Catwoman - Selina Kyle - had an extremely difficult childhood. Her family was poor, and there was always tumult in the house. Her mother suffered from mental illness and eventually took her own life. Her father was a violent alcoholic who drank himself to an early grave. Selina and her sister were separated, and Selina's destiny was to be the Juvenile detention hall. She was not going to stand for that! She broke free and took to the streets of Gotham.
At first, her crimes were small - a means of survival - but she had a knack for it. In addition to being extremely intelligent, she was also quite nimble. A fantastic gymnast trained in street style martial arts, she was a formidable cat burglar. Maybe the best Gotham had ever seen.
Catwoman always had a Robin Hood mentality. She would steal from the obscenely wealthy, and made sure to take care of the street people with her spoils.
Then, her encounters with Batman began to change her heart. She felt a tug toward the hero life. A few times, she lent her skills to the caped crusader, and in some story lines, the two even had a romantic relationship - including the revealing of their identities.
What really turned Catwoman's life around was the birth of a daughter, Helena. She gave up the costume and loved the baby with all of her heart. She took to a quiet life with an assumed name, and passed her costume on to a young girl - Holly Robinson.
The arrangement would have worked out fine except that the new Catwoman was arrested for a crime that Selina had committed. She had to swing back into action and let Gotham see some Catwoman sightings so that there would be no case against Holly.
In time, she had another chance to leave the life behind her again. With the help of Batman, she and Helena were able to disappear without a trace. Unfortunately, Selena had to offer Helena up for adoption to ensure her safety. It was devastating to her.
Absolutely alone, and with no friends except for a handful of superheroes, she joined Batman and the team called the Outsiders.
Thanks to Miss Jenny Matlock. I love linking up to AlphabeThursday at ...off on my tangent...
