32 Years Later, Its Clearer Than Ever DC Wasted Its Best Movie Catwoman

Tim Burton’s Batman Returns introduced Michelle Pfeiffer’s timeless portrayal of Catwoman, yet the DC anti-hero hasn’t gotten a similarly popular live-action movie or TV role ever since. Tim Burton’s Batman and the bolder Batman Returns heralded the beginning of the superhero movie genre as fans know it today, kicking off a Batman craze that has taken DC’s long list of live-action Batman actors to the double digits. Burton’s gloomy style arrived at the right time to reinvent the Dark Knight after the 1960s Batman series had transformed the character into a lighthearted, family-friendly hero.

Apart from Batman, Tim Burton’s Batman movies also presented new takes on several Batman elements. For instance, Gotham was turned into a surrealistic dystopia that fits its eccentric characters perfectly. DC icons such as the Joker, the Penguin, and Catwoman toed the line between gritty oddballs and mystical creatures — and so far, the most fantastical versions of their comic book counterparts on the big screen. Catwoman, in particular, stole the spotlight throughout Batman Returns, yet Tim Burton and Warner Bros. could have done much more with the best of all live-action Catwoman actresses, Michelle Pfeiffer.

Michelle Pfeiffer Was Perfect DC Movie Casting For Catwoman

Michelle Pfeiffer Took Catwoman’s Volatile Personality To Another Level

There’s no better proof that a superhero movie performance is truly groundbreaking than when it becomes more popular than the original character itself. Such was the case with Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman in Batman Returns. Before 1992, DC’s comic-book Catwoman was usually depicted as a naturally athletic, manipulative thief with trained gymnastic and combat skills and no fantastical origins of any kind. Even though Batman Returns depicted Selina Kyle as a shy executive assistant who resurrects and receives mystical powers from cats, Batman Returns‘ Catwoman became Batman Returns‘ main highlight due to Michelle Pfeiffer’s clear enjoyment of the role.

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Batman Returns‘ version of Catwoman is fearless and unapologetically seductive. Although she sides with the Penguin, Catwoman challenges and subdues every character, including Oswald Cobblepot himself, Batman, and Selina’s former boss and would-be murderer Max Shreck. Pfeiffer’s Catwoman is both playful and quick-tempered, and despite her flirtatious personality, her mind and body gradually deteriorate as she loses each of her nine lives. At the end, Catwoman manages to attain one last victory by killing Max Shreck, and she leaves Batman bewildered at the ambiguity of her death. In short, Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman is untameable.

Unfortunately, Tim Burton’s third Batman installment was canceled before it could enter production, and Joel Schumacher reworked it into the now-infamous Batman Forever. Meanwhile, the Michelle Pfeiffer Catwoman spinoff that was in development at the time was put on hold. As plans for the Batman movie franchise changed, Michelle Pfeiffer left the project and the spinoff eventually transformed into a brand-new Catwoman solo movie starring Halle Berry. Pfeiffer also didn’t return in Andy Muschietti’s The Flash, making Batman Returns her one and only Catwoman appearance despite the popularity of her role.

How DC’s Catwoman Actresses Have Compared To Michelle Pfeiffer

No Other Catwoman Actor Has Had The Chance To Shine As Much As Michelle Pfeiffer

Several Catwoman actresses have followed Michelle Pfeiffer in live-action, and all of them have offered something new in the role. However, none of the DC movies and shows featuring Catwoman have put as much focus and care on the character as Tim Burton’s Batman Returns. For instance, the infamous 2004 Catwoman movie starring Halle Berry removed every quality that made Pfeiffer’s Catwoman such a compelling character after it lost every tie to Burton’s Batman universe. As a result, Halle Berry’s Catwoman became a one-dimensional and even less comic-accurate depiction of DC’s Catwoman.

A few years later, Anne Hathaway portrayed a much more faithful version of Selina Kyle in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, but Nolan’s 2012 movie gave Catwoman very little to do beyond helping and betraying Batman. In the TV series Gotham, Camren Bicondova took advantage of Selina Kyle’s extended screentime in order to develop Catwoman further than any other live-action actor. Bicondova’s impressive acting skills were only complemented by her uncanny resemblance to Michelle Pfeiffer, though Gotham‘s prequel nature prevented Bicondova from portraying a full-fledged anti-hero and interacting with a suited-up Batman.

DC Needs To Let Its Future Catwoman Actors Show Off Their Talents

Catwoman Is A Big Enough Character To Have More Varied Live-Action Adaptations

Catwoman is one of DC’s most famous characters, but similarly to characters like Robin and Green Lantern, DC’s live-action movies don’t quite reflect that popularity. When her sex appeal isn’t the main focus in live-action, Catwoman is often relegated to Batman’s romantic interest or ally. However, Selina Kyle is supposed to be much more than that. As Michelle Pfeiffer’s iteration proved, Catwoman is an entirely independent character who aligns herself with whoever she needs to further her own goals, and her often ambiguous morals make her a complex character worthy of a movie or show of her own.

While it might be difficult to find another Michelle Pfeiffer to play her, Catwoman’s next live-action appearances can still make some changes in order to explore the character more deeply. Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman – Part II could give Zoë Kravitz’s Selina Kyle a more sizable role, and James Gunn’s DC Universe could be more daring with its version of Catwoman. Perhaps The Brave and the Bold or an eventual DCU sequel could draw a little inspiration from Michelle Pfeiffer’s more fantastical and disturbed version of the character.