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Catwoman
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Batman Vol. 1 #1
Created by	Bob Kane Bill Finger
In-story information
Alter ego	Selina Kyle
Species	Human
Place of origin	Gotham City
Team affiliations	Batman Family Birds of Prey Gotham City Sirens Justice League of America Injustice League
Partnerships	Batman Various Batman Villains Holly Robinson Catgirl
Supporting character of	Batman
Notable aliases	The Cat
Abilities	Expert Thief Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant Expert Acrobat Possesses metal claws in her gloves and boots and a bullwhip

Catwoman is the alternative name for two characters in the DC Universe. The first and most famous Catwoman, Selina Kyle, is the current Catwoman. The second Catwoman, Holly Robinson, is Selina's young friend who received the Catwoman mantle from Selina for a short period of time. Selina Kyle is the earliest superheroine or supervillainess, debuting in Batman Vol. 1 #1 (Spring, 1940). Her personality has ebbed through the years; Initially, it was unclear whether she was good or evil, however, in recent years, she has become a clear anti-hero. However, one consistency remains: her love/hate relationship with Batman.

A popular figure, Catwoman has appeared in a variety of media outside of comic books. Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt portrayed her in Batman, Lee Meriwether, Michelle Pfeiffer and Anne Hathaway portrayed her in Batman, Batman Returns and The Dark Knight Rises, respectively, and various actress voiced the character in various animated media. Camren Bicondova portrays a teenage Selina Kyle in Gotham.

History

Creation

Bob Kane, the creator of Batman, drew inspiration for the creation of Catwoman from 1930s bombshell Jean Harlow, his then-girlfriend and 1940s screen siren, Hedy Lamarr. He wanted a female villain because "most villains prior to then were males", so, he created Catwoman in the image of a woman for a female audience. As for using cats for her imagery:

Why a cat? Well, a cat has nine lives, so, I figured that whenever she was caught or wounded she would survive for another go-round with Batman. Also, I feel there is something very mysterious about cats and I equate that with women.

— Bob Kane

Golden Age

Selina Kyle made her debut in Batman Vol. 1 #1, Spring, 1940. Here, she was called "The Cat", having no known secret identity. In 1945, she took on the alias "Catwoman", with her secret identity still unknown. Finally, in 1950, she revealed her true name as "Selina Kyle" to Batman and Robin. She told them she was a flight attendant who suffered amnesia after a plane crash. She reformed for several years, before returning to her criminal ways. When Scarecrow infects Batman with long-lasting fear gas, Batman's greatest fear, autophobia, the fear of being alone, makes his friends "disappear" before him. He frees Catwoman from jail, asking her to help him. Through the course of their partnership, the two reveal their secrets to each other, realizing that they have a lot in common. Catwoman tells Batman she had an abusive husband who kicked her out of their house. However, he kept her precious jewelry in his safe, so, she had to break in to retrieve them. She enjoyed the thrilling experience so much that she decided to become a professional thief. The two marry, having a daughter called Helena Wayne. However, one of Selina's former henchmen, Silkie Cernak, blackmails her into becoming Catwoman using evidence of her murdering an innocent policeman using her cat-o-nine-tails, leading to her unfortunate death. As she dies in Batman's arms, she says "I did it all for you". Fortunately, Helena takes up her parents' mantle of crimefighting, becoming The Huntress, avenging Selina by bringing Silkie to justice. However, Bruce and Helena learn that Selina had never killed anyone since Silkie doctored the photograph.

Silver Age and Bronze Age

After taking a long hiatus from comic books since 1954 due to her possible violation of the Comics Code Authority, Catwoman returned in 1966. During this era, she encountered a wider range of characters such as Superman and Wonder Woman. Her revival was partially inspired by the Batman television series.

Several stories featured the character committing murder; something neither the earth two nor one versions of Catwoman would do. This version of the character was assigned to Earth-B, which is non-canonical to the mainstream DC Universe.

Modern Age

Origin of Catwoman

During her youth, Selina's mother committed suicide before her father drank himself to death. She ran away from home, successfully surviving through petty crime. She was arrested and incarcerated in Juvenile Prison. When she gained evidence of the administrator's crimes, she blackmails her into erasing "Selina Kyle" from every database on Earth. Afterwards, she releases everyone, escaping into Gotham. She is recruited by Mama Fortuna, a crook who takes whatever her students steal although she escapes with her friend, Sylvia. The two friends drift apart, going their own separate ways.

First Years

In Catwoman: Year One, Selina is now an adult. She is a dominatrix in the employ of a pimp named Stan. They plan to trick men into divulging information to be used in future robberies. However, her fighting teacher inspires her to become someone better. In Batman: Year One, Selina lives with Holly Robinson, a young runaway, as a dominatrix in Stan's employ. She sees Batman in action, inspiring her to become Catwoman. She attacks Carmine Falcone's men, scratching Falcone's face before Batman takes out the others. In Batman: The Long Halloween, the sequel to Year One, Selina develops a romantic relationship with Bruce Wayne, Batman's alter ego. When they are Catwoman and Batman, respectively, they have an on-off partnership. She helps him hit Falcone where it hurts the most - his money. In Batman: Dark Victory, the sequel to Long Halloween, Selina breaks off her relationship with Bruce Wayne, leaving Gotham with The Riddler. This leads to Catwoman: When in Rome, which runs parallel to Dark Victory. In When in Rome, Catwoman attempts to discover who her real parents are. All the while, trademark weapons of Batman's villains are used to attack her. She discovers Riddler betrayed her, in an attempt to find out who was Batman. Catwoman defeats him, leaving Rome for Gotham. When in Gotham, Selina visits Carmine Falcone's grave, confessing that she knows he was her father although she cannot prove it.

Catwoman, the series

In 1993, Catwoman gained her own series. This series featured multiple storylines which crossed over to Batman and other series. She was portrayed as an expert thief and bounty hunter (occasionally).

During the Knightfall saga, Bane asks Catwoman to work for him. She refuses because she is repulsed by "the villain who broke Batman". When Azrael masquerades as Batman's replacement, she is the only villain apart from Joker who recognizes he isn't Batman. Later, she is present when Batman takes back his mantle from Azrael, his willingness to save criminals confirming his identity for her.

Selina moves to New York, becoming CEO of Randolf Industries, a mafia-influenced company. She uses this to run for mayor. However, her hopes are dashed when The Trickster connects "Selina Kyle" to "Catwoman".

She returns to Gotham during No Man's Land. As Catwoman, she assists Batman in Gotham's reconstruction after the massive earthquake. However, Commissioner Gordon arrests her.. Afterwards, she disappears with everyone believing Deathstroke killed her.

In The Trail of the Catwoman storyline, Slam Bradley tries to discover what really happened to Catwoman. He finds out Selina's duo personality troubled her, making her leave Gotham to recuperate.

This leads to a new Catwoman series. In this series, Selina becomes the official protector of Gotham City's East End. Her supporting cast includes Holly and Slam.

During the Hush storyline, Catwoman teams up with Batman, attempting a relationship, during which he reveals his secret identity to her. At the end, Batman breaks off their relationship, suspecting that Hush manipulated it.

Selina appears reformed although she finds out Zatanna windwiped her (erased her memories). In retaliation, Selina throws her out of a window (Zatanna survives the fall) afterwards laying her bed with previous versions of her catsuit. Still unbalanced, Selina is forced to murder a supervillain when Black Mask threatens her friends from Slam Bradley to Holly Robinson. The villain previously made Maggie, Selina's sister, eat her husband's eyeballs. Selina shoots him in the head, killing him for good.

One Year Later

After Infinite Crisis, the DC Universe jumps forward one year in time. During this storyline, Selina has a daughter named Helena Kyle. She gives up being Catwoman to Holly Robinson. One night, she dons another Catwoman costume for a run through Gotham City. She notices her costume is more tighter and she is distracted by criminals. Fortunately, Holly saves her but the sight of two Catwomen is caught on camera. Returning home, Selina finds out Film Freak deduced her identity, teaming up with Angel Man, kidnapping Helena. Selina defeats them, rescues Helena, convincing Zatanna to windpipe them. Following the procedure, Angel Man turns himself in while Film Freak rampages throughout Gotham. Wildcat informs Selina Holly is arrested for Black Masks's murder. Selina breaks into the prison, frees Holly and defeats Film Freak. Returning home, Slam Bradley informs her that Helena's father is his son, therefore, she is his granddaughter. Realizing her life is too dangerous for Helena, she asks Batman to help fake her's and Helena's deaths, giving her up for adoption. A month after a new family adopts Helena, Selina asks Zatanna to erase her memories of her child, reverting her mindset back to "criminal mode". However, Zatanna refuses, saying that Selina is on the path to reformation and a mindwipe would prevent that.

Salvation Run

During Salvation Run, Selina is transported to Prison Planet. There, she allies herself with Lex Luthor. She gets off the planet but finds herself in a world where Catwoman is a wanted criminal. However, she finds out she hasn't left Hell Planet and it was her mind's creation. Later, the villains accuse Selina for being a traitor. To prove her innocence, she reveals that Martian Manhunter is posing as Blockbuster.Finally, during the war against the parademons, Selina escapes back to Earth using Luthor's teleportation device.

Heart of Hush

Selina is uncertain whether to pursue her relationship with Bruce Wayne or not. She ask Zatanna for advice who tells her to do it. Hush eavesdrops on their conversation, targeting both women as a way to hurt Bruce Wayne. Later, at Selina's apartment, Hush attacks her, removing her heart. Bruce receives word of this, heading for the Gotham hospital where Selina is held. He leaves Selina in care of Doctor Mid-Nite while he leaves to fight Hush. After he defeats Hush, regaining Selina's heart, he breaks down beside her, admitting that she was the only woman to have truly held his heart. Selina tells him she was awake the whole time, hearing his confession. Later, while still recuperating, she uses allies on both sides of the law to track down and empty every single one of Hush's bank accounts, leaving him broke.

Union

A new villain named Boneblaster attacks Selina but Poison Ivy saves her. She takes Selina to her hideout, where Harley Quinn is revealed to be. Selina proposes that they stay together, protecting each other from the increasing dangers of Gotham City. Then, Ivy demands that Selina reveal Batman's true identity. Selina flashes back to when Talia al Ghul requested her presence in Tibet. She taught Selina a meditation to ensure that she won't reveal Batman's identity to anyone. After the interrogation, Selina and Ivy see Harley with Bruce on TV. She tells Ivy she knows it is Hush in disguise. Catwoman and Ivy ask Riddler for help (whose hideout Ivy took for their home) to rescue Harley from Hush but he refuses since he is on a case with Dick Grayson, so, Catwoman and Ivy rescue Harley themselves. However, The Joker attacks them. He reveals that he isn't The Joker but one of his former henchmen, Garry. He wants to kill Harley for "replacing "him" with Bruce (Hush)". However, the girls strap the wannabe to a rocket, sending him into outer space. Afterwards, it is Christmas. Selina has drinks with Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne, Ivy decides to spend time in both the human and plant worlds, Harley visits her dysfunctional family and all three women spend the rest of Christmas together.

Catgirl

Selina finds Kitrina Falcone, Carmine Falcone's long lost daughter, robbing her house. She ties up Kitrina who tells Selina she has the map to the new Black Mask's hideout. Selina realizes she can claim the fifty-million dollar bounty on his head. She calls Batman (who returned from the past) to come and turn over the thief to the police. When they arrive at her apartment, they find Kitrina gone and stolen the map. Selina is surprised and impressed because she tied her using an "inescapable knot" which Batman taught her. Following a battle with Blask Mask and his henchmen (in which neither woman claims the bounty), Selina makes Kitrina her sidekick, Catgirl.

Blackest Night

During the Blackest Night event, Black Mask is resurrected as a member of The Black Lantern Corps. He decides to kill Selina but can't get an emotional response. So, he heads for Maggie's asylum although Selina beats him to it. She takes Maggie with her, escaping into the sewers. Maggie tells Selina she ruined both their lives the day she decided to become Catwoman, leaving Selina devastated. They are unaware they've been heading for Black Mask's trap, who almost removes Maggie's eyeballs and feeds it to Selina if not for Poison Ivy's and Harley Quinn's timely intervention. They trap him in a man-eating plant, the digestive juices digesting him faster than his power ring can regenerate his body. Ivy and Quinn help Selina to her feet, telling her Maggie left. Maggie has stolen a habit, calling herself "Sister Zero" and plans to kill Catwoman to free Selina. She attempts to kill Catwoman but Harley and Ivy save her. It ends with Maggie realizing she can "save" her sister through exorcism instead of murder.

Strange Fruit

The Sirens help Zatanna put out a fire at a park near their home when a creature made of mud kidnaps Selina. Talia arrives, informing the women a few hours prior to Selina's kidnapping, someone placed a large bounty for whoever brought Selina to him/her. The women find their friend and defeat her captors. Talia orders Zatanna to erase Selina's knowledge of Batman's identity. Zatanna refuses, realizing that Talia set up the kidnapping to erase Selina's knowledge of Batman's identity. The two women fight and Talia tries to kill Selina before escaping although Zatanna manages to save her. Afterwards, Selina tells Harley about Batman, making Harley remember The Joker. Harley betrays her gal-pals, breaks into Arkham, swearing to kill The Joker.

Division

Harley Quinn is about to kill The Joker but instead, she chooses to free him. The two orchestrate a breakout at Arkham but Catwoman teams up with Batman to stop Harley and Joker. After defeating the two "lovers", Catwoman tells Ivy they are no longer friends, (Ivy previously drugged her to discover Batman's identity) leaving her in Arkham Asylum with Harley. Ivy and Harley break out, reuniting to destroy Catwoman. During the battle, Catwoman said that she saw good in them, only wanting to help. When Batman tries to arrest them, Catwoman holds him off, helping them to escape. The series ends with the three women going their own separate ways.

The New 52

Following the events of Flashpoint, in The New 52, Selina's origin was completely revamped to mirror her origin in Batman Returns. She took up a job in a government agency which was a "second chance" for Selina to redeem herself after stealing as a child. She wondered where her brother was, so, she looked at the file on the computer about her. However, her name was Russian and the computer crashed. Her boss called her up to him, knowing she was complicit in it. Selina asked him whose name was that since it was not hers but he threw her out of a window. Fortunately, an awning broke Selina's fall, saving her life. When she landed on the ground, a swarm of stray cats licked her corpse. Months later, Selina became Catwoman. She used the awning's cloth as her costume. Determined to discover who she really was, she broke into the office, took the computer file to a computer expert. He claimed that her records were wiped with no record of the Second Chance Programme having existed.

In between her "death" and Catwoman beginnings, Selina had a deadly confrontation with a criminal. During the battle, she used his whip as her weapon. After winning the battle, Selina decided to keep it as a trophy, hoping that she could become an expert thief.

Now, in her new Catwoman series, Selina is 23-years-old, an expert thief (although she is starting her career) and has a sexual relationship with Batman..

During Trinity War, Amanda Waller recruits her into The Justice League of America, a group of superheroes which was formed to combat The Justice League in case they went rogue. In the aftermath of Trinity War, Forever Evil, Catwoman was one of the many villains that resisted the Crime Syndicate, joining Lex Luthor's Injustice League.

After the events of Batman: Eternal, Selina becomes Kingpin of Crime in Gotham City.

Personality

Costume

Catwoman is the biggest character in comics for changing her look over time. In her first appearance, Selina didn't wear any costume except for an old woman disguise. 2 seasons later, she wore a "cat head". In 1942, she wore a "cat body" to match her mask. In 1945, Selina wore a green cape, a purple dress and mask. This look of the character became her most iconic look throughout her pre-crisis history. In 1966, the purple dress became a purple shirt and pants. In 1967, she wore a green outfit with a green domino mask and cat ears. In 1969, she wore a gymnastic suit which was black and white, red domino mask, a black tail and short hair. In 1975, she reverted back to her mid-1940s to mid-1950s look. In 1987, she wore a grey catsuit with whiskers and a tail. In 1993, she wore a purple catsuit, black stockings on her arms and legs and exposed hair. In 2001, she wore a black catsuit with infrared goggles. This look of the character is her current look.

Abilities and Weapons

During the Golden, Silver and Bronze Ages, Catwoman, like most comic book villains, wielded a variety of weapons. These ranged from knives to guns to bombs. However, during the Modern Age, she wields two major weapons: metal claws in her gloves and boots and a bullwhip. She uses them not only for combat but also for travel; her claws help her to scale buildings while her whip helps her to swing like Batman's Batclaw.

Catwoman possesses no superpowers. Instead, she relies on her acrobatic and hand-to-hand combat skills. They have proven to be so amazing that many people believe she is gifted with superpowers.

Alternative Versions

Flashpoint

During Flashpoint, Selina Kyle is now Oracle. She aids the new Batman in tracking the new Joker.

In Other Media

Televison

Live-action

• Catwoman made her television debut on Batman, portrayed by Julie Newmar in the first and second seasons and by Eartha Kitt in the third season. Here, she was never referred to as "Selina Kyle". One of Newmar's catwoman costumes is on display at the Smithsonian Institution.

• She made a cameo appearance in Birds of Prey during Alfred Pennyworth's story, portrayed by an uncredited actress. Prior to the main events of the series, she married Batman, giving birth to a daughter named Helena Wayne. However, The Joker hired Clayface to assassinate her. Bruce left Gotham due to depression, leaving Helena an orphan. Fortunately, Barbara Gordon and Alfred raise her, helping her to become Huntress.

• Camren Bicondova portrays a teenage Selina Kyle in Gotham. After witnessing the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, she develops a fascination for Bruce Wayne. After being arrested, James Gordon has her live in Wayne Manor.

Animation

• Catwoman appeared in Filmation's The Adventures of Batman and The New Adventures of Batman, voiced by Jane Webb and Melendy Britt, respectively. In both series, she was never referred to as "Selina Kyle" like the 1966 television series.

• Catwoman and her alter ego, Selina Kyle, appeared in Batman: The Animated Series and it's sequel, The New Batman Adventures, voiced by Adrienne Barbeau. As Selina Kyle, she is the dating partner of Bruce Wayne, Batman's alter ego. As Catwoman, she is an expert thief turned trustful ally of Batman. However, in Season 2 Episode 9 "Catwalk", she embraces her true nature as an anti-hero, returning to her criminal roots.

• She appeared in The Batman, voiced by Gina Gershon. As Selina Kyle, she is a charity funder, while, as Catwoman, she is a cat burglar. She is an anti-hero throughout the five episodes she appears in.

• The character appeared in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by Nika Futterman. Her appearance is based on her mid-1940s to mid-1950s look. The episode "Knights of Tomorrow", showcases an alternate future where she marries Batman, siring a son called Damian Wayne. However, The Joker's son kills them, inspiring Damian to become Robin.

Film

Live-action

• Since Newmar was unavailable for the tie-in film, Lee Meriwether portrayed Catwoman in Batman. Here, she used the alias "Miss Kitka". As Kitka, she faked being in love with Bruce Wayne, leaving Batman heartbroken when he unmasks her.

• Catwoman's arguably most iconic characterization is in Batman Returns, portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer. Her origin was completely revamped; she was a mousy secretary-turned-feminist avenger after her boss, Max Shreck, pushed her out of a window and alley cats revived her. This version of the character proved so popular, a solo spinoff was announced in 1993. However, it lingered in development hell for years, becoming the panned film starring Halle Berry.

• Anne Hathaway portrayed Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises. She is an anti-hero like her comic book counterpart, helping Batman only for her own agenda. The character was never referred to as "Catwoman" but newspaper articles referred to her as "The Cat".

Animation

• Catwoman appears in Chase Me, a short film without dialogue, only music, released as a bonus feature on the dvd for Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman. She steals from Wayne Manor, runs from Batman and gets caught in the end.

• She appears in Batman: Year One and DC Showcase: Catwoman, voiced by Eliza Dushku. The latter is a short film starring the character as the protagonist.

Video Game

• Catwoman appears in Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, voiced by P.J. Mattson. She has three villain fatalities.

• She appears in DC Universe Online, voiced by Kelly Huston

• The character appears in Batman: Arkham City, voiced by Grey DeLisle. She is a playable character, having her own storyline which intersects with the game's main storyline. Her content is estimated to be ten percent of the game's content.

• She appears in Injustice: Gods Among Us, voiced by Grey DeLisle again. Her normal version teams up with Lex Luthor while her regime version joins Superman's Regime.

Spinoffs and Parodies

• Halle Berry portrayed Patience Phillips in Catwoman. This character is not related to Selina Kyle or Holly Robinson. She is an African-American, working for Hedare, a makeup company. She finds out her company's signature unreleased product is harmful, resulting in her unfortunate death. However, an Egyptian cat breathes new life into her. She develops cat-like powers, using them to defeat her boss's corrupt wife, the mastermind behind her death.

See Also

• Holly Robinson

External Links

• Official Website