As an Amazon warrior, Wonder Woman has faced all manner of enemies since her debut in the Golden Age of Comics. Perhaps none has vexed her quite like the threat of The Cheetah, who's remained a firm part of her rogues' gallery since she debuted. Unfortunately, recent comic books have gone way too far in domesticating the ferocious villain.
In tales such as Lazarus Planet and the current run on Wonder Woman, Cheetah is a begrudging ally of Wonder Woman. There's almost no strife or conflict between them, and it robs Diana of her greatest enemy. Given the disrespect usually given toward her cast of villains, this is not a good trend for one of the top superheroines in comic books.
Wonder Woman Has Made Peace With Her Archenemy Cheetah
Ever since DC Rebirth, The Cheetah has been reimagined as something of a tragic villain. Whereas Barbara Minerva originally sought the power of the god Urtzkartaga for selfish reasons, Greg Rucka took a more sympathetic approach with her in the Rebirth reboot. Her transformation into Cheetah was now a curse, and her feud with Wonder Woman stemmed from her blaming Diana for her new form. Beforehand, she was actually a friend to Diana, admiring her as an aspect of historical mythology.
While this tragedy arguably gives Cheetah more depth, the reality is that she's now far too friendly with her archenemy. As mentioned, recent storylines such as Lazarus Planet have Cheetah willing to fight alongside Wonder Woman, whereas past continuities would've had the two at least initially at odds with each other. Such problems are further compounded by the war god Ares seemingly coming to the aid of Wonder Woman in her newest issues. It seems as if all of Wonder Woman's greatest enemies are becoming allies, removing tension from her stories.
Wonder Woman's Greatest Nemesis Should Remain Her Enemy
With characters such as Superman and Batman, a big part of their popularity is their rogues' gallery. That's not quite been the case with Wonder Woman, with many of her foes not even showing up in her classic TV series from the 1970s. The Cheetah in particular lacks iconic stories in the vein of Batman: The Killing Joke or Brian Azzarello's Luthor: Man of Steel. Part of the reason for this is a lack of a strong motive to really oppose Wonder Woman, an issue made stronger by their currently being so "nice" to each other. A good way to rectify this would be to emulate how other villains have succeeded.
Luthor, Black Manta, and Eobard Thawne essentially blame Superman, Aquaman, and The Flash for every bad thing in their lives. The tragic origin that Greg Rucka gave Cheetah in Rebirth is a good start, but its faults lie in how easy it was to simply transition Barbara Minerva into someone with no grudge aginst Wonder Woman. Since Cheetah is Diana's most recognizable opponent, they need to have an undying enmity. After all, this is a foe who regularly fights the godlike powers of Wonder Woman and races against The Flash. The presence of Cheetah needs to immediately make Diana take notice and realize that she's in for the fight of her life and not a happy reunion.