Catwoman
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Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise and created by Bill Finger and Bob Keanan.
The original and most widely known Catwoman, Selina Kyle, first appeared in Batman #1 (Spring 1940), in which she was initially known as The Cat. As an adversary of Batman, she was a whip-carrying burglar with a taste for high stake thefts. Modern writers have attributed her activities and costumed identity as a response to a history of abuse.
Since the 1990s, Catwoman has been featured in an eponymous series that cast her as an anti-hero rather than a villain. The character has been one of Batman's most enduring love interests, and has occasionally been depicted as his one true love.
A popular figure, Catwoman has been featured in most media adaptations related to Batman. Actresses Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether and Eartha Kitt introduced her to a large audience on the 1960s Batman television series. Michelle Pfeiffer portrayed the character in 1992's popular film Batman Returns.
Stepping out from under Batman's shadow, Halle Berry starred in a stand-alone Catwoman film in 2004. (However, the film features a title character bearing little resemblance to the comic book character).
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[edit] Selina Kyle
The name "Selina" derives from the ancient lunar deity Selene.
There have been many versions of Catwoman's origins and backstory seen in the comic books over the decades.
[edit] Golden and Silver Age versions
In Batman #62, it is revealed that Catwoman (after a blow to the head jogged her memory) is 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 The Brave and the Bold, she admits that she made up the amnesia story because she wanted a way out of the past life of crime). She winds up reforming and stays on the straight and narrow for several years, helping out Batman in Batman #65 and #69, until Selina decides to return to a life of crime in Detective Comics #203. Selina appears again as a criminal in Batman #84 and Detective Comics #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) reveal that on that world, Selina reformed in the 1950s (after the events of Batman #69) and had married Bruce Wayne; soon afterwards, the couple gave birth to their only child, Helena Wayne (the Huntress). In Brave and the Bold #197, the Golden Age origin of Catwoman given in Batman #62 is 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-Two/Golden Age Selena Kyle eventually dies in the late 1970s after being blackmailed by a criminal into going into action again as Catwoman (as shown in DC Super-Stars #17).
Catwoman's first Silver Age appearance was in Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #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.
[edit] Modern Age version
[edit] Tangled origins
A revision in Catwoman's origin, and the introduction of the modern version of the character, came in 1986 when writer Frank Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli published Batman: Year One, a revision of Batman’s origin. In the course of the story, the origin of Catwoman was also re-envisioned. Selina Kyle is reintroduced as a cat-loving prostitute/dominatrix who is inspired to become a costumed cat burglar when she sees Batman in action. In this story, Holly Robinson is introduced as Selina's roommate, a young runaway and prostitute Kyle has taken in.
The 1989 Catwoman limited series (collected in trade paperback form as Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper) by writer Mindy Newell and artist J.J. Birch expanded on Miller's Year One origin. Her Sister's Keeper explores Selina's early life as a prostitute and the start of her career as Catwoman. This is a dark and tragic period which culminates with Selina's former pimp Stan abducting and violently abusing her sister Maggie. Selina kills Stan to save her sister, and is able to do so with impunity.
Batman: Dark Victory, the sequel to The Long Halloween, implies that Catwoman suspects she is the long-lost illegitimate daughter of Carmine Falcone, although she finds no definitive proof of this. Selina's connection to the Falcone family is further explored in the miniseries Catwoman: When in Rome. Though more circumstantial evidence is added to the theory of Selina's Falcone heritage, no definitive proof is provided.
Portions of Her Sister's Keeper and the Year One origin conceived by Frank Miller remain canonical to Catwoman’s origin, while other portions have been dropped over the years. It has been implied that Her Sister's Keeper was rendered non-canonical by the events of Zero Hour, and subsequent writers have rejected Miller's choice to make the post-Crisis Catwoman a prostitute. In an attempt to harmonize the various versions, some writers have posited that Catwoman, early in her career, pretended to be a prostitute in order to scam lonely men and rob them. However, characters associated with Catwoman's past as a prostitute have remained a part of her supporting cast. Holly, from Batman: Year One, and her sister Maggie (from Her Sister's Keeper) have appeared regularly in the Catwoman series.
Selina is the older of two sisters (Maggie being the younger) born to Brian and Maria Kyle. (Catwoman v.1 #0, which provides details about Selina's childhood, neglects Maggie's existence.) Maria Kyle was a distant parent who preferred to spend her time with cats, and committed suicide when Selina was very young. Brian Kyle, a drunken layabout angry at his wife for killing herself, disliked Selina for resembling her mother and eventually drank himself to death.
Selina took to the streets for a time before being caught and sent first to an orphanage, then Juvenile Hall (Catwoman v.1 #0), "where Selina began to see how hard the world could really be." (Catwoman Secret Files and Origins.) Maggie's fate at this point in the time-line is not alluded to. However, when Ed Brubaker re-introduced her into the comic, he implied that Maggie may have directly entered an orphanage and promptly been adopted.
When she was thirteen, Selina discovered that the Hall's administrator was embezzling funds and confronted her. In an attempt to cover up the illegal activities, the administrator put Selina in a bag and dropped her in a river to drown (like a cat). Selina was able to escape (Catwoman v.1 #0) and returned to the orphanage, where she stole documents that were sent to the authorities to expose the administrator's corruption as well as steal money on which Selina would use to live on now that she was back onto the streets.
When the money she stole from the corrupt orphanage administrator ran out, Selina found herself in "Alleytown - a network of cobblestone streets that form a small borough between the East end and Old Gotham." (Catwoman v.2 #12). Selina was taken in by "Mama Fortuna", the elderly leader of a gang of young thieves, and was taught how to steal. Fortuna treated her students like slaves, keeping their earnings for herself. Selina eventually ran away, accompanied by her friend Sylvia. However, the two had difficulty surviving on their own, and in desperation tried to support themselves by working as child prostitutes. Sylvia attracted at least one client; Selina apparently never did. The two drifted apart afterwards, with Sylvia blaming Selina for her negative experiences; she hated Selina for not inquiring about what had happened to her at the hands of her abusive first client.
In the Catwoman: Year One story (Catwoman Annual #2, 1998), Selina (now an adult) achieved some success as a thief. Following a disastrous burglary, however, she accepted an offer to "lay low" by posing as a dominatrix in the employ of a pimp named Stan. Their plan was to trick men into divulging information that might be used in future crimes. According to this storyline, Selina trained under the Armless Master of Gotham, receiving education in martial arts and culture. During this time, Catwoman was given her trademark cat-o-nine tails whip by a client, which Selina kept as a trophy of her time posing as a hooker.
[edit] Catwoman, the series
In 1993, following the success of Batman Returns and Selina Kyle’s prominent role in that film, Catwoman was given her first ongoing comic book series. This series, written by an assortment of writers but primarily penciled by Jim Balent, generally depicted the character as an international thief (and occasional bounty hunter) with an ambiguous moral code.
Storylines included her adoption of a teenage runaway named Arizona, whom she briefly takes 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 a young thief, her difficult period in juvenile incarceration, and the training she received from superhero Ted (Wildcat) Grant.
Moving to New York, Selina becomes corporate vice president then CEO of Randolf Industries, a mafia-influenced company, through blackmail. Her plans to use this position to run for mayor are ruined when the Trickster inadvertently connected Kyle to her Catwoman alter ego.
Selina then returns to Gotham City, which at this time is in the midst of the No Man's Land storyline. As Catwoman, she assists Batman against Lex Luthor in the reconstruction of the city. After being arrested by Commissioner Gordon, she escapes from prison. Later that year during the Officer Down storyline in the Batman titles, Catwoman is initially the chief suspect. Although later cleared, she displays increasingly erratic behavior throughout the story. Soon afterwards she disappears and is believed to have been killed by the assassin Deathstroke the Terminator, ending her series at #94.
Catwoman then appears in a series of backup stories in Detective Comics #759 - #762. In a backup storyline Trail of the Catwoman, by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Darwyn Cooke, private detective Slam Bradley attempts to find out what really happened to Selina Kyle. This storyline leads in to the newest Catwoman 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), becomes 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[citation needed].
During the Hush storyline (Batman #608-#619), Batman and Catwoman briefly work together and had a romantic relationship, during which he reveals his true identity to her. At the end, he breaks off their relationship when he suspects it has been manipulated by the villain Hush. In the JLA story arc Crisis of Conscience, Catwoman fights alongside Batman and the League against the old Secret Society, of which she had once briefly been a member.
[edit] Mindwiping revelations
Catwoman appears to be completely reformed, and her love for Batman true (although brash and unpredictable). However, she has learned 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. Zatanna gives no reason for her actions, but in a flashback it is 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 is unequivocal: she pitched Zatanna out a window. (Zatanna survives the fall.) Afterwards, she is seen covering her bed with past versions of her Catwoman costume.
Still unbalanced and uncertain of herself in issue #52 (the last issue before the jump to One Year Later), Selina is forced to decide whether to kill a supervillain. The Black Mask, in an attempt to "improve himself," threatens the most important people in Selina's life, from Slam Bradley to Holly. (The criminal had learned Selina's identity through his earlier alliance with Selina's childhood friend Sylvia, who still harbored a grudge against Selina). Still thinking that Selina adheres to a strict no-kill rule, Black Mask is caught by surprise when Selina shoots him in the head. The issue's "teaser" for #53 implied that this may have been Selina Kyle's last act as Catwoman.
[edit] One Year Later
Following the events of Infinite Crisis, the DC Universe jumps forward in time. "One Year Later" Selina Kyle is no longer Catwoman, has left the East End, and has given birth to a daughter named Helena (whose father is initially unknown). Holly takes over as the new Catwoman while Selina, living under the alias Irena Dubrovna, turns her attention to caring for her daughter. (Selina's alias was inspired by the name of the main character in the 1942 film Cat People.)
Though she takes her role as a new mother quite seriously, Selina dons the costume for a run through the East End some days after Helena's birth. Having understandably gained a few pounds, Selina finds that her costume is now a tighter fit. In addition, she is easily distracted by a common criminal. Although the situation is defused through Holly's opportune arrival, the fact that there are two Catwomen active in the city is caught on video. Selina returns home from her adventure to find that the mysterious movie aficionado Film Freak has deduced her alias, joined with Angle Man, and grabbed Helena.
After rescuing her daughter, Selina convinces Zatanna to mind-wipe Film Freak and Angle Man in order to preserve her secret identity. Following the procedure, Angle Man turns himself in to the authorities; Film Freak, however, embarks upon a murderous rampage. Ted Grant informs Selina that Holly has been arrested for the murder of Black Mask; Selina infiltrates the police station and frees Holly. Finally defeating Film Freak, Selina returns home to find that Slam Bradley has deduced that Helena is Sam Bradley's child, and therefore his granddaughter.
[edit] Holly Robinson
Holly Robinson, trained by Wildcat and Selina Kyle, became the new Catwoman during the One Year Later storyline "The Replacements."
[edit] Skills, resources and abilities
Selina is an accomplished and gifted athlete, with unusual acrobatic prowess. She was trained by the Armless Master in martial arts and by Wildcat in boxing and street-fighting. She is a clever and resourceful fighter, known for precise, agile attacks and speedy getaways. Her formidable hand-to-hand combat skills are augmented by her cat-like speed, reflexes, balance, and flexibililty.
Fittingly, Catwoman is a master thief with unsurpassed cunning. An expert at both low- and high-tech heists, she is Gotham City's finest cat-burglar.
[edit] Costume
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 bodysuit with attached boots and either a domino or glasses-mask. In the 1960s, Catwoman's bodysuit was green in color, which was typical of villains of that era. In the 1990s, she usually wore a skintight purple bodysuit, before switching to a black leather outfit that recalls Michelle Pfeiffer's costume in Batman Returns.
In recent years, artists' depictions have usually alternated between these two costumes. Ed Brubaker, the writer 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. Many of her costumes have been shown to incorporate retractable metal claws on the fingertips of her gloves and toe of her boots.
Holly currently uses the same costume Selina used prior to Infinite Crisis.
[edit] Weapons & Equipment
During the Silver Age, Catwoman, like most Batman villains, used a wide variety of themed weapons, vehicles and equipment, such as a custom cat-themed car called the "cat-illac". This usage was also carried over into the campy 1960s Batman TV series. In her Post-Crisis appearances, Catwoman's favored weapon is a whip, either a standard bullwhip or the cat-o-nine-tails, both of which she wields with expert proficiency.
[edit] Trade paperbacks
Catwoman Volume 4 has been collected as a number of trade paperbacks by DC Comics. In chronological order, they include:
- The Dark End of the Street (#1-4 & "Trail of the Catwoman"): Ed Brubaker
- Crooked Little Town (#5-10 & material from Catwoman Secret Files and Origins #1): Brubaker
- Relentless (#12-16 & material from Catwoman Secret Files and Origins #1): Brubaker
- Wild Ride (#20-24): Brubaker
- The Replacements (#53-58): Will Pfeifer
[edit] Non-canon appearances
Selina Kyle appears as an aging and somewhat overweight madame in Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns four times; all are brief. First, in a phone message to Bruce ("Selina. Bruce, I'm lonely"). Next, she was attacked by the Joker, who used a mind control drug to convince her to send one of her prostitutes to use the same substance on the Governor. The Joker then beats her, ties her up, gags her and dresses her in a Wonder Woman outfit, leaving her for Batman to find (with a clear clue as to where he intends to go). Selina's final appearance in the book is at Batman's funeral, where she yells at Superman, telling him that she knows who killed Batman. She does not appear in Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Miller's follow-up story, although she is referred to in the prologue written for the trade paperback version.
Two 1990s prose novels feature Catwoman: The Further Adventures of Batman: Volume 3, Featuring Catwoman, a short story collection by various authors (publs. 1993, edited by Martin H. Greenberg), and Catwoman: Tiger Hunt, by Lynn Abbey and Robert Asprin, publs. date 1992. Both novels portray a Batman: Year One- influenced Catwoman who wears a gray cat costume and was once a prostitute.
Catwoman also made a small cameo in Kingdom Come, mostly accompanying the Riddler; she is predominantly seen, but not much heard in the series. She is not dressed in costume, but appears in the very dress she first wore in Batman #1 as 'The Cat'. According to the novelization by Elliot S! Maggin, she ran a multibillion dollar cosmetics company.
[edit] Adaptations in other media
[edit] Television: 1966 Batman series
Catwoman was at various times played by Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt in the live-action Batman 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 actress played Catwoman as part of a villain team-up in "The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra," the penultimate episode of the series.
[edit] Animation
Catwoman has been a major character in almost all of Batman's animated series.
Her first animated appearance was with Batman in segments of the 1968 series The Batman/Superman Hour wearing her green costume of that time period. She also appeared on The New Adventures of Batman cartoon in the 1970s.
[edit] Batman: The Animated Series
Catwoman appeared on Batman: The Animated Series wearing an all gray outfit that has never been seen outside that series. Voiced by Adrienne Barbeau in both 1992's Batman: The Animated Series, and its revamp in The New Batman Adventures (as well as the 2000s online animated series Gotham Girls), Catwoman is shown to be a socialite and animal rights activist, which attracts the attention of Bruce Wayne when he's not contending with her as Batman.
Initially Selina had blonde hair, coinciding with the release of Batman Returns, in which she was played by blonde actress Michelle Pfeiffer. In the revamp, she appears to have shorter black hair. Whether her hair was dyed or her natural color was never made clear in the series itself, however in the episode "Tyger, Tyger", Selina became a cat/woman hybrid and her hair (or rather fur) was blonde. Some episodes have stated that her original color was blonde, that she dyed it black, and abandoned the regular products she used (due to animal testing) until she found some that didn't use animal testing.
In her first appearance, Catwoman steals a valuable necklace to fund the purchase of land for a mountain lion preserve, encounters Batman in the process, and finds herself undeniably attracted to him. In this moment, they develop an attraction that affects the nature of their cat and mouse relationship during the series. Afterward, by chance, Bruce Wayne dates Selina Kyle with similar results. In the midst of these budding romances, Selina learns that the land she wants has been snatched up by a suspicious cartel, lead by terrorist Red Claw, who will be using the land for their staging area. Batman learns that Catwoman is getting in over her head, and together they fight and defeat the cartel, but Catwoman is arrested.
Put on probation in lieu of serving time, Catwoman joins forces with Batman again, fighting the corrupt Industrialist, Roland Daggett and Doctor Milo's plans to spread a disease among the street animals. In Almost Got 'Im, Catwoman rescues Batman from The Joker only to be kidnapped herself by Harley Quinn, which forces Batman to disguise himself as Killer Croc in order to save her.
Catwoman eventually returns to thievery when Scarface hires her to steal a rare dissected tiger. When Batgirl returns, Catwoman initially helps her investigate a stolen cat statue, but betrays Batgirl to attempt to steal the statue for herself. She is again a full time thief when she tries to seduce a fully-grown Nightwing into being her accomplice to steal merchandise from Enrique “El Gancho”. Later, in The Cult of the Cat, a strange criminal cult attempts to kill her after she steals from them, bringing her to enlist Batman's aid once more.
There were plans for a second Batman Beyond DTV Movie that would have featured Catwoman, but was rejected.[2]
Finally, in a 7-minute short film called Chase Me (written by Paul Dini and released with the Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman DVD) Batman catches her stealing from one of Bruce Wayne’s building and apprehends her.
- Like all other characters, Catwoman would have a new design during The New Batman Adventures. Her new in-costume animated appearance also changed when the show's animation style did, becoming more like the Michelle Pfeiffer version, with a black costume, slimmer build, and pale skin. Details on her change are explored in Batman Gotham Adventures #4.[3]
[edit] The Batman
Catwoman has also appeared on The Batman, voiced by Gina Gershon. Her design is slightly altered, having large, almost mouse-like ears and large orange goggles that resemble cat's eyes. Another modification is her hood, which can be pulled up to hide the lower half of her face. Catwoman is also given exaggerated claws on her gloves. The rest of her suit is black, with the exception of her red "paws". She carries her whip around her waist that hangs like a tail. In her civilian identity of Selina Kyle, she has long black hair and blue eyes, instead of her more traditional green eyes. She flirts heavily with Batman, and in her first appearance stole his utility belt, accidentally gaining control of a giant bat-robot and wrecking the Batcave. Notable events involving her have been her team-up with the Penguin (even flirting with him lightly), her fight against Ragdoll, and her attempt to help Batman against the Joker.
[edit] Movie: Batman Returns
Catwoman was played by Michelle Pfeiffer in the 1992 movie Batman Returns. As recreated by Daniel Waters and Tim Burton, Selina Kyle is portrayed as a lonely, frustrated woman who is (literally) pushed over the edge into obsession and crime after her boss, tycoon Max Shreck, tries to kill her by throwing her out of a window to keep her from revealing his plot to build a power plant that would steal Gotham's electricity.
Mysteriously revived by alley cats (in a memorable Burton-esque scene) after her corrupt boss apparently kills her, her repressed rage and sexuality 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 "damsels in distress," but looking down on them for being helpless. She is also 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. This relationship seems to be Selina's only grip on sanity as her mental state seems to deteriorate (along with her costume) throughout the movie.
While many viewers and critics enjoyed the richness and complexity of the character, not to mention Pfeiffer's sex appeal in heavy makeup and the shiny black costume, some fans of the comic books disliked the alterations and considered not only the character but the entire film to be more Tim Burton than Batman, due to the macabre scenes depicting Catwoman.[1]
Either way, the "look" of this Catwoman was so popular that Warner Bros. had to constantly submit new Catwoman posters for various cities as many of the bus stop ads were being stolen. It soon got so bad that police officers had to patrol bus stops in order to catch perpetrators before they could break the Plexiglas containers. Today the large scale Catwoman bus ads are worth a great deal of money.[2]
[edit] Movie: Catwoman
In 2004, Catwoman, a movie starring Halle Berry, was released. This film's Catwoman bore nearly no resemblance to the comic version, other than sharing the name. In the film, Berry played Patience Phillips, a woman who eventually became Catwoman, a hero with supernatural cat-like powers, after a near-death experience. Patience had gained the powers from the goddess Bastet through a gathering of cats led by an Egyptian Mau. The movie alludes to other women in the past who have been granted such cat-like abilities. Though Phillips has the same skills as the villain version of Catwoman, the film's story has nothing to do with Batman, or Gotham City (neither of which are mentioned in the film). The film was heavily criticized by both film critics and fans of the comic book character and was a failure at the box office, losing the producers far more money than it earned. One particularly bad review came in the New York Daily News, which carried the headline, "BAD KITTY!"
In the scene where Patience is told of the history of the Catwomen, she is pushed off the balcony and lands on the living room floor. Ophelia Powers then throws photos of previous catwomen down to her, and one can clearly see a picture of 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. (When that scene is described in the novelization, Selina Kyle is mentioned briefly, thus showing that there is a link.) 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.
Berry won the 2005 Razzie award for worst actress in a film for her role as Catwoman, and accepted the prize in person. She was only the third Razzie winner (following director Paul Verhoeven, director of Showgirls; and Tom Green, star of Freddy Got Fingered) ever to do so. She brought her Monster's Ball Oscar with her for her mock breathless acceptance speech, in which she apologized to the fans of the character, calling the film a "God-awful movie."
[edit] Television: Return to the Batcave
In the TV movie Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt, Julia Rose appeared as Catwoman and the young Julie Newmar. Both Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether appeared in the TV movie as well.
[edit] Television: Birds of Prey
Selina Kyle appeared briefly (and was killed off) in the first episode of the short-lived 2002 television series Birds of Prey, 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 Batman Returns version of the character. However, in contrast to the Batman Returns version and every Catwoman preceding her, this version was stated to be a superpowered metahuman, not entirely unlike the unpopular Halle Berry incarnation that followed.
[edit] Video Games
Catwoman has starred in a few video games as a playable character. First she starred in 1999's Catwoman for the Game Boy Color and later in the video game adaptation of Halle Berry's Catwoman movie. Catwoman has also appeared as a boss in the video game adaptations of Batman Returns, Batman: The Animated Series and The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Super NES.
[edit] Catwoman parodies and homages
- One of the recurring villains in the cartoon Xiaolin Showdown was called "Katnappe," and was similar to Catwoman in appearance and behavior.
- Marvel Comics' Black Cat, is also a feline-themed thief initially seen in The Amazing Spider-Man, and is often mistaken to be a homage or knock off of DC's Catwoman. However, comics writer Marv Wolfman originally created the character to be a female villain for the Spider-Woman series and based the character on a 1949 Tex Avery cartoon called "Bad Luck Blackie" in which a bulldog is hampered by a black cat's bad luck. The Black Cat eventually reformed (but still commits the occasional theft) and became Spider-Man's partner and lover for a time.
- Mink, a member of Marvel Comics Squadron Supreme, appears to be based loosely on Catwoman. An heiress who turns to life of crime for excitement, she is a part of Nighthawk's America Redeemers. She is in love with Nighthawk, a character based on Batman.
- In the comic book miniseries Wanted by Mark Millar, The Fox is a pastiche of Catwoman character elements, with the background of the Batman: Year One former prostitute, the thrill-seeking attitude of the Gold/Silver Age version, and a look clearly based on actress Halle Berry.
[edit] Trivia
- After the events in 52, Selina gave birth to a daughter named Helena. That name is the same as Catwoman and Batman's daughter on Earth 2 (that universe's Huntress). The name is also the same as Catwoman and Batman's daughter in the Birds of Prey live-action television series as Huntress.
- According to the 60s Batman television series, Catwoman's favorite car is a catillac (Cadillac), and she is allergic to dogwood.
- In 2006, Danish toymakers Lego released a Batman Lego set featuring Catwoman (7779 The Batman™ Dragster: Catwoman™ Pursuit).
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Catwoman at the Open Directory Project (suggest site)
- BatmanTAS.com on the animated series version of Catwoman
- The World Finest contains more information on the animated versions of Catwoman
- Catwoman's Nine Lives at UGO.com
- Girls With Gauntlets - influence of Catwoman upon female action heroes of the 1990s
- Gotham City of Batman and Catwoman
- Ultimate Holly Robinson Chronology
| Batman | |
|---|---|
| Creators: | Bob Kane • Bill Finger • Other writers and artists |
| Supporting Characters: | Robin (Tim Drake) • Nightwing (Dick Grayson) • Batgirl • Batwoman • Alfred Pennyworth • Lucius Fox • Barbara Gordon • Commissioner Gordon • Harvey Bullock |
| Villains: | Bane • Catwoman • Clayface • Harley Quinn • Joker • Killer Croc • Mr. Freeze • Penguin • Poison Ivy • Ra's al Ghul • Red Hood (Jason Todd) • Riddler • Scarecrow • Two-Face • Other villains |
| Locations: | Arkham Asylum • Batcave • Gotham City • Wayne Enterprises • Wayne Manor |
| Miscellanea: | Batarang • Batmobile • Batsuit • Popular media • Publications • Storylines • Alternate versions of Batman |
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