way to capture Adora is to go after the ones she cares about, namely, Bow and Glimmer. In the following episode, Catra reluctantly allies herself with Scorpia to come up with a plan to capture Adora in order to keep her position as Force Captain and at the same time, increase her rank in the Horde. Scorpia suggests they attend Princess Prom, as, the latter being a princess, has received an invitation. Under the guise of esteemed guests, they infiltrate the palace in the Kingdom of Snows to abduct Bow and Glimmer while taking the Sword of Protection.
Catra and Adora as kids.
The Rebels infiltrate the Fright Zone to rescue the captives. Upon their escape, Catra returns the sword to Adora, though alludes to another motive for doing the act. She gleefully watches Shadow Weaver's punishment from Hordak for inviting the enemy attack, the former having taken the credit for Catra's work two episodes before. Catra and Scorpia are followed by Emily, Entrapta's robot, before finding Entrapta herself hiding in the vents. During the interrogation, Catra manipulates Entrapta into joining the Horde by claiming her friends left her behind in a similar manner to how Adora abandoned her. When Entrapta educates them on the power of First Ones' tech, Catra eagerly goes to look for the source provided Scorpia keeps an eye on the prisoner. She eventually finds the source but unexpectedly ends up in the same place Adora goes to visit Light Hope.
Catra officially severs her ties with Adora.
Catra sneaks in behind her but ends up accidentally triggering the security alarms, causing giant spider robots to chase the two girls. They find themselves trapped in a corridor to which Adora inquired as to her presence. Catra coldly asks as to where her friends are with a notable tone of jealousy and doesn't seem remorseful when Adora confronts her over her previous actions. Eventually, they find themselves in a simulation over memories from their childhood: young Catra and Adora messing with Horde soldiers, a training exercise, and a dark experience for Catra with Shadow Weaver. In both real-time and the simulation, they both bicker over Catra's view over the two of them, with it ending up with Catra yelling to Adora that she wished the latter would never come back. In another simulation, Catra watches her young self be consoled by Adora and promise her they will always be together. At this moment, Catra feels like Adora broke her promise and abandoned her, and she goes to find Adora dangling over a chasm. Catra callously tells her that she would've been better off if they never met and she'll miss her, before leaving her to die. When she arrives at the Fright Zone she gives Entrapta the First Ones' Data Crystal. As she walks away a look of guilt appears on her face when Scoripa says what great friend she is.
In an act of vengeance, Catra severed Shadow Weaver's connection to the Black Garnet and took her prisoner.
Catra leading the assault on Bright Moon.
Catra uses the Black Garnet and Entrapta's technology to weaken the Whispering Woods and leads an invasion force on Bright Moon. During the Bright Moon Battle Catra leads She-Ra away from everyone else. Just as the Horde is about to destroy Bright Moon the other Princesses arrived to turn the tide of the Battle.
She-Ra regains the sword and restores the balance of the Runestones and drives the Horde army out of Bright Moon. Despite the failed invasion, Catra pointed out how much progress the Horde has made so Hordak decides to reward Catra for her achievements by replacing Shadow Weaver as his new second-in-command.
Catra sent Entrapta's upgraded Horde Robots to attack the Princesses while the Whispering Woods was still regrowing itself. After the mission failed she went to visit Shadow Weaver in her cell.
She was taken prisoner by Bow and Glimmer in an attempt to rescue Entrapta and made it difficult for them during the journey back to Bright Moon when she was freed by Scorpia she revealed to Bow and Glimmer that Entrapta was willingly helping the Horde, much to their dismay and Catra's amusement.
Catra and Scorpia.
Catra, Entrapta, and Scorpia are sent to the frozen wastes to excavate First Ones technology, pursued by Adora, Glimmer, Bow, and Sea Hawk. Having learned of the First Ones virus disc which Entrapta restored, Catra uses it to infect Adora. After seeing the results Catra planned on making She-Ra a weapon for the Horde. Giant worm robots created by the First Ones to guard the site are also infected and attack the excavation camp, forcing the two groups to work together despite Catra's refusal to allow the disc to be destroyed. After Scorpia rescues her they share a moment when Catra shares her blanket to protect them from the cold.
Scorpia talking to Catra about Beast Island.
When Hordak ordered her to send Shadow Weaver to Beast Island, Catra was bewildered by the situation; as Scorpia pointed out, Shadow Weaver never showed her kindness let alone love, but she still wanted to keep the woman who raised her from going to Beast Island. When Catra visited Shadow Weaver again she asked her mother figure why she was never good enough for her. After their conversation, she left with what she thought was a touching moment between the two only to return and find that Shadow Weaver used her by using the Sorcerer's Guild badge Catra had sneaked in for her to teleport out of her cell which devastated Catra, causing her to go into a state of hysteria. She attacks the fake Shadow Weaver with her claws, tearing it to pieces in her fit of rage, screaming in despair and pure anger. Catra, once again, had her trust betrayed, and on top of that had lost an extremely valuable prisoner.
After Shadow Weaver's escape, she tried to cover up her mistake only to be punished by Hordak.
Catra woke up in Shadow Weaver's former cell. Scorpia tried to break her out but Catra refused and called the guards. Hordak decides to send her to the Crimson Waste to retrieve First Ones tech believing she would not return.
After a female goon failed to intimidate her she was recruited by Catra along with her friend. Then Catra defeated Tung Lashor and took his whip and henchmen.
Catra realizes that Shadow Weaver left her for Adora.
After they captured Adora, Scorpia suggested that she and Catra stay in the Crimson Waste and lead it because she was actually happy. Catra learned from Adora that Hordak was from another world and was trying to use a portal machine to bring the Horde Armada to Etheria. Catra claimed she was not against a bigger Horde army and asked Adora how she knew Hordak's plan anyway. However, when Catra learnt that Shadow Weaver was in Bright Moon, she became unhinged and told Scorpia that they were returning to the Fright Zone, abandoning a potential life of happiness in the Crimson Waste for revenge against the two people who hurt her the most.
Catra arrived in Hordak's sanctum with Adora as her prisoner, presented Hordak with her Sword revealing it to be the key to the entire planet, and can be used as the final piece to Hordak's portal. When Shadow Weaver, Bow, and the princesses invaded the Fright Zone, she was subdued and she lamented on how Shadow Weaver abandoned her then came to rescue Adora and vowed to open the portal. After she escaped her captors she pushed Scorpia out of the way and ordered Entrapta to go in Hordak's sanctum and activate the machine, but when Entrapta said Adora was right about opening a portal being too dangerous, Catra went mental and incapacitated Entrapta and sent her to a transport to Beast Island, then threaten to do the same to Scorpia if she stepped out of line. When Hordak asked where Entrapta was, she responded with, "Who do you think let the princesses in?" After Hordak bought the lie they continued with trying to open the portal. During the fight and despite Adora's warning Catra pulled the lever and activated the machine.
Catra falling at the seams and on the attack.
Catra with no memory of what happened, appeared in a reality where she and Adora are still friends and Shadow Weaver actually shows her affection. When the false reality began to collapse she got her memory back and attacked Adora. When the true reality was restored, Catra retreats from the scene with Hordak.
Catra went to Hordak's sanctum still wrecked by the portal's destruction and asked her leader why they weren't doing anything but he lashed out on her and told her the only reason she was still alive is that his distress beacon to Horde Prime got through. Later she appeared on Hordak's throne wearing a new outfit. She subdued Hordak and told him that they should conquer Etheria before Horde Prime arrives because as she pointed out "He doesn't sound like the type to accept failure."
During a mission to retrieve Mara's Ship she encounters Double Trouble who offers their services to the Horde. Catra decides to test the Shape-shifter by having them pose as her to see if they could fool Adora who she grew up with, which they did, so Catra hired Double Trouble on the spot.
Catra's nightmare.
Catra has a nightmare about what she did to Entrapta, Adora glaring at her, asking why she did it and the Portal pulling her in. She wakes up and scratches Emily after the bot startles her. Catra has Double Trouble pose as a young girl named Flutterina to infiltrate Bright Moon.
Catra orders Scorpia to find Entrapta's notes. Later, Scorpia offers a damaged recording chip to Catra, but Catra, unknowing if the fact that Scorpia had lied to protect Emily, erupts in fury at Scorpia's failure. Scorpia tells Catra that she is a "bad friend," finally giving up on Catra and deserting. Meanwhile, she and Hordak decide that they do not need anyone else and increase their efforts to defeat the Rebellion.
After the Horde captured Salineas they began invading all the coastal towns, but Catra wondered why she still wasn't satisfied with winning so she contacted Scorpia to talk about it only to realize she was not answering. When she returned to the Fright Zone she learned that Scorpia had left the Horde which disheartened Catra.
"Are they laughing at me?!"
As the Horde expands their territory she keeps thinking she sees Scorpia, Catra becomes paranoid, then gets frustrated because Double Trouble hasn't reported in, and has been lashing out at Rogelio, Kyle, and Lonnie more so than usual. Hordak tells Catra of a successful mission, Catra also reports that she has also made tremendous progress. After Hordak's transmission ends it is revealed that Catra had destroyed everything in the room in a fit of rage and then she drops to her hands and knees crying.
During the season finale, Catra tried thanking Rogelio, Kyle, and Lonnie for all their hard work but then, she berated them and angrily dismissed them after Kyle accidentally damaged a drawing Scorpia had sketched, depicting herself with Catra and Entrapta. It was then that Double Trouble entered, and Catra, attempting to hide her relief that they had returned, asked where they had been. Double Trouble said that they were, "held up" in Bright Moon, before reporting that the Princesses Alliance was in disarray and She-Ra was missing. Hearing this news, Catra ordered an attack on Bright Moon. Meanwhile, Hordak had suddenly come to learn that Catra had deceived him about Entrapta and lured her into a trap in order to destroy her.
Catra unable to fight back Double Trouble's review on her "character".
After Catra defeated Hordak, she saw Adora emerge. This upsets Catra and she states in disbelief that she, "can't come in and take this from [her] now." Adora was then revealed to be Double Trouble, who had finally figured out Catra's "character" and how to cut her deep. They took Catra's form, remarking that her heart was never into being, "the Big Bad Villain." Catra pleaded for them to stop, but they continued their monologue by taking the form of Shadow Weaver, Hordak, Adora again and Scorpia, all while letting Catra know of her faults, the fact that she drove everyone away and has no one to blame but herself. It was after this speech that Double Trouble showed her via transmitted video that her forces were destroyed, demoralizing Catra even further. Double Trouble finally told her the reason behind their betrayal was not personal, but rather for their own survival, because the Rebellion had just gotten the upper hand. They reveal that the Rebellion holds an ancient super weapon they were going to use against the Horde. They leave Catra broken and alone after this piece of information is disclosed. Queen Glimmer finds the melancholic Catra who tells her to just end it when she saw the Heart's effects on Glimmer.
Catra was teleported on Horde Prime's ship along with Queen Glimmer and Hordak, where she convinced Horde Prime to spare her and Glimmer's life by telling him about Glimmer's connection to the super-weapon at the center of the planet.
After some time after the invasion of Etheria commenced, Horde Prime summoned her to his throne room after Prime had just reviewed Hordak's memories. This is where Catra swore her loyalty to him. She later visited Glimmer in her cell, trying to ridicule the young Queen. Instead, Glimmer ended up pointing out that Catra was just as alone as she was. Catra and Glimmer had dinner with Horde Prime, where he revealed how his plan to conquer Etheria would play out. He tells Catra that he doubts her usefulness, and claims that she and all Etherians are weak because of their strong connections to each other. Catra was trying to look unaffected when Prime showed the clip of Adora, and she failed because Horde Prime could pick up on micro-expressions and involuntary movements that gave away how she felt, but she assured her that "All the pieces of the machine had their purpose" even her.
Catra and Glimmer beginning to bond.
On Horde Prime's vessel Catra gets uncomfortable with the clones following her every move. She ran into one clone who called her "Catra" and when she realized it was the reconditioned Hordak, she questioned him and left him with an internal struggle. Then, Catra visited Glimmer in her cell again and the two began talking and shared a laugh and some fond memories of Adora. Then, she followed two clones who beamed to the surface. Horde Prime summoned Catra to his throne room to ask her about an ancient ship that he discovered leaving Etheria. He tasked Catra with questioning Glimmer about the ship and reporting back to him the information. When she said that was impossible Prime called Hordak forward and demonstrated the reconditioning ceremony on him. He then told Catra to get the information from Glimmer. Catra went to Glimmer's cell and told her what Prime knew. Glimmer begged Catra to resist Prime, pointing out that Adora was on her way and if Prime used the Heart of Etheria, he would destroy the universe. Frightened, Catra flees, leaving Glimmer in tears. Prime and the Clones used Catra's information to find Darla, he then thanked and praised Catra for her decision. After leaving the throne room she remembered a time when she and Adora were kids, fighting. She then returned to Glimmer's cell, attacked and paralyzed Hordak who was serving the Queen her dinner. She freed Glimmer from her cell and led her to the transport pad, telling her to escape with Adora and not return. She then contacted Adora and told her where she was going to send Glimmer and demanded that Adora not go to Prime's ship, to leave her behind and beamed the Queen off Prime's ship. She screamed an apology at Adora before she was overcome by clones. Prime had Catra bound and brought before him where he accused her of treachery and promised to find Glimmer and She-Ra. Catra scoffed in his face, but Prime told her that she would still be of use to him.
“
Everything is already okay. We are with Prime now. There is no need for you to suffer, Adora. Come into the light with me.
— Catra under mind control
”
Catra under Horde Prime's control.
Catra suffered dearly for her betrayal as Prime implanted a Horde Chip in her neck; making her his obedient puppet. When Adora and the others came to rescue her, she was horrified at what Prime did to Catra. Catra told Adora all the "happiness" she felt being at Prime's side. As Prime left the room a fight between her and Adora ensued, the latter told her to fight the chip's influence, while Catra told that Prime will bring "Peace without end". Prime also showed his ability to transfer his consciousness into Catra's body as easily as one of his clones. During the fight Catra's chip was damaged; weakening Horde Prime's hold over her thoughts, but the galactic tyrant still managed to make her fall over the platform they were on, critically injuring her. The grief allowed Adora to awaken hidden powers, magically summon a new sword and transform into She-Ra. Allowing her to save Catra and leave on the rebel's ship. Adora healed Catra with her powers and as she woke up the two embraced each other in a hug.
Catra being accepted by Glimmer and Bow.
Catra was haunted by visions thanks to her chip. Adora tried to comfort her and said Entrapta could remove it, however, Catra told Adora to leave her alone and to drop her off on the nearest planet. During a heated argument, when Adora revealed that she never hated Catra even after everything that she did, Catra called her a fool and told her to leave. When Horde ships tracked them down thanks to her chip; Adora bought Entrapta to remove it. Catra believed Entrapta would kill her (not knowing Entrapta did not hold a grudge). When Adora explained the situation to her, Catra begged Adora to stay. Before Entrapta removed the chip Catra realized she could use it to see what Horde Prime was planning. To her horror She saw that Prime was chipping people on Etheria. She told Adora she had to stop him and that she wanted to go home. Catra witnessed Adora transformed into her new She-Ra form as she went off to fight the Horde ships. After the chip was successfully removed, Catra with tears in her eyes told Entrapta to thank you and that she was sorry for what she did to the princess. Entrapta smiled and patted Catra on the head and said she forgave her. During dinner, Catra entered the bridge, to her surprise, the others welcomed her into their circle and glimmer offers her a dumpling, Catra and Adora then look at each other and smiled; signifying they had begun to rekindle their friendship.
When Darla's crew was a day from Etheria. Glimmer, Bow and Catra mess with Adora as she tries practicing her new She-Ra transformation. Entrapta contacted the rebels and Perfuma responded, warning them of the Horde blockade surrounding the planet and that the rebellion suffered major losses.
After discovering Prime may have a weakness on the planet Krytis thanks to Wrong Hordak; the crew visits the planet. Once on the planet the crew disembarked with everyone in space suits except Wrong Hordak. They entered a spire abandoned by Prime. And when Entrapta found a clone recharging chamber she plugged Wrong Hordak in, without asking his permission. She declared the atmosphere safe and removed her helmet, as did the rest. Catra was the last and only did so when Bow commented how adorable her helmet's cat ears were. Entrapta detected a life form and Adora decided that they should search for it, making Catra point out that the plan was to barge into the rickety spire to contact an unknown person in the vague hope they can help defeat Prime. Catra, Bow, Glimmer and Adora began searching the abandoned spire, growing more and more wary as the pressed on. While arguing with Bow over how cute she is, An angry Catra accidentally puts her hand through a wall, activating the internal defenses. After escaping spikes that shot out of the walls, Entrapta told them the being they were looking for was close by. Then, the native of the planet revealed itself. Everyone freaked out and Catra tackled the creature, and fell through the floor with it. Bow, Glimmer and Adora got trapped by the defense systems as they rushed to save Catra. Glimmer found out the spikes were illusions and she dispensed with them using her magic. As Catra cowered before the creature she began to bond with it, the creature even mimicked Catra's sneeze. Glimmer used a location spell and joined Catra who learned that the creature, who had taken a cat form, responds to emotions. The creature began talking to Catra and told her that their name is Melog.
Melog imprinting on Catra.
Melog told Catra that the First Ones stole the planet's magic leaving them helpless before Prime, who devastated the planet. While Prime did wiped out all life on the planet, leaving Melog the last of it's kind he could not defend against it's magic and so he fled, covering up his failure. Melog agreed to join Adora and the crew, go to Etheria and defeat Prime. Darla and crew approached Etheria and the blockade, Melog used it's magic to render the ship invisible. They successfully ran the blockade undetected and finally returned to Etheria. Glimmer kissed Catra on the cheek and declared she saved the day and Bow joined them in a group hug, much to Catra's annoyance.
“
A town that hates Princesses? Should I buy property here?... Is what I would have said before I joined you. Go team.
The crew and found the rebel base in ruins. They decided to gather Intel and so Glimmer teleported everyone to Erelandia which they find out is guarded by bots and clones. Entrapta, Bow, Glimmer, Catra and Adora followed Wrong Hordak into the village in disguise. The heroes tried to question the village folk but the locals were too scared to answer questions, except for one shopkeeper who tells the hero's that the Rebellion has joined the Horde and that Princesses attacked the town. Just then, Spinnerella landed in the village and attacked the heroes. Rather than risking hurting their chipped friend Glimmer teleported everyone away from the fight. Netossa saw Catra and instantly attacked, trapping her in a net until Adora explained Catra switch sides. Netossa then explained the amount of damage done, Spinnerella, Mermista, Scorpia and King Micah were now all under Prime's control and the rest were in hiding; Catra was visibly upset when she heard Scorpia was chipped. After Glimmer gave a motivational speech and the group decided to return to Erelandia and free it's people She-Ra and Netossa attacked Spinnerella while the rest handled the bots; after the battle,Catra comforted Netossa about her wife, which made Netossa smile. With the Horde purged from the village, the citizens pledged themselves to the Rebellion. Netossa led everyone to the hideout and there was a joyous reunion. Unfortunately, Frosta saw Catra and punched her with an ice-coated fist , but before Frosta could attack again Adora vouched for Catra saying she was the Rebellion now. Catra was behind Adora with the others as she pledged to free all their friends and defeat Prime.
“
Hey, I'm trying to be a better friend, that has to count for something!
— Catra to Melog
”
Catra wants to take things slowly.
During a strategy meeting Netossa was pointing out all of the princesses' weaknesses, Catra claimed she had nothing on her only for Netossa spray her with water then catch her in a net. When Perfuma showed optimism of the possibility that a remnant of Scorpia's consciousness can resist the chip's influence, Catra scoffed at that the idea and pointed out they needed to damage the chips first if they wanted to save their allies, But Perfuma was adamant in her idea and reminded Catra how cruelly she treated Scorpia while in the Horde and told her that Scorpia now knows what true friendship is. Upon hearing this, Catra's eye were now full of regret over her past misdeeds. As they team return to the Fight Zone both Catra and Adora recall all their memories there, most of which were bad. As they look through the wreckage of Hordak's citadel, Scorpia attacks them. When Catra and Melog are separated from the group, Catra realizes Scorpia is not alone as she engages in a fight with Mermista. She contacts Glimmer to Inform her about the situation and they needed her teleport them out of there. Back at Rebel HQ Catra and Perfuma talked about Scorpia, with Catra saying Scorpia was lucky to have a friend like Perfuma. When Perfuma offer Catra guided mediation, Catra told her "One step at a time". Upon learning of a fail safe to destroy the Heart of Etheria, Shadow Weaver stepped into the base and reveled to the group that she and Castaspella know were it is and that they needed to go to Mystacor.
Catra realizes Shadow Weaver is keeping something from the rest of them.
Shadow Weaver and Castaspella tell the rebels that Mystacor was built on the ruins of a First Ones' citadel and in these ruins was an artifact known as the Crystal of Arxia. Glimmer teleported Shadow Weaver, Catra, Bow, Adora, Castaspella and Melog to Mystacor where they sneaked inside using Melog's stealth. When they reached the Luminarium Catra broke stealth mode alerting the sorcerer's to their presence and a brief fight ensued with one sorcerer. Shadow Weaver opened the secret entrance within Mystacor. After bickering with Shadow Weaver in the tunnel Adora triggered a fire rune that erupted in fake flames around her. Catra jumped into the fire and 'saved' Adora. Shadow Weaver then tried, and failed, to drive a wedge between Adora and Catra by falsely claiming that her friendship, her love was what was preventing her from being able to summon She-Ra. Upon reaching the Crystal of Arxia, Shadow Weaver explains that the fail safe is a code which was stored inside inside the crystal and instructed Adora to open it with the password "Friends of Mara". The instructions inside said, "Someone needs to go inside and accept the fail-safe"; which means that someone must take the fail-safe and carry it bodily into the Heart. Catra stopped Adora and as she realized that Show Weaver has been the chamber before from watching her and asked the sorceress why didn't take the fail safe and use it to get all the power she ever wanted from the Heart. Shadow Weaver then revealed that She-Ra was the only one who could absorb the full power of the Heart only she could go, despite Catra's and everyone else's protestations. Knowing that she may not survive she decided her sacrifice would be better than Prime getting access to the Heart. But Micah showed up with two other chipped sorcerers and a fight erupted. Using the fight as a distraction Adora entered and accepted the fail-safe. Micah used dark magic to entrap the heroes and he tried to interrupt Adora's accepting of the fail-safe. Seeing her friends in distress she summoned She-Ra, accepted the fail-safe and bound Micah and the two sorcerers. Everyone fled Mystacor for their base. Catra was so upset at seeing Adora's willingness to sacrifice herself that ultimately deciding to leave with Melog rather than see Adora leave her again and watch it happen.
Catra puts her trust in Melog to get Bow and Glimmer that there safe.
While running Melog tries to convince Catra to go back, but Catra was convinced that Adora did not need her while strongly applying her feelings for Adora. It was then Melog cloaked her as a clone walked by. They followed him and found that Prime was hacking into the planet. Fearing for Adora's safety as Prime begins to connect to the Heart, Catra returns to the rebel base only to learn from Shadow Weaver that Adora had already left. She reluctantly teams up with Shadow Weaver to follow Adora. When Catra sees that Entrapta was captured before she could start her jamming frequency to disable all the Horde Chips on Etheria, she remembers how Shadow Weaver escaped her cell in the Fright Zone and realize that Shadow Weaver still had more magic than she's making public and convinces her to use it to reach their destination faster. When they reach Glimmer and Bow they learn Adora went on ahead without them. When they realized that hey had to go back and complete Entrapta's program but not could leave Adora, Catra volunteered to stay and find Adora. Glimmer hugged Catra and told her to take care of Adora, Catra hugged her back, assuring her and telling good luck. That is when Bow included Catra into the Best Friends Squad and they did not need luck, which Catra smiled at. She entrusted Melog to get her friends there safe as she and Shadow Weaver went to catch up to Adora.
“
Don't you get it? I love you. I always have. So please, just this once, stay!
Catra and Shadow Weaver arrived just in time rescue Adora from a vicious beast. Catra held it off while Adora and Shadow Weaver went after the super weapon. Just as it seem Catra defeated the monster, Horde Prime appeared in hologram form and gave the the ancient guardian new strength and attacked her with it. When it looked like she was about to be eaten by the creature, Shadow Weaver returned and saves her. However, Catra did not listen to her warning to take Adora and run, so Shadow Weaver blasts Catra back into the tunnel with Adora and raises a barrier to keep her there. Catra begs Shadow Weaver to stop but Shadow Weaver told Catra that she needed to get Adora to the heart and said the the worlds that Catra wanted to hear for so long "I am so proud of you, Catra". Adora and Catra watch with tears in their eyes as the woman who raised them disappeared forever in a fiery explosion along with the monster. The two girls hugged each other and then journeyed closer to the until they reached their destination: the Heart of Etheria . Adora prepares to become She-Ra to destroy it, but is unable to do so due to the infection setting into her wounds from Horde Prime's virus. Adora decides to use the fail safe anyway even with her life at stake. she asked Catra to leave, but Catra refuses and stays with her. However, Adora passes out just as Prime finally reached the Heart and started activating it. Catra pleaded with Adora to not give up as she never even gave up on her. It was then that Catra confessed that she was always in love with Adora, this causes Adora to wake up and summon a shield to protect them both from a surge of power from the Heart of Etheria, Adora then looks at Catra and admits she loves her too. Adora and Catra engaged in a kiss of true love, allowing Adora to finally transform into She-Ra and use the fail safe. After the magic was set free and the Horde was defeated, Catra walked up to a freed Scorpia to apologize for her cruel actions, but before she could finish her sentence Scorpia hugged her, signifying she had already forgiven Catra, then Perfuma and Frosta joined in the hug. Catra reunites with Adora, they touch foreheads as Adora confirms Horde Prime was gone for good which Catra was very happy about. Glimmer and Bow then tackle Catra and Adora and they all roll down a hill together and start laughing. Adora then decides to go and return magic to the rest of the universe and invites Catra, Glimmer and Bow to come with her and they all happily agree as they engage in a group hug; as peace has finally been restored.
"I thought winning would be different. Or at least more... I don't know, fun?"
"And if I don't bring you back, Shadow Weaver's going to have my head."
"Oh, I'm sorry, are you tired? We're all tired, but we're not going to rest until we have all of Etheria under our control. Everything is finally coming together. We're winning. So, get back out there. Problem?"-"Fractures"
Catra: "[holding the sword, rubs a finger along its side] Hey, Adora."
Adora: "[pleading] Catra, help me, please..."
Catra: "[contemplatively unhurried] This thing wouldn't work for me if I tried, would it? It only works for you. Then again, you're special. That's what Shadow Weaver always said."
Adora: "[angrily] Catra...what are you doing?"
Catra: "Ah, you know? It all makes sense now. You've always been the one holding me back. You wanted me to think I needed you. You wanted me to feel weak. Every hero needs a sidekick, right?"
Adora: "[desperately] Catra, no, that's not how it was..."
Catra: "[laughs humorlessly] The sad thing is, I've spent all this time hoping you'd come back to the Horde, when really you leaving was the best thing that ever happened to me. [lowers sword near the goo holding Adora up] I am so much stronger than anyone [cuts a few strands of the goo] ever thought."
Adora: "Adora grunts, losing one hand holding onto the goo]"
Catra: "[contemplatively] I wonder what I could've been if I'd gotten rid of you sooner... [Catra cuts the last of the goo holding Adora up; Adora shrieks as she falls, catching a rock handhold on the way down]"
Adora: "[breathing heavily; desperately] I-I'm sorry! I never meant to make you feel like you were second best! Please don't do this!"
Catra: "[The light in the room glitches away making room for darkness; Catra looks at the sword, then tosses it into the chasm; it clangs on the way down, Adora gasps lightly] Bye, Adora. I really am going to miss you."
—Catra and Adora with Adora hanging by goo at the edge of a precipice.Promise/Transcript, minute 3:29
"Don't come here, no matter what. Horde Prime is ready for you. Just listen! Adora... I'm sorry! For everything!"
"I guess it sure must be easy being a people-pleaser like you."-"The Sword: Part 1"
"Duh! Did ya just figure that out?! Manipulation is Shadow Weaver's whole thing! She's been messing with our heads since we were kids."-"The Sword: Part 2"
"You've known these people for what, a couple of hours? And now you're going to throw everything away for THEM?"-"The Sword: Part 2"
"This is the greatest thing that's ever happened!"-"White Out," when Adora attacks her own friends.
"I'll never say sorry to anyone, ever!"-Young Catra
"Where are your new best friends? I thought you guys did EVERYTHING together."
"You know what? It doesn't matter. Nothing matters anymore. You know what I see here? All my hard work ignored because of one mistake. My dreams turning to dust in front of my eyes."-"Once Upon a Time in the Waste"
"So, here's the thing. I've done this. The whole “threatening people” bit, the intimidation. I've been there. And I just don't care anymore. Some people have a bad day. [claws scraping on bar] I've had a bad life. If I want something, it's taken from me. [bludgeons patron, steals knife] If I win a fight, I lose the war. Threats only work on someone who has something to lose. But me? [...] I've already lost it all. And you can't be any good at this, because you just let yourself get distracted."-"Once Upon a Time in the Waste"
"It won't be over until Bright Moon is destroyed and the rebellion falls. It won't be OVER until darkness covers Etheria forever. And it won't be over until I see the looks on your friends' faces when they find out you failed. That you were too WEAK to save them!"-"The Battle of Bright Moon (episode)"
"It's never been a game to me. I'm after something bigger, and no one is gonna stop me."-"Princess Prom"
Catra: "Yeah, well you never did have too much faith in me."
Adora: "Can you blame me?"
Catra: "Not really."
—Adora and Catra trapped in a First Ones' tower.Promise, minute 4:30
Adora: "I’m saying, this is wrong. They've been lying to us, manipulating us. Hordak, Shadow Weaver, all of them."
Catra: "Duh! Did ya just figure that out? Manipulation is Shadow Weaver's whole thing. She's been messing with our heads since we were kids."
Adora: "How could you possibly be okay with that?"
Catra: "Because, it doesn't matter what they do. The two of us look out for each other. And soon we'll be calling the shots. Now, can we go home?"
Adora: "Adora: I'm not going home. Not after everything I've seen. Come with me. You don't have to go back there. We can fix this."
"This time I am going to win. I don't care what it takes. We are opening that portal. Now."
"Aren't you tired of losing? After all, clock's ticking. Big Brother Prime could show up at any moment."-"Flutterina"
"I've been a little busy, you know, almost toppling Bright Moon and coming closer than anyone ever has to conquering the planet for the Horde? Not that anyone seems to care. [...] How am I supposed to defeat the Rebellion when all I do is this stupid busy work?"-"Signals"
Catra is confirmed to be a lesbian, hence how she and Adora kissed on the lips during one of the scenes of the last episode of the series as she confessed her love for Adora.
In the original series, Catra was a human female who wore a mask from the magicats, a race of cat people that live under Etheria's surface, that could turn her into a jaguar. She also had a tendency to make cat puns. Both were utilized in Bow's fantasy in "Roll With It" along with several other aspects of the original series, such as the way she wore her headpiece.
According to ND Stevenson in his BLM charity stream, Catra's distant origins are the Magicats from another planet that we get a brief glimpse of in season 5, when Horde Prime surveys the planets that are rebelling against him, an Easter Egg for the fans.[2] ND also says that when the Best Friends Squad will travel to restore magic in the universe, they may find the Magicat planet.[3]
Catra's astrological sign is Scorpio, also known as the scorpion. This is ironic since she and Scorpia are friends.
Catra's future appearance is teased in Adora's dream visions in "Heart Part 2," as she would later couple with the latter and live in Bright Moon palace as part of the Best Friends Squad. As confirmed by Mickey Quinn, who designed Catra’s appearance in that scene, Adora and Catra are supposed to be married in that possible future, as it is apparently an Etherian custom for married couples to have matching colour schemes. This scene may have been a foreshadowing of when she and Adora kissed.
Catra's catchphrase "Hey Adora." are the first words spoken by her in the show. She first said it at the end of the training session in the first episode of Season One. She's uttered it fifteen times over the course of the series.
Catra's heterochromia (having eyes of different colors) can represent her inner imbalance that she constantly tried to even out through her unending struggles for power, dominance, and control despite her true desire for something else, something that would bring her true happiness and harmony yet is hindered by her trying to hide and squash her vulnerabilities.
Catra actually purrs when she's happy like a real cat. She does this several times throughout the series, notably after being rescued by Adora in "Save the Cat" and after confessing her love for Adora and embracing her near the very end of "Heart Part 2."
Catra's cute sneeze
In Season Five, on Catra's first mission with the Rebellion, Bow noticed that Catra has the cutest sneeze he has ever heard.
In a similar way to this, in the same episode, when Catra chooses not to remove her helmet due to her doubting Entrapta's mentions, Bow states that "if his helmet was that adorable, he'd leave it on too." She then attempted to remove her helmet, which partly involved using her right foot to remove it.
In a tweet, ND Stevenson references Fever Coat and also a picture of young Catra with a central focus on her ear tufts. The reference states: "Fever Coat appears in kittens because the pigments have not been properly deposited in the fur. This causes parts of the fur to appear silver-grey, cream or reddish as a result."
Stevenson created a playlist dubbed "Catra" on Spotify, along with a few other of the main characters. These playlists seem to have songs that ND identifies with the characters, or about their feelings throughout the show.
Stevenson also tweeted that, in terms of Hogwarts houses, Catra is a "Hufflepuff trying to be a Slytherin." Then, in the same thread, "like, a mean Hufflepuff though".
According to Ray Geiger, her middle name is "Applesauce". And according to creator Stevenson, Catra's last name is "Meowmeow". A joke from the creator and character designer to make the fans laugh, which ND Stevenson later confirmed is not intended to be taken seriously.[4]
Catra is the second character to be in the same intro twice. (The first was Double Trouble, appearing in The Horde behind Catra, and as Flutterina, replacing Entrapta).
The rebooted incarnation of Catra has been praised as one of the show's most complex and interesting characters by .[5][6][7][8][9]
In a BLM livestream fundraiser ND Stevenson said that Catra's favorite number is "66666" though this is never stated on the show and is therefore not canon within the show.[10]
Also in the BLM livestream, ND Stevenson stated that Catra is loosely based on one of her cats, named Toast.
The reason why Catra’s hair was cut short in Season Five was because ND thought she would be really cute with it. [11] It was also to better show the control chip on her neck. Originally, Catra was going to have a ponytail designed by Mickey Quinn, however, this was changed to the short hairstyle seen in the show. The ponytail was reused for Catra’s future design.
Catra’s short hairdo may have been hinted at when ND Stevenson made a joke about Catra getting an undercut around the time of season two.[12]
With her short hairdo, Catra bears quite a resemblance to Molly Osterag, ND Stevenson’s wife.
Catra was the first Etherian to be Chipped. This happened while she was aboard Horde Prime's ship, the Velvet Glove.
ND Stevenson tweeted that Catra had 'died' nine times throughout the series, and was revived by Adora in "Save the Cat". This is presumably a joke referencing the myth of cats having nine lives.[13]
A very early episode idea would have revolved around Shadow Weaver forgetting Catra's birthday. Catra and Adora would have ended up becoming trapped somewhere, where it would have been revealed that Adora had remembered Catra’s birthday.[14]
Another early episode idea would have had Adora thinking an ordinary cat was Catra in disguise, a possible reference to her 80s incarnation.
ND Stevenson confirmed on Twitter that Catra is indeed a WOC (Woman Of Colour) with the popular headcanon among the crew being that she was Latina, though ND is supportive of all ethnicity headcanons for Catra. [15]
It is not currently known where Catra got her new outfit in season five. The original idea was for Catra to wear Adora’s shirt but with the sleeves ripped.
According to her voice actor AJ Michalka, Catra's favorite color is red.[16]
Xanthe Bouma, Keiko Murayama, and Jisoo Kim developed her debut design.[17]
The She-Ra pitch bible summarizes Catra as Dirtbag little sister.[18]
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