Titans season 3 lifts the lid on what happened between Bruce Wayne's Batman and Selina Kyle's Catwoman. It's no secret that Bruce Wayne uses the image of a playboy to hide his secret life as Gotham City's Batman but, occasionally, Bruce finds a woman he actually cares about. In several different Batman mediums, Selina Kyle is one of these lucky ladies. The Bat and the Cat embarked on a romantic relationship in the pages of recent DC comics and came perilously close to getting married, while Christian Bale's Bruce finds his happy ending with Anne Hathaway's Selina in The Dark Knight Rises. Other incarnations have done everything from flirting outrageously to becoming star-crossed lovers.
And Titans is apparently no different. Selina Kyle has never appeared in the series personally, but with Bruce a veteran superhero in this continuity, it's assumed that he and Selina are already well-acquainted. Indeed, Batman and Catwoman might've even still been an item. Iain Glen's Bruce Wayne only appears sporadically in Titans and has previously mentioned meeting up with Justice League members the audience never actually see. He and Selina could've easily been conducting their romance off-screen. Sadly, Titans season 3 proves that isn't the case.
Following a rare moment of connection between superhero and sidekick, Bruce correctly surmises that Jason Todd is seeing a girl (he is, but not like that). Offering a snippet of fatherly advice, Batman says with a hint of pain in his voice, "if this new girl likes cats... run!" The line confirms suspicions that Titans' Bruce Wayne was romantically involved with Catwoman at some point in the past but, more interestingly, Bruce speaking about Catwoman like a divorcee speaks about their ex-wife all but reveals he and Selina are history, and that things didn't end especially well between them.
Titans season 3 gives no hint as to what drove Bruce and Selina apart. Gotham's most leathery couple are both renowned for their combustible personalities, and their differing views on crime and justice have made for some awkward pillow talk in other stories. Titans' Bruce is especially committed to what he views as the "war" in Gotham City, and his inability to put love first might've left Selina feeling neglected. Perhaps this explains why Bruce has Catwoman's glasses and whip (of course) stashed among his villain trophies - he simply couldn't stop viewing Selina as a supervillain, rather than a lover. Titans also insinuates that Bruce enjoyed an intimate liaison with Leslie Thompkins. There's no direct hint of an "overlap," but maybe Leslie contributed to Batman's Catwoman breakup.
However it happened, Titans' Bruce Wayne carrying the scars of a failed relationship with Catwoman makes perfect sense for the character. More so than most Batmen, Iain Glen's character is notoriously bad at personal relationships, pushing away Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Barbara Gordon and many others - all due to his habit of treating loved ones like soldiers instead of friends. It'd be odd if this particular Bruce Wayne was embroiled in a successful romantic relationship with anyone, let alone someone as strong-willed and guarded as Selina Kyle. Catwoman can now be added to the increasingly long list of loved ones Titans' Batman has mistreated during his crime-fighting career.
No comments:
Post a Comment