Black Cat: Who is the Feline Fatale?

Never Let The Black Cat Cross Your Path!

A guard patrols a museum at night. He hears a quiet sound in the Egyptian section and raises his flashlight. A priceless cat’s eye necklace dangles from the hand of a silver-haired young woman. She smirks at his order to put it back and pockets the necklace.   

The guard draws his gun, but it slips from his grasp and fires, shattering an antique vase. He pulls out a nightstick and charges. The woman pounces, using the guard as a stepping stone and presses a button on the wall. Four steel gates spring up around the exhibit, caging the guard. Black Cat chuckles as she makes her way to the roof. This was a fun diversion, but here comes her real prize, Spider-Man.

Black Cat is Spider-Man’s most devious rogue. She keeps him on the run while playing with his stolen heart. So who is she? Does she have superpowers? And is she a friend or foe? Let’s find out.

The Evil That Men Do: Black Cat’s Backstory

Black Cat debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #194 in 1979. She was created by Marv Wolfman and Dave Cockrum. They insist she was inspired by a Tex Avery cartoon called Bad Luck Blackie and never thought of Catwoman while making her. Can you spot the lie?

Felicia Hardy was the daughter of famous cat burglar Walter Hardy. He was arrested and encouraged her to become the best there was at whatever interested her. Felicia chose to follow in his footsteps as a thief and began training to free him.

While in college, Felicia was raped by her boyfriend. She studied martial arts with the intention of killing him, but was left without closure when he died in a car crash. Unfulfilled, she channeled her emotions into becoming the Black Cat.

She met Spider-Man while springing her father from prison. He stopped her, and she fell in love with the hero. Black Cat began committing crimes to get him to notice her so that she could flirt with him. They slowly became allies, but her romantic feelings died when he unmasked himself for her. Black Cat had fallen for the fantasy of Spider-Man and hated that he was truly Peter Parker.

Queenpin: Her History

Black Cat reconciled with Spider-Man and became his ally although she formed a rivalry with Mary Jane Watson after learning about his marriage. She still played the Veronica in their relationship, but ultimately accepted that he had found his Betty.

Life changed when Spider-Man beat Black Cat during one of her robberies and sent her to prison. Again, she plotted revenge, unaware that Doctor Octopus’ mind was in Peter’s body. Black Cat used the power vacuum caused by The Kingpin becoming mayor to set herself up as the Queenpin, building a criminal empire on high-profile thefts and loaning out stolen superhero gear.

She mentored little-known hero Silk, not knowing that she had infiltrated the gang for S.H.I.E.L.D. Silk was torn between her mission and growing loyalty to Felica until Black Cat learned the truth and severely beat her, leaving her for dead.

Spider-Man intervened in a gang war between Black Cat and the Thieves Guild. She revealed that prison was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Spider-Man had made a deal with Mephisto to erase everyone’s memories of his secret identity, including her. She was outraged to have her mind violated, but Spider-Man recreated her memories by unmasking again. Black Cat abandoned villainy and become a superhero, dismantling her empire and helping Spider-Man stop the Thieves Guild.

Bad Luck Charm: Black Cat’s Powers and Personality

Black Cat doesn’t advertise her powers like other characters. She has cybernetic implants that cause bad luck for enemies, such as tripping over nothing or having their guns jam. They also affect anyone she spends too much time with or subconsciously considers a threat.

Black Cat’s costume is filled with helpful gear. Her goggles have night vision, earrings improve her balance, and her armor gives her peak human strength. She uses a grappling hook to get around and cybernetic claws to cut enemies to ribbons. The gear is nice, but years of training with the Thieves Guild made Felicia Hardy a master cat burglar.

Passion is Black Cat in a word. Her thief’s life is loud and proud until the mission calls for stealth. Passion is a double-edged sword when it poisons her relationships with hatred, but also motivates her to be a better person for those she loves.

The Actors Who Play Black Cat

Morgan Lofting- Spider-Man (1981)
Jennifer Hale – Spider-Man: The Animated Series
Tricia Helfer – The Spectacular Spider-Man
Grey DeLisle – Spider-Man (2017)
Li Jun Li – Spider-Noir

Didya Get All That?

A thief forged in trauma who found her heroism.

Image: “Cat” (Li Jun Li) in a scene from Prime Video’s Spider-Noir (Courtesy of Aaron Epstein)

Jared Bounacos

Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.