From Julia Newmar in the 1966 "Batman" TV show to Zoë Kravitz in the upcoming movie "The Batman," 30 actresses have played Selina Kyle in movies, TV shows, and video games. Some of these performances have drawn widespread praise from critics, while others have been less well-received.
Catwoman has been adapted in various media incarnations, having been portrayed in film by Lee Meriwether in Batman (1966), Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns (1992), Halle Berry in Catwoman (2004), Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises (2012), and Zoë Kravitz in The Batman (2022).
But in December 1967, the network exercised some colorblind casting, with singer-actress Eartha Kitt taking over as the program's final Catwoman. “Catwoman's Dressed to Kill” marked Eartha Kitt's debut as the first black Catwoman (though she appeared in an uncredited tease at the end of the previous episode).
In 1966, ex-beauty queen Lee Meriwether was chosen to play the role of Catwoman in the American feature film Batman in place of Julie Newmar, initially chosen by Leslie H. Martinson for her film. She was accessorized with a sequin mask and curly, flipped hair.
In the comic, Selina details the many, many ways she's been shown to have nine lives before, but this time is different. She really did die and come back. Considering the meteor was summoned by Vandal Savage, looking to renew his immortality, it's very likely that Catwoman has many more lives than just nine now.
The Earth 43 version of Catwoman is also a kind of werewolf, making her one of the most powerful versions of Catwoman in the comics. She has superhuman strength, speed, and senses, all of which make her a powerful opponent for the Batman of her universe.
All hail Michelle Pfeiffer, by far the best Catwoman we've ever had. The three-time Oscar nominee played Selina Kyle in Tim Burton's Batman Returns, introducing a welcome fantasy element into her story.
Zoë Kravitz has come a long way with her martial arts moves, from breaking boards when she was 7 to trying to break Robert Pattinson's face. In the superhero movie "The Batman" (in theaters now), Kravitz stars as Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman) opposite Pattinson as Gotham City's Dark Knight.
Pfeiffer starred in The Russia House (1990) and Frankie and Johnny (1991). In 1992, she played Catwoman in Batman Returns and received her third Academy Award nomination for Love Field, which were succeeded by performances in The Age of Innocence (1993) and Wolf (1994).
Once they run back to a church, Catwoman meets Maggie Kyle, her sister, whom she hadn't seen since Stan's death. She talked about how she eventually left to find a new life and explore the world.
Eartha Kitt was the second actress to portray the Catwoman in the Batman 1960s television series. The Catwoman was previously played by Julie Newmar on the show, and Lee Meriwether in the 1966 spinoff movie.
It might be hard to believe, but Catwoman had been around for ten years before fans ever learned her true name. This issue, which came out in 1950, was the very first time that Catwoman was revealed to be Selina Kyle.
She has been portrayed in live action by Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, Eartha Kitt, Michelle Pfeiffer, Halle Berry, Anne Hathaway, Camren Bicondova, Lili Simmons and Zoë Kravitz, and has been voiced by Adrienne Barbeau, Grey DeLisle, Kravitz, Elizabeth Gillies, and numerous others.
Catwoman was first portrayed in the 1960s series by Julie Newmar in the first two seasons. Lee Meriwether and Eartha Kitt replaced when she was unavailable for the movie and season three. Marilyn Watson was Newmar's stunt double.
Casting directors surely faced a dilemma when it came to who would play Catwoman in Batman Returns. Since her origin story provided in 'Her Sister's Keeper', Catwoman was presumably a mixture of Latino and white, but the last visual representation of Catwoman on the small screen was Black.
She became a thief for survival and eventually turned into a vigilante, partnering with the vigilante Batman. The two developed a romance and she unexpectedly became pregnant, which left her unhappy as she thought she would have to settle down.
Through her aggression, deceitfulness, theft, and serious violation of rules, Selina displays traits of conduct disorder, the childhood precursor to antisocial personality disorder. This could mean she's on a somewhat familiar trajectory.
Holly Robinson is a frequent ally and sidekick of Catwoman. She was trained by Wildcat and her friend Selina Kyle, and temporarily became the new Catwoman following the birth of Selina's daughter.
Karl Kyle was the brother of Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman. He decided to adopt his own criminal identity as The King of the Cats after being inspired by his sister's amazing crimes.
