Hero Worship: Why I Love Catwoman

Inevitably, one of the first questions that I’m asked when I meet someone new and they find out what I do for a living – writing about and creating comics – is “who’s your favorite superhero?” After a lengthy explanation of how there’s so much more to comics than just superheroes, I reveal that Superman is my all-time favorite, which usually doesn’t surprise them. I then reveal that a close second is Catwoman and surprise wipes across their face. I’m not sure why – she’s one of the most progressive, interesting, and well-rounded characters in all of comics – not to mention that she’s been a part of the Batman story since Batman #1, right alongside the Joker.

The fact that she’s being featured in The Dark Knight Rises makes me giddy as hell; her past big screen incarnations have never really delivered on the potential that the character holds. While I do adore Lee Meriwether’s interpretation of the character in Batman: The Movie (oh, Miss Kitka…), it’s a relic of the campy Batman era that lacks the gravity of the forty-five years or so of the character's existence since that time.

Even if every aspect of the comic book version that had been seen up to 1966 was put to use on the screen, she would have remained largely the same given her then existence of about 25 years – 10 of which she was unable to appear due to the absurd limitations of the Comics Code Authority at the time. The basic elements are there – the femme fatale-style seduction of Batman, the feline motif – but the more complex elements of the character wouldn’t really be explored until the modern era.

With Batman Returns, Tim Burton brought forth the S&M-inspired Michelle Pfeiffer version of the character that would forever linger in the dreams of young men everywhere. Darker, sexier, and a good deal more unhinged than is typical, Burton’s Catwoman – like pretty much all of the characters in Batman Returns – is a vision tailored specifically to Burton’s visual and thematic interests. I like Batman Returns more than most for this specific reason, but the film’s rendition of Catwoman still fails to capture the core of the character that captivates me so much.

And then there’s 2004’s Catwoman starring Halle Berry, which I’ve since subtitled “The Cruelest Joke Hollywood Ever Played on Me.” As you might imagine, learning of a solo Catwoman film back in the day nearly made me feint from hyperventilation. And then as the details came together, my world collapsed. As suspected, the movie was a disaster in every way, not the least of which was the complete disregard for anything remotely resembling the Catwoman character. The closest we got was a Michelle Pfeiffer cameo (via a still photograph). Happily, I can say that I didn’t have to spend my own money to see the movie – I got a free ticket from the purchase of one of the Batman: The Animated Series DVD sets.

Which brings us to the present with Dark Knight Rises. Played by Anne Hathaway, Christopher Nolan’s Selina Kyle looks to be the closest representation of the character on the big screen to date. No, I haven’t seen the movie yet, but it’s already apparent from the trailers and TV spots combined with the reality that Nolan has established in the two movies previous. I’m not going to assume, of course, but I can say that I’m highly optimistic for Catwoman’s treatment in Dark Knight Rises. She’s got the wit, she’s got the looks, she’s got the skills and, yes, she’s got the heels.

So why do I love her so much? Catwoman is one of the few characters in superhero comics that have experienced a true progression throughout the years. She’s evolved from a simple cat burglar villain to one of the most complex characters in comics. She’s overcome a life of prostitution to become a figure of inspiration for young girls (Holly Robinson) while earning her keep in the Bat-family, oftentimes much to the chagrin of Batman himself. Not to mention their on-again off-again relationship that, when exploited correctly (see Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen’s Batman: Heart of Hush) is the source of great drama.

She’s been a CEO, she’s been a mother, she’s lost and subsequently battled her sister, she’s been a murderer, and she’s got a thing for older men. The important thing is that despite all of these crazy happenings, they’ve successfully built on top of each other throughout the years – perhaps not with flawless continuity, but the emotional effects have continued to shape Catwoman into the character she is today; she’s got many complex layers that other characters simply lack.

While she’s unfortunately suffered from Convoluted Origin Syndrome (C.O.S.: not really a thing), Selina has successfully walked the line between hero and villain more fluidly than most. In fact, she appears with a high ranking in both our Best Comic Book Villains and Best Comic Book Heroes lists -- #11 in the former and #20 in the latter. She plays the game by her own rules, and the only winner she ever sees is herself. She’ll drop Batman in a second if he’s in the way of her objectives; at the same time, Selina acts as the perfect shade of grey to assist in Batman’s war on crime. She’s willing to bend morality more than most. While in the modern era she’s typically been depicted as the reluctant hero, it’s the fact that she’s so difficult to pin down that makes her interesting.

Which leads to the next point: Catwoman’s versatility. Much like Batman, her unique characteristics make her primed for a wide variety of storytelling possibilities. Whether you go the noir-ish route of Darwyn Cooke and Ed Brubaker, the high sci-fi of Salvation Run, the supervillain showcase of Heart of Hush, the deeply personal angle of Her Mother’s Keeper, or the stylish crime caper that is When in Rome, the character’s inclusion feels fitting and true.

It remains to be seen how large of a role Catwoman will actually play in The Dark Knight Rises, but if the early footage is any indication – for this fan, anyway -- she’ll be stealing the film 100%. That’s just how Selina would want it, after all.

Source : http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/05/25/hero-worship-why-i-love-catwoman