DC Showcase Catwoman

[Catwoman]

I. Freaking. LOVE HER

[The Laughing Fish]

That was fun. Eliza Dushku voiced Catwoman in Batman: Year One too, and her friend Holly was in that plot as well. I wonder if this was supposed to be a tie-in to that film?

I prefer Catwoman as an anti-hero. She maybe a thief, but she isn't a stone-cold evil bitch like in Sam Hamm's Batman II script. At best, she gets what she wants, but she still cares for the people around her. Batman does care for her, but he'd always find it difficult to be romantic with her unless she completely abandons her criminal ways. Sadly for him, it rarely ever happens.

[Catwoman]

I prefer Catwoman as an anti-hero. She maybe a thief, but she isn't a stone-cold evil bitch like in Sam Hamm's Batman II script. At best, she gets what she wants, but she still cares for the people around her. Batman does care for her, but he'd always find it difficult to be romantic with her unless she completely abandons her criminal ways. Sadly for him, it rarely ever happens.

You just summed up why I'm single.

lol

Seriously though, I totally agree.The anti-hero Catwoman is the PURRFECT character. I hate when they cut her dimensions away and make her just a straight up villain. I mean the '60s one was cool but that's because Julie and Lee MADE her cool (I don't remember Eartha's episodes). I read a bit of the Batman II thing and I hated it. I didn't like Daniel Waters' first draft dealio either because he made Selina a lot less sympathetic and in some ways plain evil compared to what was in the movie. I don't think Michelle's version of her would be nearly as iconic if it had been a full on villain.

Being a stone cold evil bitch is fun (lol), but a heart has to be in there sometimes. Which may be why Pammy is my third fav of the Sirens behind Selina and Harls. She's more straight evil.

[The Laughing Fish]

I hate when they cut her dimensions away and make her just a straight up villain. I mean the '60s one was cool but that's because Julie and Lee MADE her cool (I don't remember Eartha's episodes).

But sometimes the attempt to make a character an anti-villain can backfire if their motivations are poorly conceived and inconsistent. For example, The Dark Knight Rises' version of Catwoman. At first, she is introduced as a cold-hearted, manipulative sociopath who doesn't care about anybody else or who she hurts as long as she gets a computer program that can erase her criminal record so she could start a new life. She even resents Bruce Wayne because she perceives him to be part of the upper class elite who have stolen from the poor, so she played her part in bankrupting him and even betrayed him to get ambushed by Bane. Yet, when she discovers that Bruce is Batman in that very same scene, she suddenly regrets what she has done. Why? No reason is given. I'd thought her discovery that Bruce used all his money and resources to become Batman instead of, for example, donating to the poor would've increased her hatred for him even further. In Batman Returns, Catwoman's irrational behavior was influenced by her own madness clouding her judgment. What's Selina's excuse here? And for that matter, why would Bruce ever trust her after that entire ordeal she had put him through?

The most irritating part is I actually really like Anne Hathaway's acting in the role. She plays the part with seduction and cool appeal that Catwoman is meant to be played. But sadly, like nearly all of Nolan's characters, she's incredibly poorly written and doesn't get to do much. Don't bother trying to tell that to the fanboys though. They will smugly sugar-coat it as an example of the director's "perfect handling in complex moral dilemmas".

 

Bottom line: sometimes making a character just a straight up villain is much better than poorly adapting somebody to be a sympathetic anti-hero.

I don't think Michelle's version of her would be nearly as iconic if it had been a full on villain.

Indeed. Another great interpretation was the BTAS version, where the thieving Catwoman was also heroic for being an animal activist and how she played her part in damaging Red Klaw's terrorist plans.

Being a stone cold evil bitch is fun (lol), but a heart has to be in there sometimes. Which may be why Pammy is my third fav of the Sirens behind Selina and Harls. She's more straight evil.

Have you read Batman: Hush? If you haven't, I think you'll really get into it. It's about Batman investigating a series of crimes involving some of the biggest names of his rogues gallery are all part of an elaborate plan to undermine him, and Catwoman gets implicated as she is hypnotised by Poison Ivy to steal ransom money from a Killer Croc crime scene. As she breaks out of her spell, Catwoman joins forces with Batman to bring Ivy down and they continue to investigate the connection between the other villains; and they even begin a romance with each other. Catwoman's attitude here can be easily compared to the Arkham City version and even this short cartoon.

[Catwoman]

I'm glad I never bothered with Anne's Catwoman. I think it would have pissed me off. lol.

Totally true about the BTAS version! I love that one. She's a good girl at heart, so long as you aren't interfering with Kitty's play time. That's you, Batsy.

I will check out Hush, thanks! That sounds PURRRRfect

[The Laughing Fish]

Totally true about the BTAS version! I love that one. She's a good girl at heart, so long as you aren't interfering with Kitty's play time. That's you, Batsy.

Exactly. It's kind of sad that Catwoman gets awarded a pair of handcuffs by Batman after she helped him stop Red Klaw in the end. And yet, she understands that Batman was only doing his job and she still solders on without carrying any grudges.

I will check out Hush, thanks! That sounds PURRRRfect

You're welcome. I'd be looking forward to hear what you think of the comic after you get the chance to read it.