Is The Future of Catwoman... Black?

Why Make Catwoman Black Before Others?

By SkylerPublished 4 years ago • 22 min read

When news of Catwoman coming to the DC Universe's Harley Quinn animated series, excitement was in the air. Later, news came of the voice actress to take on the role. Sanaa Lathan will be lending her voice to everyone's favorite feline fatale. Right away, the name was unfamiliar and did not sound traditional in the American vernacular. A quick search finds her first name translates to art in Swahili. Furthermore, Sanaa Lathan is a black actress. Why of all possible characters, do they decide to make Catwoman black?

Think about this before you jump on the bus of diversity for diversity's sake.

Inside of Voice Acting

Grant you, this is not entirely new. Turn the clock back to only 2019, Cree Summer comes to play Catwoman in DC Super Hero Girls. Cree Summer is a famous black voice actress, known best for her role as Susie Carmichael in Rugrats. With her resume of many beloved characters, she is something of a fan favorite, especially among young black girls. However, what stands out here is Catwoman is traditionally white. This casting can receive a pass from many people when you consider only the voice fuels the character, not their gender or race. A common practice is to cast women to voice the role of young boys. Bart Simpson's voice comes from Nancy Cartwright! Voice acting outside of one's race is not uncommon either. Cree Summer's first role is that of the little pig-tailed blonde girl, Penny, Inspector Gadget's niece. Staying in the DC pantheons, another example is black actor Phil Morris. He supplies the voice of the villain Vandal Savage in both the Justice League animated series and the animated feature Justice League: Doom. This character's race may be of further analysis, for he hails from Western Eurasia during the Upper Paleolithic Age. Nonetheless, Vandal Savage's depiction is always that of a white man. Why bring any of this up?

Under both Cree Summer and Sanaa Lathan, Catwoman is black. Not only in voice but in her visual depiction as well. One may argue the first time is a fluke and mere experimentation. Plus, it is fan-favorite Summer. Repeating this experiment is hardly a coincidence. Furthermore, we need to ask ourselves why.

It's Been Done Before

The concept of black Catwoman is nothing new. In late 1967, Eartha Kitt became Catwoman in the final season of the Batman television series. Julie Newmar plays Catwoman through the first two seasons. Unfortunately, due to scheduling with the film Mackenna's Gold, Julie Newmar could not reprise her role for the third season. Right away, casting a black woman at the height of the civil rights era is a huge deal! Charles FitzSimmons, the producer on the show, recalls it "as a very provocative idea."

At this time, black representation in the media is minuscule. Jet Magazine, a black founded magazine, runs a small feature in this time - TV-Radio. This TV-Radio is a weekly rundown of all and any black actors appearing on prime-time television and radio. This list rarely succeeds a dozen actors. Many of the actors included are usually male.

We must rewind the clock to understand Eartha Kitt's fame pre-Catwoman. Her films include The Mark of The Hawk, St. Louis Blues, Anna Lucasta, and Synanon. She is up there on the screen with the likes of Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis Jr., and Nat King Cole. Every holiday since 1953, you listen to Santa Baby. By 1967 she is a huge deal!

This frame of thought needs to come into consideration. Many people like to think of Hollywood as liberal or progressive. An argument can exist for this belief. However, Hollywood is a business, and like any business, Hollywood is an opportunist. They capture on Eartha Kitt's fame, realizing she is a big star at the time and wants to use that for ratings galore! Positive P.R. can spin into an opportunity for Hollywood, not so much for Eartha Kitt and her community. The show can fall back on this if anyone is to question any possible racism.

Author Kate Kane believes something more sinister is under the surface of Eartha Kitt's casting. In season three of the Batman television series, we have the debut of the character Batgirl. Believe it or not, Batgirl begins life as made-for-television, not a comic book character. Many people are aware of the gay connotations of Batman and Robin. This subtext and thinking predate the show. However, the television series will stir the public's homophobia again. Hence, we must introduce a Batgirl for Batman.

Batgirl is essentially the television personification of the era's Batwoman. The original Batwoman of the fifties is a reaction to Dr. Frederic Wertham and his ungodly misinformation campaign against comics. Ever since the beginning in 1940, Batman and Catwoman have this mutual attraction. Yet, the establishment cannot bear the idea of Batman courting a criminal. Hence, we establish a truly monogamous relationship. This editorial device kills two birds with one stone - attraction to a criminal and the gay readings of Robin.

Julie Newmar's Catwoman is already oozing with sexual innuendo. Now we have Eartha Kitt, a black woman portraying the role! The same black woman that the CIA labels a year later as a 'sadistic nymphomaniac'! Imagine such a scene between Batman and a black Catwoman now on television in the sixties! Keep in mind that this predates the historical kiss between Kirk and Uhara on Star Trek. Kate Kane points out all of this is to "protect an image of white purity''. The show brings in a fellow crimefighter in the form of the young, white and pristine Batgirl. Meanwhile, Catwoman swaps from a white woman to a black woman, a less than desirable mate for the white establishment. Kane concludes...

"Kitt's blackness was employed to foreclose the possibility of Catwoman and Batman's sexual relationship. Thus, what might appear as a progressive integrationist casting decision is revealed to be on that upheld, rather than undermined, a rigid racial order."

Is she wrong? By the time of Eartha Kitt's debut on the show, we have The Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Loving v. Virginia U.S. Supreme Court decision. All of this legislation aside, this shows we did not accomplish a post-racial America the next day.

And History Repeats Itself

There is no reason to go over and critique the Catwoman film of 2004, starring Halle Berry. Even with the film's financial and critical shortcomings, it has its place in history. Halle Berry herself feels she was going to be following in the footsteps of the legendary Eartha Kitt.

Now a Catwoman film is on WB's radar since 1992's Batman Returns. The film would be something of a spin-off, bringing Michelle Pfeiffer back to the role. Instead, the project enters production hell. Numerous actresses are under consideration, including Ashley Judd and Nicole Kidman. We ask ourselves again - why cast a black woman for a traditionally white role? Now we are in a post-racial America, or so the sentiment is. The sixties are rife with civil rights marches, assassinations, and domestic chaos. Whereas the 2000s are the age of terrorism, rebounding from 9/11. Yet, this predates Black Lives Matter, so if anything, terrorism is just at the forefront of our collective minds rather than issues of race.

Just like Eartha Kitt, Halle Berry is climbing a wave of fame before Catwoman. She brings Storm to life in the X-Men film franchise in 2000. We see her bare her breasts in the cult classic Swordfish. Next, she wins an Oscar for Monster's Ball as the first African-American actress. In Die Another Day, she plays a sexy Bond girl for the new millennium. Finally, you have the multi-million dollar film Gothika. Sure, Gothika gathers little to no positive reviews. All and any criticisms aside, these films managed to make millions of dollars.

Understand that this is how the minds of Hollywood operate. "As a studio, we set out to make a release date and not make a movie." These are the words of Jon Landau, a big name producer from Twentieth Century Fox. When producing these films, they are essentially making a commercial, less than art. Hence, we will cast Halle Berry! She just got an Oscar, she has credentials as a comic-book character, and she's sexy! If anything, it is this sexualization that lands her into Catwoman.

An early role of Halle Berry's includes the live-action film adaptation of The Flintstones. Here she plays the not cleverly named Sharon Stone, a secretary. The job aside, she is here to lend sex appeal to the film with no subtlety whatsoever. When Fred asks, "this is my office? and this is my desk?" the internet star Nostalgia Critic sarcastically asks in his review when the camera turns to her "is that my hoe?" Already, this film is setting her up as just mere eye candy.

The Flintstones aside, what is truly damaging is Monster's Ball. The Oscar film that won Halle Berry the best actress award for 2001. What is most memorable about this film is the raw, emotional sex scene between Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton. Even to this day, interracial sex scenes on film are far and few. Among its critics, the Oscars appear overly political and with a liberal agenda. How did Halle Berry beat out four white women? The Oscars historically are made up of a wide range of old, white, hetero men. Seeing an attractive black woman engage in sex readies up their old jezebel beliefs. Not only that, but it can help add to their white, neo-liberal values of appearing progressive by awarding a black woman.

Sexuality only adds to the problem in this film. Originally Angela Bassett was offered the role but rejected it. She states "I wasn't going to be a prostitute on film. I couldn't do that because it's such a stereotype about black women and sexuality". She is not off, as Dr. David Pilgrim, Professor of Sociology notes, Halle Berry portrays a "loose woman:" drinking from a bottle, slouched, legs open, later initiating sex with a man she barely knew." Her character reinstates that old jezebel stereotype that black women are sexually exotic and are here to please you. When people look back, this is what they remember of the film Monster's Ball. People always bring up that god damn sex scene and nothing else!

Catwoman does nothing to help alleviate this problem. At least Eartha Kitt's has subtlety. If anything, the film is more of an excuse to over sexualize a black woman even more. The film continues the "rigid racial order" that Juett writes about. We do not see Catwoman in a relationship with Batman or Bruce Wayne. Sadly, the film lacks this character completely! Instead, we pair Halle Berry with the Hispanic Detective Tom Lone. Mind you an interracial couple, but a predominantly stereotypical one. The idea of a Hispanic/Black couple is not toxic to the white fragility. Pairing up two individuals from historically disadvantaged communities reinforces their superiority.

Another demeaning issue is Halle Berry's actual role. She is not playing Selina Kyle, but Patience Phillips. A commonality in comic-books is multiple characters taking up the mantle. When Batman is absent, others have put on the cape and cowl. He has battled many people claiming the name Clayface as well. One day, other women do take up the role of Catwoman... after this film.

One possibility is due to the feckless production of this film. There are theories that this film takes place in the same continuity as Batman Returns. We see a photo of Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman in a scene giving this theory ground. Yet, no real storytelling offers a connection to said film. Now the photograph comes off just some afterthought Easter egg. Some say this film was going to tie in with the Birds of Prey T.V. show. It feels as if a black woman cannot play Selina Kyle. Catwoman's alter ego is never referred to in the old Batman show. Yet, when actresses changed, the show did little to draw attention to this. Catwoman is just Catwoman! Here we use the name Patience Phillips and background never found in comics before. Oddly, a black Catwoman is more progressive in the late sixties rather than 2004!

Catwoman leaves a horrible stain on the black community in film. In 2018, Michelle Obama lavished Marvel's Black Panther with praise. Yet, one white, female conservative by the name of D.C. McAllister comments...

Michelle Obama says it's about time black kids have a superhero that reflects who they are. Why didn't we hear this when Halle Berry as Catwoman was released years ago?

What did Catwoman do for black youths, especially women? We see her sway those hips with the camera centered on her ass. She goes to the club and orders a drink of milk to drink sexily. You have the inner-city setting, along with a basketball scene! The whole film is something more of a music video! Our only black component of the film is the lead herself. The film is nothing remembered in the collective consciousness of the black community, save for your small exception of males lusting over Halle Berry in her swimsuit top.

McCallister's unthinkable questioning raises the ideas white people have of black women. Sure, the character is overly sexual, lives in the city, dates a Hispanic male, and goes to the club. Then again, don't all black women, or so their stereotypical thinking goes. Brush these negative connotations aside, what does it matter when the lead is a strong, black, independent woman? Covert racism is still racism, and we need to consider these notions if Catwoman is to be black.

Background of the Catwoman

The history of her black portrayal is only the beginning. Yes, the fact that black actresses play her in the past does make this trend easy. With this exception, why not a black Poison Ivy? Can one ask for a black Zatanna? Black Wonder Woman or is that too demanding? Part of the problem stems from Catwoman's background and how it lends itself to black female stereotypes and institutional racism.

When was the last time you saw a black female botanist? Most of the famous magicians are white males. Fragile white fanboys will deny a black Wonder Woman because of the character Nubia. Now, this is not to say black women cannot obtain these roles, but it does not fit the typical narrative of black women in the media and the collective ignorance.

Ever since the 17th century, white Europeans identify African women with the Jezebel trope. White men saw black women in Africa nearly nude, practicing polyamory, and hence, they are promiscuous whores ignorance dictates. Instead, people associate roles such as prostitute, stripper, and other sexualized occupations with black women. Slavery begins this trend and carries it into the twentieth century. You can find numerous public items with the Jezebel, who offers herself willingly. Blaxploitation films continue this into the seventies. Films such as Foxy Brown feature a strong, independent black woman, who goes undercover as a 'whore'. Is this train of character and thought any different from Catwoman?

In early 1987 comes the now-classic Batman: Year One. This story recounts a modern origin of Batman and Jim Gordon. Included in this series is Selina Kyle and her path to Catwoman. Selina Kyle begins the story as a prostitute, complete with a pimp, and a dominatrix vibe. Adding to this is her portrayal. Is Selina Kyle black here? Batman: Year One uses something of a muted color pallet. If you compare her to the white, blonde Sarah Essen, you can see a difference. Skin tone aside, are Selina Kyle's features such as her lips and hair. Now it may be possible that Selina is not black but Hispanic or mixed. Fans to this day are not entirely sure, and we have no confirmation save for later stories that depict her as white.

Selina Kyle, the prostitute, continues two years later in Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper, with expansion on her origin. There is the image of her found left for dead in the alleyway. You have the abusive pimp who forces the catsuit on her. In time she takes up the catsuit and takes control of her life, which includes getting rid of her pimp, Stan. We have the setting of Gotham City, an inner-city environment with drug dealers, corrupt cops, and politicians. Does this not sound like something of a blaxploitation flick? Catwoman remains a sexual object but with aggressive capabilities like blaxploitation stars Pam Grier and Tamara Dobson.

Before, the sexuality of Catwoman is merely sub-text and innuendo. We come into the late eighties after the sexual revolution of the seventies, the rise in urban crime, reactionary conservatism of the Reagan Revolution, and turn her sexuality into text.

Selina Kyle's family structure pales in comparison to Bruce Wayne's traditional, waspy nuclear structure. Most people know Thomas and Martha Wayne. Only a few comic book die-hards can tell you about Selina's parents. Meanwhile, many are aware of the common racist stereotypes about black families.

In Batman: The Long Halloween, they deposit the notion that Carmine 'The Roman' Falcone maybe Selina's father. This idea resurfaces in the spin-off Catwoman: When in Rome. Yet, nothing comes to confirmation if The Roman is indeed Selina's biological father. Carmine Falcone as her father, serves as the earliest familial background to Catwoman. The surprise is two-fold. One being her father is a criminal and two - this may not be her father. Yes, the character Falcone is Italian. You can still easily apply this to the black brute/non-existent father stereotype.

We do not receive a familial background on Catwoman until June 2000 in Catwoman #81. Here it is that Selina's mother, Maria, is a working-class woman. She commits suicide due to economic reasons and abusive marriage. Selina's mother becomes further entrenched with the Gotham television series. Maria Kyle appears in season four after abandoning her daughter for years on end, only to do the same again. Meanwhile, no information about the father exists. In the New 52, she is the abandoned daughter of the criminal Rex Calabrese.

You know the old racist stereotype. Black families have no father or money! People like Andrew Sullivan want you to think that 70% of black children lack a father when that number is actually much lower. The problem here lies that Selina Kyle fits this broken home narrative. She comes from a broken home to a fatherless home and finally to one without a mother. Her father is always negative in each origin. He starts as basically the brute, to absent, and finally to criminal. Her line of fathers fits every racist, black male stereotype when it comes to a father figure.

Selina The Single Mother...?

Can you imagine Selina Kyle as a mother? For some, this may be out of the left field. Under hardcore comic book fans, this is not unheard. On Earth 2 resides Helena Wayne, the daughter of Batman and Catwoman. Helena Wayne debuts in 1977 as the original Huntress. Later, Crisis on Infinite Earths wipes out the Earth 2 continuity, including the child of Batman and Catwoman. DC Comics will revisit this character in other stories and continuities, such as the new Earth 2 under the New 52 imprint. The 2002 Birds of Prey television series also uses this same character. Yet in all scenarios, both parents are present or absent. DC Comics changes this in the spring of 2006.

After DC's Infinite Crisis event, they launch their next publication event - One Year Later. All on-going series spring forward a year later. Changes take effect in Catwoman #53, where she gives birth to her daughter, Helena. She delivers the baby and leaves the hospital without her child's father. Quick to it, Bruce Wayne shows up to her home, showering the newborn with gifts. The two new parents admit they have a lot to discuss. However, there is no confirmation that he is the father! Comic history and tradition alone make this assumption simple. Batman has a history of several women, but Catwoman has a history of only one man, or so it seems.

Fan speculation began immediately! At this point, one of the major supporting characters in Catwoman was DC's long time detective character - Slam Bradley. Yet, again he is old so gross. A more likely possibility is Sam Bradley Jr., Slam Bradley's son. He is much younger, and the two share a history in fighting Black Mask. This series goes almost a year in publication without a word on the father. Many fans still believe or at least want it to be Batman, but a minority believe Sam is a possibility. Results do not arise until Catwoman #62.

The issue provides flash-backs. Selina and Sam team-up and together fighting crime, taking out the rest of Black Mask's subordinates. The duo takes Black Mask's lieutenant, Xavier Dylan, into police custody. With Black Mask's empire finally gone, the two celebrate by spending the night together. Damn tradition and assumptions, we forget sometimes it only takes one night.

Adding to this announcement is Sam's untimely death in a sacrificial explosion. Selina Kyle is more of a widow than a single mother one can argue. Some fans still believe Batman to be the legitimate father. As time passes, fans and editorship block this arc from their memory.

There is a lot to unpack here. Many know of the single black mother with no knowledge of her child's father. Data show that since the late sixties, non-marital birth rates among blacks have nearly doubled. 94% of black single parents are mothers. Now many theories exist to explain this predicament. Regardless, these theories' validity is not the point. What matters is how this study has gone on to unintentionally provide a damning narrative on behalf of black women.

We find ourselves back with the jezebel trope. A black woman is a single mother because she is sexually active and takes no precautions due to her laziness and stupidity. She takes in any man and not necessarily a mate to build a family. Hence, the child is an accident and not a foundation to build a family. We see Selina take assistance as well for her child, with the aid of Bruce Wayne, making her appear as almost the welfare queen type now. Sam's absence adds to this horrible scenario. In Catwoman #62, we even see Sam in a hat and bandana right before the couple takes to the streets. Thank god for Sam's whiteness, for the hat and bandana spell black gang banger all over it, unfortunately. Sam is no criminal, but his involvement on the streets can spell parallels. It is not too different from the criminal black father who was murdered on the streets before he can raise his child stereotype. Luckily the arc is no longer canon and holds little to no fondness in the hearts of fans. Still, it comes up sporadically as one of those 'remember that one-time' stories to initiate conversation and memory.

Epilogue

Now, this is not to say the people behind casting read all of these comics and did their entire research. What is to be known here is that most of Catwoman's history can tie into these racist stereotypes. Who knows of the black botanist turned eco-terrorist? What about the black college student who's father is the commissioner of police? No one is saying these cannot exist, but they do not thrive in the collective unconscious of white Americans. Hence, we take the sexually liberated, criminal with a troublesome family history to be black.

Does this mean we need to keep Catwoman white? Of course not! Keeping her Caucasian only maintains the misogynoir of many fans and critics. Plus, this challenge shows there is much more to Catwoman's character besides her skin color. However, we need to ask these questions before we jump on and scream yay for diversity. Presently, people are unaware that Joker's girlfriend, Punchline, is essentially the Dragon Lady trope. But who cares right, diversity! The notion of diversity is no longer a goal for social good but a marketing ploy to promote one as worldly for good public relations.

Finally, this may come off as a win for many blacks, especially women! It makes sense, given they have few fictional characters for representation. Many still uphold the Black Panther film and President Obama, devoid of any objectivity. Is Black Panther a good film? Was Obama a good president? Who cares, they need our (black) support simply because they are black. If anything, it is unfortunate that such a premise must exist. I want the black community to have representations of quality, not just simply representations. In the current climate, it may be people will take whatever they can get. There exists a time comic book fans would take whatever they can get their hands on in film and television. Later on, asking themselves - I actually liked this? Kevin Smith even makes note of this with the old Batman films. Remember, those films predate our current standards from the Nolan trilogy and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

With her already confusing history, a black Catwoman is not unobtainable in the comics. Younger readers associate Marvel's Nick Fury with Samuel L. Jackson. Take a time machine to 1963, and you find a white Nick Fury. Marvel attempts a modernization of their comics with their Ultimate line in the new century, which gives us the Nick Fury we know and love today. In time the new character became so popular that Marvel brought him into their main continuity. Now he is Nick Fury, the son of the original, taking over his father's position. There is no reason the same cannot happen with Selina Kyle. Keep in mind DC's illustrious multiverse that allows them to spin whatever tale they want!

It is still too early to speak on behalf of Sanaa Lathan's Catwoman. We also have not seen Zoe Kravtiz's Catwoman. Luckily for the character, we have passed the era of moral absolutes of the Comics Code Authority. Now she operates more in the role of anti-heroine. Plus, the criminal/villain is beloved by fans. Who is the real star of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight? Spoiler - it is not Batman! We must tread carefully and make sure Catwoman's future does not weave into the waters of the old-time, racist, jezebel stereotype. And if she does, we need to hold those in power accountable.