SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Batman #46 by Tom King and Tony S. Daniel, on sale now.


Booster Gold has messed things up, but good.

In trying to find the perfect wedding gift for Bruce Wayne and his bride-to-be Selina Kyle, the time-travelling Booster did something unimaginable. By preventing the murder of Bruce's parents, Booster inadvertently created a horrible new reality – one in which Bruce never became Batman, as first shown in Tom King and Tony S. Daniel's "The Gift," beginning in Batman #45.

The most horrible aspect of this alternate reality is the state of the world itself, driven to violent unrest by way of the enablement of Batman's foes, unopposed in a world with no Dark Knight. One of the most chilling transformations, though, is that of Selina, as shown in Batman #46. In trying to give Bruce the kind of present that none of his other colleagues could, Booster has instead nullified Bruce and Selina's relationship, resulting in Selina's life being drastically altered by Batman's absence.

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Kitty's Got Claws – Oh, Does She Ever

In the world of Batpoint, Selina's crimes are far worse than burglarizing a few gems or artifacts, as witnessed by her imprisonment in Arkham Asylum (in a straitjacket, no less). While still known as Catwoman in this reality, it's clear that she didn't earn that moniker because of her cat-burglary skills. More likely, it was given to her thanks to her speech pattern, or lack thereof – in a nod to Michelle Pfeiffer's turn as the character in 1992's Batman Returns, Selina's vocabulary is limited to meows, purrs and hisses, hinting that her mind isn't operating on quite the same level as her mainstream counterpart.

Worse than that, though, is her violent behavior. On this world, she's not just a mere thief – she's nothing less than a murderer, and a serial killer at that. Thomas Wayne makes this known through a conversation with Bruce, but Selina cements it in a far bloodier fashion later on.

In a failed effort to fix the timeline by introducing Bruce to his intended love, Booster cobbles together a familiar-looking incarnation of Selina's Catwoman costume – complete with claws. Some very sharp claws. Selina's first use for her new weapons? She's brutally slashes Alfred's throat, mauls Thomas to death, and gravely injures Batman (Dick Grayson, in this reality) before he's fatally shot by Bruce. Yes, she's nothing short of feral, like a ferocious alley cat living in the streets, fighting for survival. The Catwoman of this world would have been one of Bruce's deadliest foes – had Bruce adopted the role of Batman.

RELATED: Batman #46 Introduces Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman Costume Into DC Continuity

Is Selina Really a Killer, Deep Down Inside?

The world of Batpoint shown thus far is one where villains like Ra's al Ghul and The Penguin have achieved levels of power that could never happened in a world of Batman – the true Batman. Similarly, The Joker has a far greater influence over the people of Gotham than he does in the unaltered reality. These alternate versions of Batman's foes have risen to new heights of villainy, so it stands to reason that Selina would do the same in the absence of a Batman who's able to truly keep a lid on the simmering pot that is Gotham City.

Did Batpoint Selina's criminal activities start off as comparatively harmless thievery, and perhaps turn deadlier without the mediating influence of a Bruce Wayne Batman? If so, what does this say about the version of Selina that we all know? Is there a deadly streak buried inside Bruce's future wife, one that has remained dormant, or at least not acted upon, thanks to Batman always playing such a huge role in foiling her plans? And will it ever emerge, with her and Bruce on the cusp of spending the rest of their lives together?

"The Gift" wraps up in Batman #47, on sale May 16. But any questions about a potential deadly instinct in the woman slated to be the Dark Knight's wife have plenty of time to be explored in future arcs, both here and in Selina's upcoming solo series by Joelle Jones.