Just like with the superhero Batman, we've seen quite a few versions of Catwoman, also
known as Selina Kyle, over the years.
From Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt in the "Batman" TV series starring Adam West and Burt Ward,
to Michelle Pfeiffer and Anne Hathaway in more modern film adaptations, there have been
many changes to the character over time.
So when it was announced that Zoë Kravitz would be taking on the iconic character for
the new "The Batman" movie, fans should've known to expect something new.
In "The Batman," fans get to see a younger Bruce Wayne, played by Robert Pattinson, in
his early years as the vigilante, and that's the same case with Selina.
She isn't quite Catwoman yet, though she's well on her way.
While she has all of the skills and the drive to become the well-known antihero, she's still
just a young woman with some personal issues to take care of.
But what else does the 2022 film change about Selina?
While there are a few stark changes to the character to note with Kravitz's performance,
there's one glaring difference that drives the whole movie forward.
Beware: spoilers ahead!
In the original DC "Catwoman" comics, Selina's parents are Maria and Brian Kyle, who both
tragically die when she is quite young, leading to her life on the street.
But the version of Selina we see in "The Batman" doesn't quite have the same experience.
Yes, her mother is Maria, but her father is someone very different.
It's noted by many that the comics include speculation that Selina's real parents aren't
the Kyles, but are really Carmine Falcone and his wife, Louisa.
While the comics never explicitly confirm or deny this, "The Batman" decides to concretely
change the story and have Falcone be Selina's father.
In the movie, Maria works at the Iceberg Lounge and has a relationship of sorts with the mob
boss, which results in Selina's birth.
There is zero mention of her comic book father Brian, and it seems unlikely that there ever
would be in possible future films.
Selina is completely sure that Falcone is her father, but after being abandoned by him
after her mother's death (which she later finds out is his doing), she has no real attachment
to the man, though she holds strong feelings of resentment and anger.
So when Bruce uncovers the true depth of Falcone's crimes, Selina is ever so eager to find Falcone
and take him down, stopping him from doing anything else while also getting a chance
to confront him about her mother.
Add to that the reveal that he's involved in her roommate's death, and you've got just
about the worst father-daughter relationship out there.
But aside from the connection with Falcone, "The Batman" also makes one other small yet
important change to Selina.
While this is a very small detail in the new movie, longtime fans of Catwoman in the DC
Comics might notice something about the way Selina interacts with her roommate and coworker
from the Iceberg Lounge.
This detail is actually a change from past screen depictions of Selina, but it makes
the character more similar to the comic book version.
Luckily for those who missed it, Matt Galea of Pedestrian did not, picking up on hints
of an intimate relationship between the two women, especially in how Selina calls her
"baby."
Selina is frequently depicted as bisexual in the comics, which is made canon in "Catwoman"
#39.
So while "The Batman" definitely doesn't confirm Selina's sexuality, there are hints that this
aspect of the character may be explored in further films.
Galea was able to ask both Kravitz and director Matt Reeves about this specific detail directly,
and whether or not it was a purposeful choice in order to highlight her bisexuality in the
comics.
Kravitz confirmed to Galea for Pedestrian that although it wasn't written in the script,
"That's definitely the way I interpreted that, that they had some kind of romantic relationship."
Reeves wasn't as definitive with his comments, but he did say that,
"I don't think we meant to go directly in that way, but you can interpret it that way
for sure ... there was meant to be quite an intimate relationship between them."
Based on this, it's certainly worth having hope that — if Reeves, Kravitz, and others
return for future installments after "The Batman" — Selina's sexuality will finally
be accurately presented on screen.
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