Catwoman
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Catwoman, comic character, a wily and agile professional thief and sometime love interest of superhero Batman. Clad in a skintight bodysuit and stylized mask and carrying a whip, Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman, has frequently crossed and recrossed the line between villain and antiheroine.
In early appearances commencing with her 1940 debut in DC Comics’ Batman series, Catwoman (originally called “the Cat”) was portrayed by creators Bill Finger and Bob Kane as a jewel thief motivated simply by her desire for pretty and valuable things. In the late 1980s writer Frank Miller reimagined Selina Kyle as the product of an abusive home who flees state custody to make her own way on the mean streets of fictional Gotham City, dabbling in prostitution before taking up burglary.
The modern Catwoman shows a tender side as well, taking in and caring for a young sex worker. At times she has operated like Robin Hood, stealing from the wealthy and corrupt while helping those who are down and out. One constant across all interpretations is Catwoman’s complicated relationship with her foe, Batman. The two have shared a distinct sexual tension from the beginning. In some stories they have been romantically involved, and in some Kyle knows Batman’s secret identity as millionaire Bruce Wayne. Writer Tom King crafted a multiyear comic arc that brought Kyle and Wayne to the altar, but the machinations of archvillain Bane led Kyle to back out at the last minute. This plot twist was largely dictated by the constraints of continuity, as a lasting change to two of DC’s flagship characters would have had enormous ripple effects throughout the publisher’s entire comic line. King and artist Clay Mann were able to tell the story of Wayne and Kyle’s married life in Batman/Catwoman, a “Black Label” limited series that was set outside of DC’s main comic universe.
Catwoman has been a popular character in many movie and television versions of Batman. She was portrayed by Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt in the campy 1960s television series and Lee Meriwether in its 1966 movie spin-off. Michelle Pfeiffer donned the catsuit in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (1992), while Halle Berry played the title character in the box office bomb Catwoman (2004). Anne Hathaway portrayed Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises (2012), while Zoë Kravitz took on the role in The Batman (2022). Catwoman (voiced by Adrienne Barbeau) was a mainstay in the critically acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series (1992–95) and has appeared as both an ally and foil in numerous Batman video games.