Catwoman, cartoon character, a wily and agile professional thief and sometime love interest of superhero Batman. Clad in a skintight bodysuit and stylized mask and carrying a whip, Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman, has frequently crossed and recrossed the line between villain and antiheroine.
In early appearances commencing with her 1940 debut in DC Comics’ Batman series, Catwoman (originally called “the Cat”) was portrayed by creators Bill Finger and Bob Kane as a jewel thief motivated simply by her desire for pretty and valuable things. In the late 1980s writer Frank Miller reimagined Selina Kyle as the product of an abusive home who flees state custody to make her own way on the mean streets of fictional Gotham City, dabbling in prostitution before taking up burglary.
The modern Catwoman shows a tender side as well, taking in and caring for a young prostitute. At times she has operated like Robin Hood, stealing from the wealthy and corrupt while helping those who are down and out. One constant across all interpretations is Catwoman’s complicated relationship with her foe, Batman. The two have shared a distinct sexual tension from the beginning. In some stories they have been romantically involved, and in some Kyle knows Batman’s secret identity as millionaire Bruce Wayne.
Catwoman has been a popular character in many movie and television versions of Batman, portrayed by Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt in the campy 1960s television series, Lee Meriwether in its 1966 movie spin-off, Michelle Pfeiffer in the 1992 feature Batman Returns, Halle Berry in the 2004 film Catwoman, and Anne Hathaway in the 2012 movie The Dark Knight Rises. Catwoman has appeared in numerous animated Batman television episodes and in hundreds of comic book stories.
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