The Dark Knight Rises – A Brief History of Selina Kyle

Clearly, she’s a major player in the world of Batman.  And as you can see, she’s pretty consistently used as a romantic foil for Bruce.  Sometimes it works (Grant Morrison’s current Batman Incorporated makes great use of the relationship.) and sometimes it doesn’t (most of the 90s).  Another thing that remains fairly consistent is that she’s mostly non-violent.  Catwoman doesn’t generally set out to hurt people.  She can do it, if it comes to that, but her goal is to line her pockets and protect cats.  In Batman’s world, that definitely makes her an exception.  It’s also notable that she’s one of the few major Bat-villains who isn’t portrayed as being insane.  She’s one of the very few who doesn’t have a cell in Arkham Asylum.