After the recent comic book movies, there has been surge of a lot of Batman Dark Knight Rises material sprouting out of the internet garden. One of the biggest news was the photo release of one of the Dark Knight’s most intriguing characters, Catwoman, who will be played by the gorgeous Anne Hathaway.

Ever since her inception, Catwoman has always been the sultry, sexy vixen of crime that both repulses and captivates Batman. Originally just a cat-burglar, this Cat-tastrophic character has gone through various reincarnations to settle herself into an anti-hero role rather than a straight out villain.

In both the comics and film, Catwoman serves as a sort of love interest for the Bat. She sneaks out when she gets caught by the Batman, which annoys Bruce, but she has ended up saving his life a few times, which confuses Bruce. To top it all off, she oozes with sex appeal, which attracts Bruce.

So let’s review the Cat-ladies that donned the cowl, claws and bola and we at Unbox will rate our favorite Catwomen (on film) through the ages.

5. Eartha Kitt

I don’t know about you, but whenever I think of Catwoman, I always imagine her as white. Not being a racist here but it pretty much has been engrained in my mind. However, Ms. Kit here proves that despite bending canon, this little kitty is no push over. Her strong appearance gives a sort of appeal that this Catwoman really knows her stuff. Look at that photo, it certain feels like a cat hissing ready to pounce and strike with great agility.

Ms. Eartha Kitt played Catwoman from 1967-1968.

4. Lee Meriwether

Lee Meriwether played Catwoman in the movie version of Adam West and Burt Ward’s Batman and Robin run. Classic sexy Lee Meriweather purrs here and there like her Catwoman predecessors. In the movie, Catwoman disguises herself to be a Soviet journalist named Ms. Kitka and we see Lee Meriweather in a more sexy and sultry light. Look at that photo and imagine her saying “Yeez, com in!” in a raspy Russian accent. Goosebumps!

Lee Meriweather played Catwoman for the 1966 movie Batman.

3. Anne Hathaway

Although probably a bit early to tell since the movie is still in principle photography, but Anne Hathaway has her share of paws to fill to be able to go up the feline femme fetale ladder. Granted that Anne is gorgeous and down-right talented, her portrayal here seems a bit less comical and more grounded on reality (consider the costume below as well…no cat ears? Tsk tsk tsk). So we’ll have to see the trailers and the film as a whole to fully judge here. But just seeing these preview photos earned her the number 3 spot! Great job Ms. Hathaway!

2. Julie Newmar

We have to give our number 2 spot to Julie Newmar, the very first person to play Catwoman on film (in the Batman TV series). In fact, she was so committed that she was the one who designed and made the costume that popularized the body-hugging, slinky, shiny black suit.

For being oh so purrfect, the number 2 spot is definitely for you!

1. Michelle Pfeiffer

Michelle Pfeiffer pulled off the perfect blend of character that defined the Catwoman persona. Her portrayal of the pre-Catwoman Selina Kyle in Batman Returns was so impressive that it made me feel happier that she “died” and was replaced by a more confident yet deranged new self.

Mixing psychosis with raw sex appeal is just ingenious and I can’t imagine a more alluring Catwoman than her.

Props for Tim Burton’s Gothic vision and costume of Catwoman. And of course huge props to Michelle Pfeiffer for bringing out all emotion neccassary to make the purrfect anti-hero for the Batman to encounter. Meow!

And that’s our top 5 choices of our Feline Femme Fetales. Notice how we didn’t include Halle Berry’s version anymore as thinking about it just pains me too much. Let’s just forget that film never existed, okay? 🙁

We can’t wait for Anne in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.

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All images courtesy of Google.