To date, the only prominent females that appeared in Nolan's previous "Batman" films have been Katie Holmes in "Batman Begins" and Maggie Gyllenhaal in "The Dark Knight", with neither performance creating any kind of sexy spark with audiences.
'Catwoman' was created by writer Bill Finger and illustrator Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's second cousin by marriage, Ruth Steel.
The original and most widely known Catwoman, 'Selina Kyle', debuted in DC Comics "Batman #1 (Spring 1940) as 'The Cat', a beautiful whip-carrying burglar with a taste for high-stake thefts.
Catwoman was portrayed in the 1966 "Batman" TV series by actresses Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether and Eartha Kitt.
In film, Michelle Pfeiffer portrayed the definitive version of Selina in 1992's "Batman Returns", followed by Halle Berry in a stand-alone "Catwoman" feature in 2004.
Catwoman is skilled in hand-to-hand combat, with razor-sharp "Wolverine"-like retractable claws, wielding an assortment of bullwhips and cat o' nine tails.
Catwoman is also one of Batman's most enduring love interests, usually depicted as his one 'true love'.
