Naturally, the Trope Namer and most famous example is the romantic tension between Catwoman and Batman. The Earth-2 versions of the characters actually married and had a kid, the original Huntress. Why bother stealing when you're married to a multimillionaire? The main versions became a couple too, and Bruce even revealed his identity to her and she moved into the mansion with him. The relationship didn't last, but they both developed a respect for each other and Batman mostly looks the other way when Catwoman does her thing.
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Comic Books
Comic Books
- However, things got a bit more interesting with the two. Continuing to dance around one another constantly to the point of a nearly functional relationship, then to a distant one due to fear of repercussions from their knowledge of one another's identity, the couple have certainly reheated things a bit since Bruce's return to the present... long story. Regardless, she has even accompanied him on his international travels to establish Batman Inc. But all that Character Development in their relationship has been set back to square one with the 2011 DC Universe reboot, in which Catwoman has no idea who Batman is behind the mask (although she suspects he knows who she is). Doesn't stop her from having costumed sex with him though. And then in DC Rebirth not only does he reveal his identity to her again, he proposes. Though they break it off right before tying the knot and are now on a 'break'..
- Funnily enough, the whole 'dating Catwoman' trait stems from the fact that Batman himself has a weakness for villainesses, which he acknowledged in Batman RIP His relationship with Talia Al-Ghul. in the main continuity (where they have a son together) is similar with his relationship.
- In Gotham City Sirens, it was mentioned that Catwoman and Talia are probably the only two women Batman has truly loved. It's not surprising that both of them are villainesses.
- Very explicit in one standalone strip called "Date Night"; Batman catches Catwoman in the middle of a robbery and chases her through various romantic locations including a flower stall and a fancy restaurant, all the while Catwoman is talking and flirting with him as if they were actually on a date. When he finally catches her, they briefly fight and she leaves him tied up and dangling upside down from a fire escape, kisses him goodnight, and runs away.
- In Crisis of Conscience, the follow-up to Identity Crisis (2004), Batman expresses fear that Catwoman’s Heel–Face Turn (or at least, Heel-Anti-Hero turn) was due to Zatanna manipulating her mind.
- In Batman the Dark Knight after the 2011 reboot, Bruce is attracted to Jaina Hudson, but becomes suspicious of her after new villainess White Rabbit issues the same "Catch me if you can" flirtatious challenge Jaina made in their first meeting. His suspicions are debunked when the White Rabbit shows up on the radar while he is on a date with Jaina. It turns out he was right after all since Jaina has the power to split herself into two people — her normal self and the White Rabbit.
- Zigzagged with Harley Quinn; she doesn't show any affection to Batman other than occasional flirtingnote , but she was briefly intimate with Bruce Wayne in one New 52 story.
- Depending on the Writer, Poison Ivy may have a downplayed, one-sided version of this; she is sometimes portrayed as attracted to Batman, viewing him as either a worthy rival, the only "good" man she knows, or both, but Batman does not reciprocate the attraction.
- In an issue of The Brave and the Bold in which Superman patrolled Gotham in Bruce's stead, Catwoman quickly developed a crush on the Man of Steel at first sight. The two work together to take down a shady auction, with Selina treating it as a date.
- In Batman Beyond, Terry tries to invoke this trope upon meeting a new Catwoman. She refuses. This trope is later played straight when she ends up sleeping with Dick Grayson.
- Inverted in Catwoman: Guardian of Gotham. Selina dates and marries Bruce thinking that he's a handsome, good-hearted man, and feels nothing but utter revulsion towards the psychotic Batman. Too bad they happen to be the same person.
Films
Films
- Batman and Harley Quinn. Faced with Batman's Disapproving Look for sleeping with Harley Quinn, Nightwing mutters that he's not the only one of them who's made out with a supervillain.
- The Dark Knight Rises has this dynamic from early in the movie as Bruce shows a far more playful tone with Selina than his other enemies. Over the course of the movie, their mutual attraction slowly develops and they ultimately end up creating new identities and leaving Gotham together.
- Batman Returns, which makes Catwoman a good bit more sympathetic, if somewhat more insane (she's more in the crime business to get revenge on her murdering boss and knows she can't live with herself when it's over). You can see in the quotes section that when Selina and Bruce are dancing and they realize their other identities, they are very afraid.
- Batman & Robin: Robin believes he is doing this with Poison Ivy. He falls in love with her and believes she loves him too, and even after finding out she is a villain he believes that she loves him enough to change sides so they can be together. Averted, however, as Ivy is only pretending to love Robin to drive him and Batman apart and kill them with her Kiss of Death. The two do “break up” though. Robin wises up and protects himself from the effects of Ivy’s kiss, and Ivy, angered that Robin tricked her into revealing her plan and stole a kiss from her, shoves him into her pond to drown him, officially ending whatever “relationship” they had.
- Catwoman (2004) has Catwoman and Tom Lone, though it's more between her "good" civilian side (when she tries to make moves on him as Catwoman, she is told "I'm already seeing someone").
Live-Action TV
Live-Action TV
- In season two of Batman (1966), many of the episodes featuring Catwoman would involve the expected amount of sexual tension with Batman. Despite both clearly having feelings for each other, Batman refuses to enter a relationship with her because she's an unrepentant criminal and her desire to murder Robin so she can have all of Batman's attention. This was removed in season three as Eartha Kitt took up the mantle, as interracial relationships simply would not fly on TV back in the 60s.
- Batwoman (2019). Averted with Kate Kane; it's not unusual for costumed female villains encountering Batwoman to suggest they team up, but she's never interested and the dramatic tension of this trope is already being played out with her own sibling, the mad supervillain Alice. It's actually Crow Security agent Sophie Moore who finds herself in this position, making this a case of Dating Batwoman. This has a consequences when Sophie gets suspended for helping Batwoman, and engages in a brief team-up and romantic fling only for Batwoman to break things off because she realises the relationship just won't work.
- Birds of Prey (2002).
- Inverted. Helena operates as an Anti-Hero sometimes verging on Sociopathic Hero and finds herself attracted to the good cop Reese.
- The romance between Batman and Catwoman is a major aspect of the backstory, given that Huntress is their daughter, and is referenced in the opening credits.
- In Season 2 of Gotham, 12-year-old Bruce Wayne has this going on with two girls: Selina Kyle, who works for the Gotham Mob, and Silver St. Cloud, who is trying to seduce Bruce on her uncle Theo's behalf; Theo wants to murder Bruce.
Scripts
- In Justice League: Mortal, the romance between Batman and Talia al Ghul is a big aspect of the plot. In the backstory, Talia previously teamed up with Batman to take her out her father, Ra's al Ghul, out of her love for him. Bruce broke up with her later on, which drove her to team up with Maxwell Lord to gain her revenge against the Caped Crusader.
Video Games
Video Games
- The Trope Namers Batman & Catwoman are at it again in Batman: Arkham City. There wasn't quite as much flirting in their first meeting in Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, but you can tell where it got its start. By Batman: Arkham Knight, Batman decides it wouldn't work out, due to his decision to give up being Batman. He does sound genuinely heartbroken over it.
- Something similar happens in Injustice 2. In Catwoman's arcade mode ending, she enters a committed relationship with Batman, but being plain old Bruce and Selina doesn't excite her as much; their relationship only thrilled her when it was Forbidden Fruit. Also, being a billionaire's girlfriend meant she'd never have to steal again. Getting everything she wanted bored her senseless. She ultimately leaves him to return to her old life.
- In Batman: The Telltale Series you can romance Catwoman as Batman and even have sex with her at one point in Season 1. The Golden Ending of Season 2 has Batman tell her he loves her and secure her freedom from Amanda Waller and the Suicide Squad, but with the bankruptcy of Telltale Games it's unlikely we'll see the relationship progress further anytime soon.
Web Comic
Web Comic
- Satirized in Batman: Wayne Family Adventures: in the appropriately named "TMI", Batman and Catwoman casually flirt with one another - with Batman's comm line still on and his adopted children thus able to hear everything. They are not happy, to say the least.
Western Animation
Western Animation
- In an episode of Batman Beyond, Terry McGinnis meets and starts to fall for a girl...who turned out to be Ten of the Royal Flush Gang. As the gang is arrested, Terry asks Bruce, "this kinda thing ever happen to you?" Bruce smiles. "Let me tell you about a woman named Selina Kyle..." Eventually the girl leaves her family's gang and gets a regular job and lifestyle; unfortunately she had betrayed Terry and Batman's trust once again before going straight, and Terry wasn't interested in leaving his steady girlfriend for her. As a conciliatory note, the end of the episode reveals that her actions convinced her brother to leave the gang as well so she's not entirely alone. However, in the follow-up comics, they did date, on and off, and remained good friends - Melanie even became a hero.
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold
- Naturally shown between Batman and Catwoman in several episodes. One even has them become a crimefighting team, having a child, retiring, and finally dying together. However, it was all just a book written by Alfred.
- Talia al-Ghul is depicted as a teenager in this version. Robin flirts with her in her first appearance, but she shoots him down. In her next, she frees Batman from a Death Trap, and when he asks why, she kisses him."I see."
- One episode also has Jonah Hex hooking up with Lashina, depicted here as a henchwoman of Mongul and Mongal.
- Inverted with the show's version of Killer Frost, who became Firestorm's archenemy after Ronnie dumped her. By text.
- Averted in the Batman series, Beware the Batman, with the title character's relationship with Magpie. He decided to visit her in prison to show her some sympathy she never received prior. Unfortunately, due to her already unstable mind, she mistakes his kindness with this trope, becoming a Yandere Stalker with a Crush.
- Justice League: In one episode while he's being held prisoner by the Injustice League, one of Batman's moves to disrupt their unity is to seduce Cheetah... What is it with Bruce Wayne and cats, anyway?
