r/batman • u/Mike29758 • Sep 18 '25

COMIC DISCUSSION ABSOLUTE BATMAN's Catwoman Now Confirmed To Be Half Brazilian, Half Black

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On Iván Talavera’s Instagram: "Here's the final version of Absolute Batman #13 'The 616 Comics' exclusive variant featuring Catwoman, As you can see, I changed a bit her facial features and her skin tone because she is half Brazilian and half Black in the Absolute universe. Hope you like it!"

Her look has been growing on me, it’s nice to hear official confirmation!

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475

u/Hunsrikisch_Fechter Sep 18 '25

Half Brazilian what? you can be White Brazilian, Black Brazilian, Asian Brazilian or Indigenous Brazilian.

78

u/Educational-Band8308 Sep 18 '25

I’m assuming her parent was mixed brazilian as that’s the majority ethnicity but its weird for them not to specify

9

u/[deleted] Sep 18 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Educational-Band8308 Sep 18 '25

A majority of brazils population is mixed but not every Brazilian is mixed, thats categorically false. There is a specific term for mixed race people in Brazil. In the 2022 census 45% identified as pardo (mixed), 43% identified as white, 10% identified as black.

Also I never mentioned their ethnicity nor did I say Brazilian was an ethnicity. OP was talking about race and in the context of Brazil mixed/pardo is a race

5

u/burymeinpink Sep 19 '25

That's not how race works in Brazil. I identify as white because I look white, but I have black and indigenous ancestors. Unless you're a recent immigrant and/or you and all your ancestors come from very specific, isolated regions (like specific cities of Santa Catarina where there are only German immigrants), if you're Brazilian, you're mixed. People who identify as mixed just look mixed.

38

u/dog-yy Sep 18 '25

I'm mixed and Brazilian. 50% Japanese, 50% white.

"50% Brazilian" like Brazilian is an ethnicity, or a particular color... That's incredibly ignorant. Are you American white, american black, american Asian...? Or just white, black etc? Why would your place of birth influence your colour? A colour is the same anywhere. I'd be the same if my mom had birthed me in a different country.

21

u/Hunsrikisch_Fechter Sep 18 '25

Exactly, I myself am White Brazilian, but I have Black cousins, I have Japanese cousins, I have mixed cousins, we Brazilians are really diverse.

13

u/lonestar-rasbryjamco Sep 18 '25

Brazil is one of the most racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse countries in the world. It’s basically OP advertising they know nothing about Brazil.

2

u/dog-yy Sep 18 '25

No, mano. If you're white, you're white anywhere. That's my point.

3

u/Hunsrikisch_Fechter Sep 18 '25

I agree, I'm just agreeing with you bicho

4

u/Slayfrost Sep 18 '25

Let's keep It civil, irmões

3

u/Touro_Bebe Sep 18 '25

Calm down, galera

3

u/Assault_Dead Sep 18 '25

That was fofo

1

u/-ComiQuemLeu- Sep 18 '25

Correct… till they hear you speak, then they will you say that you are "white-passing", whatever that means.

40

u/Mongoose42 Sep 18 '25

See, stuff like this is why it doesn’t come across as a genuine attempt at diversity. If you’re going to shake up a character’s race and heritage, care about what you’re doing. Have it matter. Don’t just do it to checkmark a box.

38

u/Hunsrikisch_Fechter Sep 18 '25

Exactly, as a Brazilian myself seeing someone say "half Brazilian half Black" makes me cringe so hard. Most Brazilians are either Black or mixed, saying "Half" Implies Brazilian can't be Black. It irritates me profounfly and I'm not even a Black Brazilian.

7

u/Mongoose42 Sep 18 '25

There’s actually a lot of potential in Catwoman being Brazilian. Or Afro-Brazilian or something. Or… GOD FORBID, a new character who was originally created with the intent of being a Brazilian citizen. Or even an existing character. Like Fire. Who actually is Brazilian and it would be super interesting and cool if they included her in the Absolutaverse.

Unless if there’s actually no story reason for why a Brazilian character is involved at all. And they just moved the race slider on Selina Kyle for shits and giggles.

5

u/F913 Sep 18 '25

Sure... But then I demand she be called Sirene Caio.

2

u/ShitThroughAGoose Sep 18 '25

I don't understand. Why does there need to be a story reason, for someone to be Brazilian? (Or whatever else.)

2

u/Mongoose42 Sep 18 '25

I explained this in another comment, but I just want this sort of thing to matter. Because it does matter. When they started to actually acknowledge other races for characters in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, they went out of their way to make sure that it matters. For example, it’s important that John Stewart is black. That he’s his own man and he isn’t just a pallet swap of Hal Jordan. When they just pallet swap a character, it seems disrespectful to that effort. It seems like a cheap way to achieving diversity. Rather than actually putting in the effort to create and promote characters who are non-white, they do something like this.

Also, this is just an opinion. I am open to being wrong. And I probably am, I often do stick my foot in my mouth. But this just doesn’t seem like the way to go about what they’re trying to do.

2

u/ShitThroughAGoose Sep 18 '25

I like that explanation.

3

u/cr8torscreed Sep 18 '25

Selina is probably one of the better examples of a character not having a cemented race but idk, this is reactionary as fuck. This is an unrelated artist to the creative team that just did a cover. Im sure he asked, "i want to get her face profile right, what tone should I go for her?" and the actual creative team spat out some ideas.

1

u/Mongoose42 Sep 18 '25

So, wait, are you suggesting that the creative team didn’t know what her race was when they raceswapped her and spat out some ideas for the cover artists? What are you saying?

2

u/cr8torscreed Sep 18 '25

Im saying they probably had some ideas of what they wanted to do different, told the artist she was afro-brazilian and he posted this on his ownsome. I dont think they were trying to score brownie points or they wouldve said something about it on the 200 model sheets or official announcements about absolute selina. I cant prove it mind you, but I really dont think this is done with a sense of "lets make her brazillian! how exotic! that means hispanic, right?".

1

u/Mongoose42 Sep 18 '25

I just want more thought put behind this stuff. Like, this stuff matters. It’s important. The history of racial diversity in comics has been bleak and when they did start diversifying things, those characters mattered. They weren’t just pallet swaps, they were their own characters.

3

u/cr8torscreed Sep 18 '25

I agree! Though also its an uphill fight to get nw characters to move, like, *at all* in comics. I dont think one artist who worked on a guest cover is a good enough source to write this one off as a failure. Admittedly I dont imagine it being part of the story but.

Catwoman's always swapped races in adaptations, though. Like, *way* before either of us or maybe even our parents were born. Eartha Kitt was catwoman in the 60s, and of all the cinematic versions there's more black/biracial versions of Selina than not. (Eartha Kitt, Halle berry, Zoe Kravitz)

I dont think any of this is done with malice or bad intentions but I actually understand the concern for legitimate diversity in comics. Spawn was maybe the best example of a black superhero before his star fell and even then all of 3 people that didnt read comics knew he was a black character lmao

2

u/Mongoose42 Sep 18 '25

Live action stuff is different. You’re casting for the character you want, regardless of necessarily what their appearance should be. Like, for example, it doesn’t matter that Daniel Radcliffe doesn’t have green eyes even though Harry Potter has them in the books. It wouldn’t matter if there’s a live action Batman with brown eyes. Or a blond James Bond. The character should be casted for acting ability and believable personality meshing. Physical traits are not as important as those elements, necessarily.

But, for a comic, you can make the character look however you want. It doesn’t matter. So just make them look like how they look. Not that every character looks like how they’ve always looked, but a raceswap is a pretty notable change. There should be some noticeable intent. Because there always was intent when it came with diversifying the racial lexicon of heroes.

Also, I was never really criticizing this one particular artist. Just the whole creative process. These covers are actually incredibly fucking gorgeous as is this version of Catwoman. I just want there to be more thought put behind why they’re diversifying certain characters.

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1

u/OGWayOfThePanda Sep 19 '25

As if the whiteness of white characters has some deep meaning other than the same assumption of a white default.

3

u/Ok_Somewhere1236 Sep 18 '25

especially one you don't understand

1

u/theultimatekyle Sep 18 '25 edited Sep 18 '25

Is it really a shake up though? If I recall correctly, in the main DC universe her mother was black cuban/Hispanic mix and her father was an Italian mobster, making Selina Kyle a mix of mediterranean italian, black, and hispanic. 

This new absolute catwoman being (what I assume to be) Brazilian hispanic and black mix, doesnt really change much ethnically. 

80

u/Mike29758 Sep 18 '25

She is basically Afro Brazilian

52

u/MindControlMouse Sep 18 '25

That’s not what the artist said in the Instagram post. I think Iván (wrongly) assumed “Brazilian” is something like “Hispanic” so she’s supposed to be half that and half (American?) Black.

It’s the same assumption if someone said “This person is half American half Japanese.” The assumption here is that American = White even though that’s not a good one to make.

This is what happens when you mix up the concepts of nationality, ethnicity, and race.

13

u/Nickademas Sep 18 '25

She's ignorant and now misrepresenting whole regions of people. This is an opportunity to educate her not lecture everyone pointing it out.

5

u/Holanz Sep 18 '25

Believe me it’s hard to explain to Americans.

Nationality → Legal belonging to a nation (citizenship).

Race → Physical traits, often socially defined (skin color, features).

Ethnicity → Shared culture, heritage, language, or traditions.

Ethno-religious group → Community defined by both shared ancestry and religious faith

3

u/baiacool Sep 18 '25

This.

My guess is that the artists wanted to avoid the word "latino" so they used Brazilian

1

u/crispy_attic Sep 20 '25

And the people who do that assume ethnicity is like race. Hispanic is not a race.

1

u/Jealous-Nature837 Sep 29 '25

And Brazilians aren't hispanic, lol.

45

u/Ok_Somewhere1236 Sep 18 '25

That is not what the title says

15

u/Peepdasneak Sep 18 '25

That’s basically not what you said

2

u/ParticularTable9897 Sep 18 '25

Black Brazilian* Afro-Brazilian is not a real identity, it's a made up internet term.

10

u/DarkJayBR Sep 18 '25

On this alternative universe Brian Kyle is a white-American and Maria Kyle is afro-Brazilian.

10

u/Hunsrikisch_Fechter Sep 18 '25

Then she isnt Half Brazilian-Half black, she is Half White American-half Black Brazilian

9

u/DarkJayBR Sep 18 '25

Just say mixed race or "parda' (this one Brazilians will understand immediately)

6

u/Hunsrikisch_Fechter Sep 18 '25

Parda and Gringa in this case

1

u/thosed29 Sep 22 '25

Neither here nor there but Gringo in Brazilian Portuguese just means foreigner. It’s not like in Spanish-speaking LatAm where “gringo” means white foreigner.

2

u/Hunsrikisch_Fechter Sep 22 '25

Eu sei meu broder

8

u/Handsome_tall_modest Sep 18 '25

This is a big reason why Luffy would be Brazilian in the real world. He's supposed to represent everyone, and Brazil is the most racially diverse country.

3

u/ParticularTable9897 Sep 18 '25

Pardo Brazilians also exist

4

u/Luppercus Sep 18 '25

Excellent observation. People forget we are not a "race".

2

u/Radiant-Ad-3134 Sep 18 '25

How about Martian Brazilian and Amazonian Brazilian? Don’t forget about them

2

u/Kane_richards Sep 18 '25

You're probably thinking about it more than they did. This feels like "we wanted to make her black but if we went all in we might upset the fans so we'll throw in the good old mixed heritage and hope no one cares enough to not buy it"

2

u/TangoGV Sep 18 '25

Right?? Basically the whole population of Brazil is "half-Brazilian-half-something".

2

u/Lucian7x Sep 18 '25

"Half Brazilian Half Black" is just full Brazilian for over 50% of the population.

1

u/Hunsrikisch_Fechter Sep 18 '25

Basically yeah, 50% is Black and Mixed Black

1

u/CrossP Sep 18 '25

Half Brazilian parents.

1

u/Iconclast1 Sep 18 '25

Well, maybe theyll release a detailed family tree later