Comprehensive information and links about Catwoman

Catwoman Nine versions of Catwoman's costume are seen, from the following eras (clockwise from bottom left) — 1990s, early 1990s, 1940 (first appearance), Magdalene Kyle (sister), Bruce Wayne (pre-Crisis husband, retconned out of existence), Helena Wayne (pre-Crisis daughter, retconned out of existence), Karl Kyle (King of the Cats, pre-Crisis brother, retconned out of existence)Above-average agility and dexterity; expertise in cat burglar training; steel spring-loaded climbing pitons and razor-sharp retractable nails allow her to scale vertical surfaces; wields an assortment of bullwhips and cat-o'-nine tails as gymnastic equipmentCatwoman is a DC Comics character, associated with the Batman franchise. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, she first appeared in #1 (Spring, 1940), where she was initially known as "The Cat". Her real name "Selina" derives from the ancient lunar deity Selene.

Although originally introduced as an opponent for Batman, Catwoman's status as hero or villain is ambiguous; she has her own moral code (she abhors killing, though has resorted to it at times) and has occasionally teamed up with Batman and other heroes against greater threats, even saving the lives of the entire Justice League on one occasion. She represents a gray area in Batman's otherwise black and white life where the line between good and evil blurs, and his attraction to her stems from this perception that, in her way, she's kind of a female version of himself: another dark, beautiful creature that prowls the night.

Catwoman, in her first appearance, wore no costume or disguise at all, and it was not until her next appearance that she donned a mask, which was a theatrically face-covering cat-mask that had the appearance of a real cat, rather than a more stylized face mask seen in her later incarnations. Later, she wore a dress with a hood that came with ears, and still later, a suit was green in color, which was typical of villains of that era. In the 1990s, she usually wore a skintight purple suit, before switching to a black leather outfit that recalls Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman costume in . In recent years, she has usually alternated between these two costumes. Ed Brubaker, the master-mind behind the 2001 revamp of the character, has stated that Selina's current costume was inspired by Emma Peel's iconic catsuit [1]. It has a more high tech look, with domino-shaped infrared goggles on her cowl.

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Comic Book History

There have been many versions of Catwoman's origins and backstory seen in the comic books over the decades.

#62, it was revealed that Catwoman (after a blow to the head jogged her memory) was an amnesiac flight attendant who had turned to crime after suffering a prior blow to the head during a plane crash she survived (although in the final issue of she later admitted that she made up the amnesia story because she wanted a way out of the past life of crime). She wound up reforming and stayed on the straight and narrow for several years, helping out Batman in #211, her final appearance for many years (until 1966).

In the 1970s comics, a series of stories taking place on Earth-Two (the parallel Earth that was retroactively declared as the home of DC's Golden Age characters) revealed that on that world, Selina reformed in the 1950s (presumably after the events of #69) and had married Bruce Wayne; soon afterwards, the couple gave birth to their only child, Helena Wayne (the Huntress). In #62 was elaborated on, after Selina revealed that she never actually had amnesia. It was revealed that Selina Kyle had been the wife of an abusive man, and eventually decided to leave her husband. However, her husband had kept her jewelry in his private vault, and she had to break into it to retrieve the jewelry. Selina enjoyed this experience so much she decided to become a professional costumed cat burglar, and thus began a career that would repeatedly lead to her encountering the Batman.

The Earth-TwoGolden Age Selena Kyle eventually died in the late 1970s after being blackmailed by a criminal into going into action again as Catwoman (as shown in #70 (November 1966); afterwards, she continued to make appearances across the various Batman comics.

Several stories in the 1970s featured Catwoman committing murder, something that neither the Earth-One or Earth-Two versions of her would ever do; this version of Catwoman was assigned to the alternate world of Earth-B, an alternate Earth that included stories that couldn't be considered canonical on Earth-One or Earth-Two.

A revision in Catwoman's origin, and the introduction of the modern version of her, came in 1986 when writer Frank Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli produced , a revision of Batman’s origin. In the course of the story, the origin of Catwoman was also re-envisioned, as a 5'7" Selina Kyle was reintroduced as a cat-loving prostitutedominatrix who was inspired to become a costumed cat burglar when she saw Batman in action.

(Selina Kyle played a minor role in Frank Miller's) by writer Mindy Newell and artist J.J. Birch. This series showed how Catwoman’s early career was tinged with tragedy as her former pimp Stan abducted Selina's sister Maggie and violently abused her. This led Selina to kill Stan, leaving Selina in an unbalanced mental state.

Further, , implied that Catwoman suspected she was the long-lost illegitimate daughter of Carmine Falcone, although she found no definitive proof of this. Selina's connection to the Falcone family was further explored in the recent miniseries (2004-5). Though more circumstantial evidence was added to the theory of Selina's Falcone heritage, no definitive proof was provided.

It is currently unclear how much of these stories remain canonical to Catwoman’s current origin, as various stories and editors' statements over the years since then have stated that Selina was never a prostitute and that other events depicted in those stories never happened. However, characters introduced in these stories (such as Selina’s young friend Holly from series, and aspects of those plots are occasionally referenced, including recent issues that show Hollie remembering her days as a prostitute with Catwoman.

"Cover to Catwoman (1st series) #1, the first issue of her original ongoing series. Art by Jim Balent." and Selina Kyle’s prominent role in that film, Catwoman was given her first ongoing series. This series, written by an assortment of writers but primarily penciled by Jim Balent, generally depicted the character as an international thief with an ambiguous moral code.

Storylines included her adoption of a teenage runaway named Arizona, whom she briefly took on as a sidekick; aiding the criminal Bane, followed by helping Azrael to defeat him; and Selina Kyle as a reluctant government operative. The series also fleshed out more of her origin, revealing her beginnings as an underage thief, her difficult period in juvenile incarceration, and the training she received from superhero Ted (Wildcat) Grant.

As the series neared its end, Selina moved to New York and through blackmail, became first corporate vice president, then CEO of Randolf Industries, a mafia-influenced company. She intended to use this position to run for mayor. However, her plans were ruined when the supervillain the Trickster inadvertently connected Kyle to her Catwoman alter ego.

"Cover to Catwoman (2nd series) #1, the first issue of her new ongoing series. Art by Darwyn Cooke." storyline. As Catwoman, Kyle assisted Batman against Lex Luthor in the reconstruction of the city. However immediately following that, she was arrested by Commissioner Gordon and put on trial, followed by being sentenced to imprisonment. While in prison, she escaped, and under the influence of Dr. Harleen Quinzel (the supervillain Harley Quinn), became mentally unbalanced.

When later that year during the storyline in the Batman titles, Catwoman was initially the chief suspect. Although later cleared, she displayed increasingly erratic behavior throughout the story. Soon afterwards she disappeared and was thought killed by the assassin Deathstroke the Terminator, ending her series at #94.

Catwoman then appeared in a series of backup stories in , by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Darwyn Cooke, the reader followed private detective Slam Bradley's attempts to find out what really happened to Selina Kyle.

This storyline led in to the newest series in late 2001 (written by Brubaker initially with Cooke, later joined by artist Cameron Stewart). In this series, Selina Kyle, joined by new supporting cast members Holly and Slam Bradley (a character from the early Golden Age DC Comics), became protector of the residents of Gotham’s East End, while still carrying out an ambitious career as a cat burglar. This series met with critical and fan acclaim, especially for its first 25 issues.

During the #608-#619, Batman and Catwoman briefly worked together and had a short affair, during the course of which Batman revealed his true identity to her. At the end, Catwoman broke off their relationship when Batman believed that it had been influenced by the villain Hush.

Catwoman further proved herself an ally when she fought alongside Batman and the League against the old Secret Society, of which she had once briefly been a member. Wounded, she was taken to the Batcave to recover. When Despero and a faction of brainwashed League members infiltrated the cave and succeeded in brainwashing Batman, Catwoman was able to send a distress call out to the unaffected League members. After a fierce struggle, Despero was subdued. However, this was something of a hollow victory, since all recognized that Despero was able to pit the JLA members against one another by drawing upon pre-existing animosities and distrust. In response to Batman's inquiry about her wounds, Selina departed the Batcave after curtly informing Batman that he had already "done enough."

Catwoman appears to be completely reformed, and her love for Batman true (although brash and unpredictable). However, it is now unclear if her reformation was the result of a mindwipe by Zatanna, a procedure known to deeply affect and, in at least one case, physically incapacitate its victims. Selina had no inkling that any villains had been mindwiped until Batman informed her of the events of , and he now worries that her reformation may be due to mental manipulation.

At the start of the recent storyline ("The One You Love"), an influx of supervillains seized control of the East End, leaving Selina with no choice but to join the new incarnation of the Secret Society. While her initial intentions were unclear, Selina shared her plans to infiltrate and destroy the cadre of East End villains with Batman.

Selina made a deal with a former criminal who had powers similar to Clayface's, who had promised to help her in exchange for his freedom. The man impersonated her, and allowed several villains to shoot and dismember him, giving the impression to the underworld that Catwoman was really dead (like Clayface, the man was able to survive what would otherwise be fatal wounds). Capitalizing upon the advantage which her "resurrection" provided her (the villains believing she had somehow managed to cheat death), Catwoman dismantled the new East End cadre of criminals, one villain at time. After she was done, Zatanna appeared at her side, informing her that she had some "bad news", hinting at an important revelation about her past.

Zatanna proceeded to explain to Catwoman that she had magically tampered with Catwoman's mind, forcibly turning her from villain to hero. Zatanna gave no reason for her actions, but in flashback it was shown that she had acted with the consent and aid of five of the seven JLA members who had helped her mindwipe Dr. Light and Batman. Catwoman's response to this revelation was unequivocal: she pitched Zatanna out a window. Afterwards, she was seen covering her bed with past versions of her Catwoman costume.

#7, the DC Universe will jump forward one year in time. In the new year, Selina Kyle has been forced to leave the East End and is no longer Catwoman, and someone new has replaced her. Writer Will Pfeifer has stated on the new Catwoman, "Without revealing any identities, the new Catwoman is someone with less experience than Selina Kyle -- though she's not completely inexperienced, and she's been part of that shadowy world Catwoman inhabits for years. She's had training, and she's been on the mean streets, but she's going to make some mistakes. She's also going to handle her duties of protecting the East End in a completely different way than Selina, which so far has been very interesting to write. Selina is so smooth and polished; it's fun to write about someone who's a little rougher, a little sloppier." [2]

The writer then revealed that the reason for Selina's retirement is that she's pregnant. [3]

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Catwoman was at various times played by Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt in the live-action television series of the 1960s, her first other-media portrayal. Lee Meriwether portrayed her in the 1966 "Batman" motion picture, based on the television series, when Newmar was unavailable. An uncredited fourth woman played Catwoman as part of a villain team-up in "The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra," the next to last episode of the series.

She appeared in the Batman cartoon of the 1960s (on the "SupermanAquaman Hour") wearing the green costume she wore during that time. She appeared on the Batman cartoon of the 1970s ("The New Adventures of Batman") wearing an all-new outfit that has never been seen outside that series. She was voiced by Adrienne Barbeau in 1992's Catwoman had blonde hair, coinciding with the release of Batman Returns, in which she was played by blonde actress Michelle Pfeiffer. In the second series, however, she appears to have shorter black hair. Whether her hair was dyed or her natural color was never made clear.

Catwoman was voiced by a different actress, Gina Gershon, in the 2000s series . As recreated by Daniel Waters and Tim Burton, Selina Kyle is a beautiful but shy and clumsy young woman who always says the wrong thing, thinks aloud, frequently insults herself and works as the harassed secretary of evil tycoon Max Shreck. Behind this cartoonish and rather stereotypical character, however, lies a shattered soul filled with frustration and self-loathing who only needs - and quite literally gets - a little push to break into insanity.

Mysteriously given new life by alley cats (in a memorable Burton-esque scene) after her corrupt boss apparently kills her, her repressed rage and sexuality - and, as one could argue, some sort of mystic feline influence as well - create Catwoman, an extreme version of everything she was never allowed - by both society and herself - to be: a loveable rogue, a sexual predator and a powerful woman. She is at the same time a feminist version of Batman, defending meek - exactly what she was at the beginning of the film, and probably during most of her life - but insulting them for being so, and a terrorist of sorts, blowing up an entire floor of Shreck's department store and ultimately seeking to kill him. Accordingly with the film's interest in the schizophrenic aspects of its characters, Catwoman finds a reflection of herself in Batman ("Who are you?", she asks him, "Who's the man behind the Bat? Maybe you can help me find... the woman... behind the Cat"), just as Bruce Wayne finds a reflection of himself in Selina ("You... you've kind of a dark side, don't you?", to which she answers, "Not darker than yours, Bruce"), and this relationship seems to be Selina's only grip on sanity as her mental state seems to deteriorate (along with her costume, which is actually a metaphor of her) throughout the movie - now unrepressed thanks to her nightly alter-ego, the rage and resentment of her dark side are actually starting to destroy her. While many viewers and critics enjoyed the richness and complexity of the character, not to mention the way Pfeiffer looked and acted in the heavy makeup and the shiny black costume, fans of the original comic books disliked the notorious alterations and considered not only the character but the entire film to be more Tim Burton than Batman.

In the scene where Patience is told of the history of the Catwomen, she is pushed off the balcony and lands in the living room floor. Ophelia Powers then throws photos of previous catwomen down to her, and one can clearly see a picture of Michelle Pfeiffer's "Batman Returns" version of the character, which hints that either there is some link between Patience Phillips and Selina Kyle, or that it was done as a means of paying homage to the original character. In addition, the original "Catwoman" outfit that Patience wears when she robs a jewelry store is patterned after the "Catwoman" outfit worn by Eartha Kitt in the 1960s "Batman" tv series.

The movie became a box-office failure, and was panned by critics fans alike. Halle Berry won the 2005 Razzie award for worst actress in a film for her role as Catwoman, and collected it in person; only the second Razzie 'winner' to have done so.

Selina Kyle appeared briefly (and was killed off) in the first episode of the short-lived 2002 television series , which featured Catwoman's daughter by Batman, the Huntress. Catwoman was portrayed by Maggie Baird. Another blond Catwoman, her costume and history appeared to be based on the was called "Kat-nappe," and was similar to Catwoman in appearance.

Marvel Comics' Black Cat, as initially seen in , was originally intended to be a homage to Catwoman, although she eventually developed in a much different direction. The Black Cat is also a feline-themed thief, although she eventually reformed (but still commits the occasional theft) and became Spider-Man's partner and lover for a time.