Catwoman in other media

Batman (1966–1968)

Julie Newmar as Catwoman in the first and second seasons (1966-1967) of the Batman TV series.

Catwoman in the 1966 live action television series Batman is portrayed by Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt. Newmar portrayed Catwoman in the first and second season, and Kitt portrayed her in the third season. The feature film credits Lee Meriwether as both Catwoman and Miss Kitka. ^[1] All three Catwoman incarnations are described by comic writer, Marc Andreyko, in an afterword to a Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 omnibus, as being akin to a "Darrin-in-Bewitched bit of silent recasting" and his colleague, co-writer Jeff Parker, liked how their story "leaves no one out and the readers got it immediately", thus reflecting how the change of actress was never specifically addressed. ^[2] In the TV series, Catwoman was given neither a background nor an alter ego, but focused instead on her costumed aspects. The costume created for the series was similar to the green catsuit appearing in the comics at the time, though it was constructed by Newmar from black Lurex fabric. One of these costumes tailored for Newmar is part of the collection of the Smithsonian Institution.^[3]

Due to other commitments, Newmar was unavailable for the tie-in film produced after the first season, and for the series' third season.^[4] An uncredited Caucasian body double played the role in a cameo in "The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra", the series' penultimate episode.

Birds of Prey

The 2002 television series Birds of Prey included an adaptation of the Silver Age Huntress as one of its main characters. Catwoman was also adapted for the series as she is an integral component of the back story for Huntress. That adaptation was limited to the alter ego, a costume design similar to the one used in the 1992 film Batman Returns, and adding the aspect of the character being a "metahuman". Catwoman was portrayed by an unidentified actress and her appearances were limited to a flashback of her death which was edited into the series title sequence and the rare in-episode flashback.

Gotham

A younger version of Selina Kyle is featured in the TV series Gotham, portrayed by Camren Bicondova.^[5] Selina Kyle is depicted as a 13-year-old thief and orphan who lives on the streets of Gotham City. In the series' pilot episode, she witnesses the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne.^[6] She forms a tenuous alliance with Gotham City Police Department Detective Jim Gordon after he saves her from kidnappers working for the Dollmaker.^[7] She promises to help him solve the Wayne murders if he helps her get out of trouble with the law. Gordon arranges for her to stay at Wayne Manor, where she befriends the young Bruce Wayne.^[8] She saves him from a gang of hired killers, and gives him his first kiss.^[9] She also helps Bruce find Reggie Payne, the man who stabbed Bruce's butler Alfred Pennyworth. She pushes Payne out of a window to prevent him from telling the people who hired him that she and Bruce are onto them.^[10] In the season finale, "All Happy Families are Alike", Selina meets mobster Fish Mooney upon her return to Gotham City and joins her gang. She disappears during a skirmish between Mooney and Maroni's forces.^[11]

Camren Bicondova portrays a younger Selina Kyle, an orphaned teenager living on the streets of Gotham City who goes by the nickname "Cat", on the 2014 TV series Gotham

In the show's second season, she is working for Oswald Cobblepot.^[12] She also helps a young Firefly take revenge on a gang of criminals,^[13] and tries to protect Bruce from corrupt billionaire Theo Galavan and his niece, Silver St. Cloud. She teams up with Gordon and Cobblepot to save Bruce when he is kidnapped by the Sacred Order of Saint Dumas.^[14] She then briefly takes him to live with her on the streets so he can learn firsthand how criminals operate.^[15] She volunteers to help Bruce find out what Hugo Strange is up to at Indian Hill, a secret laboratory in the bowels of Arkham Asylum, but once inside she finds herself threatened by Firefly and Mr. Freeze. However, Firefly ultimately decides to defend Selina, and incapacitates Strange. Selina then offers to help Bruce investigate the secret society behind his parents' murder.^[16]

In the third season, Selina and Bruce begin a relationship. However, Their relationship is tested, by the arrival of Selina's estranged mother, Maria, who claims to need money to pay off a man who is threatening her. Bruce sees immediately that she is just using Selina to pull a scam, but goes along with it to avoid hurting Selina's feelings. When Selina sees her mother's true colors, she blames Bruce and breaks up with him.^[17] Bruce receives a letter from Selina, but it was from his doppelgänger 514A, and she orders him to stay away from her. 514A, after posing as Bruce for several days and is dying from the flaws in his experimentation, attempts to get her to leave Gotham but she boldly points out that he will never be the man Bruce is and attempts to tell Alfred but is pushed out a window and seemingly killed. However, a group of cats swarm around her, and she is taken to the hospital, where Ivy helps heal her. In the season finale, she tries to make contact with Bruce again, but he rebuffs her, and she subsequently begins training with Tabitha Galavan.

In the fourth season, the relation between Bruce and Selina rekindles, and they share a kiss seconds before she is shot by psychotic criminal Jeremiah Valeska. She survives, but her spinal cord is severed.^[18]

Super Friends

Catwoman was originally supposed to be featured in the Challenge of the Super Friends season of Super Friends as a member of the Legion of Doom. However, due Filmation's The New Adventures of Batman development at that time, Catwoman was restricted to appear in the show. She was eventually replaced with Cheetah.^[19]

Filmation Batman series

Catwoman was first adapted to television animation by Filmation, for the 1968 series The Batman/Superman Hour. The character design and aspects adapted were similar to those used in the previous live-action television series: a focus on the character in costume, lack of a backstory, and use of the then-current green catsuit. Like the live action TV series, Catwoman behaved like many of her villainous counterparts (Joker, Riddler), by speaking in puns and hiring henchmen who wore outfits similar to hers. Jane Webb was cast to provide the voice for the character.

Filmation returned to the character in 1977 for the animated series The New Adventures of Batman, where Melendy Britt was cast to voice the character in four episodes. Again, no backstory or alter ego were presented within the episodes. The yellow and orange costume design used was unique to the series.

DC animated universe

Catwoman, as she appears in Batman: The Animated Series (left) and The New Batman Adventures (right).

Catwoman was adapted for Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures, set in the same continuity from the DC Animated Universe, voiced by Adrienne Barbeau.^[20] A spin-off focused on the character was in production before being cancelled, and was reconsidered years later as a dual spin-off also focused on Nightwing.^[21]

The character design for Batman: The Animated Series was as a long-haired blonde look (based on Michelle Pfeiffer's appearance) when Selina wasn't wearing her costume, and the costume itself was a predominately gray catsuit based on the costume used in Batman Returns as well, and with long black gloves and high-heeled boots.

When The New Batman Adventures went into development, Catwoman's redesign resulted in an all-black catsuit, blue-white face make-up and short black hair. The first series establishes Catwoman as a socialite and animal rights activist in addition to a costumed thief in the early appearances. Beyond this, no backstory or actual origin is provided within the series. The series does play somewhat on the relation between Batman and Catwoman. She had a crush on Batman, but tried to keep her distance between her and Bruce Wayne.

Catwoman also appears in the short featurette "Chase Me".

In Batman Beyond, Catwoman doesn't appear as her ultimate fate after her last appearance in "Chase Me" remains completely unknown. However, she was mentioned by Bruce at the end of the episode "Dead Man's Hand". After the release of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, a second movie with an elderly Catwoman as a main character was planned by Bruce Timm, but was finally scrapped.^[22] However, in Justice League Unlimited's episode "Epilogue", it was revealed that Selina eventually reformed and became an ally of Batman.

The Batman

Catwoman, as seen in The Batman.

Catwoman was adapted along with a number of other Batman related characters for the 2004 animated series The Batman, voiced by Gina Gershon. The character design used was based loosely on the then-current costume used in the comic books. This resulted in a black/dark grey catsuit with a pull-up collar mask, dark red, claw-tipped gloves, a black cowl with exaggerated cat ears, and large amber goggles. The initial episode featuring Catwoman establishes her as working as a charity fund raiser in her identity of Selina Kyle. With the remaining appearances focusing on her activities only as Catwoman, an origin for the character is never provided.

Batman Black and White

Catwoman appears in the Batman Black and White motion comics, voiced by Janyse Jaud.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Catwoman was among the many DC Comics characters adapted for the 2008 animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by Nika Futterman. Keeping with the tone of the show, the character design used for most of her appearances was drawn from the 1950s through mid-1960s and again from the late 1970 to the mid-1980s. This outfit is the purple long sleeved dress with green cloak and purple headdress/mask with cat-ears.

DC Nation

Catwoman appeared in the Batman of Shanghai shorts on the DC Nation block, voiced by Stephanie Sheh. In a departure from the comics, she was portrayed as a Chinese thief active in Shanghai during the 1930s.

DC Super Hero Girls

Catwoman appears in the web series DC Super Hero Girls as a student at Super Hero High, voiced by Cristina Pucelli.

Batman (1966)

Lee Meriweather portrayed the first feature film version of Catwoman in the 1966 film Batman

The first feature film to include an adaptation of Catwoman was Batman, produced immediately after production of the first season of the 1966 television series of the same name. When the producers realized that Julie Newmar would be unavailable due to prior commitments, they cast Lee Meriwether to portray the character.^[4]

Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt, a television film which aired in 2003, was a semi-documentary of the production of the 1966 television series and film. It featured dramatizations one of which included Julia Rose portraying a young Julie Newmar on set in character as Catwoman. Newmar and Meriwether also appeared in the film.^[23][24]

Batman Returns (1992)

Michelle Pfeiffer portrayed Catwoman in 1992 film Batman Returns.

Catwoman is portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer in the 1992 feature film Batman Returns. Re-created by Daniel Waters, the character is based on the Selina Kyle from "Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper". Annette Bening was originally cast in the role but dropped out due to pregnancy.^[25] Other actresses including Nicole Kidman, Madonna, Jennifer Beals, Lorraine Bracco and Demi Moore were all linked to the role, and actress Sean Young campaigned heavily to get it (even turning up to Warner Bros. Studios in a homemade Catwoman suit). When it was suggested to Tim Burton that Michelle Pfeiffer was interested, something clicked to the producers thinking "She's perfect. She also could be both Selina Kyle and Catwoman."^[26]

This version of Selina Kyle is depicted as a mousy, lonely and frustrated secretary of corrupt tycoon Max Shreck. After Selina accidentally discovers Shreck's plot to build a power plant that would steal Gotham's electricity, Shreck attempts to murder her by pushing her out the window of his top-story office. She survives the fall and is mysteriously revived by a group of alley cats that flock around her and begin gnawing at her fingers. When she returns home, she suffers a psychotic breakdown and becomes Catwoman. As part of her larger plan to destroy Shreck, she allies herself with the Penguin, which attracts Batman's attention. Meanwhile, she begins a relationship with Bruce Wayne, at first not knowing that he is Batman. At the climax of the film, Catwoman tries to kill Shreck. Although Shreck shoots her several times, he fails to kill her. She then kills Shreck by kissing him with a taser in her mouth while holding onto an exposed power cable. An explosion ensues, but afterwards, Batman only finds Shreck's charred corpse; Catwoman is not present. As the Bat-signal later shines in the night sky, a figure wearing Catwoman's outfit watches it from afar, suggesting that she survived.

The film's interpretation of Catwoman derives heavily from the Pre-Crisis version of the character.^[27]

Batman Forever (1995)

While Catwoman didn't return in Batman Forever, she was referenced by Dr. Chase Meridian when she tells Batman: "You like strong women. I've done my homework. Or do I need skin-tight vinyl and a whip?".

Aborted spin-off

Burton had no interest in returning to direct a sequel of Batman Returns, but was credited as producer.^[28] With Warner Bros. moving on development for Batman Forever in June 1993, a Catwoman spin-off was announced. Michelle Pfeiffer was to reprise her role, with the character not to appear in Forever because of her own spin-off.^[29]

Burton became attached as director, while producer Denise Di Novi and writer Daniel Waters also returned.^[30] In January 1994, Burton was unsure of his plans to direct Catwoman or an adaptation of "The Fall of the House of Usher".^[31] On June 16, 1995, Waters turned in his Catwoman script to Warner Bros., the same day that Batman Forever was released. Burton was still being courted to direct. Waters joked, "Turning it in the day Batman Forever opened may not have been my best logistical move, in that it's the celebration of the fun-for-the-whole-family Batman. Catwoman is definitely not a fun-for-the-whole-family script."^[32] In an August 1995 interview, Pfeiffer re-iterated her interest in the spin-off, but explained her priorities would be challenged as a mother and commitments to other projects.^[33] The film labored in development hell for years, with Pfeiffer replaced by Ashley Judd. The film ended up becoming the critically panned Catwoman (2004), starring Halle Berry.^[34][35]

Aborted Batman reboot

In 2000, Warner Bros. commissioned Darren Aronofsky for an adaptation of Batman: Year One to reboot the Batman franchise. The script featured an African-American Selina Kyle/Catwoman with a prominent role.^[36]

Catwoman (2004)

Patience Phillips was Catwoman but not Selina Kyle of the DC Universe in the 2004 film Catwoman

Halle Berry portrayed Catwoman in the 2004 film Catwoman

In 2004, the feature film Catwoman was released. Starring Halle Berry, this film's Catwoman bears little resemblance to the comic book version. Berry portrays Patience Phillips, an artist and graphics designer who works for a cosmetics company called Hedare Beauty, which is ready to ship a new skin cream called Beau-Line that is able to reverse the effects of aging. However, as Patience visits the factory where it is being manufactured, she learns that the product has deadly side-effects. Laurel Hedare (Sharon Stone), the wife of the company's CEO, orders her killed. Hedare's minions drown her, but she is mysteriously brought back to life by Midnight, an Egyptian Mau cat, and from that point on develops cat-like abilities. A researcher named Ophelia Powers (Frances Conroy) tells Patience that Egyptian Mau cats serve as messengers of the goddess Bast, suggesting that Patience has been granted supernatural powers. Wearing a mask to disguise her identity, Patience stalks the night as Catwoman seeking revenge against her murderers. Eventually, her search leads her to Hedare, who murders her husband and frames her for it. In the film's climactic fight scene between Hedare and Catwoman, Hedare falls to her death. Patience is cleared of murder charges, and decides to become Catwoman permanently.

The movie alludes to other women who have been granted such cat-like abilities, particularly in a scene in which Patience is introduced to a series of photos of prior Catwomen, including Pfeiffer's Batman Returns version of Selina Kyle.

The film's story has nothing to do with the Batman universe, and is considered "Catwoman in name only". It was poorly received by critics and audiences, and is commonly listed as one of the worst films ever made.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Jewel thief Selina Kyle disguised as her alter ego Catwoman in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises

Anne Hathaway portrayed Catwoman in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises

Selina Kyle is portrayed by Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises.^[37][38] Entertainment Weekly describes this version as an enigma, a wily and witty con artist, as well as a high society grifter. She is depicted as a femme fatale antiheroine whose actions often blur ethical lines, similar to her portrayal in the comics.

In the film, Selina Kyle is hired by corrupt businessman John Daggett to steal Bruce Wayne's fingerprints; Daggett in exchange promises to expunge her criminal record with a "Clean Slate" computer program. Bane subsequently uses Bruce's prints to attack Gotham City's stock exchange and bankrupt Bruce with bogus stock trades. She also steals the pearl necklace belonging to Bruce's deceased mother and takes a congressman hostage. After Daggett betrays her, Selina leads Batman to Bane's trap without realizing that Batman and Bruce are the same person. She attempts to flee Gotham, fearing that Bane's terrorist group will eventually kill her. John Blake arrests her for kidnapping and takes her to Blackgate Prison to await trial. She is subsequently "released" when Bane takes control of Gotham. When Batman returns to Gotham and offers her the "Clean Slate", she aids the Dark Knight in liberating Gotham City from Bane's chaos. With Selina's help, Batman rescues Lucius Fox. Using the Batpod, Selina destroys the blockade at the tunnel leading out of Gotham. During the battle, Selina kills Bane with the Batpod's grenade launcher and helps Batman destroy Talia al Ghul's convoy. At the end of the movie, Bruce leaves the Batman mantle behind and enters a relationship with Selina. She is never referred to as "Catwoman" in the film, although she does receive the moniker in related The Dark Knight Rises collectibles and books. Instead, emphasis is made upon her profession as a "cat" burglar in headlines shown in the film; also, her safecracking goggles resemble cat ears when not in use.

DC Extended Universe

Catwoman will appear in Gotham City Sirens.