New Batman Writer Reveals Batman Returns Inspiration for Catwoman

In Tom King's recently-ended run on the Batman title for DC Comics Bruce Wayne/Batman may have [...]

By Nicole Drum

In Tom King's recently-ended run on the Batman title for DC Comics Bruce Wayne/Batman may have been the main character, but Catwoman/Selina Kyle was fairly prominent as well. After all, the complex romantic relationship between the two iconic characters was very much at the heart of the story with the pair ultimately committing to each other (though not actually getting married) by the end. But with the upcoming Batman #86, the story shifts to a new writer, James Tynion IV and it turns out that Catwoman will still have an important supporting role -- and now Tynion is revealing the rather iconic inspiration for his take on the beloved cat burglar.

On Twitter on Saturday, a fan asked Tynion how prominent Catwoman would be in his Batman run and, more than that, wanted to know how he approached writing the character. Tynion responded that Catwoman is a "key supporting character" and revealed that his inspiration is none other than Michell Pfeiffer from Batman Returns. Check it out below.

"Batman is the main character of the book, but Catwoman is a key supporting character," Tynion wrote. "And honestly, if I write a Selina line that I can't imagine Michelle Pfeiffer saying, I rewrite it."

Pfeiffer brought Catwoman to life in 1992's Batman Returns. In the film, Pfeiffer's Selina/Catwoman was a normal woman who becomes a criminal after being almost killed by her boss, Max Shreck. In the film, the character is tough and smart, but also very much a seductive femme fatale. It's a very specific and popular take on the character, but it is also one that sounds like it will be a bit different from King's version. For fans of that version, there is still going to be an opportunity to see that Catwoman in action. While King has now departed the Batman series, he is going to be writing a new series, Batman Catwoman. That series had originally been set to debut in January, but the first issue has been delayed, something that King explained back in October on Twitter.

"So. We decided to go big," King wrote. "While working on the initial issues of Bat/Cat, [Clay Mann] and I started to realize that we might have something good here, a Mister Miracle or a Vision in the world of Batman, an attempt to do what Frank did with DKR (Dark Knight Rises), a defining of the characters.

"But to accomplish something that ambitious requires a minimizing of compromises. DKR did not have fill in artists. So Clay offered to do the whole thing, at 22 pages, but he'd of course need time. When the best artist in comics says, 'let's do it right,' you don't say no. But all that means that Bat/Cat is pushed back a bit, which is why it's not in the January solicits. The first scripts are in; Clay's drawing them now; they look gorgeous; I, hopefully like you, can't wait for this one to be out. Thank you all for your patience."

Are you excited for Tynion's take on Catwoman? Let us know in the comments below.

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