Was Catwoman Bisexual In The Dark Knight Rises?

There’s a theory that’s started doing the rounds that perhaps Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) wasn’t just interested in Bruce Wayne, she also liked a bit of lady action on the side. The idea comes via Queerty and there is actually some evidence for it – more than there usually is for this sort of thing.

The reason Queerty has been wondering is because of the presence of the character played by Juno Temple in the movie. To be honest, there didn’t seem to be much point for her being in the film, other than to be the “street smart Gotham girl” she’d been described as prior to the film’s release and to apparently live with Kyle. But was there something sexual between them?

Here we leave the actual movie, which didn’t really suggest a sexual relationship, and go to the comics. Temple’s character is based on Catwoman’s friend Holly Robinson (indeed Juno is credited as Holly on IMDB). Holly was created by Frank Miller for his legendary 1987 miniseries, Batman: Year One. In that first incarnation she was an underage prostitute who Selina takes under her wing while she takes up a career as a cat burglar.

While Holly disappeared for much of the ’90s, she returned in Ed Brubaker’s Catwoman series in the early 2000s. This time around she was a recovering drug addict and a lesbian who acts as Selina’s eyes and ears on the streets (she even briefly became Catwoman during Kyle’s maternity leave). Holly ever earned Catwoman a 2004 GLAAD media award.

Temple wasn’t in The Dark Knight Rises all that much, so it’s tough to say which incarnation of Holly she was mainly based on, although it certainly raises the possibility that her relationship with Selina wasn’t entirely plantonic. And if it was, there’s still a decent chance Temple’s character is a lesbian, even if it isn’t mentioned. Sure a lot of this is speculation beyond the movie, but it’s throws up some interesting ideas nevertheless, especially if Catwoman ends up getting her own spin-off.