Zoe Kravitz Confirms What We Suspected About Batman And Catwoman's Relationship
As "The Batman" continues to dominate the box office with its reimagined take on the heroes and villains of Gotham, it's undeniable that one of the core dynamics driving the movie's success is the electric chemistry between Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz, whose respective performances as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Selina Kyle/Catwoman are as captivating as they are layered. Both seem born for the roles, with Kravitz showing off catlike acrobatics that contrast strongly with Pattinson's straightforward stoicism.
The bat and the cat have always had a wary yet flirtatious relationship, and "The Batman" traces the origin of their dalliance. After finding Selina working at the Penguin's (Colin Farrell) Iceberg Lounge, Batman forms an unlikely alliance with her in his quest to unravel the web of corruption in Gotham and put a stop to the Riddler's spree of high-profile murders (Paul Dano). Selina, meanwhile, wants to find a missing friend. As the pair continue to work together, Selina finds herself increasingly drawn to Batman—and toward revenge. But in a recent interview, Kravitz confirmed what audiences already may have suspected about the relationship between Catwoman and Batman.
Zoe Kravitz's Selina Kyle challenges the 'snap judgment' of Robert Pattinson's Batman
In a feature story on "The Batman" with its cast, Zoë Kravitz confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that the relationship between Batman and Catwoman is unexpected for both characters since they're not the sorts of people who usually open up to others. "They have quite a strong connection pretty quickly, and I think they're both trying to ignore that," Kravitz explained. "They're both very surprised by feeling a connection with somebody because that's quite rare for them. It puts both of us out of our comfort zone."
But Catwoman challenges Batman in more ways than one, as the two represent different moral perspectives. While Bruce Wayne has been raised in the lap of luxury, missing his parents but never having to wonder where his next meal will come from, that influences him to see the world in black-and-white terms of right and wrong. Selina, meanwhile, has grown up on the rough streets of a Gotham hollowed out by the greed of its wealthy elite, forced to do whatever it takes to survive, and has a grayer moral compass. As Pattinson said, "Bruce created Batman in this very binary worldview where he [believes] there are bad guys and there are victims. Selina comes along, and he's like, 'Well, you're a thief. You're basically the same as the Penguin,' and yet... there's something in her I recognize. It's going up against his snap judgment."
Even though she falls for Batman, Selina is able to call him out for his blindness to the plight of Gotham's impoverished lower class, identifying his perspective as the product of having been raised rich and pointing out that he has a responsibility to those outside his elite circles. It's a message that not all fans took well, but one that Batman ultimately internalizes by the end of the film.
Catwoman and Batman are both integral to each other's character arcs
A central challenge for Bruce Wayne in "The Batman" is learning to move past the blind spots he still has after only two years in the cape and cowl. He must develop empathy with the people of Gotham if he is to become an effective hero, and Selina Kyle is an influential figure in that journey. She's the sort of person he is predisposed to dismiss as a criminal, but as the two of them grow closer, he begins to see the flaws in his own logic. Kravitz says that connection carried into their final scene together. "I saw a look in his eye that I hadn't seen before," she recalls. "Seeing something new and very vulnerable as well was really beautiful."
The Bruce of "The Batman," still early in his career as the Dark Knight, misses the significance of The Riddler's murder weapon — a carpet tool with which the villain literally beats Gotham's elite over the head with symbolism — because he's never had to do a day's work for hire. Only when a working-class cop tells him what the tool is does Batman piece together the final clues to discover The Riddler's horrifying master plan.
It is Selina Kyle, a living representation of the city's desperation, who provides Batman with the perspective to become a true beacon of hope for Gotham. But at the same time, she has lessons to learn from him, too. At a crucial moment, he convinces her not to take a life in anger, because however justified it may feel, it would be a point of no return. Kravitz noted, "We're meeting [Selina] at a really pivotal moment in her life. I think her focus is really on freeing herself from a lot of hurt and a lot of trauma, and a lot of anger."