Catwoman Revealed

[The Dark Knight]

The goggles just make it all so boring and personality-less. No different to any other character out there. We are talking about a comic book film. The image is everything. Like this, it does not evoke Catwoman whatsoever. If these goggles are it, and we don't get a cowl with cat ears, it does indeed suck big time. How can it be that a man can dress up as a bat, but a woman cannot dress up as a cat? To throw her in a black suit (which does look quite good IMO), but not put any iconography on it - and say she's Catwoman because she's dressed as a cat burglar, is a massive cop out. As if Nolan is laughing at us. Anne Hathaway deserves better than this. BR's Catwoman was never at risk from Nolan's aesthetics, anyway. Very disappointing.

[gotham22]

Nolan created his own Black Cat. What happen to Catwoman?

If the cat mask/cowel isn't in the film then it will be kind of disappointing just like Joker. No Permanet bleach skin and black crap around his eyes. I guess Nolan has see the Batman Beyond animated series.

I like these films and this one will be great too but in the end this won't be my favorite and number 1 franchise.

[Silver Nemesis]

Batman-News.com has reported some rumoured details about Catwoman. According to their source:

•   she's a stripper and a pickpocket
•   she has a history of abuse
•   she does "cool stuff" like jumping out of windows and stealing the Batpod
•   she's very well written and "could potentially steal the show the way Heath Ledger did last time"
•   she will wear the cowl at some point in the movie
http://batman-news.com/2011/08/06/exclusive-details-on-catwoman-in-the-dark-knight-rises/

[BatmAngelus]

Never really cared for the dominatrix/prostitute angle introduced in Year One and the stripper rumor doesn't sound like much of an improvement to me.  If Selina started out as a girl on the streets, I'd think she'd have become a thief in the first place and avoid going that route with her life.

I want to address a couple things that have been annoying me since this picture came out.  When I visit other comic book or Batman related news sites, I see that there's a large group of people who label us critics as "whiny fanboys" and "nitpickers" who will eat our words when the movie comes out and that we'll "conveniently forget" that we had a problem with those things in the first place. 
Well, guess what, fellas?  I enjoyed The Dark Knight, but I still hate what they did with the Joker makeup, the Batsuit, and the Batcycle/Batpod.  Just like I hated how they looked when they were first released.
Am I a nitpicker then?  No, in fact, I thought the definition of nitpicker was someone who picked apart small issues (i.e. "Why does that section of the suit look wrinkled?"  "Isn't his/her hair out of place in that scene?") rather than what a character looks like.  So I don't think any of us qualify as nitpickers as all.

There's another argument that we should all suck it up 'cause "look at what came before!  Would you rather have Halle Berry's Catwoman back?  Or Bane how he was like in Batman & Robin."  Okay, guys.  Sure, Halle Berry's Catwoman suit was reviled.  Bane in Batman & Robin was an embarrassment.  But can't I just judge how the current Catwoman and Bane look on their own terms? 
Besides, if you really want me to compare....I'll say that Berry at least had a Catwoman cowl and Bane in B&R at least looked like Bane (weird green skin aside).

And lastly, there's a ton of people who seem to think that Nolan can do no wrong.  That we should all like whatever decisions he makes and whoever doesn't is an idiot. 
When this picture of Selina Kyle/Catwoman came out, I see people laughing at others with negative reactions.  "Come on, guys, since when did she need the cat cowl?  You fanboys are pathetic."
Yes, "fanboy" has been batted around as a derogatory term now, which I find amusing, because if you're posting on a message board, and especially, if you own a whole website devoted to Batman, then you are a fanboy, too.   

[Silver Nemesis]

I never liked the prostitute origin either. I think most people didn't. That's why they retconned it after Zero Hour: Crisis in Time (1993). What worries me about this stripper angle is that 'Catwoman' may only be her stage name, and for the rest of the film she may simply be referred to as Selina.

The only time I remember Catwoman ever being a stripper in the comics was in the Elseworlds story Batman: Thrillkiller (1998).



In that story she only wore the cowl when she was dancing. The rest of the time she dressed in ordinary clothing and was an informant for Batman. I hope that's not the approach they're taking in this film.

The other possibility is she may only wear the mask during the rumoured masquerade scene. But location pictures show Hathaway wearing a white dress (presumably for the masquerade) without any kind of mask.

Some people are claiming that she's wearing an eye mask beneath the goggles, and that once they're removed the ears will spring up at the sides. That wouldn't be so bad, I suppose. Just as long as she does have the ears.

[Azrael]

Great post BatmAngelus, and I agree with your points.

Silver Nemesis, you're literally a library of information. I agree, I hope this isn't what they mean by "she will wear the cowl at some point".

Catwoman's look really got me, in the wrong way. She's maybe the third most iconic character after Batman and the Joker (some might say second to Batman only), and a more "grounded" look will be disappointing to say the least. It's not a make or break for the film itself, but still disappointing.

[The Dark Knight]

My fear is that the iconic items (whip, cowl with cat ears, even claws) are used as cameos when she's stripping.

You know, her stage name "Catwoman". And she doesn't use/wear these things for real when she's fighting crime.

[Paul (ral)]

Great post BatmAngelus, and I agree with your points.

Seconded!

[The Dark Knight]

Great post BatmAngelus, and I agree with your points.

Seconded!

Thirded.

[Silver Nemesis]

Anne Hathaway comments on the negative response to her Catwoman costume.

http://www.mtv.com/videos/movies/680056/anne-hathaway-takes-mtv-news-to-task-for-catwoman-reaction.jhtml