Catboy hails from an alternate reality where he, not Catwoman, was the most notorious catburglar around Gotham City and beyond. This is because there never /was/ a Catwoman there. While still on the youthful side, he'd already given that world's Batman the slip on numerous occasions, pulling off a variety of heists that soon saw him land on a few Most Wanted lists.
Sinclair Kyle was known as a sharp dresser with a quick wit, and he had a philanthropic side as well. The two did not seem connected in any clear way, but as far as /this/ world is concerned? Both Catboy and Sinclair Kyle are a complete mystery...for now.
Personality
Sinclair Kyle can come off as a shallow, cunning, and manipulative man only concerned with himself and the rich, extravagant lifestyle. This would be a mistake to assume. While he plays up the role, he takes an active interest in doing what he can to help those in need, but he keeps much to himself until he feels he can trust someone enough to open up around them. The socialite side is frequently an act that serves the purpose of getting him closer to potential targets of theft, but his charitable side is genuine. Inside is a compassionate man who wants to keep others from being stuck going through the same hardships he did while growing up.
In ways, he is whatever he needs to be at a given time, capable of altering his demeanor to fit the setting, but he is certainly confident in the things he knows he can do. The man does have an ego, particularly when out on the town as Catboy when there is little he thinks he's incapable of if he has a heist or other goal in mind. In this, life is a big game to him, a series of risks to take with the potential for a big payoff when everything goes as planned. Calculated risks, but risks all the same. While he lives by a certain set of morals and ethics, they can vary widely based on what's in front of him and they do not always fall in line with what general society would expect.
Background
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As Catboy, Sinclair Kyle gained a reputation as Gotham City's premier cat burglar, one with few peers in the city or around the world. He was orphaned around the time of his early teens after his mother committed suicide and his abusive father drank himself to death. Sinclair had taken up gymnastics as a coping mechanism to work through the family troubles prior to this, but he went through a period of having to survive on the streets after their deaths. While he gained valuable street smarts, he also landed himself in trouble from time to time, leading to him being placed in an orphanage.
Bouncing around in various places for a couple years, he was almost killed when he caught wind of money being embezzled at one of them. Found out, he was tied in a bag and thrown into the river to drown much like a cat, but he managed to escape. Tipping off the police once he had the proof he needed, those responsible for it were busted and the money returned, minus a portion he kept for himself to get a new career up and running: thievery. He was enticed by the thrill of becoming a cat burglar, getting good at sneaking into and out of homes to make some quick money, but trouble found him again.
He encountered a ninja, of all people, on one of his jobs, and he beat Sinclair up pretty well while making off with the score he was after. However, Sinclair tracked him down to a secret martial arts academy held in a warehouse, and the Sensei allowed him to train with them after being impressed with his intuition and determination. Before long, his skills had surpassed those of the ninja he'd first crossed paths with, and Sinclair moved on to other pursuits with his newfound training ready to be put to use.
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Batman drew his attention, leading to him developing an alter ego known as Catboy later in his teens. He worked up some costumes, gained access to some tech, and stepped up his cat burglar game. Soon, he caught Batman's eye and the true games were afoot. Nothing thrilled Catboy more than pulling off a heist and giving Batman the slip, and the more he got away with it, the more he became interested in getting to know what made Batman tick. Little did he realize that, as he infiltrated Gotham City's elite as a wealthy socialite, Sinclair would find himself at many of the same gatherings as Batman's own alter ego, Bruce Wayne. If only they'd known the truth as they rubbed elbows at charitable functions and parties.
And then...something happened, drawing Sinclair away from the world where he was Gotham's version of Catwoman, into this one. It was a routine job, stealing some artifact he'd had his eyes on, but he didn't know it was magically enchanted. Upon touching it, there was a flash of light and he was left queasy, but he didn't realize what had happened until he left, the artifact now gone, and noticed certain differences in the world.
With just his catsuit, a single change of clothes, and some equipment to his name along with some carrying cash, he had to lay low and do a few jobs just to start things back up again. He also began to learn about the version of Gotham City he was in, finding it odd that there was someone calling herself Catwoman, but there was still a Batman, still a Gotham social scene, still heists to pull off. There was a newfound thrill in being able to start over, now with multiple years of experience under his belt with him having made it to the end of his teens.
SKILLS
ATHLETICS - Expert: Catboy is an extremely talented acrobat, a natural at it from the moment he began to learn gymnastics as a child. He's capable of performing twists, turns, flips, rolls, and various other moves that compare well with the best of the best. This athleticism and agility helps aid him greatly in combat, whether it shows in attacking or defending. One might say he's...catlike in this.
COMBAT - Expert: A very capable fighter, Catboy has learned a variety of techniques that he'd qualify as being a master in. This includes boxing, capoeira, karate, jujutsu, and forms of kung fu such as dragon and tiger styles. Small groups of thugs are little challenge for him, and when other tools like his whip or bolas are added in, he can be difficult to overwhelm.
DISGUISE - Expert: Catboy can get around well in his costume, but he is also skilled at the art of disguise itself. Whether impersonating someone else or simply altering his appearance and the way he acts, even as "just" Sinclair he has the ability to fool most people with enough practice and dedication to a certain look. It can also be used in conjunction with a heist by making himself look like someone else in order to study a location ahead of time without drawing attention his way. Various techniques in make-up or latex prosthetics to change part of his look are routine for him, and he has a large wardrobe of different sets of clothing to go with a particular appearance.
PERCEPTION - Expert: Little escapes Catboy's notice. There is no detail too small for him to be aware of, particularly when on a job or investigating a target as part of his preparations. Knowing security systems, traps, patrol routes, and more is often the difference between getting away with a score or being thwarted, but this applies to day-to-day interactions with people as well. He's always on the lookout for something to pick up on when dealing with someone.
STEALTH - Expert: While nobody is perfect, Catboy is quite good at avoiding notice when he wants to be in and out of a place without someone interrupting him. This includes sticking to darker areas, moving quietly, and avoiding areas of concentrated focus or drawing attention away from a place he wants to be. He wouldn't be the successful cat burglar he is if he couldn't handle these things.
THIEVERY - Expert: There aren't many as good at stealing as Catboy is. First learning the art of the pickpocket on the streets as a teen, he took to it like a natural and these talents were honed and practiced over the following years. A master thief, he can infiltrate almost any place he wants to, utilizing a variety of skills that include bypassing security systems, dealing with guards or sneaking past them, and so on. There are few locks or safes he could not crack.
POWERS
CATS - Basic: Felines take to Catboy quickly with him having little to no trouble befriending them. He's always had a soft spot for them, one reason he picked the guise he did when he went "pro," and they tend to like being around him, even listening to and helping him in ways. He has a low-level ability to influence them, whether they're a domestic housecat or a larger one like a lion or tiger.
ADVANTAGES
COSTUMES Catboy has made use of a few different costumes at one time or another, all designed by himself. While some have been more effective than others, whenever he's hit with any inspiration he develops a prototype in order to determine whether it will be useful or not. He can also duplicate someone else's costume to reasonable success if he wishes to pretend to be that person for some reason. A fair amount of his profits go into maintaining these costumes, finding better materials to use for them, and working tech.
EQUIPMENT While the whip is Catboy's preferred weapon -- few know how to use them so if he ever finds himself disarmed, it's unlikely to be used against him -- it is not the only item in his arsenal. Other tools of the trade include bolas, smoke pellets, caltrops, flash bangs, even marbles. Each of these things has a different purpose that makes it easier for him to confuse, incapacitate, or even injure someone. His suits come with built-in claws for each finger, which not only present a sharp danger to others, they make it easier for him to scale walls. His goggles are tech-based as well, featuring a personal computer system, night vision, an infrared option, and zoom capabilities.
VEHICLES Catboy has a couple sport motorcycles he uses, a stock version when he's out of costume and a modified, souped-up version when he's "working." It features better handling, durability, and speed, giving him a quick way of vacating an area when the heat is on. He also has a pair of sports cars, one with similar advantages to the tricked out motorcycle. The weather in Gotham City is not always nice, after all.
WEALTH Thanks to the proceeds from the jobs he's done, Catboy is not hurting for money - though he's had to build it back up in this world. He chooses not to live extravagantly except for keeping up certain appearances when he's playing among Gotham City's elite, and he owns a modest apartment in one of the city's more dangerous areas along with having a couple safehouses in other neighborhoods. Other expenses include any essentials for his costumes and gear, but in the past he's also put some of that money back into trying to help those in need whether it's people in the neighborhood or a variety of charities, many of them feline-based. Since arriving in this reality, he's begun to find similar ways of spreading some of that wealth around.
WEAKNESSES
CRIMINAL It goes without saying, but Catboy is a criminal. However, he's made it this far without an official record that exposes him as Sinclair Kyle, or at least he did where he came from. Not as much has happened in this reality yet. Back "home," Sinclair did have a fairly minor record dating back to his teenage years involving some general theft, but none of that is on the books here. Then again, sometimes a socialite can be helped by a bit of a "bad boy" image, but most of the misbehaving Sinclair does these days is when he's in costume.
EGO Catboy can be rather full of himself, and with good reason. He knows he's one of the best at what he does, whether it's stealing or manipulating someone, and he doesn't hesitate to let others in Gotham's underworld know about it. Getting one over on Batman (his world's - time will tell with this reality's version) also brings him particular joy, given their "relationship." While he primarily sticks to heists involving cat-related items and various gems and jewelry, there are few challenges he won't take on if he sees something he wants, so sure of his abilities to defeat any system meant to protect a potential score. Sometimes, the more difficult the test, the more interested he in is finding a way to get through it. He's yet to have it get the better of him, but that chance is always there. It's part of the thrill.
IDENTITY While Sinclair Kyle is known as a cat fancier, he must stay focused on doing all he can to keep that side of him separate from Catboy himself. He's played both sides of the fence, good and bad, leading to multiple people that may wish to see him brought down, both on the side of the law and against it. If any of them learned who he really was it could bring everything crashing down around him in a hurry. He's taken great care to leave minimal traces of this, and he has a few different identities he secretly keeps in case he has to quickly take one up for his own safety. One benefit of being in another version of reality is the chance to better control this when starting from a blank slate, but that doesn't mean he can be lazy about it.
TROUBLED Sinclair lost both of his parents at a young age, and it still troubles him for various reasons. One death was tragic, one deserved, but it doesn't change the fact that it led directly to a series of paths taken that ended with him as Catboy. Nightmares come and go, often resulting in him diving deeper into his alter ego as a way to cope and ignore the problems. He's become a stronger person due to much of his past being what it was, leading to him working hard for everything he's got whether it was gained through legal measures or not, but the ghosts are never far behind.
