Michelle Pfeiffer's role as Catwoman in Batman Returns has been recognized as one of her best performances. Pfeiffer's Catwoman has also been dubbed the best live-action portrayal of the DC Comics character to date by Batman fans. With her iconic black leather catsuit and her undeniable chemistry with Michael Keaton as Batman/Bruce Wayne, it is difficult to imagine Pfeiffer in any other role in the Batman movies. However, she was originally supposed to play a different character in Tim Burton's Batman.

Hollywood Reporter interview with Michael Uslan, executive producer of the 1989 Batman movie, reveals that Pfeiffer was initially considered for the role of Vicki Vale after Blade Runner's Sean Young, who was originally cast as Batman's love interest, was left unable to perform after a horse-riding accident.

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Vicki tilts her head

However, Pfeiffer's casting as Vicki Vale was highly contradicted by Michael Keaton, as Pfeiffer and Keaton had previously dated and broken up, and Keaton was also attempting to get back together with his ex-wife while working on Batman. Michael Wuhl comments, "To put a little fly in the ointment, Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer had previously dated and broken up. At the time, Michael told me he was trying to get back with his ex-wife. Keaton was firmly, and underline firmly, against that casting of Pfeiffer, and he and [producer Jon] Peters got into it." Kim Basinger was cast as Vicki Vale instead of Pfeiffer as a result of this dispute.

The ultimate decision to not cast Pfeiffer as Vicki Vale was a blessing in disguise, as Pfeiffer most likely would not have gone on to play Catwoman in Batman Returns if she had already been cast as the love interest in Batman. It is also difficult to imagine Pfeiffer as Vicki Vale. Her roles leading up to Batman's release in 1989 include Elvira Hancock in Scarface and Sukie Ridgemont in The Witches of Eastwick. Pfeiffer's performances in these roles show her ability to portray femme fatale characters and don't align with the mild-mannered reporter character of Vicki Vale.

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Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman in Batman Returns

Catwoman is arguably the best part of Batman Returns, and it is definitely hard to imagine anyone other than Pfeiffer in the role. Pfeiffer's portrayal of Catwoman is iconic -- her alliance with Danny DeVito's Penguin and her revenge arc against her boss Max Shreck make her morally gray enough to earn her status as a villain, but her romance with Bruce Wayne and her tragic origin story make her character likable enough for the audience to root for her success.

Pfeiffer's involvement in Tim Burton's Batman movies helped bring the Batman franchise into a darker era and set a standard for Catwoman as a character in future movies, TV shows and comic books. Even though Batman fans will never know what Pfeiffer could have brought to the role of Vicki Vale, it is definitely clear that her casting as Catwoman in Batman Returns was the right choice, both for Pfeiffer as an actress and Catwoman as an iconic DC Comics character.

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