Catwoman from Batman Returns
When it comes to female comic book movie villains, where would we be without Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman? Probably depressed that all we had was Halle Berry’s version and that a female villain the caliber of Catwoman deserved better. Thank god we had this version before the other. In 1992’s Batman Returns, Pfeiffer took moveigoers and fans by storm with her take on the famous femme fatale. Before she is Catwoman she begins as the mousey, shy, and generally confused Selina Kyle. Though typically scatterbrained, Kyle does confront her boss Schreck on the files she finds about his proposed power plant and the issues therein. She promises not to tell but he pushes her out the window. Not the cleanest way to kill someone, but still, he thinks it works.
It would have if the former spinster cat lady was not revived by a bunch of alley cats, thus returning to us as Catwoman. Catwoman is given a fantastic storyline that involves her in a revenge plot with Shreck, allied with the disgusting Penguin famously played by Danny Devito, in a romance with Bruce Wayne, and in a romantic relationship with his alter ego, none other than Batman. Our favorite part for this kickass female comic book movie villain is when she turns down Bruce Wayne’s plea for her to stop her attack on Schreck and to move in with him. She essentially tells him to screw off and using one of her last remaining lives to take out Shreck with electrocution. we know she lives on the last of her nine lives and leaves Batman to deal with his own vigilante stuff. She’s strong, sexy, and totally crazy. A fan favorite for years and years.
As you can see Harley Quinn and Enchantress have a lot to live up to when Suicide Squad is released in August. But DC seems confident in the film as a whole and is really pushing it. As a result cosplay outfits are already available for Robbie’s take on Harley and women and men alike are ready for some more badass, sexy women to steal the show. Female comic book movie villains have had little opportunity to shine, but with these new pushes in movies, we’re hoping to see a lot more of them.
