Catwoman actress says she 'interpreted' character as bisexual in new Batman film

In her most recent role in "The Batman," actress Zoe Kravitz reportedly chose to include bisexual undertones in her depiction of Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman—a first for the comic book character on the big screen. Despite director Matt Reeves not meaning to take the adaptation in that direction, Kravitz's subtle depiction of the character's sexuality made it to the final cut of the film.

In an early portion of the film, Kravitz's character calls another another woman "baby" as she casually enters her apartment, suggesting a more intimate relationship somewhere in the picture. Later on in the film, she repeats the nickname, calling out for the same woman. From the plot, it seems like this other person might be a temporary guest or perhaps a roommate. Whatever the case, the film makes it clear that the character of Selina cares for this other woman. While the relationship is never explicitly laid out as being romantically involved, it's the subtle indicator in the movie's first act that leads many viewers to believe Kravitz had intentionally created a new facet of Selina Kyle in "The Batman."

When asked by Australia's Pedestrian if the apparent nod to the character's sexuality was an indicator of Selina Kyle joining the LGBTQ community, Kravitz answered that it was her personal take on the character.

"That's definitely the way I interpreted that, that they had some kind of romantic relationship," Kravitz said in the article published March 1.

For some progressives, the rendition fell short.

Reacting to Kravtiz's confirmation, Glamour magazine claimed in a piece that Catwoman's "implied bisexuality" in the film "does not count as representation." Quoting the actress's statement verifying she "definitely" interpreted Selina Kyle as bisexual, the Glamour writer declared, "That's not enough."

Reeves admitted that the gesture could be interpreted either way.

"So I don't think we meant to go directly in that way," Reeves said. "but you can interpret it that way for sure. She has an intimacy with that character and it’s a tremendous and deep caring for that character, more so than a sexual thing, but there was meant to be quite an intimate relationship between them."

Selina Kyle has been depicted as a very sexually-charged antihero in many of the comic books that Catwoman appears in. Some of those depictions frame the character, in her signature tight suit, as bisexual while others lean more into her persona as a seductress and focus on her charms over other male characters.