WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for The Batman, now in theaters.
Whether it's comics, cartoons, animated movies or video games, Catwoman has some iconic weapons in her arsenal. It's something Batman Returns played up with Michelle Pfeiffer; however, fans were a tad disappointed Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises didn't lean harder into Selina Kyle's Cat. Instead Anne Hathaway's version was more a burglar, rocking a firearm and other gadgets for heists, which did build anticipation for Zoë Kravitz's Selina this time around. She seemed more tailored from the books, but while Matt Reeves' The Batman wasted one of Catwoman's deadly weapons, it upgraded another.
The Batman Wasted Catwoman's Whip
The whip is such a signature tool, which is why many adored Pfeiffer's Catwoman for using it in the '90s. It made her more sultry, hyping up the femme fatale from the lore. Now, in The Batman, Selina's pretty badass, using kung-fu and acrobatics to take down anyone getting in her way, namely Penguin and Carmine Falcone's men.
However, she only rocked the whip when she went to Penguin's warehouse to steal cash. She used it to rope a goon from the back, dragging him down while taking out another, but it wasn't used after that. It would have been nice to see her using it to choke other guys or knock them out, as it had a hefty chain feel to it that would have scared and scarred them. She could have also used it more in the finale against Riddler's army when she had to save the Bat in the rafters.
It's just such a powerful visual, and it would have made the action more dynamic and fluid, akin to how Wonder Woman used her lasso in the DC movies. It's not something difficult to translate to the real world. After all, Batman had gliders and grappling guns. Ultimately, by reducing its screen time, it felt like how Nolan's film omitted it because it wouldn't be practical for battle. The fact Selina had one randomly in the first place was reason enough for the whip to star more so in the film.
The Batman Upgraded Catwoman's Claws Spiritually
Past Catwomen also didn't T shy away from using their claws, so this was something fans were waiting to see with the new Cat. Interestingly, she wasn't cutting glass, instead opting to use a drill for her safes, so she didn't need them. Besides, it's not like she had that many robberies either or was on the lam from the cops.
However, while she didn't have claws, she had long nails which she used in the finale against Falcone. There was a lot of symbolism to her scraping him when he tried choking her. She sought revenge on him because he was her dad, and he oversaw the death of her mom and loved one, Annika. With nothing else to use, she scratched him and almost took his eye out.
Thus, the nails went from being something cosmetic into being a weapon against the most toxic man in her life. Digging into his face was a subtle yet powerful defense mechanism, as it spoke to Falcone being taken down in the name of the women he hurt and killed in the past. In Selina's case, he killed her family, so this was her way of showing him she wouldn't die without a fight. Luckily, Batman would knock him out and stop the Cat from pulling the trigger when she switched to a gun, holding her hands and spiritually getting her to retract her claws, finally letting the anger subside.
See how Catwoman's weapons were used in The Batman, now in theaters.