Summary
Every superhero has its nemesis, and some of them might even be lucky enough to get a recurrent romantic interest. ButBlack Catis all that and more for Spider-Man, which has led her to becomeone of the most popular Marvel Charactersand fan-favorite shipping target for the wall-crawler.
There are a lot of alternate versions of Felicia Hardy’s Second Nature, and this ranked list has the six best versions of the characters that appear in several Spider-Man Games, with information on their background stories, universes, and their relationship with their respective Spidey.
The Black Cat from this universe is technically the same as the one that appearedin theSpider-Mananimated seriesfrom the 90’s, and as such, she and Peter Parker know each other all too well. This version of Felicia Hardy is the most “benign” and faithful to the original design, both in costume and character background. If we are talking about faithfulness to the original version of the character, then this Black Cat is definitely the most lore-accurate one.
She ignored her father’s true identity as the original Black Cat until one fateful day, she was injected with a composite drug that altered her appearance and physical qualities. After Felicia was given the Super Soldier Serum, she dressed as the Black Cat and began a life of crime, often seen as Spider-Man’s nemesis and occasional ally. She is in love with Peter Parker and knows his true identity as Spider-Man. In the game, this version of Black Cat is the first one recruited as one of Spider-Man’s allies, and it is one of the occasions where this character is available as a companion.
Spider-Man Web Of Shadowsis one of the most interesting Spider-Man games ever released, and as such, it is only fair that the iconic Black Cat was on par with the game’s high standards. The outfit design of the anti-heroic cat burglar was modernized for this version, leaving behindthe classical one-piece spandex suitand replacing it with a two-piece leather armor with a jacket. The new character background design and the modernization of the suit are definitely plus points to make this version one of the best.
Overall, Felicia shows significant change and her attitude toward Spider-Man is a little bit different from usual. In this universe, Black Cat and Spider-Man dated in the past: Felicia and Peter attempt to leave their secret identities to the side and live a normal life. Of course, that didn’t work well, and when players encounter her when chasing Kingping, she reveals that her feelings for Peter haven’t changed, and accepts to cooperate with him to defeat the criminal. The game also explores a symbiote outbreak in which the decisions of the player affect the outcome of the story through a “morality system.” It is also the only game where Black Cat is merged with a Symbiote, and in the “bad ending” she rules together with Black Suit Spider-Man as king and queen of a new species. This ending is, in fact, one of the few times where we see Felicia and Peter having a “happily ever after.”
The Felicia Hardy fromMarvel’s Spider-Manis slightly different than the usual version of the character. She is trained in acrobatics and espionage and is more gadget-oriented than her alternate versions. In this universe, Felicia found out about Walter Hardy’s true identity much earlier and against her father’s will, she decided to follow his steps as a burglar, creating her own suit and gadgets. She is also a little bit older than Peter Parker (20 years old versus 18 years old) and much more mature than him. She doesn’t know about Spider-Man’s true identity (allegedly) and only appears in a series of side-missions known as the Black Cat Stakeouts. She would later appear as a main character in theCity That Never SleepsDLC.
In this universe, Black Cat tried to reform herself while also cooperating and being romantically involved with Spider-Man, but in the end, Spider-Man broke up with her when he discovered she was keeping the loot from the criminals they were taking down together. This version of Felicia Hardy’s alter ego wasn’t as well received as expected,mainly due to character background reasons, but it is still one of the best versions of the character both in design and fidelity to the original one. The main issue remains the changes in the character background design, where Black Cat somewhat diverts from her usual origin story related to the Super Soldier Serum and her father’s past coming back to bite her tail.
A more stylized, mature version of Felicia Hardy’s alter ego, who is actually not the original but a Clone created by the Alchemax corporation using spliced DNA from the original Black Cat, the super-villain Tigra, The Vanisher, and actual Cat genetic material (yeah, absolutely bonkers). Undoubtedly, the most powerful (and dangerous) version of Black Cat ever seen by Spider-Man, she kept her memories of the original Felicia Hardy during the cloning process, so she knows about Peter, and has feelings for him.
When encounteringa time traveler Spider-Man out of his timeline(he is dead in her own reality) she decides to follow him, but when learning about the relationship between Peter and Mary Jane, she becomes enraged and obsessed and attempts to thwart Peter’s plans to return to his reality. Alchemax used some interesting methods to keep her bound to the building as a prime security guard: they genetically imprinted Agoraphobia on her, so she is afraid of going outside, making her the perfect company pet. She is powerful, though, and when Spider-Man faces her, she displays not only the ability to teleport but greatly enhanced superhuman abilities, almost on par with him. Considered the most “R Rated” version of the character, this alternate universe Black Cat is a tough foe to beat, and her teleportation ability makes her even more annoying.
In this reality, Felicia Hardy and Peter Parker barely had any kind of relationship previous to her graduation from high school, where she was one of the top cheerleaders, and had great academic results, while also living the ideal life surrounded by luxury and comfort. After she graduated, and due to mysterious reasons, she disappeared and went into secluded training, allegedly, to follow her father’s footsteps. She trained to the point of perfection in her infiltration and acrobatic abilities, as well as stealth skills. When she reappeared years later, she did as the Black Cat, a notorious criminal and mercenary leader who Spider-Man faced after the Oscorp Cross-Species plague incident. This version of Black Cat is notoriously more cunning and tries to play Spidey for a fool on more than one occasion.
She also becomes quite obsessed with Spider-Man, outsmarting him several times, and even managing to evade the law by being declared “mentally ill,” and secluded to a mental health institute. This version also undergoes a series of experiments that grant her increased strength and speed (much like the original version of the Black Cat), andtries to face Spider-Man againbut is defeated. During the chase for Kingpin, Black Cat turns to Spider-Man’s side and confesses that she is actually “in love” with him and also reveals the villain’s true identity: Wilson Fisk. In the end, she escapes once more, after begging Spider-Man to stay by her side and live far from the violence in NY City, but Spider-Man rejects her. She bids Spidey farewell, telling him to look after her when he wishes to get some “excitement” outside his regular superheroic activities. This version drifts away from the original character’s design with a combat-suit-like costume, with some cool eyepieces that resemble anti-flashbang goggles, but that is what makes her even more appealing. A great version of the character.
In terms of popularity, the Black Cat fromSpider-Man 2 The Moviegame far exceeds all its alternate versions. Voiced over by the legendary Holly Fields, she has some of the most notoriously spicy dialogues with her universe’s Spider-Man, which is none other than Tobey McGuire’s version of the character. The story where she appears happens between the first and second movies and serves as a “connection” between the two stories.
This version of the character doesn’t seem too fond of other criminals, as she openly collaborates with Spider-Man to beat Shocker and other minor villains. We could say that she shows a more “benign” side to Spider-Man, who she clearly tries to impress. In the comics located in the same universe, Black Cat also openly pursues Spider-Man as a romantic interest, and she is seen preparing a romantic dinner on the rooftops. Something that only two other versions of the character did: The one from Earth-71002 and the Earth-616 Black Cat, which are considered canon-accurate. It is a shame that we didn’t get to witness this character debuting in an actual Spider-Man movie, since it would have been just what Tobey’s Spider-Man needed to become complete.
