25/03/2022
Catwoman: DC
Catwoman is a fictional character originating from DC Comics. Under the costumed alias of Catwoman, Selina Kyle, is a cat burglar with an on-again, off-again, romantic relationship with Batman. She is shown as a woman who is very strong-willed, independent and morally dubious.
Origin:
There have been many versions of Catwoman's origin over the years but details of her possible storyline suggested that Selina Kyle was born to Brian and Maria Kyle in the slums of Gotham City. Her mother was never close to Selina or her sister Maggie and would often rather spend time with her cats then her children. Her father was an abusive and drunken man who would always quarrel with Maria, a homemaker. In her spare time, Selina took gym lessons not just as an extra curricular, but to sometimes avoid the domestic violence at home. One day, as she returned home from school, Selina found her mother lying in the bath tub filled with blood. Apparently, Maria had committed su***de by cutting her wrists with a razor blade. Selina’s father hated Selina because she looked like her mother, eventually he drank too much and succumbed to alcohol poisoning. Selina called the police but as soon she hung up the phone, she packed her bag and ran away from home.
Selina lived on the streets while Maggie was taken to an orphanage right away. She became a petty thief who would steal food at grocery stores. Eventually Selina was caught and sent to an orphanage. She caused so much trouble that she would be sent to Juvenile Hall. When Selina was 13 years old she was sent back to an orphanage, but she soon discovered that the place was embezzling money. They would confront her and attempt to cover it all up by drowning Selina in a bag dropped into the river. Selina escapes and returns to the orphanage. She steals documentary proof that they were embezzling money and also stole money to live on her own, she sent the documents to the police to expose them.
As Selina grew older, she became a pr******te but she was quietly a cat burglar by night, stealing jewelries and diamonds from museums and rich people's homes. One night, she stole a valuable totem from a museum when suddenly a hooded ninja interrupted her escape and took the valued item for himself. Selina followed the ninja into a warehouse, which turned out to be a secret martial arts academy. The ninja, known only as Kai, told his Sensei that she is an intruder and a thief and must be severely punished. However, after seeing her fast reflexes, the Sensei politely asked her to join the academy so that she can harness the martial arts skills, in which she accepted.
Several weeks had gone by and Selina's fighting abilities improved dramatically but her relationship with her senior Kai was far from nice. He despised Selina (who was nicknamed "Nehko-Chan" in the academy) and would deliberately hurt her during training. It gave Kai even more grief knowing that the Sensei favored Selina more than the other pupils. A few nights later, a news broke up on television stating that Batman was last seen at Robinsons Park. Curious, Selina walked to the park and caught a glimpse of the Dark Knight in action who glided out of sight moments later. She noticed that Batman was bleeding when she saw a trail of blood and it immediately triggered something in her mind: if someone can don a costume and have everyone either be happy or terrified to see him, she can do the same too. The Batman became her omen and Selina decided to become a costume character as well. She bought a cat costume using all of her savings and resumed her stealing profession using her brand new costume and ability. As she was attempting a robbery at a local store, she was stopped by a group of security guards and one of them called her "Catwoman." Selina loved the name and thus, the Catwoman persona was born.
Creation:
Catwoman made her first debut in January 1940 in Batman #1. She was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's second cousin by marriage, Ruth Steel. Both she (first credited as simply the Cat) and the Joker were Batman's first two enemies although she was not considered to be an adversary of Batman. She was a very popular character but from September 1954 to November 1966 she took an extended hiatus due to newly developing Comic Code Authority in 1954. Catwoman's first silver Age appearance was in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #70 and #71.
Major story arcs: Early Life finally Revealed
Eventually the money Selina stole would not last forever. Selina would be taken in by an old thief gang leader named Mama Fortuna. She taught Selina and other runaways how to steal, however used them as slaves when she would keep all their work. Eventually Selina would run away with a friend she met while in the gang named Sylvia. They could not survive on their own and always had a shortage of money. They decided to become pr******tes and Sylvia would be able to attract men, but Selina would not attract anyone. Eventually Sylvia grew to hate Selina for everything that has happened. When Selina finally becomes a successful thief, she continued to steal. During one of her jobs, she made a mistake and had to lay low for awhile. Selina was trained by the Armless Master of Gotham in martial arts and would earn her trademark whip. Her comics were eventually canceled.
Selina returns to Gotham City in time for the Earthquake and Gotham being labeled as No Mans Land. She would aid Batman during No Mans Land against Lex Luthor and help him rebuild the city, only to be arrested by Commissioner James Gordon soon afterwards. Eventually she escapes but would soon be a suspect for another murder. Selina was later cleared but was clearly annoyed by the allegations and disappears for awhile. She was appeared to be killed by an assassin when her comics got canceled again. However, Catwoman would make several appearances in Batman’s comics and a sub-story would be written to explain what happened to Selina. In this sub-storyline, it follows a private detective named Slam Bradley who is determined to find out what happened to Selina.
Eventually Selina was discovered alive and this would re-launch her on-going series. Selina now teams up with the runaway Holly and Slam Bradley to protect the East side of Gotham. During the Hush storyline, Catwoman works with Batman together and they began a romantic relationship. Batman would reveal his alter-ego Bruce Wayne to Selina. However, Batman quickly broke off their relationship when he suspects that this was all a manipulation from Hush.
Catwoman has seemed to be reformed and truly loves Batman. Selina soon discovers that she is reformed because Zatanna had mind-wiped her with some other JLA members. When Selina discovers the truth, she duct-tapes Zatanna mouth shut and throws her out of a window. Later Selina is faced with the decision to kill a criminal. The criminal was the Black Mask, he had threatened to kill the people Selina cares for. Selina quickly kills Black Mask by shooting him in the head.
One Year Later:
One year after Infinite Crisis, Selina has given up being Catwoman, she has left East End Gotham and is currently living under the name Irena Dubrovna. She recently gave birth to a baby girl who she named Helena, the father was unknown. Holly has taken the Catwoman mantle while Selina raises her daughter, however Selina eventually returns to East End Gotham. Selina could not resist the thrill of being Catwoman and would eventually don the costume again. Film Freak and Angle Man would team up to try and beat Catwoman. They would catch the two Catwoman on film and was able to deduce and find out where Selina lives. When Selina finally returns home, she discovers Film Freak and Angle Man in her home and have abducted Helena. Selina would easily rescue her daughter and would contact Zatanna to mind-wipe the two criminals so she's able to maintain her life unfettered. Angle Man turned himself over to the police but Film Freak goes on a murder rampage.
Later Wildcat reveals to Selina that Holly was arrested for the murder of Black Mask. Selina would break into the police station and free Holly. Selina would tangle with Film Freak again and would defeat him for the final time. She returns home to find Slam at her place. Slam reveals that he has figured out who the father was, and it was actually Slam’s son, Sam Bradley. During Amazons Attack Batman had Selina pose as a criminal so she could gain the trust of the Bana Amazons and she was able to stop an attack on Gotham City.
After Amazons Attack is over Holly and a reformed Harley Quinn were both in Athena's Women Shelter after the attack and both Holly and Harley have become Amazons after a series of trials. Selina starts to doubt whether she should be a mother with her adventures and has Batman fake her and Helena death's and then set Helena up for adoption. Once Helena is adopted Selina asks Zatanna to erase her memories of being a mother, but she refuses telling her it isn't fair to her or Helena and she can't change Selina's mindset because she became a hero on her own. Catwoman joined Batman's new team of outsiders, but she left in the second issue while fighting a modified OMAC not being able to handle the idea of fighting villains on that level. During Salvation Run she revealed that Blockbuster was actually the Martian Manhunter who was checking up on the villains, endangering his life.
Batman R.I.P:
During Heart of Hush, Catwoman was attacked by Hush. He surprised her by showing her his face, which he had surgically altered to look like Bruce Wayne's. He then ripped out her heart, leaving her on life support and possibly murdering her. Batman got her heart back, and Zatanna gave her a cream that would help her heal faster. Catwoman took revenge by stealing all of Hush's money, leaving him a video telling him that he was now penniless, and that she had survived, he having thought she was deceased.
Faces of Evil:
Catwoman finds Hush in the jungle. She captures him, and beats him up (using him as a "punching bag for a rhinoceros". She then releases him to distract the poachers she is traveling with, giving him two guides, who were actually Nightwing and Robin, and then she frees all the animals. Nightwing and Robin capture Hush, and lock him up.
Final Crisis:
Catwoman is one of the Female Furies in Final Crisis. She has a minor role and worked under the Amazonian fury Wonder Woman. This happened when Darkseid took control over the Earth.
Gotham City Sirens:
After the events of Final Crisis, when the new Batman takes back control of Gotham City, Catwoman remains despondent at the loss of Bruce Wayne. While contemplating her loss, and her unexplained physical weakness despite being fully recovered from her physical heart trauma, she rescues two bystanders from a new super villain-wannabe who calls himself Boneblaster. However, her physical weakness becomes obvious when she fails to fight Boneblaster effectively. Before Boneblaster can cause her permanent harm, she is rescued by the sudden appearance of Poison Ivy. Concerned at how weak Catwoman had become, Ivy takes Selina to where she'd been staying, the home of Edward Nigma (the reformed Riddler). Selina discovered that Ivy had apparently seduced and drugged Eddie with her plant pheromones. She also discovered that Ivy had similarly taken Harley Quinn into her new sanctuary.
Selina then offered the idea that all three of them stay together to better survive in the new Gotham City. Before accepting Selina's idea, Ivy secretly paid a visit to Zatanna through her plants, to find out if she had anything to do with Selina's weakness. Zatanna suggested that the weakness was likely psychological in nature. But before Ivy and Selina can discuss the matter any further, Boneblaster returns and tries to once more make a name for himself by attacking Ivy, Harley and Selina. While Ivy and Harley distract him, Selina ends Boneblaster's threat by shorting out his gauntlets with a live electrical conduit, deducing that the villain had yet to get used to the technology, and had failed to properly insulate his gloves. As a result of the fight, Eddie Nigma's apartment is wrecked.
Selina then obtains an abandoned animal shelter as their new home from a man calling himself The Broker. Ivy and Harley move in, but before Ivy makes a final acceptance of Selina's offer, she surprises Selina and drugs her with truth serum-like spores. While Selina falls into a stupor, Ivy says that she wants total honesty between all of them if they are to trust one another. She then asks Selina to reveal the identity of the original Batman. Selina, using a mental discipline taught to her by Talia al Ghul, avoids the interrogation and gives Ivy and Harley a fabricated story about there being multiple Batmen over the years, and that she's had a personal relationship with more than one of them.
Ivy and Harley accept this answer for the moment, and Ivy tries to make amends by growing all manner of exotic fruits for Selina. Meanwhile, Harley goes shopping. Later, Selina receives a message on her phone which shows Harley posing with Bruce Wayne. Knowing that the real Bruce is dead, and that the man with Harley is really Thomas Elliot (Hush), Selina takes Ivy to the restaurant where the picture was taken. She is shocked to see a Harlequin doll at the table, its head stabbed through with a knife. Harley's phone is next to it, they manage to save Harley but later the women fight and part ways, returning things to the way they were earlier, back to where they all started; apart.
Blackest Night:
Black Mask was reanimated as a member of the Black Lantern Corps (Black Mask wants revenge on Catwoman). After a fight against Selina, Black Mask, decided to meet the sister of Selina (Maggie Kyle). Catwoman (with the help of Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn can stop Black Mask (Poison Ivy uses a plant - the plant disintegrates Black Mask). Later, Maggie (Maggie is no longer in coma) thinks Selina is under the influence of the demon-cat. Maggie wants to help free the soul of her sister and therefore tries to exorcise her and when they didn't work; attempted to murder her, causing Selina great emotional trauma.
Road Home: Catwoman
During the Road Home story arc, Catwoman was seen with her partners Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, keeping an eye on Vicki Vale. Selina was asked by Oracle (Barbara Gordon) to follow Vicki and destroy the evidence that she has on members of the Bat-family. When Selina saw a passed artifact that she stole a long time back, it gave her a good feeling to remember what it was like to be chased by Batman. This flashback was interrupted when Harley Quinn broke into the area, She wanted to get her Hyenas back because they stole them from her. Selina's and Ivy's cover was blown and Vicki Vale bolted out of the room very quickly. Selina lost the trail, however got Vicki's phone number. She planted a fake call to lead her out of her apartment. Selina broke into Vicki's apartment and started to take pictures of the Bat-wall; which had the information Insider (Bruce Wayne) and Oracle needed. When Insider arrived at the meeting location, Bruce talked about the "two-beating hearts" from the "Heart of Hush" story line. Selina fell into a trance and said "Bruce", however Insider was already gone. In the end, Bruce stated that Selina was qualified to help him continue his war on crime in the near future.
Night of the Owls:
In Night of the Owls,Selina was waiting for the Penguin to get out from his penthouse along with Spark because they wanted to steal some special daggers that the Penguin owned. But at the time he had to leave, a Talon came and Selina and Spark had to intervene to save Penguin. It was a Talon who wanted redemption because he had failed the court many times, but when Selina tried to get over him the peaceful way, the Penguin shot the Talon. After the battle ended, Selina and Spark got the dagger and left Penguin.
On the Trail of Dollhouse:
Catwoman and her new partner Spark are after Dollhouse who is kidnapping people and making them one of his dolls. But to catch him Catwoman seeks the help of Detective Alvarez who is willing to help her but in the end he gets kidnapped by Dollhouse and Catwoman has to save him.
Batman Hush:
Catwoman was being minded control by poison ivy who at the time was working with Hush. Poison Ivy was making Catwoman steals for her and Catwoman really did not appreciate that. She later teams up with Batman to take down Hush and Poison Ivy who had figured out how to control Superman as well. During this event, Catwoman and Batman grew really close together. It is in this issue that we, the readers, really see how much they care for one another. Batman had even proposed to Catwoman while they were on a rooftop, but she had refused because she did not want to give up her life to live Batman's dream for her. At the end of the issue, they had broken up because they were two different. Batman wants to stop criminals, but Catwoman wants to commit crimes.
Catwoman: When in Rome
Catwoman Believing that Carmine Falcone, the crime boss is her father, she enlisted the help of the Riddler to go to Rome with her. While there, she meets with a paid for hired assassin named "Blondie" to show her around Rome. The two had a flirtatious relationship. While Catwoman was digging for answers, she got herself in trouble with the mafia in thinking that she had killed their boss when she did not. After a few thugs attacked Catwoman, Blondie told her about a ring that whoever wears it control the mafia, but it is in the Vatican church which no mafia dares to enter out of respect. Catwoman went to steal the ring but was attacked by the cheetah after. Catwoman throughout the story would have nightmares of Batman and other people turns out that it was because the Riddler has been using a mixture of Joker and Scarecrow gas to create fear into Catwoman. He believes that Catwoman knew who Batman was under the mask and she would tell him if she was under the influence of the gases. He was the one who killed the crime boss in the first place and had also hired cheetah to attack Catwoman.
Skills and abilities:
Seline Kyle may not have any superpowers, but she is not a pushover. She has incredible Eye-hand coordination and physical memory meaning that if she sees a move, she will remember it for life. Also, she has been taught stealth, athletics, hot-wiring, lock-picking, thieving, acrobatics and the martial arts. She was trained by the Armless Master in martial arts, by Wildcat in boxing and street-fighting, and by Sensei in all major martial arts disciplines and the Sensei's special blend of martial arts form (see Catwoman Annual #2 - Catwoman Year One for more details). She excels at low- and high-tech heists and is the best cat-burglar in Gotham. Catwoman has a good affinity for cats. They often help automatically if she needs it and instantly know that she is a friend. Additionally, Selina was an effective seductress, a talent she employed to remove herself from treacherous situations.
She is also a master of disguise, and is easily able to impersonate and assume multiple identities.
Equipment:
Catwoman has had many different looks over the years. In her first appearance, wore no costume or disguise at all, and it was not until her next appearance that she donned a mask, which was a theatrically face-covering cat-mask that had the appearance of a real cat, rather than a more stylized face mask seen in her later incarnations. Her weapons include her trademark whip, bolas, and an American derringer model 1, a pistol she keeps as a backup.
