If cats have nine lives, then it looks like time could finally be running short for Catwoman.
As Zoë Kravitz steps into the role of the feline femme fatale in upcoming movie The Batman, she becomes the ninth actress to grace the screen as the superhero’s sometime nemesis.
In the 82 years since her 1940 comic book debut, she has proved herself a worthy foe in cartoons, TV series and a string of movies.
Both fighting and flirting with the Caped Crusader, she is the perfect foil – and while never quite the full-blown villain, this athletic, dynamic and super-cool jewel thief manages to steal hearts as well as diamonds.
With the ever-moody Dark Knight back on the big screen in one of the year’s must-see movies, Catwoman – aka Selina Kyle – is very much a partner-in-crime for Robert Pattinson’s fresh take on Bruce Wayne.
Actress Zoë insists the dynamic duo are drawn together by a need to fight for vulnerable people – and says she was heavily influenced by the actresses who have come before her.
She said: “I didn’t take anything directly but I was definitely inspired by all of them. They’re all amazing and I’m very proud to be added to the list.”
Here, we take a look at those footsteps she is lightly following in.
Zoë Kravitz
Catwoman’s latest embodiment Zoë Kravitz has plenty of big franchise experience – having been in X-Men: First Class, Divergent and Mad Max: Fury Road. She also has a prior connection, having provided the voice for Catwoman in the successful The Lego Batman Movie.
In The Batman, Selina is at the start of her journey. Director Matt Reeves said: ”I wanted a Batman that was not an origin tale but was sort of in his early days. So we have a Selina Kyle who is not yet Catwoman.”
Yes, she’s still rocking the black leather – but her mask is more the ski variety than superhero…
Julie Newmar
Julie was the screen’s first Catwoman, facing up in fine, campy fashion to Adam West’s Batman and Burt Ward’s Robin in the first two seasons of the Batman TV series, launched in 1966.
Initially just a cool and crazy villainess, she ramped up the cat ’n’ bat sexual tension and her often cruel character kept the chemistry tense.
Julie was replaced for series three, and the 1966 film spin-off, due to injury and scheduling conflicts – but was back 50 years later to voice the character in two animated spin-offs.
Her costume was similar to the green catsuit in the comics at the time – although it was constructed by Newmar from black Lurex fabric, and she also added gold accessories and a low-slung belt.
Lee Meriwether
When Newmar could not play the role for the 1966 big screen version of the series due to an injury, Lee Meriwether slipped into the snug outfit in her place.
More villain than love interest, she headed a criminal organisation called the United Underworld alongside the Joker, the Penguin and the Riddler.
By the time the film was released, Newmar had featured only in two TV episodes – but claimed the role back for the second season. Now 86, Meriwether is still a regular at fan conventions.
Eartha Kitt
Kitt took over from Newmar in the final third season of the iconic 60s TV series, as a tough-talking Catwoman who delivered her lines with her signature purring style.
Broadcast in 1967-68, she was the first black Catwoman – the second mainstream television success of a black actress, following Nichelle Nichols as Lt Uhura in Star Trek.
But although helping to break racial boundaries, the series stopped short of hinting at a romance between Kitt’s Catwoman and Batman.
Michelle Pfeiffer
It took Tim Burton’s film reboot of Batman to offer a new spin on Catwoman. He may have been all about the Joker, but for Batman Returns in 1992 it is very much all about Michelle Pfeiffer’s devilishly unhinged character.
Gone is the charming cat burglar – instead she is a mild-mannered secretary who survives a murder attempt, saved by a group of alley cats to take revenge on her would-be killer.
Her bondage-style stitched costume has been hailed as one of the best supervillain outfits of all time. Created around a body cast of Pfeiffer, she wore it for 12 to 14 hours at a time.
Halle Berry
The 2004 superhero spin-off Catwoman is only loosely based on the character from the comic books – and is nothing to do with the Batman movie franchise.
Considered one of the worst films of all time (a bit harsh, but everyone’s a critic), it starred Berry as cosmetics designer Patience Phillips – killed by her evil bosses, but soon revived by a mystical Egyptian Mau cat which give her superhuman cat-like powers.
Costume designer Angus Strathie explained: “We wanted a very reality-based wardrobe to show the progression from demure, repressed Patience to the sensual awakening of a sexy warrior goddess.”
Berry, though, admitted it was not the easiest thing to wear for action scenes. She said: “You’re in a suit like that, and you’re doing backflips and cartwheels… things are bound to happen. I can’t tell you how many times my pants split right open. I was having lots of Janet Jackson moments.”
Anne Hathaway
For The Dark Knight Rises, the 2012 finale of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne found himself up against not only Bane and Talia al Ghul, but also Anne Hathaway’s updated Catwoman – back to her jewel-thieving ways.
No mystical moggies here to give her powers, just athletic ability, serious charm and street-smart criminal skills. Oh, and with goggles over her mask that flip up to handily look like cat ears.
Her Catwoman also favours the obligatory super-tight outfit, which Hathaway called “a psychological terrorist”. She said: “The suit… thoughts of my suit… changing my life so I’d fit into that suit… it dominated my year. I went in the gym for 10 months.”
Camren Bicondova
Bicondova was just 14 when she first played Selina Kyle in 2014 prequel TV series Gotham – and, at five years, also played her for longest.
The series focuses on orphaned Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) taking in street kid Selina who develops into one of Batman’s foes – as well as, perhaps, his real love. No Lycra here, but she does have cat claws, goggles and a whip. For the finale set 10 years later, she stepped aside – with the role taken by the older Lili Simmons.
Lili Simmons
For the last episode of Gotham, which was set 10 years later, Bicondova stepped aside (saying it didn’t feel appropriate to play an older version of the cat burglar) with the role taken by Lili Simmons, who had previously starred in programmes such as Hawaii 5-0 and horror-Western Bone Tomahawk.
Her version very much stuck with tradition and went for tight black leather and all-action high-heeled boots. Bicondova apparently approved of Simmons’ performance, as well as her final Catwoman look. Bicondova, who had played Selina Kyle in the other 99 episodes of Gotham, left one word for Simmons on her Instagram post where she thanked Simmons for letting her take on the role, saying simply: “Brilliant.”
