I re-watched season 1 because I thought I may be crazy for thinking Mumm-Ra was a cat, but every time I see him on screen all I can think of is wow…he reminds me of a cat.
To make my theory even crazier, me and my little sister began watching the series together (the reason for me re-watching) and her first thoughts when he stepped out of his tomb for the first time was “wow, his feet are like a little kitty.”
So I was like “Hey, I’m not Crazy.” The way he walks on the balls of his feet makes him look very agile and I understand it would be very cliche for him to be a Cat, but most shows are very cliche.
Watch that one part of the show again, when Grune opens the tomb and he steps out; Mumm-Ra almost hisses and the way he steps on his feet with his toes spreading apart and his pointy nails…you’ll think Cat.
It’s very easy to look for evidence that supports any theory (a type of bias; no offense). However, it can be very difficult to find evidence that contradicts that very same theory. Bigtones, I did see the part that you referenced, and I saw some evidence to support your theory:
- 2011 ThunderCats Ep.5 “Old Friends”: Mumm-Ra’s tomb looks like it has claws on the bottom, I saw Mumm-Ra stepping on his toes and the pointy nails. Contrastingly, I could not hear Mumm-ra hiss.
However, don’t reptiles, such as snakes, also hiss? By the way, does anyone know if reptiles walk on their toes? Also, couldn’t Mumm-Ra be a mix of animals?
Perhaps Mumm-Ra is a genetically engineered life-form,created through a combination of science and magic. He could of been the equivalent of a Frakenstein monster, made by future humans.
It’s a very good question as to whether Mumm-Ra is a cat or something else. If you want to consider the fact that Mumm-Ra might be based on Eygptian mythology since he is mummified and his ship is a pyramid, cats and lions are worshipped, but so are a variety of other animals: bull, baboon, falcon, vulture, crocodile, jackal, dog, cobra, ram, cow, and scarab beetle. I like the idea of him being a king that became corrupted with power and mutated into Mumm-Ra.
Going by the nose, wings and large ears (usually hidden up his hood, but visible in concept art) it looks like Mumm-Ra is actually a bat.