Gilberto Matute was unassuming in appearance. He was a meek man with a neutral disposition. Despite this, he was by far the most dreaded man the world over. Though a national of Mexico City, with little means to travel, Gilberto began killing across the globe from a very young age. As an orphan, he was abused by foster parents, the system, everyone. Life seemed to be constant torture and Gilberto was forced to change. Through the shredding of everything that made him human to defend himself, he discovered a power that would prove to be very useful for him, and extremely unfortunate for many others.
On the streets, completely abandoned, Gil was treated like literal garbage. He learned that people could only treat him a certain way if they could perceive him a certain way. Whenever he wanted, his body wouldn’t actually change, but his appearance could flawlessly mimic whoever he cared to imitate. This was incredibly handy. As he began to use it more and more, he realized a secondary effect.
The subject of Gilberto’s imitation would not only be used as a mask for however long he desired, but also would transform them into a twisted version of him. They would appear and act as an extremely devious, violent Gilberto. Not far from the real thing.
Investigators could never quite crack the case, as people began to turn up dead or vanish all around the world. It was clear that the crimes were committed by one individual, as witnesses would all corroborate Gil’s scraggly look. They didn’t consider that the culprit could imitate anyone he wanted around the world. All he had to do was see them once, then he’d be able to use them until he forgot them.
Gil spent much time taking over anyone he saw on the television. There were mass murders on popular shows, movie sets, political events, etc. Each kill gave him the motivation to continue, gratifying his ability. His spree would take place over the span of forty years, keeping the entire world hostage from a shack in Mexico City.
A new era began with the rise of Mexcellente, who live on TV quickly vowed to bring an end to Gil’s reign of terror. Infuriated, the murderer tried instantly to impersonate him. The sombrero upon Mexcellente’s head protected him. Working with police and various investigators, Mex was able to triangulate the most active area for Gil’s victims.
One morning, Gilberto Matute heard helicopters swarming and the sweet sound of a Spanish guitar. He peered outside through a crack in the wall of his shack, but Mex was too fast. The poncho of the pride of Mexico was wrapped around Gil’s head, preventing him from doing any kind of transformation.
Gilberto awoke in a padded room. This was the room he’d spend the next twenty years in. Nobody to look at, no stimulation whatsoever. The guards watching a hidden pinhole camera feed were stunned as Gilberto was completely still aside from using the restroom and eating. He sat up and slept. The madness within him grew exponentially over that time.
Eventually, a new government decided that being held that way was inhumane, even for the most notorious killer of all time. For their big upgrade, they had him moved to a cell with a small window. This would be a grave error, though none may ever know it. The window allowed Gilberto to see a single streak of sun once a day. He began to look directly at that, every day for months.
At the moment Gil expected the sun to shine through, his eyes caught something else. He saw fur. It was nothing more than that, just fur. His power, however, had been stewing within him. It was used so readily for so many years that it was primed to act. He took the chance and did something he never even attempted before, mimicking an animal. Gil swapped entirely with the fur he saw. This was a final mimic for the dying man. He put all of himself into a wandering cat and left that cat within his body.
As the cat, he couldn’t swap with other people anymore, but he could become any cat he desired as well as turn them into murderous versions of himself. His new fur could change into any pattern he desired, granting him the perfect camouflage. Gilberto felt that at any moment, he’d be able to reenter his human body, but then he’d be back in the cell forever. Better to just learn how to be a bad kitty.
