10 Things DC Comics Wants You To Forget About Catwoman
8. She Had Her Mind Wiped
In another earlier attempt by DC to tell darker stories, the miniseries 'Identity Crisis' revealed that the villain Dr Light had assaulted Sue Dibny, the wife of Elongated Man. In response, the Justice League had the magician Zatanna wipe his mind and turn him into an ineffectual moron.
In a later story, Catwoman found out that she had undergone a similar process. At the time, Selina had more or less fully reformed and was in a committed relationship with Batman. However, she found out that her turn towards heroism was actually the result of Zatanna wiping her mind years ago at the behest of the Justice League.
The revelation and the doubt over whether she could trust her own emotions caused Catwoman to have a breakdown and she slid back towards villainy. In retaliation, she taped shut Zatanna's mouth and threw her out a window (she survived the fall).
This return to more brutal methods meant that when the Black Mask later threatened Selina's sister (who, on a previous occasion, he had forced to eat her own husband's eyes), Catwoman shot him in the head, killing him.
The story seems to have been abandoned in the New 52 though, with Selina acting as an antihero again of her own free will.