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From SCIFIPEDIA
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| Catwoman
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The whip is her traditional weapon of choice.
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| Gender
| Female
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| Publisher
| DC Comics
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| Origin
| Gotham City
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| First Appearance
| Batman #1 (1940)
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| Creator(s)
| Bill Finger and Bob Kane
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| Alter ego
| Selina Kyle
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| Aliases
| Irena Dubrona
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| Abilities
| World’s greatest cat burglar, acrobat, martial artist, con woman, good with a “cat-o-nine-tails” whip.
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| Affiliations
| Outsiders
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Catwoman is a fictional comic book character, sometimes an adversary, sometimes an ally, of the comic book superhero Batman. Batman and Catwoman are owned by DC Comics. In her original appearance, she did not wear a costume and was called the the “Cat”. Despite many interpretations of the character, and repeated attempts to reform her throughout the years, Catwoman remains one of the favorite characters of the Batman mythology.
Catwoman, as her name implies, is the ultimate “cat burglar”. She is a master thief and scam artist, enjoying the challenge of beating the most difficult security precautions to steal her prize. She is distinct from most Batman villains in that she doesn’t kill, and prefers stealth to intimidation. In fact, she has a soft spot in her heart for animals, particularly cats.
Catwoman began as a Batman villain, a status she still maintains in many versions of the Batman franchise. Over the years she has shifted back and forth, from villain and thief in league which such incorrigibles as Joker and Two-Face, to a now reformed adventuress and ally, sometimes even a love interest, of Batman’s.
Comic book creators have repeatedly changed their minds back and forth about approaches to the Catwoman character over the years. At one time Bruce Wayne would be shown dating Selina Kyle. During the early 1980s, there was a whole run of stories with this theme. Then a writer with another take on the character would come along and say that she had been suffering from some kind of brain programming, and she would revert back to her villainous nature. Of late, as part of the Identity Crisis crossover limited series, it was again shown that Selina had reformed due to a mind-wipe by Zatanna in collusion with some members of the Justice League (not Batman).
Another theme that is always present in the Catwoman legend is the sexual tension between her and Batman. Even the camp live action 1966 Batman TV series, in which Catwoman was decidedly a villainess, acknowledged this tension. It is implied that if it weren’t for her lawless ways, Batman and Catwoman might be a romantic couple.
In the 1970s, there was an “Earth-Two” depicted in the comics, a parallel universe where the DC heroes from the 1940s, or the Golden Age of Comics, still lived. These characters had aged more or less normally, and the Robin of this world was now an adult crime fighter. In this version of reality, an older Batman and Catwoman had married and retired, and their union had produced Helena Wayne, who had grown up to be the superhero the Huntress. This version of the story was adapted and used as part of the short-lived live action TV series, Birds of Prey.
In the last decade or so, she has maintained her own comic book series, and the comic book version of the character has taken on a more Robin Hood quality. She is usually portrayed as stealing from those who deserve it. She often helps others in need, and refrains from killing any but her darkest adversaries, and even those in self defense. She is even portrayed as a protector of the residents of her Gotham City neighborhood, referred to as the East End. During a national or local crisis in Gotham City, Batman will sometimes go to her for aid.
Frank Miller, in the mini-series Batman Year One, depicted Catwoman as an ex-prostitute and dominatrix who is in inspired to become a burglar. Mindy Newel and J.J. Birch expand on this origin, in Catwoman’s first mini-series My Sister’s Keeper. In Catwoman Annual #2 (1998), a Catwoman “Year One” story, it is explained that Selina posed as a dominatrix to find out information to use for future crimes. During this time, she trained under the “Armless Master of Gotham” where she learned martial arts and culture. She also receives her trademark whip which is given to her by a “client”. In other stories, it is shown that Catwoman has taken boxing lessons from the Justice Society’s Wildcat, an ex-heavy-weight champion.
Though the “prostitute” part of the story has been phased out of the origin, characters such as her befriended runaway and roommate Holly Robinson (from Batman Year One) and her sister Maggie (from My Sister’s Keeper) are still part of Catwoman’s supporting cast.
Recent issues of her own series have shown Selina retired from crime with a baby daughter named Helena. Holly Robinson has taken over the role of Catwoman for a while. Stay tuned!
A 1970s version: Note the cat themed trap and the whip.
Character Origin
The origin used in the Modern Age of Comics was still in place as of Batman Allies Secret Files and Origins (2005). In this version of the story, Selina Kyle is a product of a troubled home. Her mother is a distant parent and a cat lover who comes to commits suicide. Her father, unable to bear Selina’s presence due to her resemblance to her mother, dies from alcohol abuse. She is torn away from her sister and sent to a repressive reform school. There, Selina begins to use her acrobatic skills and precocious savvy to outwit her teachers and administrators, eventually escaping. As such, she ends up a runaway on the streets of Gotham City.
Life on the streets serves to make her even more formidable. She survives on pick-pocketing and theft, skills she perfects. She learns boxing and many forms of martial arts in order to survive. After years of physical training and honing her craft on the street, she begins to widen her operations. She would soon develop into one of the most skilled cat-burglars in the world.
No longer on the streets, Selina would often sympathize with other unfortunates. She would begin to help those in need who were being exploited or victimized by other criminals or even legal abusers, like landlords or corrupt police officers. She would give money to the hungry and defend the downtrodden. This would fund these activities by burgling the rich and the exploiters of the weak.
Observing the Batman in action, Selina was inspired to make her own mask and costume. She took the name “Catwoman” that had already been given to her by the newspapers and local police. Her illegal activities would often bring her in heated conflict with Batman himself. Still, due to her non-lethal methods, and the choice of often criminal targets, she would often not be a high priority on Batman’s radar. When he started to understand that Catwoman was actually protecting and helping others that might be otherwise victimized by crime and hardship, Batman and the Catwoman learned to co-exist.
Catwoman Portayals
- 1966: After the success of the TV series, Lee Meriwether played Catwoman in the big screen adaptation.
External links
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