Ranking Every DC Movie Villain From Worst To Best
2. Catwoman - Michelle Pfeiffer (Batman Returns)
Like the Penguin, Catwoman was made for Tim Burton. She's another oddity, hemmed with supernatural elements and designed in that uniquely Burton way that blends nightmare outreaches with iconic styling.
She's a monster in appealing skin: it's only when you look closely at her costume - from a distance slinky and sensual rubber - that you notice the autopsy-scar-like stitching that makes her look like a morbid Frankenstein's Cat.
The decision to reimagine her as an angel of vengeance driven to crime (at least partly by the fact that, as suspected, all cats are fundamentally evil) rather than being a criminal mastermind already is a genius stroke. Her agenda against Max Shreck - and then Batman - have more urgency, and there's more of an element of her being a hunter with a specific prey.
The entire character is underpinned by a truly stunning performance by Michelle Pfeiffer (it's incredible to think she wasn't even the first choice), which is feline in a way that wasn't as cartoonish as Eartha Kitt and is tangibly seductive that grabs you behind the guts.
Check out Batman Returns over at Amazon.