WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Future State: Catwoman #1 by Ram V, Otto Schmidt, & Tom Napolitano, on sale now
Catwoman has long been a member of the Bat-Family, but her criminal ties and history have always set her apart from the rest of the group. It looks like she'll be getting her own equivalent by the time of Future State, and it's already growing in the present day.
By the time of Future State, Catwoman's strays from Alleytown have become impressive agents in their own right -- suggesting that Catwoman eventually turns her new students into essentially her version of the Bat-Family.
By the time of Future State, Gotham City has become one of the most radically changed areas within the entire DC Universe. Now under the command of the Magistrate and his Peacekeeper forces, the city has lost many of the heroes who once defended -- with some captured, others on the run, and even Batman believed to be dead by the general public. Slipping through the cracks are a handful of figures, like Signal and Tim Drake, as well as Batman's former fiancee Catwoman. But while the other heroes are on the run, Catwoman has been more and more open about her activities -- even if it leads some of her allies to admit some concern. Along with her team, she's operating in the open, even hijacking a train carrying people from Alleytown towards a reeducation camp.
Notably, while the Bat-Family has been splintered apart by the events of Future State, it appears that Catwoman has actually adjusted accordingly, with her Strays from the present day still actively working with her. This includes Shoes, Leo, and Skidmark, who have been working with Selina in the modern-day as her chief agents in Alleytown. The three have grown since the present day, with each of them seemingly taking new roles in the group. Leo has clearly become has a tech expert, running Catwoman through the specifics of her new magnetic suit that will help her hijack the train. This suggests that Leo has become essentially her equivalent of Lucius Fox, designing the technology she can use to gain a major advantage.
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Shoes has clearly taken a more proactive role underneath Catwoman's wing, taking her own codename as Chesire Cat. She tries to be the voice of reason for Catwoman, implying she may have become something closer to a sidekick to the anti-hero than the rest of the team. Skidmark meanwhile serves as a distraction within the train, blending into the crowd of strays loaded into the vehicle before opening the doors to let Selina fully board the train. It's a fun reveal given how Selina's strays have been getting more impressive during their brief time with her in the present-day DC Universe and implies that they could become a strong defense for Gotham in case of emergency.
It'll be interesting to see how the trio continues to grow in the present-day, and to see them further in action. In particular, Shoes becoming the Chesire Cat suggests she's become a more proactive member of the Gotham underworld. Especially if these are the paths they're set on, then the Strays might have a real future as the Gotham-streets evolution of stuff like the Bat-Family. With the dominoes already falling that could lead to the rise of the Magistrate down the line, it's reassuring that the Strays are already on their way to some impressive feats.
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