Batman has always been somewhat of a contradiction. He’s known for being a dark, brooding loner, and yet he has more allies than basically any other hero. You could make an entire Avengers-style cinematic universe just built on Batman and his various sidekicks. However, there are a few characters that Bruce has gotten a bit more romantic with. Batman has had a number of romantic partners in the past, from Jezebel Jet to Talia al Ghul. Most of these have ended poorly, and some were ruses. Batman has always needed to maintain that trademark isolation, no matter how many sidekicks he gained. However, some things may just be meant to be. This might be the case for one fan favorite coupling (and one which finally comes to fruition in the comics this year when the pair gets married): Batman and Catwoman.

The pair has quite the history on the page and the screen, and because of his strict views on justice and her habitual cat-burglary, it’s quite a colorful past indeed. From their first encounters to their recent romances, it’s easy to see the attraction between the characters. Fans have been ‘shipping these characters for years, and we’ve compiled some of our favorite memes commemorating Gotham’s most powerful superhero couple.

15 CATWOMAN'S CAT HOARDING

In the '90s cartoon, Batman: The Animated Series, we got to see a version of Catwoman whose obsession with cats was really played up. Of course, anyone who dresses like a cat is going to have an obvious affection for the creatures, but the cartoon, based on Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns, had dozens of cats that she housed, fed, protected, and even trained to help her with her late-night illegal activities.

This is one aspect of her character that a lot of fans choose to ignore. Everyone focuses on the leather, the whip, and the seduction. No one stops to think about the cat hair getting everywhere. Needless to say, this is the kind of thing that could put a major damper on the relationship. Let’s hope Bruce isn’t allergic!

14 PRIORITIES

It’s the climax of The Dark Knight Rises. Batman has been both literally and metaphorically stabbed in the back by Talia al Ghul. A nuclear device is set to destroy all of Gotham. The stakes have never been higher for Christian Bale’s Batman. And yet he stops to spend a little romantic time with Catwoman.

Look, we get it. As far as we all know, he’s about to die. If the last thing he gets to do is make out with Catwoman, then who among us can blame him? And, honestly, who among us would do any differently if we were in his shoes? It’s a choice that we can fully support, but at the same time, it makes for a strange moment in the movie. It all worked for the better though, because we got this meme.

13 WOLFMOTHER FOR FANS OF THE DARK KNIGHT

You’ve heard this song before. It’s in a ton of movies. Seriously, a ton of them, from Shrek The Third to Shoot 'Em Up and even in The Hangover. Someone decided to apply the lyrics to the universe of The Dark Knight, and it works extremely well. Too bad there isn’t a lyric about a two-faced man or a bodybuilder in a mask. Still, the references to Joker are perfect when paired with Catwoman, the thief in the night.

Wolfmother, the band that wrote the song this meme is quoting, is an Australian band that might be best known for the song, “Woman”, which won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance in the 49th Grammys. Their metal songs work perfectly for action scenes in movies, and they worked perfectly for this meme.

12 WHY YOU ALWAYS PLAYIN', CATWOMAN?

This meme gives us quite a throwback to the good old days of Adam West’s Batman in the swinging '60s. This was, for many, the first time they were seeing Catwoman. She had actually been banned from the comics for years because of the Comics Code Authority, which thought she made crime too desirable for children.

On Batman several actresses portrayed the cat-burglar, including Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, and Eartha Kitt. Julie Newmar played the original character in the first two seasons of the show but was unavailable for the film, so Lee Meriwether was cast to replace her. The season three Catwoman played by Eartha Kitt is actually a different character from the first two seasons. Clearly, Catwoman really sunk her claws into fans back then, and they’d loved her ever since.

11 NOTHING GETS IN THE WAY OF JUSTICE

Batman has always been singularly focused on justice. Those who have read "Hush" will remember that Bruce ultimately turns away a relationship with Selina because of his quest for justice and his concerns at being manipulated by his enemies. It was a frustrating moment for those of us who have been waiting for a wedding, and though we will see that later this year, the question in everyone’s mind is how long it will last.

This meme sums up a lot of the issue with Batman and Catwoman’s relationship. Usually, Catwoman lays it all out on the line, and Batman rejects her time and time again. It’s painful to watch over and over again. No matter how hard Selina tries, she just can’t appeal to Bruce’s sense of justice. The only way she could -- by getting caught- -- ultimately means they can’t have a relationship. It’s quite the catch-22.

10 HARDCORE PARKOUR

If you’ve ever played through the Arkham Asylum video game series, then you know it’s true -- no one has an easier time getting across the city than these two. Whether you’re using Batman’s grapnel gun to launch yourself into the air or Catwoman’s whip and claws to pounce from wall to wall, not only is it efficient, it’s simply a blast. You can spend hours just gliding around the city.

Of course, parkour purists might argue with this -- we don’t really see Batman doing too much parkour, which is comprised of much more running, jumping, and vaulting over obstacles than gliding and grapnel-launching. Still, there is a fluidity to Batman’s movements and an improvisation to his fight style that is reminiscent of some of parkour’s common moves.

9 BATMAN SIGNS

This particular meme has many different iterations, but this one is our favorite. It’s hard to imagine Batman singing anything at all with that gravelly voice, let alone a version of Roy Orbison’s 1965 hit, “Pretty Woman”. Honestly, the song is a bit of an earworm, and this meme will get it stuck in your head every time.

The image itself comes from the set of The Dark Knight Rises, the last of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy starring Christian Bale. This movie also starred Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, though she would never be explicitly called “Catwoman” in the movie. Fan reaction was mixed on this particular chapter in the trilogy, but it did end on a high note for Bruce, who got to spend the rest of his days in Europe with Selina -- or did he?

8 CATWOMAN'S FAMOUS FELINES

Another comic meme that we loved, this one again plays on Catwoman’s tendency to hoard cats like some people hoard newspapers. This one takes things in a slightly different direction, though. Taking a closer look at the image is like a “Where’s Waldo?” of famous cats from pop culture. Batman, of course, is having none of it. There’s justice to be dealt, and that leaves no time for cuddling with cats -- no matter how cute or famous those kitties might be.

There’s Garfield, Pepe LePew’s beau and Sylvester from Looney Tunes, Stimpy from Ren And Stimpy, and even the Cheshire cat from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. Everywhere we look, we see more and more recognizable cats in this comic. Who else can you find?

7 SAY IT AIN'T SO, BATMAN

Crossing universes for the briefest of moments, this meme has a couple of unexpected twists. First off, the fact that we are combining the Marvel and DC universes is always a treat. Rumor has it that there is another crossover in the works for the comic books, but for now, we have this, and it’s worth a chuckle.

But who would have expected Batman to side with Hydra? Of the two, we would have assumed Catwoman. This is playing on the surprise reveal that Captain America had been a Hydra sleeper agent for some time, but it’s definitely intriguing in its own way. What exactly would the story be that got Batman onto the path of becoming one of Hydra’s major operatives? The imagination simply runs wild.

6 CATWOMAN WAS INTO VINYL BEFORE IT WAS COOL

Everyone loves a good hipster joke. Well, except maybe hipsters. Here, we get a bonus Catwoman joke. This wasn’t Catwoman’s original costume design; she’s had nearly a dozen throughout the years. Some have even had tails. However, Michelle Pfeiffer’s portrayal of Catwoman in Batman Returns was simply iconic. She defined the character for a generation in the way that Hugh Jackman would later define Wolverine and Robert Downey Jr. would define Iron Man. Pfeiffer was Catwoman through and through.

She also introduced a generation to tight vinyl outfits on a strong, independent woman. As you’ll see in some upcoming memes, the association between Catwoman and the more stimulating side of the imagination has always been strong, and those tight vinyl outfits have a lot to do with it.

5 THIS PUN JUST KEEPS POPPING

There must be 50 different images with this joke written on them, but we went with this one from "Hush", where Bruce and Selina first share a kiss in the book. It’s a surprising moment for Bruce, who usually pushes Selina away due to her criminal activities.

In "Hush", Batman and Catwoman grow closer than we’d ever seen up to that point. They enter a committed relationship, consummate that relationship on the rooftops of Gotham City, solve a mystery together, and then break up. It’s quite an emotional rollercoaster, but for anyone who is a Catwoman fan, you get to see the full potential of the Batman-Catwoman relationship. Of course, the Christopher Nolan movie does show a bit of a happy ending for Bruce and Selina, and so the pun from the title is very obvious. This was one of the tamer images we found.

4 BRUCE AND SELINA, SITTING IN A TREE

One of the issues people had with The Dark Knight Rises was that Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle was underused and underdeveloped. We’d previously mentioned that she wasn’t called “Catwoman” in the movie, but people felt that the romance between her and Bruce was rushed and forced.

This meme captures that last attitude -- it’s an easy perspective to understand. After all, Bruce spent much of the movie with Talia al Ghul and the two movies before that pining after Rachel. Ending up with Selina seemed like a strangely tacked-on scene, and that’s one reason why there’s so much debate regarding whether or not the ending of the movie is real. With Christopher Nolan, you never really know. Still… a married couple? Probably not. Friends with benefits? That makes a lot more sense.

3 HOW MANY TIMES HAS THIS HAPPENED TO YOU?

This scene has played out so many times in the comics, television series, and films -- it’s almost a requisite for writing a Catwoman story. If you want to write a Catwoman story, she has to get caught by Batman at least once, and she has to resent it. This version handles the whole thing with a bit more humor and cuteness.

The comic, by Sephko, also shows the sort of cocky arrogance that Batman tends to carry. He is always right, and he always knows it. He’s even put Superman in his place and is looked to as the main strategist for the Justice League. It’s easy to understand why he’d have such a self-assured grin. Sorry, Catwoman, but until you stop pouncing, it looks like he’s just going to keep catching you.

2 BATMAN AND CATWOMAN - ORPHANS

We’re starting off with a comic from Jas’ Comics, which any Batman fan will understand. Of course, Batman’s parents were killed in an alleyway, shot by Joe Chill (depending on which version of the story you’re reading). What some fans may not remember, though, is that Catwoman is just as much of an orphan as Batman. Granted, Selina didn’t watch her parents get shot in an alleyway, so she doesn’t often make as big of a deal about it.

Eventually, it is revealed that Selina Kyle’s father is a major crime lord. Prior to the New 52, this was believed to be Carmine Falcone. In the New 52, it was revealed to be Rex Calabrese. This allowed Catwoman to claim her father’s crime family. So, we guess she’s not too much of an orphan after all.

1 J'ONN J'ONZZ

See? We told you that Catwoman and Batman were getting married later! This meme plays with the idea, but admittedly, while it is a meme featuring Batman and Catwoman, it's definitely more of a joke (or is that j'oke?) about J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter. The Martian Manhunter can change his appearance at will, is super strong, has laser vision, and can fly. He's basically Superman, if Superman could shape-shift and turn invisible.

Fans of the character saw him on Supergirl. He's often been a member of the Justice League, and so we're hoping we get to see him pop up in the DCEU. Here, the Martian Manhunter finds himself in between what should be a celebration. Perhaps he was trying to observe Earth customs a little closer? Still pretty weird, J'onn.