The Fabulous Legacy Of Selina Kyle

At the risk of getting soapbox-y, this is what Catwoman at her best represents. It’s what makes her character so good, even — in the case of Halle Berry’s much-maligned take on the character — when she’s done wrong. 

For the record, it is hard to find the merits in Jean-Christophe “Pitof” Comar’s CGI-laden “Catwoman.” To say Berry deserved better (especially knowing she took the role to pave the way for more Black action heroes) is the grossest of understatements. “Catwoman” may be very bad, but seeing a black woman don the signature mask for the first time since 1966 was equally empowering for the women of color who came of age in the early 2000s, this writer included. Berry’s efforts deserve to be honored — and maybe even redeemed down the line? — but at least for now, the mantle rests with Zoë Kravitz … and no one in their right mind should be complaining about that.

Kravitz’s Catwoman is obviously one of the most grounded iterations of the character; there’s not a lot of room for camp in Matt Reeves’ rain-drenched Gotham. But the Selina Kyle of “The Batman” still manages to synthesize the best of each Catwoman that came before, both from the page and the screen. She also brings some much-needed heart and empathy to the film, especially juxtaposed with Robert Pattinson’s steely dark knight. 

Selina has always been a foil to Batman and Bruce Wayne, the feminine counterpart to his very masculine rage. But Kravitz accentuates this contrast as a woman of color, taking the baton from Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman to challenge Bruce’s inherent privilege. Though “The Batman” fails to fully commit to Selina’s bisexuality (or her contested background in sex work), her portrayal in the film still understands her importance to the world of Gotham — and our world, too. She is still a woman who shirks societal expectations to pursue her own pleasure, and fights for others who can’t make that choice so easily. She puts herself first, and sometimes that makes her a villain — but when villainy looks that good, it’s hard to root for anything (or any one) opposing it.