Bethany W Pope
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Examining the Hero Pattern: Catwoman
Because the DC universe has been revamped and reset so many times, it’s difficult to speak about the characters in terms of their mythic evolution. The things you know might not be the things you know, and all that jazz. So for this essay I’m going to focus on the version of Selina Kyle currently running around the DC comics universe, i.e the good-aligned former thief and vigilante who is currently working with the Bat-family. On a personal note, this character has become considerably less interesting since she fell between Tom King’s misogynistic paws, but that’s how the game is played.
I’m basing my analysis on the Hero Pattern created by Lord Raglan (another misogynist) so I’ve edited it where appropriate to make it more sociologically sound. I’ve attached a full copy of the pattern below, but I’ll only be focusing on the entries which fit the character as she exists now.
This pattern is based upon The Hero: A study in Tradition, Myth and Dreams by Lord Raglan
Incidents which occur with regularity in hero-myths of all cultures:
1. Hero’s mother is a royal virgin;
2. His father is a king, and
3. Often a near relative of his mother, but
4. The circumstances of his conception are unusual, and
5. He is also reputed to be the son of a god.
6. At birth an attempt is made, usually by his father or his maternal grand father to kill him, but
7. he is spirited away, and
8. Reared by foster -parents in a far country.
9. We are told nothing of his childhood, but
10. On reaching manhood he returns or goes to his future Kingdom.
11. After a victory over the king and/or a giant, dragon, or wild beast,
12. He marries a princess, often the daughter of his predecessor and
13. And becomes king.
14. For a time he reigns uneventfully and
15. Prescribes laws, but
16. Later he loses favor with the gods and/or his subjects, and
17. Is driven from the throne and city, after which
18. He meets with a mysterious death,
19. Often at the top of a hill,
20. His children, if any do not succeed him.
21. His body is not buried, but nevertheless
22. He has one or more holy sepulchres.
Here’s how it applies to Catwoman:
4. The circumstances of his conception are unusual, and
In her current incarnation, Selina’s father was a drunken abuser who later committed suicide, leaving Selina and her sister to be taken in by the state. Unfortunately, this isn’t an unusual fate for modern America (foster care survivor, speaking here) but the fact that her past was rewritten when Doctor Manhattan committed a reality-altering time-shift means that I’m going to count it here.
6. At birth an attempt is made, usually by his father or his maternal grandfather to kill him, but
Selina’s father was abusive, and was portrayed as attempting to take her life.
7. he is spirited away, and
Selina was removed into state custody.
8. Reared by foster -parents in a far country.
Selina was either raised in an orphanage or else by Miss Oliver, an almost literally Dickensian Fagin figure who trained her charges in thievery.
9. We are told nothing of his childhood, but
We are given brief flashbacks to her time in ‘training’ but we don’t see more than archetypal memory-flashes.
10. On reaching manhood he returns or goes to his future Kingdom.
This stage is probably best interpreted by Selina’s adoption of the Catwoman persona. It’s pretty clear that, in The Batman mythos, masks are used as a means of revealing aspects of the wearer’s true face. So you can say that, although Selina never left Gotham, donning the mask was her way of coming into her kingdom and becoming truly herself.
11. After a victory over the king and/or a giant, dragon, or wild beast,
Selina’s battle with Matilda Mathis, codenamed Dollhouse, was the turning point (in the current timeline) which led Selina out of crime and into the Bat-family. Her decision to fight crime (in this instance, by stopping a serial killer) signified her conquest of the internal Beast. It also tipped the character away from the moral ambiguity which had been, until this point, one of her characteristic trademarks.
12. He marries a princess, often the daughter of his predecessor and
Although Catwoman stood Batman up on their wedding day, her consummated romantic relationship with him, as well as their professional partnership, signified the marital union quite well. At least in a mythological sense.
13. And becomes king.
Currently, Catwoman is the ‘star’ (in quotes because the book is still about Batman) of Tom King’s Batman/Catwoman, in which an alternate future version of her rules Gotham in Bruce’s stead as a sort of balletic, geriatric ass kicker.
14. For a time he reigns uneventfully and
When Selina and Batman were engaged, they worked together nearly seamlessly: an offbeat, but successful partnership.
15. Prescribes laws, but
As future Catwoman, Selina is the head of the Bat-family, leading her daughter into battle.
16. Later he loses favor with the gods and/or his subjects, and
This could be interpreted two different ways. First, Selina fell out of favor with Batman when she left him a Dear John letter on their wedding day. In Batman/Catwoman, she lost favor with the city by slaughtering the Joker.
17. Is driven from the throne and city, after which
Currently, Catwoman is a double fugitive. She is running from the police in two separate Bat-books.
20. His children, if any do not succeed him.
Although the Batwoman currently operating in Batman/Catwoman is her biological daughter, and Batman’s Robins are her adopted sons, their stories take place in an alternate reality and therefore do not ‘count’ in modern continuity.
Sticking to the continuity currently provided by the DC line, Catwoman scores fourteen. One suspects that this number would have been higher had other continuities been taken into account. Perhaps, one day, I will do exactly that.
Poet, novelist, fencer, pirate, Za-Za, and Comic Watch regular contributor Bethany Pope lives in China. They also hold an MA and PhD in creative writing. Their latest novel, The Hungry and the Lost, goes on sale December 1, 2021 from Parthian Books. You can follow them on Twitter at @theMasqueWriter.