Pop Culture References in Wizard101: Empyrea – Qhatlady

Qhatlady – Catwoman
https://wiki.wizard101central.com/wiki/Creature:Qhatlady
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catwoman

Qhatlady

Bat has a plan to draw out Medulla so your wizard can sneak into Medulla’s lair and free Mellori. Your team will sabotage Sepidious so it seems that Medulla’s tech is failing.

Your first stop is the Notochord in the heart chamber. The heart chamber is under the supervision of Qhatlady.

“Crazy? I’m not crazy. I’m just passionate about my work! You wanna see crazy? Take a few steps closer and I’ll show you crazy! MEEEOOOOWWW!” – Qhatlady

Catwoman is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, she debuted as “the Cat” in Batman #1 (spring 1940). She has become one of the superhero Batman’s most prominent enemies, belonging to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery, as well as Batman’s best known and most enduring love interest, with many stories depicting their complex love–hate relationship. Since 1993, Catwoman has had her own ongoing series, Catwoman.

Catwoman

Catwoman is the alter ego of Selina Kyle, a burglar in Gotham City who usually wears a skintight bodysuit and uses a bullwhip for a weapon. She was originally characterized as a supervillain and adversary of Batman, but has been featured in an eponymous series since the 1990s that portrays her as an antiheroine, often with a utilitarian moral philosophy. The character thrived in her earliest appearances, but she took an extended hiatus from September 1954 to November 1966 due to the developing Comics Code Authority in 1954. These issues involved the rules regarding the development and portrayal of female characters that were in violation of the Comics Code, a code which is no longer in use. In the comics, Holly Robinson and Eiko Hasigawa have both adopted the Catwoman identity, apart from Selina Kyle.

Catwoman’s various onscreen portrayals

Catwoman has been adapted in various media incarnations, having been portrayed in film by Lee Meriwether in Batman (1966), Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns (1992), Halle Berry in Catwoman (2004), Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises (2012), and Zoë Kravitz in The Batman (2022). On television, she has been played by Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt in Batman, where the name Selina Kyle was never used; and Camren Bicondova and Lili Simmons in Gotham.

Catwoman (l-r) Lee Meriwether, Michell Pfeifer, Comic art, Halle Berry, Anne Hathaway

Batman co-creator Bob Kane was a great movie fan and his love for film provided the impetus for several Batman characters, among them, Catwoman. Kane’s inspiration for Catwoman was drawn from multiple sources to include actresses Jean Harlow, Hedy Lamarr, and his cousin, Ruth Steele. Kane and Finger wanted to give their comic book sex appeal, as well as a character who could appeal to female readers; they thus created a “friendly foe who committed crimes but was also a romantic interest in Batman’s rather sterile life.” Catwoman was meant to be a love interest and to engage Batman in a chess game, with him trying to reform her. At the same time, this character was meant to be different from other Batman villains like the Joker in that she was never a killer or evil.

The current list of all the (known) Empyrea references can be found here.

Although I am well versed in Pop Culture references but I do not claim to have caught them all. Let me know your favorites in the comments and if I’ve missed one you caught, let me know so I can add it to the list.

Text for this article is excerpted from the linked wiki pages

Qhatlady image is from Wizard101, and is copyright of KingsIsle Entertainment.

All Batman related images are copyright DC Comics.

The first Catwoman mural image is borrowed from Reddit. Individual images are copyright 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. and DC Comics

The second Catwoman mural image is borrowed from cbr.com. Individual images are copyright 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. and DC Comics

Image usage qualifies as fair use under US copyright law.

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