The very earliest version of the character that would become Red Cat was known as Nightstriker. This went through several versions including Knightstrike and Stryker Knight. These designs were much simpler and didn’t include the cat/tiger influences yet. Over the years the character evolved into that early 2000s design on the right.
Then in 2009 I put together the first 3D version of Red Cat. At the time I didn’t have the modeling skills to do his mask correctly, so I just mapped the design to a flat shape.
In 2013 I updated his look and finally modeled a fully 3D mask. That gave me this design. Other than a few tweaks, this remains his current look.
Red Cat’s influences include:
1. “Nightwing”, especially the Bludhaven solo series drawn by Scott McDaniel and Chuck Dixon.
2. “Amazing Spider-Man”, especially the J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita, Jr Totem stories.
3. “Human Target”, the tv series from 2010, starring Mark Valley, Chi McBride, and Jackie Earle Haley.
4. “Perfect Weapon”, the movie starring Jeff Speakman. I’ve watched a lot of action and martial arts movies over the years, but I especially enjoyed Jeff’s escrima work here.
5. The Princess Bride, Kung Fu Panda, Rush Hour, and too many other action, comedy, and spy thriller stories to list here.