Why Does Selina Kyle Work at the Iceberg Lounge in ‘The Batman’?

The Batman is ushering in a new era for the Dark Knight of Gotham, and with it comes a new look at Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman. Played by Zoë Kravitz in the Matt Reeves movie, this version of Catwoman is a bit more connected to the comic universe than we’ve previously seen in film incarnations, so some fans have questions about why Selina is working at the Iceberg Lounge, Penguin’s underground club where the dangerous men of Gotham hang out.

The reality is that she works there for two specific reasons, and sure, one of them is that she needs the money, but also, Selina Kyle needs information. So, let’s get into her connection to the Iceberg Lounge and how it plays a part in her storyline in The Batman.

**Spoilers for The Batman lie ahead.**

Selina Kyle works at the Iceberg Lounge not because she’s trying to get answers from the Penguin and not even because she really needs the money. Instead, she works there as a way to get closer to Carmine Falcone. Played by John Turturro, Falcone works closely with the Penguin and has his hub within the Iceberg Lounge, but more than that, we learned that Selina is there because she wants to be closer to her father.

That’s right, in the world of The Batman, Falcone’s daughter is Selina Kyle—much like the comic book version of the character. The other live-action versions of the character didn’t get too much into her own backstory because she was a mystery to Bruce, but The Batman explores more of the Selina we know from the comics and gives her an edge through her connection to Falcone.

So while she doesn’t have a relationship with him, one of the reasons she works at the Iceberg Lounge is to keep close to him and get information. Falcone doesn’t know that Selina is his daughter; that’s clear in the way he speaks about her when she does confront him. But knowing how Selina works, she’s probably there to find his weaknesses so she can strike when necessary. She’s not the kind of person to let him get away with what he did to her mother and her life, so while the Iceberg Lounge might be a way for her to find other targets, it definitely feels like she’s there exclusively because of Falcone.

The mystery of Selina Kyle

The reason Bruce Wayne is so enamored with Selina is because he can’t really figure her out. He’s a detective, and yet, she always seems to be a step ahead of him or is, at least, someone he can’t quite pin down. It makes their dynamic fascinating, and in The Batman, it works because he doesn’t know her history and doesn’t know why she’s working at the club.

No one in the movie really does. It is completely hidden other than Selina talking about it and the audience learning her connection to Falcone. So, in theory, it’s a shock, but if you know about Selina’s history in the comics, then it shouldn’t be that surprising.

(image: Warner Bros.)