2022 saw the release of The Batman, which featured a rebooted version of the Dark Knight and a new take on Selina Kyle/Catwoman as Zoë Kravitz took on the role. Her various looks throughout The Batman called back to her origins in the comics, though only scratched the surface of a few of the iconic cat burglar's best costumes.
While she appeared costumeless in a gown for her debut in 1940's Batman #1, the character has worn different costumes over the years that have influenced her live-action and animated looks and vice versa. A few of Catwoman's best comic costumes and looks have had a positive and lasting impact on the character.
10 Cat-Woman's Golden Age Costume Featured A Caped Gown And Full Cat Mask
Following Selina Kyle's debut, the character made a couple of appearances in an odd but still lovable costume choice. After a couple of appearances in her original green dress as a thief known as the Cat, she reappeared in a new yellow gown with an orange cape.
She began wearing a full cat face mask and called herself Cat-Woman for the first time in 1940's Batman #3. The colors of her outfit changed over her next few appearances while the full mask remained, making it one of the character's most unusual costumes.
9 Selina Adopted A Leather Corset And Makeup Mask While Dosed With Fear Toxin
Following the rebuilding of Gotham City after the No Man's Land storyline, Catwoman made it her mission to help take down a corrupt mayor while she investigated the mystery of someone wearing the costume she had recently abandoned. She put together a black leather corset and pant set with a mask that alternated between smudged makeup and a cat-eye domino mask.
Some of Catwoman's decisions were put in doubt when she realized that she had been dosed with Scarecrow's fear toxin, who had also implanted hypnotic suggestions to alter her behavior. It was a short-lived costume that didn't impress like some of her other looks.
8 Catwoman's Evolved Purple And Green Costume Was An Elegant Gown Fit For A Gala
As Catwoman further developed in the Golden Age, her costume began to take shape as her mask was simplified to mirror Batman's cowl. Her costume colors were also finalized with a purple gown and green cape.
This became her most popular costume during her early years despite a few short-lived changes and alterations that turned the gown into a bodysuit. The costume lasted until the '70s before it was rebranded as the main costume for the Earth-Two version of Catwoman, who would ultimately marry her world's Batman.
7 She Adopted A Purple And Black Costume During Her Time As An Eco-Activist
Selina Kyle starred in a solo Catwoman series that launched in the '90s, which gave the character a new direction as an environmental activist who fought for the conservation and protection of cats and other animals across the world. She also received a new costume from artist Jim Balent, which was a purple form-fitting bodysuit that connected to her mask.
The mask featured wide eye holes while also allowing her hair to fall out the back. The costume was finished with dark thigh-high boots and long gloves. It featured in several big events like the Knightfall saga, while also briefly receiving a high-tech armor upgrade.
6 Catwoman's Costume From Batman: Year One Was Fully Gray And Whiskered
Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli teamed up for a reimagining of Bruce Wayne's origins and his earliest days as a crime-fighter in the Year One storyline. Batman: Year One also featured Selina Kyle's first steps into her role as Catwoman.
After witnessing Wayne's first foray into vigilantism which led to further inspiration when Batman finally arrived on the scene, Kyle fashioned a fully gray bodysuit for her debut as Catwoman. The mask featured enlarged cat ears and whiskers. It appeared in a light blue version and a purple and black version during her first year as a costumed thief.
5 Selina Kyle Wears An Advanced Version Of Her Costume In Batman/Catwoman
Tom King and Clay Mann's Batman/Catwoman tells a time-crossed tale about the vigilante lovers set in their past, present, and future. Batman/Catwoman featured an exciting new costume upgrade that reflected the character's past and her future relationship with the Dark Knight.
The costume featured different shades of grey and was cut along more tactical lines that blended well with Batman's own advanced technology. It also homaged her look from Batman: The Animated Series. The costume featured black gloves and high boots as well as cats-eye goggles packed with additional Bat-Tech.
4 Sean Gordon Murphy Helped Bring Catwoman's Animated Costume To The Comics
Another artist that managed to bring Catwoman's fan-favorite costume to the comics was Sean Gordon Murphy, who first revealed his cover to Catwoman #23 almost two years before it hit comic shelves.
Catwoman took off for a trip to the jungle where she adopted a slightly modified version of her animated look from Batman: The Animated Series. The bodysuit was gray while the gloves and boots were solid black, and the mask featured a stylized black cat face with whiskers to add another updated twist to the fan-favorite costume.
3 Michelle Pfeiffer's Movie Costume Appeared In Booster Gold's Altered Timeline
On the eve of Batman and Catwoman's wedding, Booster Gold decided to give a special gift to Batman for the occasion. Unfortunately, he decided to mess with the timeline. He saved young Bruce Wayne so he could show Batman his family if tragedy never struck in Crime Alley.
However, the timeline turned out to be incredibly dark as Wayne became a bored playboy while his allies suffered without him and Gotham City fell to the supervillains. Catwoman became a twisted serial killer who resided in Arkham and wore a version of Michelle Pfieffer's stitched-up costume from 1992's Batman Returns, finally bringing the fan-favorite costume to the comics.
2 Darwyn Cooke's Redesign Became The Character's Most Popular Costume
Ed Brubaker worked with the late Darwyn Cooke to revamp Selina Kyle after her first ongoing series wrapped, which resulted in one of the most fondly remembered takes on the character. Cooke also created one of Catwoman's most popular costumes, though it has been modified over the years as well.
Selina Kyle began wearing a leather catsuit with a matching mask and stylized cats-eye goggles, which she still wears in current comics. Although, this costume has been modified a few times over the years to simplify it.
1 Joëlle Jones Created A Modern Suit With A Unique And Fashionable Design
Writer/artist Joëlle Jones took over Catwoman in the post-Rebirth era after the character's failed wedding with Batman. The first storyline featured several copycats wearing versions of Catwoman's costume, which inspired her to redesign her outfit.
Jones designed a new fashion-forward suit that homaged Catwoman's usual leather look while adding a crew neck cut out to differentiate the costume even further from Selina Kyle's previous looks. This costume enhanced the most popular version of her costume and stands out among fans as Catwoman's best look.