Little is known about April Dumaka's past. During the Dominator occupation of Earth, she was enamoured of a handsome young man named Ansis, who seemed to be interested in her. Unfortunately for April, Ansis’ interest in her was not as a romantic partner, but as an exploitable commodity; for undisclosed rewards, he betrayed her to the Dominators, and she was turned over to Earth’s conquerors. Experimented upon in their underground laboratories, April’s metagene was activated, turning her from a baseline human into a catlike girl, with claws, heightened senses, and superhuman agility.
While in stasis awaiting the brainwashing needed to turn her into a superhuman drone of the Dominators, April was lucky enough to be in a chamber adjacent to Danielle Foccart, who could communicate with computers. Manipulating the computer-controlled stasis chambers, Foccart freed herself and her nearest neighbours – April, Xao Jin and former Legionnaire Bobb (Crystal Kid) Kohan, and the four of them escaped death when the chambers were destroyed. In seeking shelter, they encountered the SW6 Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl, who took April, Xao and Danielle – though oddly not Bobb – to their command post.
After the destruction of Earth, when Reep Daggle decided to help re-establish SW6 Legion, now called the Legionnaires, as the guardians of New Earth, April, Danielle and Xao were the first new recruits. April took the codename 'Catspaw'.
