Batman: Caped Crusader is invigorating television. It can be easy to feel inundated by superheroes these days, with the MCU’s dominance of popular culture. Marvel’s obsession with complex multiverses and timelines practically demands you do your homework before watching. But Caped Crusader is a welcome return to tightly plotted, character-driven storytelling. The animated series is accessible for those who are Batman fanatics, as well as anyone who has no idea who or what a Batman is.
What’s particularly enticing about Caped Crusader, though, is the way its standout Episode 3, “Kiss of the Catwoman” isn’t afraid to get steamy.
(Warning: Some spoilers ahead.)
Written by Adamma and Adanne Ebo (who directed Honk For Jesus, Save Your Soul), the episode leans into the scintillating and budding romance between Batman, aka Bruce Wayne (voiced by Hamish Patel), and Catwoman, aka Selina Kyle (voiced by Christina Ricci).
It’s rare to see romance and superheroes mixing—while there’s plenty of it in comics, there’s been a real dearth of it on screen, particularly thanks to the MCU. In Marvel films, romance is often played off as a joke—particularly in Deadpool & Wolverine, which is loaded with sexual innuendo, but stops short of anything resembling actual sex or romance.
Batman and Catwoman have long been romantically entangled. In Matt Reeves’ The Batman, the pair share a passionate kiss before ultimately going their separate ways. In The Dark Knight Rises, the pair wind up in a relationship. There are also countless iterations through the comics and other series. “Kiss of the Catwoman” is fascinating for the way it slowly, tantalizingly builds the characters’ desire for each other, leaving opportunities open for further exploration in future seasons.
The episode begins with Bruce meeting Selina at a gala event, and the two hit it off immediately, shamelessly flirting with one another. But Bruce has a fit of rage, punching someone for making an unseemly comment, ending their flirtation, for now. As a result of the outburst, Gotham City’s most eligible bachelor is put in mandatory therapy sessions to avoid harsher punishment.
That therapist doesn’t mince words: “You run around like Gotham’s happiest, randiest bachelor, but are any of these women more than just an accessory to you?,” Dr. Quinzel (voiced by Jamie Chung) asks him. “Is there ever love there, or even lust?” Bruce responds coyly: “I’m just playing the field, Doc.” There is one woman that Bruce can’t stop thinking about: Selina Kyle.
The horniest scene of “Kiss of the Catwoman” comes when Bruce and Selina aren’t even in the same room. The next time we see Bruce, he’s boxing shirtless in skimpy brown shorts, panting heavily as his therapist's words weigh on him. The TV in the background drones on, but a mention of Selina Kyle stops him dead in his tracks, as his panting gets heavier. He punches the bag as hard as he can to stave off his sexual desire, and, while the scene ends, there’s no doubt Batman is left heaving with lust.
This episode proves you don’t need your characters to engage in any kind of sexual activity for the sexual tension to be sky-high. “Kiss of the Catwoman” is full of loaded flirtation and longing desire, and that’s every bit as sexy as, well, sex.
Selina, too, is enamored by Batman. She can’t stop picking up stray cats off the street. That might not be surprising given she gives herself the name Catwoman, but it’s not just a superfluous detail that speaks to her passion for felines. It also explains precisely why she’s so smitten by Bruce/Batman. Bruce’s parents died when he was young, leaving him orphaned—a stray, longing to be loved. Batman, too, is a lonely vigilante who walks the less-trodden path.
That she even gets a Catmobile to match his Batmobile speaks to her lust for Bruce and Batman. There’s a knowing wink to the way they approach each other in and out of costume—while neither admits they know one another’s identity, their actions suggest they love playing this will-they-won’t-they game.
When the two interact as Batman/Catwoman, Batman saves her from a treacherous fall, and as they rappel down a skyscraper, Catwoman kisses him as the romantic music swells. They hold their kiss long after they hit the ground, but Batman pulls away. Catwoman then uses an electrocuted brass knuckle on him, taking him to the ground as she runs away into the night.
“Kiss of the Catwoman” may end with Selina behind bars and penniless, the world of superheroes is full of intrigue and twists, and those bars can only hold this cunning thief for so long. Soon, she’ll be free, and fingers crossed their romance will be taken to the next level in Season 2 of Caped Crusader.
