When Did Batman and Catwoman First Meet In Their Secret Identities?

[Timothy Hunter]

Catwoman (1993) #2 mentions that Bruce Wayne first met Selina Kyle out of costume at a charity ball for AIDS. This got me thinking, what were the other times in the comics where Batman and Catwoman's alter egos first meet?

Earth One
Earth Two
Post Crisis
New Fifty Two
Rebirth

[Restingvoice]

At the boat
In the streets

Sorry can't help it

Does Year One Bruce in disguise meeting Selina in the East End street count, or does she have to know it's Bruce?

[Timothy Hunter]

At the boat
In the streets

Sorry can't help it

Does Year One Bruce in disguise meeting Selina in the East End street count, or does she have to know it's Bruce?

Unfortunately not, because neither of the two were aware of who they were.

[Restingvoice]

In New 52 Bruce and Selina were at a gala, Selina was planning to steal... I think a Russian mob... Alfred asked if he was sure, and Bruce was sure Selina is Catwoman just by looking, but I don't know if that's their first meeting. Their first meeting as Batman and Catwoman was in the Gotham park 5 years before in Valentine.

Catwoman never found out he was Bruce in New 52, except in the cancelled issue where she figured out he's Batman because Batman and Bruce have the same kiss.

In Rebirth Catwoman found out Bruce is Batman pretty early on, told in one of the Annual drawn by Lee Weeks, but I don't know the details. They first met as disguised veteran and prostitute in the streets, then as Batman and The Cat at the boat.

I don't know if they hang out in Golden and Silver since she's mainly a criminal then.

[bat39]

In New 52 Bruce and Selina were at a gala, Selina was planning to steal... I think a Russian mob... Alfred asked if he was sure, and Bruce was sure Selina is Catwoman just by looking, but I don't know if that's their first meeting. Their first meeting as Batman and Catwoman was in the Gotham park 5 years before in Valentine.

Catwoman never found out he was Bruce in New 52, except in the cancelled issue where she figured out he's Batman because Batman and Bruce have the same kiss.

In Rebirth Catwoman found out Bruce is Batman pretty early on, told in one of the Annual drawn by Lee Weeks, but I don't know the details. They first met as disguised veteran and prostitute in the streets, then as Batman and The Cat at the boat.

I don't know if they hang out in Golden and Silver since she's mainly a criminal then.

Didn't Rebirth restore Pre-Flashpoint continuity, so Selina would have discovered Bruce is Batman during Hush?

Pre-Crisis, Batman (and Bruce) only discovered Catwoman was Selina Kyle when she recovered her memories of her true identity and was thus 'reformed' (a later retcon revealed that she had never lost her memories, but made up the amnesia story to get a second chance - this might be exclusive to Earth Two though). And on Earth Two at least, Bruce revealed his identity to Selina/Catwoman while on a mission with her, when he recovered from the influence of a Scarecrow toxin.

[witchboy]

In New 52 Bruce and Selina were at a gala, Selina was planning to steal... I think a Russian mob... Alfred asked if he was sure, and Bruce was sure Selina is Catwoman just by looking, but I don't know if that's their first meeting. Their first meeting as Batman and Catwoman was in the Gotham park 5 years before in Valentine.

Catwoman never found out he was Bruce in New 52, except in the cancelled issue where she figured out he's Batman because Batman and Bruce have the same kiss.

In Rebirth Catwoman found out Bruce is Batman pretty early on, told in one of the Annual drawn by Lee Weeks, but I don't know the details. They first met as disguised veteran and prostitute in the streets, then as Batman and The Cat at the boat.

I don't know if they hang out in Golden and Silver since she's mainly a criminal then.

Bronze Age Bruce and Selina had a relationship for awhile but she never found out he was Batman. That is the same character as Silver Age/Earth 1. I don't know when they first met though.

[Frontier]

Didn't Rebirth restore Pre-Flashpoint continuity, so Selina would have discovered Bruce is Batman during Hush?

Pre-Crisis, Batman (and Bruce) only discovered Catwoman was Selina Kyle when she recovered her memories of her true identity and was thus 'reformed' (a later retcon revealed that she had never lost her memories, but made up the amnesia story to get a second chance - this might be exclusive to Earth Two though). And on Earth Two at least, Bruce revealed his identity to Selina/Catwoman while on a mission with her, when he recovered from the influence of a Scarecrow toxin.

King had a messy take on "everything happened" but there was like an early years story in the first annual that had them know each others identity and making out pretty early. I think Selina realized Bruce was Batman because of their shared childhood trauma's.

[Restingvoice]

Didn't Rebirth restore Pre-Flashpoint continuity, so Selina would have discovered Bruce is Batman during Hush?

No, King made it so that Selina found out Batman's identity during the early years when she was still wearing the Year One costume.
- First they met at the street as disguised veteran and prostitute following Year One
- Then they met as Batman and The Cat at the boat with Robin Dick, this was when he fell in love with her
- Then she wears her Year One costume, found out his identity and regularly go to his Manor to steal things so he'll chase her, I think this is also their first kiss?
- The next year, The War of Jokes and Riddles happened. She's in her Balent costume.

Hush's status was unclear. He did have Bruce Wayne's face, so naturally one would assume it's the classic Hush, and Seeley likes to write character in a sorta floating continuity, pulling characterization from the general idea... but Stephanie and Cassandra were still using their Eternal back story, and I don't remember if Eternal Hush has Bruce's face or not.

Either way, no, in Rebirth, it wasn't at Hush, but near the beginning, and she found out on her own. Don't remember exactly how.

Bronze Age Bruce and Selina had a relationship for awhile but she never found out he was Batman. That is the same character as Silver Age/Earth 1. I don't know when they first met though.

Yeah I remember they're dating, and she got jealous of Vicki. I don't know their first meeting either.

[Starrius]

Bronze Age Bruce and Selina had a relationship for awhile but she never found out he was Batman. That is the same character as Silver Age/Earth 1. I don't know when they first met though.

Actually Selina called Batman "Bruce" when they fought after she ran Bruce and Vicky Vale off the road out of insane jealousy. They came to an understanding at the end of the fight. She wanted to kill Batman, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She called Batman "Bruce". They were in an embrace with her in tears.

Another time, Selina called Batman "Bruce" is when talked to Batman about being his partner in fighting crime. She was already completed reformed and was crimefighting. Bruce with Jason Todd version-Robin at the time. Joker ended up abducting Selina and ended up turning her back into a villain with a mind machine. Batman was so upset about it that he beat up the Joker and Robin had to stop him.


Therefore, Selina did find out that Bruce was Batman in the Pre-Crisis period.

[Starrius]

No, King made it so that Selina found out Batman's identity during the early years when she was still wearing the Year One costume.
- First they met at the street as disguised veteran and prostitute following Year One
- Then they met as Batman and The Cat at the boat with Robin Dick, this was when he fell in love with her
- Then she wears her Year One costume, found out his identity and regularly go to his Manor to steal things so he'll chase her, I think this is also their first kiss?
- The next year, The War of Jokes and Riddles happened. She's in her Balent costume.

Hush's status was unclear. He did have Bruce Wayne's face, so naturally one would assume it's the classic Hush, and Seeley likes to write character in a sorta floating continuity, pulling characterization from the general idea... but Stephanie and Cassandra were still using their Eternal back story, and I don't remember if Eternal Hush has Bruce's face or not.

Either way, no, in Rebirth, it wasn't at Hush, but near the beginning, and she found out on her own. Don't remember exactly how.



Yeah I remember they're dating, and she got jealous of Vicki. I don't know their first meeting either.

Are Hush and Heart of Hush still canon?

I like that he revealed his secret identity to her in Hush storyline and she knew his secret identity ever since until New52 wiped away much of DC Characters' history and developments.
I wasn't a fan of New52 for obvious reasons.
I definitely didn't like how Batman and Catwoman were depicted in the start of New52 including especially them having sex in their costumes with Catwoman not knowing who Batman is.


I hope that anything that King writes is not canon any more.
I wasn't a fan of his BatCat when he was the Batman writer even though I am a BatCat fan since I was a little kid in 1970s.

I am very glad that his Batman/Catwoman mini-series is canon.
He writes an awful BatCat.
If I wasn't already a BatCat fan, I'd hate this pairing.
Selina is written so awful with no redeeming qualities which she definitely had in the 1990s even though she was bad.
The way he writes them makes me think that he is not fan of this pairing.
It made me wonder if his BatCat stuff in Batman was more like satire.

[Restingvoice]

Are Hush and Heart of Hush still canon?

I like that he revealed his secret identity to her in Hush storyline and she knew his secret identity ever since until New52 wiped away much of DC Characters' history and developments.
I wasn't a fan of New52 for obvious reasons.
I definitely didn't like how Batman and Catwoman were depicted in the start of New52 including especially them having sex in their costumes with Catwoman not knowing who Batman is.

The one I count as canon are the ones written post Death Metal in present day or confirmed in the characters flashback of the past that they physically went through (since the characters also remember flashes of memory from their lives before the reboots)... and as far as I know they haven't referenced Heart of Hush yet... they're focusing on the present or her flashback of Alleytown... also King is still the one writing Bat Cat... and I don't remember all the flashbacks he wrote

[witchboy]

Actually Selina called Batman "Bruce" when they fought after she ran Bruce and Vicky Vale off the road out of insane jealousy. They came to an understanding at the end of the fight. She wanted to kill Batman, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She called Batman "Bruce". They were in an embrace with her in tears.

Another time, Selina called Batman "Bruce" is when talked to Batman about being his partner in fighting crime. She was already completed reformed and was crimefighting. Bruce with Jason Todd version-Robin at the time. Joker ended up abducting Selina and ended up turning her back into a villain with a mind machine. Batman was so upset about it that he beat up the Joker and Robin had to stop him.


Therefore, Selina did find out that Bruce was Batman in the Pre-Crisis period.

The story where Joker used the mind machine on Selina was post Crisis. The notes on the DC Wiki page has some interesting commentary about it's placement in continuity. Apparently is was released post Crisis but they later kicked it out of continuity. Of course, now "everything counts". which isn't something I find helpful in understanding the characters and their history when it contradicts, but here we are.

https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Detective_Comics_Vol_1_569

[Timothy Hunter]

The story where Joker used the mind machine on Selina was post Crisis. The notes on the DC Wiki page has some interesting commentary about it's placement in continuity. Apparently is was released post Crisis but they later kicked it out of continuity. Of course, now "everything counts". which isn't something I find helpful in understanding the characters and their history when it contradicts, but here we are.

https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Detective_Comics_Vol_1_569

Was Catwoman's original green and purple costume not canon at all to Post Crisis? I remember in the early 2000s DC had a series of one shots set in the Silver Age and Catwoman was wearing her Year One costume.

[Frontier]

Was Catwoman's original green and purple costume not canon at all to Post Crisis? I remember in the early 2000s DC had a series of one shots set in the Silver Age and Catwoman was wearing her Year One costume.

I feel like during Identity Crisis her Golden Age costume came back to show when she was still a villain.

[Restingvoice]

Was Catwoman's original green and purple costume not canon at all to Post Crisis? I remember in the early 2000s DC had a series of one shots set in the Silver Age and Catwoman was wearing her Year One costume.

Morrison used it in a flashback when she was still running with the old crowd.