Yes, we’re still thinking about the latest The Batman trailer. Between the stunning visuals, action sequence teases and intriguing plot points, one thing that struck me the most is just how much Zoë Kravitz’s Catwoman was featured. More than any other movie about the Dark Knight made before, Matt Reeves is introducing Selina Kyle alongside the introduction of Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne. This has me thinking that there’s finally some room for a true arc between Batman and Catwoman to play out, and there’s a lot of storylines The Batman could pull from.
Catwoman has been around almost as long as Batman, making her debut in DC Comics back in 1940, just one year into the Caped Crusader’s run. Selina Kyle has taken many forms throughout her 80 years in the comic books, and yet her adaptions for the big screen have often been pretty similar. She's a seductive cat burglar who crosses paths with Batman, mixes things up for him and then swiftly exits the narrative whilst still a mystery. Let’s talk about some of the comic book storylines that The Batman could and may draw from ahead of The Batman’s release.
Batman: Year One
The most obvious inspiration that fans are already drawing comparisons to ahead of The Batman is Batman: Year One, which sees Bruce Wayne in his first year as the Caped Crusader. In The Batman trailers, it looks like Selina Kyle is forming her own origins as Catwoman, as she is first seen in an earlier version of her costume that has yet to be refined. Zoë Kravitz revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that she read this comic in particular to prepare for her role.
There are a ton of different backstories for Catwoman, but in Year One, Selina Kyle is a sex worker and a thief who becomes inspired by Batman to become a vigilante once meeting the Dark Knight and seeing him strut his stuff. We’re certainly interested if this element of Batman and Catwoman’s dynamic will be worked into The Batman. In the trailer, Selina Kyle dons a colorful wig in what looks to be a club, perhaps hinting at this profession. In another scene, she crouches and watches Batman as he appears to beat up a villain, so there could be an element of Selina Kyle following his lead in a sense.
Batman: The Long Halloween
Another Batman comic that seems to influence The Batman is Jeph Loeb’s The Long Halloween. In the latest trailer, there’s a clear nod to Tim Sale’s artwork with Zoë Kravitz donning a similar outfit to the panel above in a scene. In The Long Halloween, Selina learns that she may be the illegitimate daughter of crime boss Carmine Falcone, who John Turturro is portraying in the movie.
In the comic, Selina grows vengeful of the Falcone family. It creates an interesting parallel to Bruce Wayne because he was born into a loving, wealthy family, but watched them die in front of him. Whereas Selina was born into poverty when she was given up, but had a real lineage to wealth. It’s possible that The Batman will explore Selina’s origins with Falcone from The Long Halloween, perhaps giving her one of the most interesting backstories that would also weave into the politics of Gotham Robert Pattinson’s Batman is surely in the underbelly of as a Gotham vigilante.
Hush
A beloved comic book arc for Batman is Jeph Loeb’s Batman: Hush, which sees the Dark Knight dealing with a mysterious stalker called Hush who takes aim at sabotaging Batman. Hush memorably explores the romantic connection between Batman and Catwoman in more detail as Bruce Wayne actually goes all in on their relationship and reveals his secret identity and his feelings to her.
In The Batman trailer, there’s some brief potential to a real Batman and Catwoman romance considering that (as I said before) it looks like their dynamic will be front and center in Matt Reeves' first DC film. Also, in a brief moment, Zoë Kravitz asks Robert Pattinson’s Batman who he is under his mask. The Hush storyline dives into the couple deeper than before, exploring Batman’s trust issues and how Catwoman’s more vengeful traits can create a rift between them.
Selina’s Big Score
These next two entries are not necessarily being adapted for The Batman, but storylines that Zoë Kravitz could take on if Catwoman progresses past the one film. There have been rumors that the actress could get her own show for streaming, and if the character is expanded, it would be fun to see Selina’s Big Score be an influence. The 2002 comic leans into the noir of it all in the Batman universe.
Selina’s Big Score has Catwoman setting up a multi-million dollar heist and reasserting herself in Gotham after being away in Morocco on another heist for months prior. It's a great solo adventure that does a great job of establishing her as an anti-hero that could be used as a reference as we likely fall in love with Kravitz’s version in The Batman.
Some Of These Days
In Batman Annual #2, published in 2018, there was a storyline called “Some Of These Days,” which focused on Batman and Catwoman as a married couple who stay together into their elderly years. “Some Of These Days” is about Bruce and Selina attempting to have a normal life following the former's long career as the Caped Crusader. It includes flashbacks to their early days as crime fighters and their past encounters before moving into their future at a time when Batman is facing his impending death.
I don’t want to see this storyline play out for some time, but it could be the perfect ending to the Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz’s arc should The Batman live up to expectations and make multiple movies. We’ve never seen a Batman story move through decades or see Batman get old and married, so it would be an interesting story to explore, especially with The Batman perhaps focusing on Bruce's romance with Selina more centrally this time around.
The Batman hits theaters on March 4, 2022. Check out the full lineup of upcoming DC movies here on CinemaBlend.
