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Catman featured in the artwork for the cover of the third printing of Villains United #1.Art byPublication information#311 (Jan. 1963)In-story informationAlter egoThomas Reese BlakeTeam affiliationsThe MisfitsAbilitiesOlympic-level athleteSkilled hand-to-hand combatantProficiency with bladed weaponsSuperb hunter, and tracker with an extraordinary sense of smellUses cat-themed weapons and equipmentCatman ( Thomas Reese Blake) is a in published by who was initially one of the more colourful and to join ’s in the mid-1960s.For decades, the character rarely appeared in comic books, as Batman stories returned to darker themes. A modern revival of the character in the pages of many years later depicted a Catman down on his luck, clinging to past glories, overweight, and pathetic.
In 2006 however, the character was rehabilitated by writer, depicting Blake as having picked himself up from the gutter, restoring his physical fitness and gaining a new sense of purpose and dignity while living with lions in Africa. Stories since then have depicted him as an attractive and capable, and the highly capable leader of the mercenary team. Contents.Publication history Catman first appeared in #311 (Jan. 1963) and was created by and.A different Cat-Man once opposed the Blackhawks in #141, but he has no connection with the more prominent Batman villain.Fictional character biography Origins Pre- Crisis Catman was originally Thomas Reese Blake, a world-famous trapper of jungle cats who turned to crime because he had grown bored with hunting and had squandered most of his millions.
He became a burglar who committed his crimes in a catsuit made out of an ancient cloth. His costume was modeled after 's disguise.
Catwoman was none too pleased to have her modus operandi copied, which included (Catwoman) being wrongly implicated for Catman's crimes at least once and so she initially helped Batman against him. As with many Batman villains in their first appearances, Catman was originally a villain who stole items along a 'cat' theme, such as cat, 'cat's eyes', etc. His weapon of choice was a pair of steel claw-tipped gloves and the razor edged 'catarang'. Cover to Detective Comics#311. Art by Dick Dillin.Catman would reappear once more, this time revealing that the orange African cloth in his uniform gave him nine lives. The character first shows his capability for good causes when he rescues from nearly dying.
He gives her some of his costume fabric, believing she too will have nine lives. He resumes his criminalistic ways, but Batwoman (temporarily infiltrating his trust to be his new partner, with a new costume as 'Cat-Woman') reasons the entire cloth has only nine lives, not individual pieces, and manipulates events until Catman only has one remaining, causing him to turn himself in. Outcast In 1992, Catman appeared in as a member of a team called 'the Misfits', led. The Misfits were portrayed as third-rate villains trying to prove themselves, foreshadowing 's treatment of the character in. Catman reappeared in a 1995 between Shadow of the Bat and Catwoman. In this story, the cloth that Catman's costume was made from was as belonging to a cat cult.
Catwoman was hired by the cult to return the cloth, but gave them a fake.Catman remained in limbo until 2003, when he resurfaced as a foe of Green Arrow. Written by Brad Meltzer, Catman was portrayed as a pathetic, overweight loser who was looked down upon by other villains and who is easily defeated by Green Arrow. His hair had been dyed black, which he thought 'made him look tougher'. Sends to abduct Blake, the implication being that Catman had met a rather grisly end as Mallah's dinner; this situation is alluded to by Blake, when he joins the Secret Six: 'You know you've hit rock bottom when a monkey and a don't consider you worth killing'. When he later meets Monsieur Mallah, he comments that he has no desire to see the gorilla's stomach again.
Secret Six In the 2005 mini-series, Catman resurfaced in, where he attempted to resalvage his life and began living with a pride of. He used this time to lose weight and regain his sense of self-worth and fighting skills. This 'perfect existence' would be shattered by the arrival of the, however. Seeking to unite all of Earth's super-villains under his control, (secretly of the original in disguise) sought to recruit Catman into the fold as a minion, only to be rejected. It was initially believed that an angry Lex Luthor had kill the lions Catman was living with in retaliation for being rejected by a 'nobody' but this was later revealed to have been misdirection.Catman vowed revenge against Luthor, and was subsequently recruited into a criminal syndicate known as the.
Together, the Secret Six waged war against the Secret Society of Super Villains under the direction of an individual known only as. During that time he found out that it was in fact fellow Secret Six member who had killed his lions, so that he would join the organization. Deadshot would later apologize, and Catman forgave him.
Although the two were reluctant allies at first, the two soon bonded and became what one could loosely call friends.Under writer, Catman has achieved a new level of fame. Portrayed as a cunning warrior with a sense of, the character is now a potent. He is depicted with physical abilities that allow him to fight to a standstill and to blind. He is different from most other villains in the sense that he has noble and heroic qualities. While notes that Blake behaves more like a hero than a villain, he sees heroes such as the as being arrogant and abusive of their power, as seen when he confronts about the incident. It has been revealed that during his time with the Six he impregnated and that the two now have a son, Thomas Jr.In Gail Simone's #104, the Secret Six run into 's team. And Catman – out of disguise, dance together, with hints of an attraction.
The two teams battle, six members for six, Catman paired against Huntress amidst sexual innuendo, but the fray ends with the resurrection of. Commenting upon Catman's reasonings, Knockout claimed that he had 'gone soft'. In 2008's #3, Catman and former Secret Six teammates and are depicted amongst DC's larger villain population, exiled on a faraway planet.Catman reappeared in the new Secret Six ongoing series, which takes place after the events of Salvation Run. Blake spent some time back in Africa, where he brutally attacked a gang of poachers and may have left them for dead. His actions have led Catman to wonder if he has the temperament to be on the side of the angels.It was in his role as leader of the Secret Six that Catman faced Batman again after many years. Batman tried to warn Catman and his team to not accept their mission to break someone out of Alcatraz. The non-personal warning did not work, so Batman went to confront Catman.
Catman said in response, 'The old me? Probably would've whooped his milk and cookies'. He made no hesitation to throw the first punch at the Dark Knight. During the fight, Batman even offered to pay the Secret Six off, but to no avail. Catman's main goal was just to keep Batman distracted as the Secret Six broke out of prison.After the cancellation of the series in August 2011, Gail Simone revealed on her Tumblr that Catman is in fact bisexual, and that she had planned to reveal this in a story arc that was cut short by the September 2011 DC relaunch.
Simone has also said that she plans to make this canon the next time she writes Catman in a book. The New 52 In September 2011, rebooted DC's continuity.
In this new timeline, Catman made his debut, with an updated outfit, in the December 2014. In the first issue of the series, he is captured by a mysterious group and is put in a strange holding cell with the new team. As Simone had promised in her earlier tweet, his bisexuality was confirmed in the issue when he is seen flirting with both a man and a woman. Powers and abilities Catman is an Olympic-level athlete and skilled hand-to-hand combatant, able to hold his own against some of the most proficient beings and fighters in the DC universe, including, Batman, and an actual lion. He is also one of the world's foremost hunters and trackers, possessing an extraordinary sense of smell.He wears razor-tipped gauntlets and uses a sharp-edged Catarang, modeled after Batman's Batarang, and a utility belt similar to Batman's.
The belt frequently has a smiley face button, a trophy he claimed from a misleading pilot on a mission with the Secret Six. Catman has claimed several times, both in his early appearances and modern ones, that his cape is mystical and able to restore mortal wounds.He was once the owner of a pet Siberian tiger named Rasputin, which was trained and helped him commit crimes.
Rasputin has not been utilized in his modern appearances to date.Other versions Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight. Cover to Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #46. Art by Russ Heath.In 1993's Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #46–49 introduced a second Post- Crisis Cat-Man as a leather catsuit-wearing serial killer who murders women with knife-like claws because they remind him of his mentally ill mother. Batman and Catwoman form a shaky alliance to stop him, although they have different agendas: Batman wants to apprehend him, while Catwoman wants him dead. Flashpoint In the alternate timeline of the event, Catman (leader of the resistance) is brutally murdered. This leaves Grodd with total control over Africa.King of the Cats A character similar to Catman debuted in the 1950s named ' Tyler, King of the Cats'. In reality, he was Karl Kyle, brother of Selina Kyle.
This version of the character is also a burglar motivated to steal by an intense sibling rivalry with his sister. His crimes torment Catwoman, as she has loyalties to both her brother and her nemesis/love interest, Batman.Batman: Arkham In Batman: Arkham Knight Genesis the has Catman and dress as Batman and brutally beat as part of his attempts to make Todd 'his kid'. With encouragement from, who fatally shoots Blockbuster, Jason executes Catman.The Batman Adventures A version of Catman appeared in comic series prior to Blake's appearance on the actual animated series. This version is closer to the comic book version of Thomas Blake, with a background as a former big game hunter who would sell living captures to zoos and circuses. Blake calls himself Catman, dons a masculine version of the Batman: The Animated Series costume, and commits copycat crimes in an attempt to gain the romantic attention of Catwoman.In other media Television. Thomas Blake appears in episode 'Cult of the Cat', voiced. He appears not as an archcriminal, but as the leader of a cat-worshiping cult.
As in previous incarnations, he wears gloves equipped with knives as claws but is otherwise dressed in a simple black shirt and pants. Blake and his cult pursue and attempt to murder Catwoman for stealing a cat statue from them, and later Batman when he tries to aid her. Upon capturing Catwoman, Blake decides she can be converted into a cultist and decides to initiate her by having her kill Batman. Catwoman revels, and Blake battles Batman, and is severely injured and hospitalized.
In an alternate reality that was featured in the two-part episode 'Legends' in, Catman (voiced by ) is a member of the who evokes the traits of Batman and. Catman appears in the episode 'Legends of the Dark Mite,' voiced. He fights Batman. Batman catches him in the act of auctioning off an endangered Sumatran tiger. He is also seen in 'A Bat Divided!' Hanging out with the bad guys at a bar until and the three Batmen show up.
Catman next appears in the episode 'Time out for Vengeance!' Riding a robot cat which is a homage to the cover for Detective Comics #311.Film.
Catman appears in the animated movie. He is one of the many villains trying to kill and Batman while taking advantage of the bounty offered by President Lex Luthor. Catman appears in.
He is among the villains that take part in Joker's takeover of Gotham City. Catman appears in the 2018 animated movie. He appears in several scenes, most notably during the car chase involving, Mystery Incorporated and Batman.Video games. Catman appears as one of the villains in with reprising his role.
In the game, he teams up with to steal an ancient artifact to turn all the cops in Gotham into cats, and terrorize the city. At first, Batman and Robin are at odds over who they are pursuing: Catman or Catwoman, with Batman certain it's the former, while Robin believes it to be the latter.
When they vandalize, he attempts to seduce Catwoman, but fails, and becomes angry when the Dynamic Duo show up to stop them. Catman is referenced in the video game. Posters throughout Gotham City allude to a show about big wild game cats from the jungle at the Gotham Zoo, presented by Thomas Blake.Reception In 2013, ranked Catman as #9 on their list of the '50 Sexiest Male Characters in Comics'.
See also. ^ Wallace, Dan (2008), 'Cat-Man', in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York:, p. 73,. Detective Comics #318. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #7 (December 1992). Batman: Shadow of the Bat #43 (October 1995; Catwoman Vol. 2, #26 (November 1995); Batman: Shadow of the Bat #44 (November 1995).
Green Arrow Vol. 3 #16 (October 2002); Green Arrow Vol. 3, #17 (November 2002). ^ Green Arrow Vol. 3, #20 (March 2003).
^ Simone, Gail (4 October 2011). Gailsimone.tumblr.com. Secret Six Vol.
4, #1 (February 2015). Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #46-49. Flashpoint: Grodd of War one-shot (June 2011). GameInformer #208, August 2010. Wheeler, Andrew (2013-02-14). Archived from on 2015-10-18.
Retrieved 2015-07-28.External links.