Catwoman (cartoon character)
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Catwoman (Selina Kyle) is a cartoon character from the American publisher DC Comics . The character created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane made her first appearance in the first issue of the Batman comic series in 1940.
Originally, Catwoman was an attractive, black-clad thief and opponent of Batman , but later comics also developed a love affair with Batman and his true identity, Bruce Wayne.
Catwoman appears as a character in various real-life adaptations of Batman, including in the 1960s television series (played by Eartha Kitt and Julie Newmar , among others ), in Batman's Return (played by Michelle Pfeiffer ) and in The Dark Knight Rises (played by Anne Hathaway ) . In 2004 Halle Berry played the title role in Catwoman , which was only loosely based on the comics. Most recently, Selina Kyle was played by actress Camren Bicondova in the series Gotham .
comics
Although Catwoman was originally introduced as an opponent of Batman, she is not clearly good or bad, rather she has her own moral code. Partly she therefore also fights at Batman's side.
A love affair also developed between Batman and Catwoman in various stories. In the 1970s, there was even a story set on Earth 2 in the DC Multiverse in which Batman / Bruce Wayne and Catwoman / Selina Kyle married and had a child. If the origin of Catwoman in the early comics remains unclear, Frank Miller's Batman: Year One portrays Catwoman as a former prostitute who wants to secure a better life for herself and a friend by stealing a better life away from the streets.
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When she first appeared in 1940 (still under the name "The Cat"), Catwoman wore a cat mask over her face and a normal dress. Later she wore a tight-fitting full-body costume, the mask of which had cat ears - this type of clothing is named after her " catsuit ".
Catwoman had several comic series of her own. In the 1990s, Catwoman was portrayed as a busty lone fighter who steals for sheer pleasure. In the current series, which has been running since 2001, Catwoman is more likely to be depicted as a superhero, who acts independently of Batman, but maintains contacts with him.
Character traits
Selina Kyle grew up in a broken home, and besides her older sister Magdalena, her only friends were the cats her family had adopted. But the two sisters took different paths: while Magdalena became a nun, Selina ran away from home at fifteen and quickly landed on the streets of Gotham City .
Selina came to a home, but where she went through hell on earth: the sadistic director of the home tortured the children, and she almost killed young Selina. However, she was later able to flee and vowed never to allow herself to be locked up again, but instead to shape her life according to her own ideas and laws.
At seventeen she fell into the hands of a pimp named Stan who beat her to hospital. She was discovered in the hospital by a police officer named Flannery who made sure that Ted Grant, aka Wildcat, trained her in various self-defense techniques.
However, the work of Flannery and Grant was almost completely ruined a little later when Selina returned "home" and was brought back by Stan to her old life of crime and prostitution, from which she was only able to free herself again with difficulty.
During this time Selina also discovered her natural skill as a thief. She was so successful in this that she was able to “work her way up” into Gotham's high society within a very short time . As a member of the wealthy upper class, the seductive beauty made "friends" with the richest and most powerful men in Gotham, who later often became her victims.
She met Bruce Wayne at a millionaires' party, and the two immediately realized that they were attracted to each other. Under other circumstances, something might have come of this relationship, but inspired by the appearance of the mysterious Batman, Selina decided as Catwoman to put her forays under the trademark "cat". She put on a leather suit and took revenge on Stan first.
The meeting of Selina with Batman was inevitable, but although there was an enormous attraction between the two mask wearers, the law always stood between them. During the Hush storyline, Batman revealed his true identity to Selina. But Batman's distrust was too high after Tommy Eliott's betrayal, he couldn't completely trust Selina / Catwoman anymore. After a painful defeat against Cyber-Cat, the otherwise carefree and light-footed Selina revealed another, tougher side: She stripped off her usual costume and put on metal armor with which she could defeat her dangerous opponent in a rematch. Now she's wearing her old costume again.
During the "War Games" Selina defended her territory on the one hand, and on the other hand she took care of spoilers that followed the slaughter among the gang bosses. After Selina learned that Spoiler had started the "War Games", she left Spoiler in the care of her two friends. Selina herself informed Dr. Leslie Thompkins of Spoiler's role in the bloody fight in Gotham City, after which she managed to defeat Philo Zeiss in a duel. After the "War Games" she defends her neighborhood against the invading gangsters who are active under the Black Mask.
Although Selina is strong-willed and usually remains to herself, over the years she has taken on several young girls who reminded her of herself. One of these girls, Holly, had previously worked for Stan with Selina. Selina soon handed her over to her sister Magdalena. Holly later married and moved to New Jersey, but her criminal past eventually caught up with her and resulted in her death. Thereupon Selina avenged her death. She later took on the young runaway Arizona and tried, as with Holly, to help her build a new life.
Selina still has a special heart for cats. When she wanted to fetch a cat from the animal shelter, she felt so sorry for the other cats that she took them with her too. Later on, a couple of strays came along too, and so now at least nineteen cats come and go with her.
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Catwoman is a thoroughbred thief, always looking for her own advantage and a full bank account, but even more she enjoys the thrill of the exciting cat-and-mouse game with Batman and the police and her free life, which she shapes according to her own rules. However, Catwoman also has her good points: She hates to hurt someone and has a heart for the poor, the sick, and the weak. It is not uncommon for her to take the side of Batman in a crisis situation. When the plague raged in Gotham, it even helped Batman and his allies Robin , Azrael, and Nightwing find an antidote. She has always balanced on the fine line between “good” and “bad”.
The current issue of the Batman comic series in the DC rebirth era ( Batman # 12 , April 2018) ends with a scene in which Batman tells Catwoman that he bought the diamond she wanted to steal when they first met and kept as a keepsake of her for years. On the last page of the booklet, Batman takes off his mask and proposes to the completely taken by surprise Selina, who has also taken off her mask, in the pouring rain on a roof in Gotham City.
In the US edition of Batman # 32, Selina finally accepts the proposal.
TV and film adaptations of the material
In the 1960s Batman television series and film Batman Keeps the World in suspense , Catwoman was embodied by actresses such as Julie Newmar , Lee Meriwether and Eartha Kitt .
In Batman's Return in 1992, director Tim Burton had actress Michelle Pfeiffer appear in the role of "feline fatal". In this version of the material, Selina Kyle is a secretary who is brought back to life by cats after the murder of her boss, the industrialist Max Schreck, whose dubious machinations she discovers, and who then takes on the identity of the Catwoman. In the film, she is less of a thief, but much more seeks revenge on her boss and, first of all, the destruction of Batman. Ultimately, however, she developed strong traits of the original Catwoman and joined forces with Batman to stop the penguin.
In Batman: The Animated Series , Catwoman takes on her old role as a thief who is very committed to animal welfare. Batman and Catwoman know each other's identities and would be a couple if it weren't for the law between them; nevertheless they worked together from time to time. She is supported here on her raids by a tame cat named Isis . There was even a team-up of Catwoman and Batgirl in the last episode of the series .
The 2004 Catwoman film with Halle Berry in the lead role was only loosely based on the comics. Instead of Selina Kyle, Catwoman was called Patience Phillips in this film and she had supernatural cat powers.
In 2011, appeared as a prequel to Dark Night Parody: BatfXXX the US porn - Parody Katwoman XXX , which uses in the free form of the original. The porn industry recognized the quality of the flick in 2012 with nominations for the AVN Award and the XBIZ Award . The actors involved included Kagney Linn Karter and Andy San Dimas as well as Evan Stone .
Anne Hathaway played Catwoman in the third Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises , produced by Christopher Nolan . The film opened in German cinemas on July 26, 2012.
Selina Kyle was most recently seen in the Gotham television series , where she is played by the actress and dancer Camren Bicondova . Selina Kyle was left behind in Gotham by her mother when she was five and has fought for survival on the streets of Gotham every day ever since. She's still a teenager and an exceptionally good thief. Because she has the characteristics of a cat and has a strong predilection for these animals, she is called "cat" by most. Selina is sly, cunning and insidious, but still very loyal to the people who are close to her, such as the homeless Ivy Peppers. At the age of 13 she became an eyewitness to the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, Bruce Wayne, who was the same age, was there on the night of the murder. As an important witness, she lives in Wayne Manor for a short time and young Bruce fell for her from the first moment. As they get older, both develop a love-hate relationship for one another. Between the ages of 15 and 16, Selina is pushed out of a window that led down to her death. Several cats were circled around her body before the police found her and took her to the hospital. Her friend Poison Ivy wakes her up with a home grown plant. Between the ages of 16 and 17, Selina becomes more and more of her alter ego, Catwoman. The series has been running on US broadcaster Fox since September 22, 2014, and in Germany on free TV since February 10, 2015 on ProSieben.
Allies
Due to her criminal past, Catwoman has many reliable sources and relationships in the underworld. However, she mostly stays away from really serious criminals and murderers (including Two-Face and Joker ).
penguin
Not only did Catwoman and the penguin face Batman together in the movie Batman's Return , Catwoman and the devious bird also worked together in the comics of the 1960s and 1970s. In the later years the penguin was Selina's most important client as he was her main stealer among other crimes. The two get on particularly well for several reasons: On the one hand, because both have a weakness for animals, and on the other, because the penguin is one of the few criminals with class and education.
Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn
Catwoman works with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn in the DC series "Gotham City Sirens" . Among other things, they fight against the Joker and the Riddler . Of course, there were particular problems with Catwoman's close contact with the Bat family.
Batman
A kind of love-hate relationship has existed between Batman and Catwoman for a long time. Batman feels obliged to catch Catwoman, who again finds the night chase between her and Batman exciting to the point of thrill. Selina turns out to be very resourceful when it comes to her escape. However, both are also attracted to each other. Since the rebirth it has been clear that Batman has loved Catwoman for a long time and sees her as the only woman he can be with. Batman even goes so far as to propose to her.
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opponent
Catwoman's opponents in the comics include the South American killer Guillermo, the imitators She-Cat and Cyber-Cat, the magician Zephyr, the rival thief Slyfox, the businessman Selkirk and the assassin Hellhound. Batman is also her opponent, but she usually takes it with sportsmanship when he defeats her and reclaims her "prey".
Cyber Cat
Cyber-Cat, aka Christina Chiles, is a thief who competes with Catwoman who first appears in Catwoman # 42 from February 1997 (author: Doug Moench , illustrator: Jim Balent ). She wears cybernetic battle armor that makes her resemble a robotic cat. In the following editions (# 42-50) Cyber-Cat vies with Catwoman for a precious artifact that both want to get into their possession and tries several times to kill the rival.
Guillermo
Guillermo is a killer who first appears in Catwoman # 1 from October 1993 (writer: Jo Duffy ; illustrator: Jim Balent). Here he is presented as a professional assassin from the fictional Caribbean island of Santa Prisca, who comes to Gotham City with the assignment to kill the terrorist Bane from Santa Prisca. To distract Guillermo from Bane, Bane's helpers spread the rumor that Catwoman is an accomplice and lover of Bane and that the way to Bane leads through her. Guillermo then attempts to kill the cat woman several times. Among other things, Catwoman's friend Arizona is killed and her apartment destroyed. Guillermo dies soon after, having returned to his homeland, in a different assassination attempt than his potential victim, the dictator El Jefe de Pais, stabs him to death ( Catwoman # 4).
Hellhound
Hellhound was Catwoman's archenemy in the Catwoman stories of the 1990s. Hellhound, who made his debut in 1995's Catwoman Annual # 2 (author: Chuck Dixon , illustrator: Jim Balent), is Kai - an Asian man who grew up in the China town of Catwoman's home city of Gotham City.
The teenage Selina Kyle made Kai, like a martial artist, thief and burglar, an enemy for life long before she became Catwoman, when she saw him in a fight in the martial arts school they both attended in front of their mutual teacher , an old Asian, defeated. The embarrassment of having been defeated by a girl in front of his teacher made Kai develop a deep hatred of Selina, which was exacerbated when he suffered disfiguring scratches on his face from a second fight with her. When Selina became Catwoman, Kai developed the double identity of the Hellhound under which he worked as a mercenary. He consciously chose the dog as a symbolic animal, as the popular belief that the cat is a “born enemy” and “natural antagonist”. Despite their mutual dislike, the two even grudgingly worked together once when they were looking for a precious relic called the “Wheel of Plagues” on behalf of the wealthy businessman “Collector” and battling with Arab terrorists ( Catwoman # 33-36). Various other humiliating defeats, which Kai in his attempts to revenge himself on Selina and to kill her, intensified Kai's hatred of Catwoman even further, while conversely she always savored her victories over him with malicious satisfaction. Hellhound later worked for the drug lord Jackie Pamerjanian from Rheelasia, but could not prevent the destruction of his hemp fields by the US government. Kai was eventually killed while working as the bodyguard of gangster Lew Moxon at a meeting of the leaders of the Gotham underworld that escalated into an uncontrolled shootout (10 Cent Adventure).
She-Cat
She-Cat is an imitator of Catwoman who, like this one, wears a cat costume and steals jewels and other valuables. She is first featured in Catwoman # 41 from January 1996 (Author: Doug Moench, Illustrator: Jim Balent).
Slyfox
Slyfox ( German "cunning fox" ) is a thief and inventors, for the first time in Catwoman # 28 (Author: Chuck Dixon, artist Jim Balent) appears. In the course of the series he sometimes works as an accomplice with Catwoman, sometimes he competes with her for valuable items to be stolen ( Catwoman # 28-30). In addition, he also competes with Batman's assistant Robin ( Robin # 38-39) and with Nightwing ( Nightwing # 1,000,000).
tracker
Tracker ( German "Zurstreckebringer" ) is a mercenary who first appears in Catwoman # 32 from 1996 (author: Chuck Dixon; illustrator: Jim Balent). Tracker, whose real name remains undisclosed, is a man who specializes in locating and killing or bringing in disappeared people for a bounty . Since he was once set on Catwoman - and embarrassed by her - he has had a marked aversion to the catwoman, with whom he meets several times - either to catch her himself or to compete with her for the same prey.
zephyr
Zephyr is a thief who competes with Catwoman and is first introduced in Catwoman # 8, April 1994 (author: Jo Duffy; illustrator: Jim Balent).