Personality

Selina Kyle -- The Catwoman is far more a complex character than to describe so easily. She's a creature of the night whom throughout all her incarnations is not afraid to do what she does. But somehow part of her always longs for more, whether it be love or more money to fill that void inside. In the Golden and Silver age Selina talks about donning the mask in order to become more than what she was, it was her escape, much like Batman she was a different person. She couldn't be hurt, scared, or weak. She was the one who struck fear, they hid and ran from her.

She is split between herself and who she is in the mask. Even later in the comics she remarks how the costume became an extension of herself. She feels that is her only way to become free. The rules don't apply to people like her. To the world around her, Selina is carefree, intelligent and not afraid to flirt with danger. Catwoman is almost the same, but more. She lives and breathes danger.

She does have one major flaw. She's afraid of having to depend on others. In fact, it downright scares her. She wishes to be independant and not need anyone or anything, yet she finds herself with a certain need to steal. Her fears go as far as her to not want anyone else to have to rely on her, she feels she will somehow fail them and she doesn't want to ever take that chance.

In Batman Returns, she is further split from herself even more than she ever was in the comics. After awhile she isn't even sure what she is doing, but again Catwoman becomes a release for her. Catwoman isn't afraid to be herself and Catwoman isn't afraid to stand up to others.

After Selina decided to rethink her life in the comics, she decided that Catwoman and Selina really weren't that different. Selina was more of a mask for Catwoman. The cat was who she was, but it was still her choice with how she wanted to live her life. Above everything else she figured out that she was free to set her own future.