Who is Catwoman? Is she comic book's ultimate femme fatale, a Barbara Stanwyck-type clad in tight latex and always on the run? Is she a criminal by circumstance more than by choice? Is she the unobtainable romantic interest, sneaking through alleyways and rooftops, destined to always run faster, jump higher, away from men? The answer is as elusive as the character herself, how could it not be, after 82 years of history in a genre characterized by its ever-changing sensibilities?
The Cat, as Selina was first known, was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane to appeal to female readers and provide Batman with a clear love interest. To the writer, women were dangerous and inviting. Kane made no effort to hide his biases against the opposite sex, declaring in his 1989 autobiography that "We don't want anyone taking over our souls, and women have a habit of doing that."
Kane created his ultimate vessel of treachery: a woman that was attractive, beautiful, elusive, and dangerous. Her characterization was very different from Batman's other villains. She was a trickster, a liar, a master of seduction and a master of disguise, and that made her much worse.
Catwoman has led many lives, becoming whatever she needs to keep up with the times. She was a feminist role model in the age of female liberation, a misunderstood criminal in the age of amoral heroes, and a film noir character. Whatever ideas of womanhood prevail at any given time, Catwoman has always had a way of reflecting them.
During the Golden Age of comics, Catwoman stayed true to Kane's initial characterization. She could be vulnerable around Batman in one panel, then become aggressive and distant the next. The Comics Code Authority of the mid-50s had an effect on her growth, but she persevered. She and Batman played a game of chess when confronting each other.
She was like many of the Bat's biggest enemies. Catwoman was everything from a flight attendant to a criminal mastermind. She was the epitome of grey, with no black or white. There was only so much to cover and it was simplistic. Thanks to the intervention of three women, Catwoman's fate would change.
TheBatman series was camp at its best. The show embodied 1960s sensibilities that favored simplicity and wholesomeness. Julie Newmar played Catwoman in Batman's first two seasons, offering an unapologetically horny take on the character. The traditional femininity expected of female television characters was blended with the ideas inherent to Catwoman. The portrayal was easy to balance comedy and seduction. Newmar came off as pleasant even though he was in complete control of the situation.
Between seasons one and two there was a Batman movie. Lee Meriwether stepped into the role because Newmar was not able to reprise it. Her take on the role kept Newmar's sexual approach but 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 888-739-5110 The character of the Cat was similar to the Golden Age persona of Meriwether. It's easy to understand why people forget about Meriwether when discussing Catwoman. She didn't do much to establish her own take on the role, and she was sandwiched between two different takes of the character.
Newmar's return for the show's second season further diminished his contributions. Eartha Kitt was allowed to wear the catsuit at the end of the second season. Kitt was already a major star thanks to her singing career, and her casting was a major event. Many reacted negatively, especially considering the previous will-they-won dynamic between Catwoman and Batman. A Black woman in a romance with a white man was too much for some people. Significant changes were made to Kitt's Catwoman.
There was no suggestion of a romance between the Bat and the Cat. Kitt's Catwoman became an ambitious and often ruthless crime lord. Kitt's high-pitched voice and use of purring sounds are already legendary, but her performance went beyond the superficial. She used her entire body to tell the Cat's story. She used her words and eyes and hands and hips to express the sensuality of the character, but television didn't like it.
After three seasons, Batman ended, closing the door on another live-action Catwoman. The character remained a constant presence in the comic books, even under a deadlier approach. The Catwoman from the early 70s was more cruel and bloodthirsty than before, and her crimes and murders threatened to send her past the grey and into the black.
In the 70s and 80s, Catwoman went straight as she entered a relationship with Bruce Wayne, with her Earth-1 counterparts getting married in DC Super-Stars #17. This was the first time that the two characters tried traditional romantic bliss, and while the experiment didn't last, it provided insight into their attraction. Bruce and Selina have a distrust in each other that makes their dynamic chaotic. He loves her but is always waiting for her to turn on him, while she struggles with self-doubt, questioning whether she can truly turn over a new leaf.
Frank Miller's seminal comic book storyline Batman: Year One provided arguably the best-known version of the character's backstory. Miller redefined Catwoman as a liberator, a fierce disruptor of the system operating outside the law, when he turned Selina into a dominatrix. Catwoman wanted to relocate power to the people instead of restoring it to the institutions. This modern-age Catwoman paved the way for the most famous live-action take on the character.
In one of the best superhero films of all time, Tim Burton's Batman Returns features a meek and helpless secretary named Selina Kyle, who is written about in her own words. In the movie, the hero's typical journey of liberation and self-discovery goes to the villains. She wants revenge against the men who hurt her. In Burton's world, every man does. Max Shreck underestimates her, the Penguin uses her, but it's Batman who makes the most egregious mistake, refusing to see her for who she is, even though he can save her.
Pfeiffer's Catwoman has no use for a hero. She doesn't care much for redemption or even survival. All of Catwoman's trademark qualities, overt sexuality, duality of intentions, shifting loyalties, and empowerment, are brought together by Pfeiffer in a way that would become crucial to Catwoman's characterization going.
The character became popular in the next few years. Catwoman became an international criminal with a decidedly amoral code. The 90s were the time of the powerful businesswoman in media, including Heather Locklear in Melrose Place and Tina Brown in Vanity Fair. She played a crucial role in two of the Bat's most famous storylines, The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, which implied that she was Carmine Falcone's daughter.
Warner Bros. began exploring the idea of a solo Catwoman film with her role as an independent force free from the Bat's influence. Initially, Pfeiffer was to return in a story that would see an amnesiac Selina travel to Oasisburg, the DC version of Las Vegas. Pfeiffer was exciting as the project spent years in development hell. There were rumors that actresses like Nicole Kidman would take over the role, but nothing materialized. The film Catwoman was made after Halle Berry won the part.
Berry, fresh off her 2002 Oscar win for Monster's Ball and riding high on a wave of commercial successes, seemed the perfect choice for the role. She was a gifted actress with many awards under her belt. With a supporting cast that included Law & Order's Benjamin Bratt as the love interest and Sharon Stone as the villain, director Pitof promised to be a worthy film.
It wasn't to be. Berry, playing an alternate version of Catwoman, leaned heavily into the style of Eartha Kitt. The 1960 Batman series acknowledged and celebrated the kitsch in Kitt's performance, whereas the 2004 movie did not. 1966's Batman and 2004's Catwoman were laughed at by audiences. The film was nearly unwatchable due to the lack of dialogue, clumsy action scenes, and a truly inexplicable take on the Cat's costume.
Catwoman was bad enough to ruin Berry's career, but the character came out relatively unscathed. After the Infinite Crisis event in the comics, Selina abandoned her costumed identity and became a devoted mother. Even if she took a new step towards the white with each new issue, she would still be in the grey.
The Dark Knight Rises was Christopher Nolan's 2012 film. The epitome of the idea of Catwoman without ever becoming a truly three-dimensional character is played by Nolan's Selina. Like most of Nolan's female characters, Hathaway's Selina never rises above superficial characterization and only exists in service to Batman's story, acting as a foe in the beginning before becoming an unlikely hero.
There is something impressive about the way she portrays the role, to the point where she might be the most comic-book accurate live-action version of the Cat. Kane's initial idea to a tee was a dangerous woman who uses her female attributes to trick the men around her. Unlike Pfeiffer and Berry, she is shy on purpose and only has sex when necessary. Her performance perfectly fits Nolan's hyper-realistic approach while still finding ways to embrace the character.
It has been 10 years since the last time we saw Catwoman, and she is still relevant. Her comic book persona is currently engaged in an affair with Batman, with the two of them expressing their love on every rooftop in the city. The latest live-action version, now played by ZoxEB; Kravitz, will make her anticipated debut with The Batman. The others that came before her were: Kitt's steely exterior, Newmar's easy sexuality, Pfeiffer's violent independence, and Berry's soft playfulness. There is a melancholy not present in any others. She is determined to do something about the violence she has witnessed in her life.
Who is Catwoman? Depending on which one is conjured, the answer may vary. Perseverance is a trait that all incarnation share. She is a survivor. She has been everything under the sun and then some, yet her appeal remains constant. She is both a hero and a villain. Vulnerable but never weak and self-serving, Catwoman can be everything fans want her to be, but above all, she wants to be. She has magic and appeal. Even though heroes come and go, Catwoman still has the last word with a smile on her face.
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