Batman: Arkham Knight - Gotham's femme fatales. Five Friends of Our Favorite Superheroes Adulthood: The Birth of Catwoman

Her weapons are a stinging whip and sharp claws. Cynicism and prudence strike even villains. The gait and purring voice fascinate superheroes. An insidious temptress, a talented thief and a skilled manipulator. Selina Kyle, better known as Catwoman, is the most controversial character in comics. And definitely the sexiest.

History of creation

The first appearance of the seductive catwoman took place in the spring of 1940. The character was a minor character in Batman #01. The sexy beauty was brought into the story to add spice and draw women's attention to the print edition. Bob Kane - the "father" of Batman and Catwoman - said that the inspiration for the image of Selina Kyle were Hollywood divas and Jean Harlow.

Since the character was not planned to be developed, the biography of the catwoman was not thought out. Initially, the nameless girl did not have her own story, but the interest of readers forced Bob Kane and Bill Finger to give the heroine a past. Selina became a flight attendant who survived a plane crash and lost her memory. But the negative reviews that the provocative image of the character caused served as an excuse to remove the thief from the plot. Readers found Catwoman's qualities too ambiguous and too vicious.

Selina Kyle returned to the superhero universe in 1987. Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, who decided to reboot Batman, returned the character to the plot. After 3 years, the heroine received her own limited series of comics, where the authors told in detail the story of a sharp-tongued housekeeper.

Biography

Selina Brian Kyle was born in a poor area of ​​Gotham. The girl's parents were not worried about raising their daughter: the mother took care of her favorite cats, and the unemployed father regularly took a bottle. Selina took care of herself and her own sister on her own. From the age of 6, the girl amazed others with her flexibility and endurance. Gutta-percha Selina easily climbed onto the roof through the drainpipe and penetrated through the windows.

Soon, the girls' mother commits suicide, and after another 6 years, the alcoholic father dies. Girls are separated into different shelters. Selina ends up in the Sprang Hall Juvenile Detention Center. A teenager lives among juvenile delinquents and quickly realizes that life in a cage is not for her.

Selina breaks into the director's office and, having found out the details of the machinations that the dishonest official was pulling, runs away from the center. For the first time, the girl uses blackmail. Selina forces the director to delete all information about herself from the databases, allows the inhabitants of the institution to escape and goes to a free life.

To feed on the streets of Gotham, the future Catwoman is trained in the techniques of theft. The girl quickly learns to open locks and silently enter rich houses. Such a lifestyle is unsafe, so Selina masters the techniques of karate and boxing. In parallel, the girl develops gymnastic abilities, which are so useful in the thieves' business.

One day, a girl meets on the streets of the East End (the area where she lives) a young prostitute, Holly Robertson. Selina takes patronage over the girl and at the same time masters a new profession. Kyle understands that the work of a girl of easy virtue will open her doors to rich houses. In addition, the image of a dominatrix who trades in BDSM entertainment is close to her in character.

Full transformation into a catwoman occurs with Selina after meeting with the Dark Knight. Watching the action from cover, Kyle realizes he needs gear too. Having bought a carnival cat costume with the last money, Selina robs a jewelry store. The guard, who noticed the girl, gives the local authorities a description of the robber, in which the phrase "catwoman" sounds. So Selina acquires a new name and signature costume.

There are also dark spots in the story of the heroine. Despite the fact that the girl adheres to strict moral rules and does not harm people, Kyle is involved in the murder. By chance, the heroine learns about the actions of a villain named "Black Mask". A crime lord has taken over Gotham and attacked Selina's sister's family. The husband of Kyle's youngest family is killed, and Black Mask forced his sister to eat the victim's eyes. Selina could not leave such actions without punishment.

A special place in the life of a cat woman is occupied by a man-bat. If at first Selina is opposed to Batman, then over time, the attitude of the characters takes on a different character. Constant confrontation is replaced by sympathy. The Dark Knight awakens feelings for a caustic and independent thief. The influence of Bruce Wayne makes Catwoman go over to the side of good. But the idyll does not last long.

By chance, Selina learns that she served as a test subject for Zatanna. The woman used superpowers to influence the mind of the thief. Now Catwoman is not sure if she is so attracted to the light side and if she really needs Batman.

The discord in the relationship does not prevent the girl from helping her former (and sometimes again current) lover in the fight against evil. Selina rescues members of the Justice League and helps the heroes restore order in their native Gotham.

An unexpected event in the life of a girl is the birth of a daughter. The child's father is unknown even to the thief's close friends. Selina names the baby Elena and temporarily leaves her job as a superhero. A calm measured life does not last long. Catwoman's enemies find out about the baby, so Selina gives her daughter to an orphanage. The girl asks Zatanna to erase the memories of Elena from her memory in order to protect the baby.

Gradually, settling in the world of superheroes, the girl makes friends and enemies. Catwoman, and form the Gotham Sirens team. The heroines equip a common base and help each other in dangerous operations. However, like all bonds of a cat with other people, the alliance quickly falls apart. The independent beauty is once again walking the rooftops of Gotham on her own.

Screen adaptations

Catwoman's first film appearance was in 1966. In parallel, a television series and a full-length film about an attractive thief were released. In the movie "Catwoman" the role of the insidious seductress went to Lee Meriwether.

In the series with the same name - Julie Newmar.

Batman Returns was released in 1992. The role of a seductive thief was played by an actress. The director of the film is, so most of the scenes are overly gothic. For the image of a catwoman, the artist was awarded the title of "Most Desirable Woman".

In 2004, she tried on the role of a cheat. The film is dedicated to the transformation of an ordinary artist into a catwoman. The film of the same name received a lot of negative reviews and won several Golden Raspberries. The decoration of the film was the fight of the newly appeared heroine with the antagonist, whose role she played.

Neo-noir "The Dark Knight Rises", in addition to becoming the main character, affects the relationship of Bruce Wayne with Selina Kyle. The subject of Batman's love interest embodied. The actress admitted that the role of Catwoman is one of the most difficult in her career.

The series "Gotham" tells about the heroes living in the famous city. The audience unfolds the early years of Selina. The girl has not yet reached the pinnacle of skill and has not acquired an alter ego. She played a young heroine.

In 2019, the movie "Gotham Sirens" will be released. The film will tell about the alliance of Catwoman with other ambiguous comic book heroines - Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.

• Millionaire's wife Jocelyn Wildenstein was nicknamed "Catwoman". Wanting to save the marriage, the woman underwent many plastic surgeries. The result of the transformation is terrible. Jocelyn is a victim of plastic surgery, known to the world for her deformity.
• In the first comics where the heroine is present, Catwoman is simply called "cat", that is, a cat.

• Initially, Selina did not wear a mask, the girl's face was hidden by light makeup.
• In the Marvel Universe, there is a character similar to Catwoman. The girl bears the name "Black Cat" and does not neglect latex costumes. In "" the beauty often helps the superhero.

Quotes

"Honey, I'm home! Oh, I forgot ... I'm not married ... "

“Having understood yourself, you will gain freedom, and freedom is power!”

“My strength is in freedom, I am not afraid of anyone, and no one can tame me. My journey is just beginning."

“Once you give in to circumstances, and you can no longer do what you want.”

“I don't want to rely on anyone but myself. I'll go where I want and take what I want. And I will never look back...

Few people know that Gwen Tacy, played by Emma Stone, is not Spider-Man's only girlfriend. Those who follow the franchise closely will remember that in the previous film version of the Spiderman comic, Kirsten Dunst played another girl named Mary Jane Watson, the one who gave Spider the famous kiss upside down in the rain. Only now the creators were extremely discourteous with the original story of Spider-Man, grossly violating the love chronology of the superhero.

Mary Jane Watson is really Peter Parker's greatest love, who became his wife. Only now the affair with her did not begin at school, but much later. Spider's school love was gymnast Liz Allen, and Gwen Stacy, whom Andrew Garfield's New Spider-Man is in love with, is the hero's classmate. According to the comic, she and her father will be killed by the Green Goblin and the Octopus Man. Oops! It turned out to be a spoiler ... Although the producers of the picture make significant hints that the script may develop differently.

" The new Spiderman"

The leader of the Redskins, Hellboy, has a much simpler and more modest love story. His only love is the fiery girl Liz Sherman, who accidentally burned her family at the age of 11. Liz is on fire every time she loses her temper, and this nuance prevents her from dating ordinary guys. And for Hellboy, who, as you know, is himself a “hero from hell”, it doesn’t cost anything to caress a burning girlfriend.

Popular

Iron Man and Virginia Pepper Potts

Well, tell me, what girl does not dream of dating Robert Downey Jr.? What about his Iron Man character? Tony Stark is smart, rich, good-looking, witty, caring, and even a superhero! Despite his clear role as a playboy, Iron Man has only one girlfriend throughout history - Pepper Potts, who was fortunately played by Gwyneth Paltrow. Before her, in the personal life of Stark, who was trying to fight alcohol addiction, there was a complete mess.

" Iron Man 2

Secretary Pepper Potts helped Stark not ruin his father's business (the experienced Potts understood the company's work much better than the legitimate heir) and, according to the law of the genre, fell in love with her new young boss. The creators of the Iron Man films were more supportive of the girl and brought her together with Stark, while in the comics, Pepper's love is unrequited and she marries another, while continuing to work for Tony Stark.

Superman and Lois Lane

Lover and later Superman's wife Lois Lane works as a reporter for the Daily Planet newspaper, that is, she is a colleague of Clark Kent, who leads a double life. For four films, from 1978 to 1987, Lane was played by actress Margot Kidder, who was replaced by Kate Bosworth in the modern film adaptation, Superman Returns in 2006 (the little-known actress at that time managed to get around even Scarlett Johansson, Claire Danes and Keira Knightley).

"Superman" 1978

But in the most recent film, last year's Man of Steel, Kate was not invited. The role of Superman's girlfriend was played by Amy Adams. This time around, Rachel McAdams, Jessica Biel, Dianna Agron, Kristen Stewart, Kristen Bell, Olivia Wilde and Mila Kunis auditioned for the role of Lois Lane, but Amy Adams had the advantage of filming the Smallville series based on the Superman comics. .

Hulk and Betty Ross

Dating the Hulk is a lot of work. You never know when your cute boyfriend will turn into an uncontrollable aggressive monster, destroying everything in its path. Therefore, the green superhero's track record of love is also small. Only the daughter of Thunderbolt Ross Betty, who is no stranger to strange guys, could endure the antics of the Hulk. The Hulk marries Betty, but she later dies, poisoned by the Abomination. After some time, Betty is resurrected in the form of the Red She-Hulk (the place of the classic green She-Hulk had long before been taken by the Hulk's cousin, whom he had given a blood transfusion during his illness). In the 2003 film Hulk, Betty Ross was played by Jennifer Connelly, and five years later, Liv Tyler played The Incredible Hulk.

It's time to think about the bright female characters surrounding the unflappable Dark Knight. Indeed, over the long years of the existence of the franchise, Bruce Wayne not only fought crime under the guise of a bat, but also intersected with various residents of Gotham. With someone he developed a love relationship, with someone he was friendly, and with someone he did not succeed at all. Each of the heroines has its own history and its own complex connections with Batman, and we will now try to figure it all out.

Catwoman

Let's start with one of the most spectacular girls - Catwoman, in the world - Selina Kyle. She appeared on the pages of comics back in the 1940s. Unlike Batman saving the citizens of Gotham, Catwoman is an anti-heroine who only cares about herself. The girl has a passion for jewelry and is a successful thief. In this craft, she is helped by truly feline agility and hand-to-hand combat skills. Plus, she is strong and hardy, and with her tight black suit, and even with a whip to boot, she can drive anyone crazy.

Selina has managed to seduce Batman as well, and despite her criminal tendencies, he sees the potential for something good in her. Bruce shows a strong affection for the Cat in the comics and in almost every adaptation of the franchise: movies, animated series, and games. And in one of the alternative universes, Selina and Batman even had a daughter.

The first appearance of Catwoman in the games occurred in 1993 in Batman Returns based on the movie Batman Returns. Several versions of the game were released for different consoles, with Selina acting as the "boss" in each of them. Then there was an independent game about the Cat on the Game Boy Color, games of the line lego, but the most responsible approach to the development of the character was in.

Catwoman is able to remain calm even in the most hopeless situation.

The main purpose of Catwoman's adventures in Arkham City is theft. First she plans to loot Two-Face's safe, then she looks into Strange's vault. Already holding suitcases of loot, she sees that Batman needs help and abandons the loot to save him. This once again emphasizes that the Cat is still a positive character, despite her weakness for jewelry.

Talia al Ghul

Another ambiguous heroine with whom Batman has a lot to do is Thalia, the daughter of the supervillain Ra's al Ghul. Unlike the flirtatious and playful Selina, Thalia is more serious. At first glance, the Daughter of the Demon seems to be as cold and treacherous as her father: she trusts practically no one and relies only on herself. However, in relations with Bruce, the girl shows care and indifference, for his sake she is ready to take risks. Also, Talia is one of the few who knows who Batman really is.

Her father seeks to destroy all evil in the world, and at the same time most of humanity, thereby creating a paradise on Earth, and considers Batman the most worthy husband for his daughter and his successor. In the latter, the Dark Knight, of course, is not interested, but he often demonstrates romantic feelings for Thalia, who reciprocated him, and in the Batman: Son of the Demon comic they even had a son, Damian.

Talia has helped and saved Batman's life more than once, and most of her criminal acts were committed on the orders of her father, and not for personal gain (a hairpin in the direction of Selina). She was Bruce's enemy, ally, and lover, and Ra's never missed an opportunity to use that last fact to win Batman over to her side.

Pixel Thalia in Catwoman on the GBC.

Thalia also played an important role in where she offered Batman to take her father's place, and when she was refused, she continued to help him anyway. Interestingly, the canon Demon's Daughter has dark hair, but in this game she had light brown hair. The girl, without a drop of sarcasm and irony, calls Bruce "beloved", although even without this it is clear that she is not indifferent to him. And Ra's himself says about his daughter that she is the only one whom Batman loved.

In the end, Talia was killed by the Joker, but before her death she managed to give her lover an antidote that could save his life. Literally a few minutes later, by the time Batman's battle with Clayface begins, the girl's body has already disappeared, which may hint that she was transported to safety by her minions and will likely be revived in the Lazarus Pit, healing any wounds.

Batgirl

Man - a bat and Girl - a bat - here, it would seem, is an ideal couple, but not everything is so simple. The appearance of this character was primarily due to the desire of the authors to attract a female audience to comics. Then Catwoman was already popular, and the writers decided: why not come up with someone else?

In general, Batgirl is the pseudonym of several superheroines at once, but we will tell in more detail about only one of them - about Barbara Gordon. The girl's parents died in a car accident, and Gotham Police Lieutenant James Gordon, who soon adopted an orphan, took care of her.

Batgirl Barbara was one of the characters in the fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us.

If Batman fought crime, feeling the need to avenge the death of his parents, then Batgirl's motivation was purely altruistic. In the first comics, Barbara was portrayed as the head of the Gotham Public Library, a smart and strong woman who also exterminated crime at night. In the 60s, when the women's rights movement was actively developing, this character came in handy.

Miss Gordon bravely fought various criminal elements until one day the Joker shot her in the spine. Chained to a wheelchair, she could no longer be a superhero, but she never stopped helping people. Calling herself the Oracle, Barbara devoted her entire time to developing one of the most complex and powerful computer systems in the world.

The Oracle has become an absolutely invaluable resource for Batman and other superheroes. After some time, Barbara still managed to recover from paralysis, and she again began to fight crime as Batgirl.

In the game series Batman: Arkham Barbara is featured as the Oracle. She seeks and analyzes information for Batman and coordinates it remotely. But already in the DLC for - Matter of Family- the girl will try on a Batgirl costume, and you can even play for her. And since the expansion is a prequel to the main story, they will probably tell us how Barbara became the Oracle.

Poison ivy

A peculiar connection was between Batman and Pamela Isley, also known as Poison Ivy. The first appearance of this girl obsessed with plants and environmental protection took place in the pages of comics back in 1966. Since then, she has constantly acted as a seductress who, in order to achieve her goals, is ready to kill Batman.

Poison Ivy on his makeshift throne in Batman: Arkham City.

However, this was not always the case. Once upon a time, Pamela was an ordinary student, but because of the experiments of her biology teacher Jason Woodrow, the girl became a mutant and acquired immunity to all natural toxins and diseases. Having come to hate people, Pamela becomes a dangerous criminal, finally leaves her native Seattle and moves to Gotham.

Poison Ivy has appeared in many Batman video games as a "boss", but in most of them she did not fight the protagonist on her own, but watched from the side as Batman fought one of her green "pets".

If you look at the series Batman: Arkham, then there, too, could not do without Ivy. Released from her cell, Pamela filled the entire Arkham Island with her aggressive plants. Not without a fight with a girl who connected with a huge flower. In Pamela, she only appeared in the Catwoman storyline, with whom she has a rather tense relationship. But Ivy is friends with Harley Quinn, and this heroine seems to be the only person to whom the plant lover is supportive.

Harley Quinn

Well, where without Harley Quinn herself! This lady, of course, cannot be called a Batman girl - she gave her heart to the Joker, which automatically made the Dark Knight her enemy. Unlike the aforementioned heroines, Harley first appeared not in comics, but in the animated series, and relatively recently - in 1992. Her real name is Harleen Quinzel, and her pseudonym was formed by analogy with the word "harlequin", which in English is written as "harlequin".

In the games of the Arkham series, Harley has replaced a huge wooden hammer with a bat.

Before she took her place in Gotham's criminal hierarchy, Harleen wanted to become a famous psychologist and went to work at Arkham Psychiatric Asylum to gather material for her book. But, unable to resist the charm of the Joker who lived there, the girl fell in love and became his faithful assistant. The Joker often used Harley, for example, to get into places that were inaccessible to him due to a recognizable face.

However, the girl does not dwell on the Joker alone - there was a time when she teamed up with Poison Ivy and Catwoman, as the Gotham City Sirens comic book series tells. But in the end, Harley still returned to her lover.

Gotham Sirens: Harleen, Pamela and Selina.

As you can see, the Batman universe boasts a variety of female characters. The fates of all these heroines are not only closely connected with Bruce Wayne, but also intertwined. Four girls will definitely meet in the future, and how their relationship with each other and with the Dark Knight will develop further, we will find out very soon.

Having a boyfriend like Batman is certainly cool, but also troublesome: he does not sit still for a minute, every now and then breaks down and rushes to save the world from the next villain. Therefore, the Man-Bat is formally alone (both in films and in comics), although there are enough females around him. At different times, different ladies went to Batman's girlfriends, both superheroines and ordinary townsfolk. In the Batman films, they were respectively portrayed by different actresses. Let's see which of the girlfriends of the hero in the mouse costume suits him the most

1. Sexy psychologist Meridian from Batman Forever (1995), played by Nicole Kidman. A very intelligent and sophisticated person. Knows how to keep secrets (knows who Batman really is, but does not tell anyone about it)

2. Seductive lady paparazzi (our man!) Vicki Vale from the movie "Batman" (1989). Vicki was then played by the very attractive Kim Basinger. Miss Vale charmed not only Batman, but also his main opponent in this film - the Joker.

3. Faithful and devoted Rachel Dawes, childhood friend of Batman from the movie "Batman Begins" - Katie Holmes. The man-bat would probably have married her long ago if not for a conspiracy of mutant bandits

In the sequel, which is called The Dark Knight, Rachel is played by Maggie Gylenhaal. She is tired of waiting for Bruce Wayne (Batman's alter ego) to propose to her and begins dating prosecutor Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face. Unfortunately the wedding didn't work out.

4. Crazy Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman from The Dark Knight Rises - Anne Hathaway. At first, she helps Bane bug Batman, but then - suddenly - she falls in love with him and it is her participation that decides the outcome of the final fight.

5. Chic Miranda Tate from the same picture (Marion Cotillard) is another contender for the heart of Batman. Works for Bruce Wayne's company and doesn't mind hooking up Gotham's richest fiancé

6. Old style Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer) from Batman Returns. Her costume is ridiculous, however, like the movie itself, but this does not prevent Batman from paying attention to her. It’s a pity that their paths (in this film) diverged ...

7. Eccentric Poison Ivy from the movie "Batman and Robin" performed by Uma Thurman. Although she was the formal opponent of the Man-Bat, she repeatedly expresses signs of attention to him. The vibes of Poison Ivy almost made Bruce Wayne lose his head, it's good that Robin looked after him

8. Supermodel Elle MacPherson also appeared in Batman & Robin as Batman's temporary girlfriend Julie. Her role was tiny in scope, which is why many do not know that El starred in this film.