Catwoman

"I am Catwoman. Hear me roar."

―Catwoman^[src]

Selina Kyle was a lonely, frustrated woman pushed over the edge into obsession and crime after her boss, tycoon Max Shreck, tried to kill her to keep her from revealing his plot to build a power plant that would steal Gotham's electricity.

History

Batman Returns

SelinaKyleMP — Selina before becoming Catwoman.

Selina Kyle worked as a secretary for the powerful and ruthless Max Shreck, owner of a business empire and the department store Shreck's. Despite being a secretary, Selina fancied herself as more as an executive assistant, since she helped out in more ways than a mere secretary. On Christmas Eve, Shreck forgot his speech and Selina tried to take it to him, but the city came under attack by the Red Triangle Gang and she herself was taken hostage by one of the clowns. Batman intervened and saved her by knocking the clown out. Selina instantly became fascinated with Batman, who took his leave. She took her defeated clown captor's taser home as a self-defense weapon.

At her flat, things were no better. Selina listened to unpleasant messages on her answering machine: the first from her parents, who express disappointment at Selina not going home for Christmas; the second from her boyfriend, who had decided to go on a Christmas holiday on his own on advice from his psychologist; and the third from herself, reminding her that she has to go back to work and prepare documents for Shreck's meeting with Bruce Wayne, something she herself had anticipated she would forget.

As she went through the files, Selina inadvertently discovered that Shreck's proposed Power Plant would suck power from Gotham City and store it, effectively bringing Gotham under control of the Shreck family. Shreck himself appeared and confronted her about this information, and though Selina swore that she would not let it slip, Shreck pushed her out of the window to silence her.

Though she apparently died, she was mysteriously revived by alley cats and returned home in a daze. When her answering machine gave an advert on a perfume sold by Shreck, Selina appeared to suffer a psychotic break: ransacking her apartment, destroying her possessions, and sewing a homemade cat costume in preparation for her revenge on Shreck. Calling herself Catwoman, Selina became a vigilante in her own right; on her first night, she brutally beat a mugger for trying to rape a helpless woman, but then chastised the woman for being unable to defend herself.

The next day, Selina appeared in Shreck's office while he was speaking with Bruce Wayne, covered in bandages and sporting a more confident and assertive attitude, somewhat impressing Shreck. Selina feigned amnesia and an instant attraction developed between herself and Bruce.

Catandpenguin — Catwoman teaming up with the Penguin

A few days later, during an attack on the city by the Red Triangle Gang, Catwoman blew up the bottom floor of Shreck's store, bringing her into conflict with Batman. In the ensuing fight, Catwoman stabbed Batman in the abdomen (not severely), while Batman napalmed Catwoman's arm and knocked her into a truck of kitty litter, killing her a second time. In response, Catwoman joined forces with The Penguin to destroy Batman, and the two came up with a plan to frame him for kidnapping the Ice Princess and killing him by turning his Batmobile into a bomb.

Meanwhile, whilst in the city, Selina came across Bruce and the two talked for a while before Bruce invited her for an early dinner at his house. Over dinner, Selina and Bruce spoke about Bruce's personal life, and Bruce revealed that he had trouble with his previous girlfriend, Vicki Vale, over his apparent difficulty with duality. Once Bruce makes it clear that he and Vicki were finished, Selina lept on him and the two started kissing passionately. Their attempts to become more intimate resulted in almost exposing the other's injury and they abruptly stop. Just then, they saw a news bulletin about the Ice Princess's kidnapping with Batman the apparent culprit. As Bruce excused himself in order to suit up, Selina left and gets into her costume to carry out their plan.

Selinandbruce — Selina and Bruce dancing at the "Maxquerade" Ball

Catwoman and Batman arrived at the same time and briefly fight before Catwoman forcibly dragged the Ice Princess to the building's roof. To her shock, the Penguin had engineered the Ice Princess to fall off the building while making it look as if Batman pushed her. When Batman was shot and injured from a fall, Catwoman approached him and tried to stab him again, but he kicked her aside and leaves. Later on, she rejected an advance from the Penguin, who responded by tying her neck to a helicopter umbrella. Though she managed to free herself, she fell into a greenhouse and lost another life.

With her alliance with the Penguin shattered, Selina devised a plan to kill Shreck herself at his annual Maxquerade Ball with a concealed gun. She encountered Bruce at the ball and they danced for a while before she revealed her intentions to him. In the process, they discovered each other's identities, but before they could leave to talk outside, the Penguin attacked and revealed his plan to kidnap the firstborn sons of Gotham, taking Shreck himself hostage.

Batman Returns Souvenir Magazine (57) Michelle Pfeiffer Catwoman — Selina before she kills Shreck

Catwoman found Shreck trying to escape from the Penguin's lair and confronted him, ready to finish him off. Batman intervened and requested that they hand him over to the police, but Catwoman objected on the basis that no jury will ever convict Shreck. Batman unmasked himself as a sign of peace and implored Selina to abandon her vendetta and live with him in Wayne Manor, but Selina refused, determined to end things there and then. Shreck drew a gun and shot Selina four times, but ran out of bullets. With two lives remaining, Selina sacrificed her penultimate life by electrocuting Shreck with the taser she previously obtained and causing a massive explosion. In the aftermath, her body is nowhere to be found, but it is later revealed that she survived as she is shown looking up at the Bat Signal in the movie's closing scene.

Selina presumably left Gotham after this, and left her cat, Miss Kitty, with Bruce as a farewell gift.

Batman Forever

A couple years later, Dr. Chase Meridian revealed to Batman that she had learned of the attraction between himself and Catwoman, noting that he liked "strong women with skin-tight vinyl and a whip".

Nine lives

Catwoman appears to have nine lives, like a cat. In the course of Batman Returns, she loses eight of them:

When Max Shreck pushes her out the window (before she becomes Catwoman.)
When Batman knocks her off a building.
When the Penguin sends her drifting away on an umbrella and she falls into a greenhouse.
When Max Shreck shoots her.
Shreck shoots her for a second time.
Shreck shoots her for a third time.
Shreck shoots her for a fourth time.
When she kisses Shreck with a taser and, while they are electrified, grabs a wire causing the generator near them to explode, killing Shreck.

Behind the scenes

Catwoman was never seen again after Batman Returns, which is consistent with each of Batman's various girlfriends only appearing in one movie each. Her fate is left unknown, though she only has one of her nine metaphorical lives left by the end of this film. With this "reality", and her attempted murder avenged, Selina may have chosen to protect herself, and given up her dangerous activity as Catwoman. It is possible she sought out Bruce. He was again single at the end of the events of Batman & Robin, seemingly taking place only five years after the events of Batman Returns.
For the role of Catwoman, Michelle Pfeiffer learned Yoga, weight lifting, kick boxing and karate. She also spent 1 month training with a 12 foot bullwhip. Michelle Pfeiffer called this one of her most "challenging roles" and critics called it one of her most "iconic roles" that will be famous forever.
Bruce and Selina discovered their dual personalities, thus exposing one of Burton's main themes — duality — in the film.
Tim Burton was set to direct a Catwoman spinoff film, with Daniel Waters returning as screenwriter. This is why she did not appear in the third movie.
This Catwoman was used in one of Christina Aguilera's costume changes in her music video for "Keeps Gettin' Better" and the Live action TV show Birds of Prey.

Gallery

See: Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer)/Gallery for additional images

Appearances

Batman Returns
Batman Forever (Mentioned only)

- Batman Coke Commercials (Cameo)
Catwoman (Cameo in photograph)