Michelle Pfeiffer VS Zoë Kravitz VS Anne Hathaway as Catwoman
Round 1: Story
The Shocking True Story of 50 First Dates
Of course, if you’re going to put the famously infamous Selina Kyle on the big screen, you have to have an interesting and well-developed story for her. Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman was given a slightly more realistic background in 2022’s “The Batman.” Selina Kyle works in underground clubs infested with Gotham’s worst crooks, doing her best to protect the girls she works alongside. Everything gets thrown off balance when one of her friends mysteriously disappears, forcing her to team up with Batman so they can figure out where she went. It’s a story with grit, mystery, and a ton of emotion as it holds some parallels with real world dilemmas like drugs, corrupt politicians and cops, as well as human trafficking. Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman holds a story that’s equally tragic as Kravitz’s. Selina Kyle works as a secretary for industrialist Max Shreck, who plots to siphon energy off of Gotham until he wields power over the city. After finding out Shreck’s plans, Selina is pushed out of a window by her boss, sending her falling to her doom. Somehow, a group of stray cats bring her back to life, and it is here that Catwoman is born. From there, we see Selina struggle between falling in love with Bruce while also trying to help Penguin defeat the Batman. Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman, unfortunately, takes more of a back seat in “The Dark Knight Rises”. She’s a cat burglar who briefly worked with Bane before aiding Batman in the fight. Her alliance with Bane isn’t explored outside of the lines of “they were going to kill me” or “a girl’s gotta eat”. Basically, she appeared to be more of an afterthought and a plot device than a fully fleshed-out character, as we’ll see later on. For as much as we loved Kravitz’s Catwoman story, Pfeiffer steals the first round for her unique origins and more focused story. WINNER: Pfeiffer 1 / Hathaway 0 / Kravitz 0
Round 2: Costume
Top 10 Epic Movie Costume Designs
We’ve seen Catwoman don many different outfits since her first appearance in 1940. However, the films seem to have stuck with the typical black catsuit style, and each of the films in question here have brought their own unique version to the big screen. Pfeiffer’s Catwoman is arguably the weirder of the three, and it’s all because of the stitching. See, it works both for and against the character’s design. On one hand, the stitching makes her look almost as terrifying as Danny DeVito’s Penguin. On the other hand, the stitching also is a visual distraction from everything else happening on-screen. Sure, it’s the most iconic of the three Catwomen, but that does not necessarily make it the best in style. Hathaway’s Catwoman feels much more in line with Catwoman’s more traditional appearance and feel. The flexible material and slimming design accentuate Selina Kyle’s figure, bringing the sex appeal that our feline-themed thief has been known for. Even more so, it’s a design that balances Christopher Nolan’s more realistic Gotham and the outfit one would expect a hero or villain to have. On top of that, the ears and mask aren’t a massive distraction, doing just enough work for viewers to recognize Selina without having to do any heavy lifting. Now, Kravitz’s Catwoman is a bit of a mixed bag. Don’t get us wrong - we love the overall look of her catsuit! It’s basic, yes, but it fits the character. There’s just one problem - the mask. Though Kravitz only wears the mask a few times throughout the movie, it does not do the character justice. You’re really going to tell us that ski mask is a part of Catwoman? Really? With all due respect to Pfeiffer’s Catwoman, Hathaway’s costume fits the aesthetic Catwoman is typically designed with. And Kravitz’s Catwoman? Yeah, not a chance. WINNER: Pfeiffer 1 / Hathaway 1 / Kravitz 0
Round 3: Combat
Now, we’re not necessarily looking at combat abilities per se. What we’re looking for are moments where Catwoman was able to steal the spotlight and whoop some butt! And this is where Hathaway's Catwoman falters dramatically. Both Hathaway and Catwoman were a big part of the marketing for “The Dark Knight Rises”. Unfortunately, the two barely made much of an impact on the movie’s action. Catwoman always felt more like a character who was tacked on after the fact - getting caught towards the end of a robbery or showing up at the last second to help Batman. Rarely did we really get to see her pummel guards and Bane’s cronies, and when we did, much of the focus seemed to be more on Batman. By contrast, Pfeiffer has a much bigger role in “Batman Returns” than Hathaway does in her respective film. She’s primarily a secondary antagonist until Penguin betrays her. While the fights between her and Batman are exciting, the movie’s age is given away by the limits of film production in the early ‘90s. The fights simply don’t have the flair and style that comes with a battle between the bat and the cat. They’re good enough, but this is where Kravitz steals the show. Kravitz is given several opportunities to shine as Catwoman during fight scenes. Not only that, but Selina also gets access to more weapons and not just her whip in “The Batman”. In addition, she puts on some vicious martial arts moves, clocking dudes with all kinds of punches and kicks. Needless to say, this was a Catwoman who didn’t hold back! Pfeiffer’s Catwoman succumbed to time. Hathaway barely got to throw more than a few punches. So, why wouldn’t we give this round to the fierce Kravitz? WINNER: Pfeiffer 1 / Hathaway 1 / Kravitz 1
Round 4: Bat-Romance
Top 10 Best Catwoman Moments
This is an incredibly important staple to include when putting Catwoman on the big screen in a Batman story: there’s got to be some romance between the bat and the cat. Otherwise, it doesn’t feel right, and only one of these movies got it right. We’ll get Hathaway and Kravitz out of the way as they both falter in this category in the same way. While both “The Dark Knight Rises” and “The Batman” did the character justice in most areas, the romance felt like it was either rushed or shoehorned in without any proper justification. Hathaway’s Catwoman does share a dance scene with the Dark Knight and, as we said before, saves Batman’s hide a couple of times. But in terms of romance? There’s nothing there. It feels like it was substantially held back or barely thought out at all. By comparison, Kravitz’s Catwoman had her romance practically rushed. One minute, she and Bats are arguing, and the next, she’s jumping through all kinds of hoops trying to figure out what Batman is like without the cowl. It simply doesn’t make sense. Though there isn’t much competition, Pfeiffer’s Catwoman obliterates the other two here. “Batman Returns” not only puts Bruce and Selina’s romance at the forefront when it needs to be, but it also tells a darker version of their relationship. It focuses more on the tragic nature of their romance, showing two souls who want to be together but know they can’t on account of their vastly different beliefs, morals, and lifestyles. Catwoman is someone who aims to exact revenge and bring down whoever she can to achieve her goal, which is a major conflict in Bruce’s noble and courageous heroics. There’s no contest here; Pfeiffer’s Catwoman tells the more interesting story between Selina and Bruce. The other two simply could not justify the existence of a romance in their superhero movies. WINNER: Pfeiffer 2 / Hathaway 1 / Kravitz 1
Round 5: Performance
Every Florence Pugh Performance, Ranked
Honestly, this was the hardest category to decide upon as each actor - Pfeiffer, Hathaway, and Kravitz - bring their A-game to their respective movies. Michelle Pfeiffer may not have been the first to play Catwoman on the big screen, but she certainly set the bar for the role moving forward. Not only did she bring the tragic nature of the character to life, but she also managed to balance the campy nature of Batman media prior to “Batman Returns” with not going too over the top with it. It led to an unforgettable performance and helped cement “Batman Returns” as one of the best superhero movies to exist. It’s also worth mentioning her chemistry with Danny DeVito, making the two an iconic villain duo. To Hathaway’s credit, she wasn’t given a lot of material to work with, but she was able to work with what little she had. Hathaway was able to match the stoic nature of Christian Bale’s Batman while also working the charm we’ve come to expect from Catwoman. The flirting is subtle yet a tad playful, but this wasn’t enough to make Selina Kyle stand out from the film, and we cannot blame Hathaway at all for that. And lastly, we have Zoe Kravitz. Kravitz put on an excellent performance, arguably the best we’ve seen since Pfeiffer. Kravitz does a tremendous job at portraying a pained and hurt Catwoman, a young woman who is angry at the world for letting evil take her friend’s life. Her calmer moments are just as excellent, showing a Selina who can be more reserved in her feelings while also having that anxiety and impatience to get a move on things and carry out plans. She’s more cunning, more human here. As much as we loved and cherished Kravitz as Catwoman, Pfeiffer comes out on top. Pfeiffer arguably laid down the groundwork for how Catwoman should be depicted on screen… minus some of the campiness perhaps. WINNER: Pfeiffer 3 / Hathaway 1 / Kravitz 1 While Hathaway and Kravtiz were able to bring the feline femme fatale to life on film in their own unique ways, Pfeiffer remains the best Catwoman of the bunch!
