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| “ | I am Catwoman. Hear me roar. | „ |
| ~ Catwoman |
Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman, is the deuteragonist of Tim Burton's 1992 film Batman Returns and Batman '89 and a minor character in Batman '89: Echoes, ignoring the events of Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.
Selina is a lonely, frustrated woman who was pushed over the edge; into obsession and crime after her boss, Max Shreck had tried to kill her to keep her from revealing his plot to build a power plant that; would steal Gotham's electricity.
Selina is portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer; who also voiced Eris in Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas and portrayed Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray, Lamia in Stardust and Queen Ingrith in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
Biography[]
Batman Returns[]
Selina Kyle worked as an assistant for the powerful and ruthless Max Shreck, owner of a business empire and the department store Shreck's. Despite being an assistant, Selina had fancied herself as more as an executive assistant; since she had helped out in more ways than a mere assistant. On Christmas Eve, Shreck forgot his speech and Selina had tried to take it to him; but the city came under attack by the Red Triangle Circus Gang and she herself was taken hostage; by one of the clowns. Batman intervened and saved her by knocking the clown out. Selina instantly became fascinated with Batman, who took his leave. She took her defeated clown captor's taser home as a self-defense weapon.
At her flat, things were no better. Selina listened to unpleasant messages on her answering machine: the first from her parents, who express disappointment at Selina not going home for Christmas; the second from her boyfriend, who had decided to go on a Christmas holiday on his own on advice from his psychologist; and the third from herself, reminding her that she has to go back to work and prepare documents for Shreck's meeting with Bruce Wayne, something she herself had anticipated she would forget.
As she went through the files, Selina inadvertently discovered that; Shreck's proposed Power Plant would suck power from Gotham City and store it, effectively bringing Gotham under control of the Shreck family. Shreck himself had appeared and confronted her about this information, and though Selina swore that; she would not let it slip, Shreck pushed her out of the window to silence her.
Selina fell through several red awnings on the side of the building, suffering only a mild concussion; when she finally hit the street. She was mysteriously awakened; by alley cats and returned home in a daze. When her answering machine gave an advert on a perfume sold; by Shreck, Selina had appeared to suffer a psychotic break; ransacking her apartment, destroying her possessions, and sewing a homemade cat costume in preparation for her revenge on Shreck. Calling herself Catwoman, Selina became a vigilante in her own right; on her first night, she brutally beat a mugger for trying to rape a helpless woman, but then chastised the woman for being unable to defend herself.
The next day, Selina had appeared in Shreck's office while he was speaking; with Bruce Wayne, covered in bandages and sporting a more confident and assertive attitude, somewhat impressing Shreck. Selina had feigned amnesia and an instant attraction developed between herself and Bruce.
A few days later; during an attack on the city by the Red Triangle Gang, Catwoman blew up the bottom floor of Shreck's store, bringing her into conflict with Batman. In the ensuing fight, Catwoman stabbed Batman in the abdomen; but not severely, while Batman had napalmed Catwoman's arm and had knocked her; into the back of a truck hauling sand, narrowly escaping death a second time. In response, Catwoman had joined forces; with the Penguin to destroy Batman and the two came up with a plan to frame him for kidnapping the Ice Princess and killing him; by turning his Batmobile; into a bomb.
Meanwhile, whilst in the city, Selina came across Bruce and the two talked for a while before Bruce invited her for an early dinner at his house. Over dinner, Selina and Bruce spoke about Bruce's personal life, and Bruce had revealed that; he had trouble with his previous girlfriend, Vicki Vale over his apparent difficulty; with duality. Once Bruce; makes it clear that; he and Vicki were finished, Selina leapt on him and the two started kissing passionately. Their attempts to become more intimate; resulted in almost exposing the other's injury and they abruptly stop. Just then, they saw a news bulletin about the Ice Princess's kidnapping; with Batman the apparent culprit. As Bruce excused himself in order to suit up, Selina left and gets into her costume to carry out their plan.
Catwoman and Batman arrived at the same time and briefly fought before Catwoman forcibly dragged the Ice Princess to the building's roof. To her shock, the Penguin had engineered the Ice Princess to fall off the building while making it look as if Batman pushed her. When Batman was shot by the police and injured from a fall, Catwoman approached him and pinned him down, straddling his chest. She flirted with him for a bit, before they noticed they were laying under some mistletoe and she gave him a long seductive lick from his chin to his nose, as a cat-styled kiss. After she briefly mocked him by saying how every girl Batman tries to save ends up dead, referring to herself and the Ice Princess, and that maybe he should retire, she slowly started to get off him before suddenly grabbing him and trying to stab him again; but he kicked her aside and leaves.
Later on, Selina had rejected an advance from the Penguin; who had responded; by tying her neck to a helicopter umbrella. Though she had managed to free herself, she luckily only took a short fall; into a greenhouse directly across from her apartment window. Saved; by landing on a bed of roses, her costume had been torn to shreds.
With Selina's alliance; with the Penguin shattered, she had devised a plan to kill Shreck herself at his annual Maxquerade Ball with a concealed gun. She had encountered Bruce at the ball and they danced for a while; before she had revealed her intentions to him. In the process, they hd discovered each other's identities; but; before they could leave to talk outside, the Penguin had attacked and revealed his plan to kidnap the firstborn sons of Gotham, taking Shreck himself hostage.
Catwoman found Shreck trying to escape from the Penguin's lair and confronted him, ready to finish him off. Batman intervened and requested that they hand him over to the police, but Catwoman objected on the basis that no jury will ever convict Shreck.
Batman unmasked himself as a sign of peace and had implored Selina to abandon her vendetta and live with him in Wayne Manor; but Selina had refused, determined to end things there and then. Shreck drew a gun and shot at Selina four times; but he ran out of bullets. Only shot in the shoulder and sides of her legs, she had contented to approach Shreck. With "two lives" remaining, she held out her stun gun in front of her open mouth; before placing it under Shreck's chin as she gave him a deadly kiss of death. During; which she had pulled a power cable; with her other arm, causing a massive explosion in the generator. In the aftermath, her body is nowhere to be found; but it is later revealed that; she had survived; with her suit repaired, as she is shown looking up at the Bat Signal in the movie's closing scene.
Selina had (presumably) left Gotham after this and left her cat, Miss Kitty; with Bruce as a farewell gift.
Earth-97[]
Batman Forever[]
| “ | You like strong women. I've done my homework. Or do I need skin-tight vinyl and a whip? | „ |
| ~ Dr. Chase Meridian to Batman. |
Though Catwoman left Gotham, her exploits became well known. Dr. Chase Meridian learned of the attraction between her and Batman, later noting that he seemed to like strong women with "skin-tight vinyl and a whip". When Dick Grayson's parents and brother got killed by Two-Face, he decides to get revenge on him, but Bruce notices vengeance consuming him just like how it consumed Catwoman. He tried to dissuade him from doing so by telling him that they are the both the same, the same way he told Selina.
Earth-89[]
Batman '89[]
| “ | Batman: This is the rooftop where you stabbed me in the ribs. Catwoman: And you burned me with acid. I still have to wear long sleeves. |
„ |
| ~ Batman and Catwoman encountering each other on the same rooftop where they first met and fought. |
In the Earth-89 timeline, which takes place after Batman Returns and ignores the events of the Schumacherverse, Catwoman actually stayed in Gotham but maintained a low profile, leading many to doubt her existence as an urban myth. Over the next year, Selina began to change the Catwoman costume, integrating longer gloves, boots and a belt. Despite him assuming she was gone, Catwoman began following Bruce and Batman from afar, though never made contact with him for the next year. Though he continued to search for her, she avoided making contact with him.
With her old occupation gone, she began investigating white-collar crime and people in power, using her civilian identity infiltrate companies and investigate them from within. Rather than hand evidence over to the police, she would regularly steal from her targets, using the profits to help finance herself and her operations. By Halloween of the following year, Catwoman had begun investigating the Lincoln Savings and Loan company, during which she uncovered links between them and Gotham's crime lords. However, before she could investigate them further, a heist was attempted from the bank by a gang of Joker-inspired criminals, though this was ultimately foiled by Batman.
When copycat criminals dressed as Batman set light to the Royal Autobody, Catwoman attacked and subdued the criminals, scarring their faces with her claws to make tracking them easier. When a disguised Bruce arrive on the scene, she stayed behind to greet him. Whilst he returned to the scene to respond to the fire, she remained behind to seal the gang into a dumpster, only asking for a kiss before he left her. Catwoman remained on the scene, though only observed the scene from the rooftops. Whilst Bruce gave his statement, he noticed her, prompting her to salute him and leave the scene.
Whilst Bruce visited Harvey Dent at Gotham General Hospital, Selina slipped a note on his car cryptically giving him the meeting spot of their rooftop where they first fought. Briefly engaging in a chase when he arrived as Batman, Catwoman was subdued finally subdued when he entangled her legs with a rope-attached Batarang. Soon joined by Bruce, they quickly began flirting and romancing each other, where she revealed her "work" since they'd last met. When he expressed displeasure, Selina confronted him on his inaction investigating white-collar crime and how his actions only affected the poor of Gotham. She also revealed that she was seeing a psychiatrist about their relationship, though claimed that her comments weren't taken seriously. When an series of fires and explosions went off around the city, Catwoman and Batman to divert their attention to them. She separated with Bruce either during or after the event.
Planning to steal information from the GCPD's mainframe, Selina infected their systems with the "KitKat" virus. Posing as an IT technician, she infiltrated the building, claiming she'd been sent to remove the virus. Selina was interviewed by Barbara Gordon, giving a partially fictitious employment history. During it, they discussed Shreck's murder and the apparently unfinished investigation. When Gordon was called away to help officers search for Dent, now calling himself Two-Face, Selina continued the "scan", in reality copying files to a floppy disk.
Selina's activities over the next several weeks is unknown, though she spied on Bruce through Miss Kitty's collar. When he and Drake Winston aka Robin began tracking Two-Face, she overheard their conversation and followed them. Catwoman hid in the trees when Barbara attempted to arrest Two-Face. To ensure he escaped, she attacked the sergeant and told the former DA to flee. As she escaped the scene, Catwoman happened upon Drake and suggested he chased after Two-Face.
After the fight, Catwoman and Drake followed Batman to the abandoned Burnside Station, which had been used by Two-Face and his gang as a hideout. Upon arrival, they discovered the station had been destroyed and the body of Commissioner Gordon. After Drake discovered an unconscious and unmasked Batman, they worked together to get Bruce back to get medical treatment from Alfred, thereby letting her into the Batcave for the first time. During the journey, she conversed with Drake about Bruce's intentions for him and if he was actually being trained as a successor.
Selina watched over Bruce as he recovered, reuniting with Miss Kitty as he recovered. When he awoke, she filled him in on his injuries and how he would be unable to operate as Batman. When confronted on the briefcase that Harvey took, Selina informed Bruce about her discoveries related to the Lincoln Job, including that the bank executives had been responsible for the heist to cover up their alliance with Gotham's Crime Lords. She revealed the contents of the briefcase to be the evidence, allowing Harvey to control the city. Selina also revealed that Bruce had been unmasked, thereby exposing his identity to Dent. As she helped him to meet with Drake and Alfred, they contemplated living a "normal" life away from the masks together.
When Bruce met with Two-Face in the Batcave, Selina managed to elude Alfred to intervein in the confrontation. When Two-Face was given the opportunity to decide whether to kill Bruce or reform, she decided to take action to save his life. Catwoman used her claws to sever the cables holding up the Giant Penny from the Lincoln Loans and Savings, dropping it near Two-Face and causing him to fall. It's unclear whether she aid Bruce's recovery of Harvey, though her actions seem to indicate she did not.
After Two-Face's fall, Bruce chastised her for interfering and killing him, claiming he had pocketed the coin and given him a double-headed replica to win his favor. But Selina had argued that there was no way he would be able to recover and he was blinded by a "Messiah complex" to release it. As she investigated Two-Face's coin, she realized he had given him it back. Having decided he was too self-absorbed to understand, Selina took leave and left with Miss Kitty, leaving the collar behind to reveal she had been spying on him.
After the events, Selina began her operations once again, stealing money from Bruce to aid her. Deducing that Harvey had sent a package contained an unmasked Bruce to Barbara, she sent a message proposing an alliance to help her operations. Catwoman could later be seen patrolling the rooftops of Gotham, unknowingly being watched by Robin.
Batman '89: Echoes[]
| “ | No, you won't. You're going to keep on seeing me. Three times a week. Because I hate ingratitude. And I'm sure you remember where you got the idea- for persona therapy! | „ |
| ~ Catwoman threatening Dr. Harleen Quinzel. |
Two years after Two-Face's death, Selina is still living in Gotham and is seeking persona therapy from Dr. Harleen "Q" Quinzel, the daughter of the late Jack Napier/The Joker.
Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part One[]
A newspaper article of the Gotham City Gazette reveals that; Selina is now a socialite and that; she had eventually reunited; with Bruce Wayne and they got engaged; before Selina and Bruce had officially tied the knot.
Trivia[]
- In the DC comics, Catwoman has black hair and green eyes; but in Batman Returns, Catwoman has blonde hair and blue eyes.
- Catwoman is the only villain in Batman Returns to survive the entire film as both the Penguin and Max Shreck were killed.
- Annette Bening was originally cast in the role of Catwoman; before being forced to drop out; due to pregnancy. A different cowl was created for her version of the costume.
- Catwoman was never seen again after Batman Returns; which is consistent; with each of Batman's many girlfriends only appearing in one film each. Her fate is left unknown, although she only has one of her nine metaphorical lives left; by the end of this film. With this "reality" and her attempted murder avenged, Selina may have chosen to protect herself and given up her dangerous activity as Catwoman. It is possible she sought out Bruce. He was again single at the end of the events of Batman & Robin, seemingly taking place only five years after the events of Batman Returns.
- Michelle Pfeiffer was previously considered for the role of Vicki Vale in Batman, that consideration was rejected due to the fact that Keaton and Pfeiffer had previously dated, which is interesting seeing how she was cast as Catwoman.
- For the role of Catwoman, Michelle Pfeiffer trained at the Steeleboxer kick boxing gym two hours a day for six months. She also practiced yoga, weight lifting and karate. She also spent 3 months training with a 12 foot bullwhip. Michelle Pfeiffer called this one of her most "challenging roles" and critics called it one of her most "iconic roles" that will be famous forever.
- Bruce and Selina discovered their dual personalities, thus exposing one of Burton's main themes - duality - in the film.
- Many fans regard Michelle Pfeiffer's version of the character among their favorites.
- Michelle Pfeiffer said about her character, "as a young girl, i was completely obsessed with Catwoman. When i heard that Tim was making the film and Catwoman had already been cast, i was devastated. At the time, it was Annette Bening. Then she became pregnant. The rest is history".
- This Catwoman was used in one of Christina Aguilera's costume changes in her music video for "Keeps Gettin' Better" and the live-action TV show Birds of Prey.
- Tim Burton signed on to direct a Catwoman spin-off film, declining to direct more Batman sequels, and Michelle Pfeiffer was slated to reprise the role. Unfortunately, plans didn't materialize and Burton moved to other films while Pfeiffer desisted from reprising the role ever again. The film ultimately took shape of the critically panned 2004 Catwoman film.
- Catwoman was later set to reappear in the unmade sequel of Batman & Robin, that was named Batman Unchained. In the film, she was planned to return as a hallucination by the Scarecrow's fear gas.
- In deleted scene of "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part One"; a newspaper article of the Gotham City Gazette reveals that; Selina is now a socialite and was engaged to Bruce Wayne; before they had officially tied the knot. Therefore; Selina had reunited; with Bruce sometime after the events of Batman Returns and 27 years; before the events of "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part One" respectively.
External Links[]
- Catwoman on the DC Wiki
- Catwoman on the Batman Wiki
- Catwoman (Earth-89) on the Batman Anthology Wiki
- Catwoman (Earth-97) on the Batman Anthology Wiki
- Catwoman on the VS Battles Wiki
- Catwoman on the Wikipedia
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 Film Series Villains
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Batman (1989) Batman Returns Others Batman Forever Batman & Robin | ||