Julie Newmar's Catwoman

[Catwoman]

Obviously as a Catwoman fan and as a girl I more prefer the version that is not quite a villain so much as an anti hero with sticky claws, lol, but Julie's Catwoman is fun in her badness. She's the one that you might not necessarily want to BE her like with Michelle's or the animated version or the video game version  that are like bad girls with a heart, but you totally wouldn't mind pretending now and then. She makes being such an evil bitch look so fun. I wouldn't mind tying up a bunch of you and like dangling you over some boiling oil or something for a bit while I giggle and purr and make fun of you. But I promise not to drop you. Most of you.

[thecolorsblend]

Yep. Don't let the light tone of the show fool you. B66 is a 'serious' interpretation of Batman. West's Batman is easily the most believable as having a genius level intellect. It's something of a joke in-show, sure, but he does have a gadget and backup plan for almost every scenario. He's the king of prep-time. In his reflective moments, I believe West's Bruce's resolve to fight crime and to make the world a better place. I believe him as a billionaire playboy, too.

People consistently say how hard it is to make Robin work in the Batman universe. But for my money, B66 achieved it by simply unapologetically presenting the comics. And all in all, I think by adding in the lighter elements, the undercurrent of darkness is just amplified. Case in point this discussion about the 66 Catwoman.

It definitely introduces different character dynamics. Batman as a bona fide genius casts a different light on his interplay with, say, the Riddler.

The Riddler emerges as Batman's equal opposite in B66. They're arguably neck and neck in terms of brain power. But where Batman's forte is solving mysteries, Riddler delights in creating them. Batman sees his mandate as preserving the peace; Riddler wants to cause as much hysteria as possible... while confusing the hell out of his inferiors AND simultaneously telegraphing his next move. "You idiots, I TOLD you what was coming next!" Batman's quiet, reserved and thoughtful. Riddler swings from one mood to the next, theatrically exulting in his latest triumph or obnoxiously bemoaning his most recent setback. Riddler is completely manic. He has no inner-thoughts. For better or worse, he gives voice to every fleeting impulse that crosses his mind. He can do no other. For all his posturing as an intellectual, the Riddler is a slave to his every whim and emotion while Batman's possessed of an almost Vulcan-like passivity.

It's obvious why Riddler hates Batman. Here's a guy who could've been an unstoppable force of crime in Gotham City. He could've owned that town. His talents are wasted on law enforcement. But beyond the "squandered potential", there's a very real personal grudge on Riddler's part. He wants to prove he can be everything Batman isn't... but also everything he is.

What probably started off as a fairly run of the mill rivalry (on the Riddler's part) has abscessed into complete hatred. Bad enough that Batman's on the wrong side of crime, worse yet that he's so freaking good at what he does but every single time he proves he's the better, smarter man. Riddler's compulsion is leaving clues to forecast his next move. He can't help himself. But he can try to tamp it down. And yet no matter how vague he makes his clues, no matter that he might temporarily gain the upper hand, Batman always comes out ahead.

Sooner or later, that would seriously piss the Riddler off.

[The Dark Knight]

Good post colors, I agree with it all. In many respects, the Riddler is the true nemesis for Batman in the 66 show.

[Edd Grayson]

I think the Penguin was a major foe too, and the main in the '66 movie.

[thecolorsblend]

Good post colors, I agree with it all. In many respects, the Riddler is the true nemesis for Batman in the 66 show.

It does somewhat explain why Schumacher (an avowed fan of the TV show) portrayed the Riddler the way he did, does it not?

[Catwoman]

I think the Penguin was a major foe too, and the main in the '66 movie.

This. I always found him to be number one. The Riddler was a close number 2, which would probably drive him batsh*t (no pun intended lol) but I always thought of Penguin as the main villain. Maybe it's cause Burgess was on there more times than any villain. I read that he was on there like 20 times (obviously most of those are part of the same adventure split across tonight and TOMORROW NIGHT, SAME BAT TIME, SAME BAT CHANNEL! lol). To compare Julie had like six episodes I think (Eartha Kitt of course was Catwoman in the last season).