In 'Batman Returns', what is the name of Catwoman's civilian identity?

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In “Batman Returns,” Catwoman’s civilian identity is Selina Kyle.

Selina Kyle begins the 1992 film as a shy, overworked secretary and assistant to the wealthy industrialist Max Shreck. After she discovers Shreck’s plan to secretly control Gotham City’s power supply, he pushes her from a high-rise window to silence her. She survives the fall and later reinvents herself as Catwoman, creating a stitched leather costume and turning her anger toward Shreck and Gotham’s corrupt elite.

A major complication is that Selina develops a relationship with Bruce Wayne, while neither initially knows the other’s secret identity. Bruce is Batman, and Selina is Catwoman, so their romance becomes entangled with their masked lives. The film eventually reveals that both understand the truth.

Selina Kyle is a DC Comics character, but “Batman Returns” gives her a distinctive origin and psychological transformation. Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and Barbara Gordon are also associated with Batman stories, yet none is Catwoman’s civilian identity in this film.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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