The Unusual Way Zoë Kravitz's Catwoman Got Her Claws

With "The Batman" but a few months away from release, we are learning more and more about the details surrounding Warner Bros.' most recent attempt at rebooting the caped crusader. Now that the franchise is freshly resurrected by Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pit, we can see a new form for Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) and his comic book kindred. The dark knight himself isn't too much different. He's still as grim and gloomy as ever, but the brooding brute is contrasted commendably by his co-star, Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz).

This iteration of Selina Kyle still strives to embody the feline femme fatale we all know from previous comics, movies, etc. However, Kravitz herself is bringing a new sense of style to the character. While the cat burglar's iconic claws — which she uses for any number of slashing, climbing, and glass-cutting scenarios — have been a staple of her tool belt for years, Kravitz's Catwoman got her set of claws in an unusual way. Oddly, this change coincidentally harkens back to the character's origins.

Though it may be tough to see in the film's most recent trailer, one can make out that Selina Kyle's cat claws aren't attached to the traditional gloves typically worn by the character. Those wickedly sharp finger-knives are actually wickedly sharp fingernails, a last-minute cosmetic change inspired by Kravitz's own life.

"We developed the costume together as a team, and actually, the nails weren't originally planned," Kravitz said in an interview with Buzzfeed. "We shot two months before quarantine and everything shut down, so in that time, I started to grow my nails out because we couldn't get manicures and then I had this idea to take it further...so I called Matt [Reeves] and was like, 'I have this idea, we should do crazy, b***hy, wonderful scary nails that looked like claws.' No nail polish on them, so they looked more like claws, and we were able to incorporate it last minute."

Of the changes made to Catwoman's design in "The Batman," this is surely one of the more interesting ways of characterizing her. Early comic book versions of Selina also used her fingernails to scratch foes (via Batman #3) — which might make Kravitz's claws seem less unique, but we think she still deserves points for thinking of it independently.