Black Cat
Attributes
| Eyes: | Green |
| Features: | Bombshell |
| Hair: | Platinum blonde |
| Height: | 5'10" |
| Weight: | 120 lbs |
Powers
| Abilities: | Superb gymnastic and fighting skills |
| Equipment: | Ropes and claws (for climbing), balance earings, contact lenses to see in the dark, and something that increases agility |
| Powers: | Currently none |
| Strength Level: | Enhanced by uniform |
| Weapons: | Claws |
Summary
| Citizenship: | Citizen of the US |
| Created By: | |
| Current Occupation: | Private Investigator |
| Dual Identity: | The Black Cat |
| Education: | Unknown |
| Former Aliases: | Felicity Harmon |
| Former Occupation: | Cat burglar |
| Known Allies: | Spider-Man |
| Known Confidants: | Spider-Man, Mary Jane Parker |
| Known Relatives: | Walter (father, deceased), Lydia (mother) |
| Legal Status: | Criminal record, but granted legal amnesty |
| Major Enemies: | Kingpin, Doctor Octopus, the Owl, Tombstone |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Place of Birth: | Queens, New York |
| Real Name: | Felicia Hardy |
| Usual Bases: | New York City |
Background
Felicia Hardy began a career in crime out of respect and adoration for her cat-burglar father. She broke Walter Hardy out of jail as he lay dying, promising him that she would carry on in his footsteps. She left before he could tell her that he told her mother to lie to Felicia that he had died in a plane crash. He hadn't wanted her to be tainted by his crimes. He died soon after. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #194)
Felicia stayed a criminal in a misguided attempt to attract the attentions of Spider-Man. She stole many works of art to prove her love for him, such as "The Two Lovers" statue and the "Eyes of Eros" diamond. Spidey only saw Felicia as a disturbed young woman, who was more a child than a grown woman. "His death must have shattered her emotional balance...So she latched on to me as a substitute father! In her own, childlike way, she really does love me!" He took her to a psychiatric hospital, hoping she would get the help that she needed. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #195)
”But the Cat Came Back…”
Her plan to fool him about her sanity worked, as it was much easier to break out of a hospital than a prison. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #226)
After her near-death at the hands of the Owl and Dr Octopus in Spectacular #72, Felicia feared that her lack of powers made her a vulnerability to Spider-Man, and that she would lose him.
”The Hatred of the Hobgoblin”
As Spidey and Black Cat enjoyed swinging through the city, she told him how great they are together. He cautiously said they are good but realized that she didn’t really have any real superpowers. She cheerfully admitted that her “bad luck” powers were all a trick. It was then that they were attacked by the Hobgoblin, who was testing his newly acquired super strength. Cat tried to get between the two but was brushed aside. Tearing off a chunk of a building, he threw it at the webhead and caught him by surprise. Cat tried to defend him but was carried off by Hobgoblin. Spidey hit him hard, saying he had gotten stronger but not smarter. Hobby managed to blind him with a glove blast. Spider-Man hit the rooftop and played being more injured than he was, trusting his spider sense to warn him when Hobgoblin attacked. As the goblin swooped in for the kill, Cat jumped in and collided with her lover, ruining the trap. Laughing at the failure, Hobgoblin flew away promising to be back. Spider-Man complained that he almost had him and Cat replied that she just tried to help. He didn’t say anything. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #85)
”The Sinister Secret of Spider-Man’s New Costume”
Peter had spent the day with Mary Jane, who had told him about her life after she told him that she knew he was Spider-Man. (Peter was already stressed about problems with Hobgoblin, Puma and Jack O’Lantern.) They returned to his apartment just in time for Black Cat to come through the window to check on him after he fought Puma. MJ was moved to tears to see confirmation of her belief and said she should leave. Peter tried to stop her and Cat agreed that she should leave. She demanded to know who she was and what she was doing at his apartment.
After MJ left, Cat said he didn’t need “that bimbo” anyway. Peter was angry that Cat had again entered through his window even though he had told her not to. She said he was mad that she scared away MJ and said she thought he loved her. She started out the window when Peter webbed her. Surprised, Cat reasoned that since he stopped her but not Mary Jane he did love her. She apologized for doubting him. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #258)
”Spider On the Spot”
Spider-Man arrived at Felicia’s apartment in order to go after Wilson Fisk and Felicia showed him the black costume that she made for him. He told her to put it away, as it gave him the creeps. They were soon at Kingpin’s headquarters rooftop and facing his security, Cat dodged bullets and nets but inevitably seemed to veer towards Spider-Man. The situation changed when Cat was swallowed by a black portal and the Spot arrived. Spidey laughed at the new supervillain’s name but was then pummeled by multiple fists. Spot managed to shove Spidey into a wall as Black Cat returned to the rooftop. Spot left at that moment, warning them to stay away from Kingpin. Cat and Spidey decided to change tactics. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol 1) #99)
”Things Fall Apart”
After Felicia and Peter split up, she tried to take a “Robin Hood” approach to crime. Her first target was the Foreigner, an assassin so secretive that many security agencies claimed he didn’t exist. She planned to donate the stolen goods to an orphanage or kids hospital. Even though they had split, she wonder what Spider-Man would think of her plan. Soon she was crawling through a window that had carelessly been left unlocked and she was making her way into Foreigner’s hideout, avoiding the detection beams and floor sensors. She hid behind a door as one of Foreigner’s guards got some cigars from the room.
Spider-Man was meeting with Doctor Strange, concerned about the impossible string in bad luck he’d been having. Strange confirmed that his aura had been distorted by a combination of natural gene mutation and advanced science. Strange could try to remove the hex but was uncertain of its consequences. Spider-Man was willing to risk it and Strange removed the hex but as Black Cat had encountered one of Foreigner’s guards. As Strange feared, removing the curse had a negative effect on the source of the hex. Spider-Man wasn’t concerned, as he knew his ex-girlfriend could take care of herself. Meanwhile Cat was helpless against the massive guard. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #115)
”102 Uses for a Dead Cat”
To stop the beating she was taking, she kissed the thug then kneed him in the crotch. She broke into the Foreigner’s safe and took off a golden notebook before she left. Foreigner and Sabretooth arrived and Sabretooth went after Felicia. Spidey was waiting at her apartment and he told her it wasn’t what she hoped it was. He told her how Strange had removed the hex and she was furious that he had gone behind her back. He left and told her it was over.
Sabretooth arrived immediately and told Felicia that he had come to kill her for stealing from the Foreigner. She knew her apartment was booby trapped and needed Sabertooth to come closer but her plan failed when Spider-Man returned. Spidey beat him and carried him away as Felicia screamed that she hadn’t needed his help and she would get him for this. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #116)
”Dinner Hour”
Black Cat was heading for the Sanctum Sanctorum, the home of Dr. Strange. She thought of how she had to change her mask after her nose was broken, caused by the beating she took from the Foreigner’s guards. She reasoned that her injuries were caused by Spider-Man, as he had her powers removed. She’d deal with him later but first wanted a piece of Doc Strange. After breaking into a window, she was blown out by a gust of wind. Catching a windowsill, she realized this break in would be trickier than expected. She tried again but her mini crowbar broke, as did her glass cutter. The window then opened by itself. Finding a doorway inside, she hoped to find Stephen but instead ended up outside on the sidewalk.
Climbing the wall again, she found the doctor meditating in a room. She was startled by the sudden appearance of his astral form and he was surprised that she could see him. She said she’d come to punch his lights out but he told her that her powers weren’t gone, just changed. Cat left in frustration, telling him that if he followed her she would call the Ghostbusters.
She returned to her apartment feeling like a loser. What was the point of being the Black Cat if it had lost its excitement and glamour? She was taken by surprise by the Foreigner, who was looking for a golden notebook. She said she’d had it melted down and made a part of her costume. If he wanted it, he’d have to take it. He turned invisible and immediately overpowered her. He was disappointed in her and had hoped for a challenge. She told him to go after Spider-Man. He agreed that it was a good idea but then the power went out and Felicia realized that she could see him in the dark. He still beat her but was impressed and offered her a job. If she wanted to destroy Spider-Man, he had a plan. She questioned what she really wanted but then agreed to make his life into rubble. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #117)
”Catfight!”
While standing on the Roosevelt Island Tramway, Black Cat tossed her old photos of her and Spider-Man into the East River. She spotted Sabretooth after he had escaped from the hospital and knew he must be going after Spidey again. She was right of course, and he was following Peter’s scent back to his apartment. Peter and MJ were hosting a party and his spider sense warned him of the danger outside. Sabretooth killed two cops before daring Spider-Man to come outside. MJ didn’t want Peter to go, thinking he was still too weak to fight. Felicia arrived and immediately reopened Sabretooth’s facial wounds. After Peter changed to Spider-Man on the rooftop, he saw the psychopath bite into Cat’s leg. In fury, she broke free and bashed his head into the pavement until he was unconscious. Before going to get first aid, she winked to Spidey on the roof. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #119)
”With Friends Like These…”
Felicia called Peter after someone slipped a note under her apartment door, saying they knew she was Spider-Man’s lover, so she’d die first. The note suddenly went up in flames and burned to ash. Despite his conflicting feelings about Felicia he went to her apartment just in time to see it explode. He saved her from the smoke-filled apartment, which had very little fire. After the police arrived, officer Keating said that once again he found them at the scene of an emergency. Felicia told him off and they left to find a private place to talk. They ended up back at Peter’s apartment but were stopped when his neighbors, (Candice Muggins and Bambi and Randi) were sunbathing on the roof. Cat scared them off by screaming that Spider-Man was watching.
Felicia hoped to stay with Peter even though he was skeptical of her sudden affection for his real identity. She said she had grown up and that’s when Mary Jane arrived. He shoved Cat across the room onto a couch before MJ walked in. Peter awkwardly introduced them and Felicia remembered that MJ was an actress and thought she starred in “Compromising Positions.” Peter stopped them and MJ said she didn’t like how Felicia manipulated him. Cat said she had thought of someone that could help them and they left MJ alone.
They were waiting in the Foreigner’s office as Cat explained that he was a legit businessman but worked with suspicious types. Spider-Man was doubtful of his honesty but Cat told him to trust her. An angry woman marched past them, saying he had cheated on her for the last time. They soon heard a gunshot and saw her standing over a slumped body. Before Spidey could take the man to the hospital, the angry wife unmasked and was really the Foreigner and the body was a dummy. He introduced himself as Rafael Sabitini and kissed Felicia. After they explained the situation, he said he expected the culprit was named Kirk Donoghue, now called Blaze. Foreigner set up a meeting with Donoghue and Spidey and Cat met him in the security room of a store.
He had suspected a trap and had his men torture a female security guard in video surveillance. He had been hired to kill them but he knew they would beat him, so he asked for $30,000 for him to go away. Spidey punched him through a door and they split up to find the guard. Cat encountered one of Blaze’s goons in sporting goods and nailed his arm with a crossbow. By the time she found Spider-Man, he had found the woman’s body. The scene they saw had been a recording and she was already dead. The police arrived in time to keep Spidey from killing Blaze and afterward he met with Cat on the roof. He was bemoaning the cruelty and unfairness of life. He asked how a person keeps from sinking and she told him that you reach out for something and kissed him. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #123)
”Dead Meat”
After leaving the Foreigner, she decided to try and patch things up with Spidey. She returned to his apartment but was surprised to see it empty. She saw a figure standing in the shadows and mistook it for Spider-Man but it revealed itself to be Venom. He knew Cat and Spider had been partners and assumed she knew where he was. She told him where to go and dropped a chandelier on him. He responded by smashing her face into a wall. In a daze she confessed that she didn’t know where he was and he left her. Before he left, he said his wife hadn’t known either. That was how she learned that Peter had married Mary Jane Watson. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #316)
”The Death Standard”
Black Cat startled MJ after she snuck into her and Peter’s apartment. Grabbing her by the throat, she warned Mary Jane to always lock her windows no matter which floor they lived on. She told Mary Jane that she was only dating Flash to make Peter jealous and he would eventually come back to her. After tossing Mary Jane across the room, she warned her to stay clear of her or it wouldn’t only be her heart that was broken. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #331)
”With(out) Great Power...”
Peter had given up his powers with the help of Doctor Turner, an alias for the Chameleon. Being normal was strange, as he didn’t have the energy that he was used to. They were met by Felicia and Flash, who said going to a picnic would help him. Peter and MJ had been trying to avoid Felicia, since she had been using Flash to punish Peter for marrying Mary Jane. MJ tried to make an excuse by saying she needed to go read a script but Peter stopped her. He said they should go on the picnic, to the surprise of both women. Peter and MJ went to get food and Peter explained that Felicia loved Spider-Man more than Peter Parker, so now that he no longer had his powers, she’d have no reason to love him.
At the picnic, Flash brought her some popsicles with a heart necklace around it. She said he couldn’t afford it but he said she was special to him. They heard on the radio about a hostage situation involving the Tarantula (Alvarez), who demanded to see Spider-Man. Peter went to stop him, despite his loss of powers. His bacon was saved by Flash and Felicia. She saved Spider-Man but Flash was poisoned. The police arrived and Spider-Man and Felicia fled, despite her worrying about Flash. He said he’d be ok when the paramedics arrived and she reluctantly agreed. After meeting with MJ and a recovering Flash, Felicia said that Spider-Man didn’t seem like himself. (Amazing Spider-Man #341)
”The Jonah Trade”
As Peter took some air in the roof, he was surprised by the Black Cat. His being taken by surprise confirmed to her that he had lost his abilities. In frustration he told her that since he wasn’t Spider-Man anymore, she could leave Flash alone and she told him to butt out. What happened between her and Flash was her business. She apologized and said he and she had been close and she had trouble adjusting to his marriage to “that redhead!” Cat was still angry but didn’t know if hurting Peter was worth hurting Flash.
Later at the Bugle Jameson was kidnapped by the Scorpion and Peter was without his costume. He had called other superheroes, none of whom were available. Peter reluctantly called Flash and had Cat bring him his costume. They both took on Scorpion and Spidey was tossed around easily. Black Cat managed to keep Scorpion occupied while Spider-Man covered him in webbing. Scorpion broke free and was knocked into a rooftop pool, which shorted out his tail. Scorpion escaped and Spider-Man and Cat went back to Doctor Turner’s lab. It had been emptied and abandoned but Spidey had a good idea who was behind it all. (Amazing Spider-Man #342)
”War Garden”
Felicia brought Peter home to Mary Jane and Peter beat himself up for willingly giving up his powers. He was still relieved to have placed a tracer on Scorpion before Gargan got away. Before they could do anything else, Harry Osborn, Liz Osborn and Normie Osborn arrived with Flash for dinner. Peter and Felicia ran off to change out of their costumes and when Felicia came back, she was wearing one of MJ’s evening dresses.
Later, Black Cat took Spidey around the city looking for the device that took his powers. They ended up at the Botanical Gardens, where they spotted Dr. Turner, Scorpion, Tarantula and the Femme Fatales (Mindblast, Bloodlust, Whiplash and Knockout). Dr. Turner removed his disguise and revealed himself to be the Chameleon, who revealed that he had purchased the machine from the Tinkerer, who claimed the device would immobilize Spider-Man. Instead, it removed his powers (kind of a serious malfunction), so Chameleon decided to toy with him. He set up confrontations that he knew the vigilante couldn’t stay away from but now it was time to end the game.
Black Cat went through the window to confront the bad guys while Spider-Man went looking for the machine. She was soon tangled in artificial vines, meant to blend in with the surrounding vegetation. She broke free before Whiplash could reach her and took out Bloodlust and Tarantula. She was knocked aside by Scorpion’s tail and landed in a manure pile. She beat Knockout and Mindblast by sticking them with the poisoned blades from Tarantula’s boots. She didn’t have time to avoid Scorpion and Bloodlust and Whiplash, quickly beat her and tossed her Spider-Man’s way. By then he had figured out to to restore his abilities and went after the remaining killers. By the time they were done, Chameleon had escaped and police sirens were close by.
He helped the injured Cat to escape and he destroyed the machine on the way out. Afterwards, Felicia said she’d tell Flash that she had fallen down some stairs. She was more concerned that before the machine had been inactivated it may have taken her abilities too. She made Peter promise to never let Flash know that she had been the Black Cat. (Amazing Spider-Man #343)
”This Blood is My Blood”
Peter had been kidnapped by Silvermane to draw out Spider-Man. The old gangster needed his blood to rejuvenate himself. MJ called Felicia for help and she saved Peter. (Web of Spider-Man (vol. 1) #80)
“Electric Doom”
Felicia bought an upgraded Cat costume from the Tinkerer. (Amazing Spider-Man #369)
”Life Stings”
Cat had to calm Spidey down when he found her at the Tinkerer’s workshop. She reassured him that she was only there for an upgrade to her costume and tools. They were then attacked by the Scorpion, who was also there as one of Tinkerer’s clients. During the fight, a robot amoeba attacked Spider-Man, who used Scorpion to defeat the robot. Scorpion fled and Spider-Man commented that several robots had attacked him recently. He believed that the Robot Master could be behind it but he had been dead for years. (Amazing Spider-Man #370)
"Maximum Carnage"
Felicia and Flash showed up at Harry Osborn's funeral, silently wondering what really happened when Harry died. She kept quiet and put on a supportive face for Peter. (Spider-Man Unlimited (Vol. 1) #1)
She woke up the next day, having missed the news that Carnage, Shriek, Doppelganger and Demogoblin had begun their riot across the city. Spider-Man arrived and told her about what was happening, and how Venom had come to him in desperation. Felicia immediately agreed that they had to help Venom against Carnage, much to Peter’s dismay. As she got dressed, she defended Venom’s methods, saying that sometimes “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” She confronted Venom at Peter and MJ’s apartment and told him she was with him in wanting to put Carnage into the ground. Spider-Man followed behind her and also said he was in but would stop anyone that tried to kill anyone else. The three went looking for the murderers but only found them after one of Shriek’s sonic blasts tore through the warehouse roof they were hiding in. Cloak had tried to take on the bad guys alone and was about to be killed when the calvary arrived. Carnage and his group escaped but Black Cat was caught in the burning rubble. (Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #35)
Spider-Man went back to save her, to Venom’s rage. He was about to tear Spidey apart but Cat called him out on his hypocrisy. Then she turned around and told Spider-Man she didn’t need him to rescue her. She was going to save herself, and Venom was right to put stopping Carnage first. Spidey refused to cooperate with them any further, saying he wouldn’t compromise his beliefs any further. Venom went after Carnage and Cat followed him. They found Cloak at the scene of one of Carnage’s slaughters and Venom swore to find the most ruthless allies possible to end the violence. (The Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #201)
Their first recruit was Michael Morbius, who was about to drain the blood of a gang that was robbing a woman. Cat was sickened that Morbius was going to kill them and earned a mocking from Venom. She reiterated that Carnage and the others had to be stopped but murder was unnecessary. Morbius disagreed. As they returned to hunting for their enemies, Morbius smelled blood flowing at The Deep, a dance club. A melee broke out at the club as the combatants arrived and Spider-Man showed up despite his distrust of Venom. Carnage fled, and Venom wanted to go after him but Spider-Man convinced them to stay and help the victims trapped under a collapsed balcony. After they finished helping, they went back to the pursuit. (Web of Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #102)
Spider-Man took them to the ruins of St. Estes Home for Boys, the orphanage where Cletus Kasady grew up, hoping that being there would give ideas. They remembered that since Carnage is a spawn of Venom, they have the same weaknesses. They decided to get Mister Fantastic’s sonic gun from Four Freedoms Plaza, taking them back to Manhattan. Shriek’s mind control was taking a toll on New York’s citizens, turning them mindlessly aggressive. Spidey saw a carjacking taking place and paused to stop the theft. The car thief almost shot him, but was stopped by Black Cat, who wasn’t happy that he stopped to play traffic cop. Soon they were at Four Freedoms, and had acquired the sonic gun. Cloak showed up with Firestar, who could control fire, another of Carnage’s weaknesses. (Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #379)
Black Cat and the others showed up at the Daily Bugle to force Jameson to print a special edition, telling Carnage to meet them at the orphanage. The sonic gun was ineffective but Firestar weakened him severely. (Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #36)
The fight went on, and both Spidey and Firestar were uncomfortable with the level of violence that Venom and the others were willing to use. Cat snapped at both of them, saying she didn’t like working with Venom or Morbius either but dozens of people had been murdered. The others were putting their lives on the line and weren’t spending hours wringing their hands. However, when a group of rioting citizens attacked them all, Black Cat stopped Morbius from killing one of them. Part of her wondered if Spider-Man was right and if Morbius was as bad as Carnage. She was then hit by a rioter and knocked out. Morbius turned to help but was badly hurt by Demogoblin. Carnage and Shriek left with an unconscious Venom, planning to torture him. Behind them they left many dead and dying, and many injured superheroes. (Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #202)
She recovered well enough to go back on the hunt with Morbius and Cloak, but they were taken by surprise by Demogoblin, Doppelganger, and Carrion (Malcolm McBride.) Morbius was badly injured by Carrion and needed to be taken away by Cloak. She tried to hold off their enemies to give them time to escape but was overpowered by them, nearly being beaten to death. She was snatched away at the last moment by Nightwatch, who then aided Morbius and Cloak. That beating left her too badly shaken and she returned to her home. (Web of Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #103)
Felicia considered returning to the fight as she rested at her apartment but didn't feel capable with her hurt arm and blurry vision. She had to admit, Peter might be willing to die for what he believed, but she wasn't sure about herself. (Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #380) She called Mary Jane to see if Peter got home safe but was told he hadn't come home yet. She knew that he was still out there and that Carnage was still free, despite what the news was claiming. She was terrified to go back but just as terrified to leave Peter alone. The final show down was underway in a cemetery between Spider-Man, Carnage and Venom. As Carnage was about to cut Spidey in half, he was sent flying from behind by the Black Cat. Carnage tried to run but Venom's attack sent both of them into Central Park's power generators. The explosion gave Venom cover to escape and the fire deeply burned Carnage, who was taken away by the Avengers. (Spider-Man Unlimited (Vol. 1) #2)
”Tabula Rasa”
Returning home one snowy night, Black Cat found that she was the one being burglarized. The thief was the Black Fox and he had been hired to steal back a necklace that she had stolen years prior. Felicia claimed to have given back everything that she had stolen years ago. Black Fox sprayed her with mace and grabbed a necklace before escaping out a window. As she chased him down the street, Cat said she had given up being a burglar and while she thought that the necklace was gaudy, nobody stole from her. Actually a man on the street had grabbed it after Felicia knocked over the Fox. She stopped him by throwing a trash can lid at him. Fox grabbed the necklace and the chase continued until she knocked him to the rooftop. He guilted her for attacking a senior citizen and when she told him to come along quietly, he grabbed her arm and threw her off the roof. The Black Fox thanked her on behalf of the Morovian royal family for returning their item. The last of her past life was gone and she was now a blank slate. (Web of Spider-Man Annual #10)
”Chimera Lost”
Upset over being dumped by Flash, she went looking for Spider-Man’s shoulder to cry on. She found him in battle with Cardiac, who was taking revenge on Morelle Pharmaceuticals for their business dealings. The three fought it out and Cardiac tried to explain his reasons while Spider-Man protested that he was threatening innocent people. Cardiac escaped after damaging a power coupling unit, forcing Spidey and Cat to tend to it. After an explosion was prevented, Spider-Man chewed her out for interfering. He started to apologize before she said she was just after a bounty on Cardiac and Spidey left, annoyed at her greed.
Felicia felt even more alone until she was greeted by Paul Proust, a representative of the Morelle corporation. He offered her a job and told her that Spider-Man had left a tracker on her. Cardiac had been after something called Chimera, which was in the hands of a rival corporation. At Felicia’s apartment, she and MJ were discussing Peter. MJ said she trusted him completely and wasn’t going to get jealous. That’s when a beat up Spider-Man arrived. Felicia gave him some of Flash’s clothes and the Parker’s left. She decided to take Proust’s offer and was soon interrogating a guy at a bar. She was next on a ship at sea, and she took out the guards quickly. While looking for Chimera, she was confronted by a man calling himself Faze and called her a trespasser. (Felicia Hardy, The Black Cat #1)
"Mark of Kaine”
Felicia first met Ben Reilly while he was covering for Peter in jail. Peter had been arrested for the murder of a Salt Lake City police officer and Ben took his place while Peter looked for answers. She went to the prison to talk to "Peter" about his arrest and was confused when he didn't seem to recognize her. She knew that she hadn’t spoken with Peter in jail and had seen the Scarlet Spider fighting the Sinister Six on TV. Just then, her doorbell rang and Mary Jane was at the door asking for help. (Spider-Man Unlimited (Vol. 1) #9)
MJ needed Felicia to find out more about the murder that Peter was accused of. She agreed to do it, especially after learning Mary Jane was pregnant. (Web of Spider-Man #126)
”Cats and Robbers”
After hearing that a fancy restaurant, Mikkal’s, was going to be robbed, she went to offer herself as security. Mikkal laughed and said his security could do more than a mere woman. In response, Felicia watched the two burglars scale the outside of the restaurant. She planned on letting the duo carry out the robbery and then charge Mikkal a heavy price to get it back. The burglars were two women, Leather and Lace. As she watched, she saw Flash Thompson arrive at the restaurant with a date. Deciding to stop the robbery and stop the chance of Flash getting hurt, she went after the crooks. Despite Lace’s blinding light and Leather’s strength, Cat won. She dropped them off to Mikkal and got her fee. She also had him pay for Flash’s dinner, despite still having unresolved feelings for him. (Web of Spider-Man Super Special #1)
"The Skull Jackets"
Ben Reilly worked with Felicia again when she was under suspicion of murdering Andrea Havershaw. Havershaw was a New York socialite who was found clawed to death and security camera footage showed a silver haired woman near the scene of the crime. Felicia had formed a bond of trust with Peter Parker, but Ben Reilly was a stranger to her. He had to earn her trust, which he failed to do by nearly accusing her of committing the murder. He was sorry he had hurt her feelings (mostly because he was so attracted to her) and set out to catch the real killer. It didn't help that she flirted with him the whole time, enjoying that he was so tongue tied around her.
Turns out that Jason Havershaw, Andrea's son, had substantial drug and gambling debts and connections to the Russian mob. He used those connections to hire a Chameleon wannabe called "Skull-Jacket" to impersonate the Black Cat and kill his mother, who was worth $24 million. Naturally, by the end Felicia had learned to trust Ben because his sense of responsibility was as strong as the original Spider-Man's. (Spider-Man Unlimited (Vol. 1) #14)
”Back on His Game”
Spider-Man and Cat went looking for a runaway named Doug and wound up in Arcade’s Murderworld. (Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 1) #29)
They escaped with Doug and defeated Arcade. (Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 1) #30)
”The Great Escape”
Cat (along with Cardiac, Human Torch, Solo and many others) tried to stop Wolverine. He was under the mind control of an alien named Aria and he quickly defeated all of them. (Wolverine (vol. 2) #134)
”The Trouble With Girls”
Doctor Octopus had created a new Spider Woman that absorbed the powers of other spider people. Her current target was Mattie Franklin, who had been posing as Spider-Man. Peter had saved her and wanted to take her to a hospital but she angrily refused. He reluctantly agreed to not take her to a hospital and took her to Felicia instead. She was just about to rob some corrupt businessmen when Peter and Mattie arrived. Mattie passed out on the couch while Spidey explained the situation. The evil Spider Woman sensed Mattie’s presence and followed her to Felicia’s apartment. She crashed through the window and knocked Mattie out, then tossed Cat out the window. Spider-Man went after Cat and once they got back to the apartment he went after Spider Woman. She retreated and Spider-Man took Mattie to the hospital despite her protest. (Peter Parker: Spider-Man (vol. 2) #5)
"The Evil That Men Do"
During one such partnership, Peter and Felicia were investigating the disappearance of two teenagers that they were connected to. The clues led to Garrison Klum, the brother of Francis Klum. Cat went after Garrison but was immobilized by him. Francis came to the Cat's rescue, but Felicia was found by the police next to Garrison's body and charged with murder. Francis teleported into Ryker's Island and freed Felicia, taking her to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was there that he revealed that Garrison had controlled him by molesting him. Felicia was later saved by Spider-Man, Nightcrawler and Daredevil.
Felicia pitied Francis and related her own story of how she had been raped in college. Felicia described how she had gone to a party and was nearly raped by a drunken student in a bathroom, when she was saved by another student, named Ryan. Felicia and Ryan became close friends, spending most of their time together. One night, Ryan demanded that it was time for their relationship to become physical. Felicia's protests were in vain.
Felicia's rage led her to begin to contemplate killing Ryan, until fate intervened and Ryan was killed in a drink-driving accident. Felicia's anger was left unabated, making her become reckless. Turning to crime, Felicia justified the theft of her first diamond by telling herself that something had been stolen from her, so she was going to steal back. Her father gave her the inspiration to be a thief, but rape gave her the motivation. From the rage of her attack, The Black Cat was born.
”Venom/Carnage”
Felicia was scoping out an art gallery to rob, which had a strong security system. The system failed when an underground explosion knocked it offline, allowing her to leave with a painting. Little did she know but the explosion had been caused by Carnage, who had just given birth to Toxin. (Venom/Carnage #1)
She returned the painting to its creator, Randolph. She warned him to have a lawyer look at any contact he signs with a crooked art dealer. She heard a man screaming for help outside and leaped out the window when she saw Carnage standing over Pat Mulligan. She swooped in and grabbed Pat but didn’t get far. She put up a fight against Carnage but was quickly overwhelmed. Fortunately, she was saved by the timely arrival of Venom. As they fought, she took him back to his apartment and pregnant wife. Later, she was called back to Randolph’s studio, where officer Mulligan was waiting. He told her that stealing the painting was still a crime, even if the artist had been ripped off. She reminded him that she saved his life and he was reluctant, so she tried to escape. She was surprised at how easily he blocked her attacks and so was he. Kasady arrived with the corpse of Randolph, then disabled Felicia. He was about to kill Pat when he changed into Toxin. (Venom/Carnage #2)
Toxin proved to be the much stronger symbiote and tossed Carnage out of the building. Cat tried to reassure him that he was safe but Pat was still terrified that Toxin was inside him. After he calmed down, he wondered how he’d explain everything to his chief. Cat responded that he wouldn’t. If he wouldn’t tell that she was involved in the art theft, she wouldn’t tell anyone that he’s a monster. He was concerned about the rules and she told him that the rules had changed. (Venom/Carnage #3)
Felicia attended Randolph’s funeral but kept her distance. Pat joined her, as he felt partially responsible for his death. They were both attacked by Venom and Carnage, who had agreed that Toxin was too dangerous to let live. The two overpowered Toxin and Venom was about to smash him with a tombstone when Black Cat spoke up. She urged them to guide him instead of kill him. They insisted on killing him. Venom planned on killing her next because she was closest and irritating. Spider-Man showed up in time to save them but the symbioses turned the tide. In that time, Toxin got a second wind and he again proved to be much stronger. The two fled, leaving Toxin with Spidey and Black Cat. Pat called Spider-Man his new hero and Cat told him that under that costume was a scared little boy. (Venom/Carnage #4)
”Marvel Knights”
May Parker was kidnapped from her home and Ben Parker’s grave was vandalized. (Marvel Knights Spider-Man (vol. 1) #1)
Peter turned to Felicia for help after he sent Mary Jane away for her safety. Cat was already working on a missing person case in Florida but agreed to return ASAP. She suggested that he list everyone that knew his secret, which immediately made him think of Norman Osborn. (Marvel Knights Spider-Man (vol. 1) #2)
While searching for May, he ran afoul of Electro and the Vulture. He defeated Electro but ended up in the hospital, where Vulture found him. He took Peter through the city and dropped him, without his web shooters. Peter accepted the situation but was grabbed by Felicia, who said he was lucky she had a TV. Vulture knocked them apart and crashed her through a restaurant window. She tried to get the customers to hide but he quickly knocked her out another window. He thought he had her beaten but she managed to get on his back and tear out his navigational system. They crashed into a billboard and he tried to explain that the $20 million they stole was for his grandson’s surgery. Felicia was having none of it and warned him that if he touched her ex again, she’d kill him. Electro and Vulture were turned over to the Owl and she took Peter home to rest. (Marvel Knights Spider-Man (vol. 1) #4)
When Peter woke up two days later, Felicia and MJ were with him. Felicia had stitched up his bullet wounds from being accidentally shot by guards at the hospital. He asked about news regarding his aunt and MJ said nothing had changed. Felicia corrected her, saying Jonah had put out a $5 million competition to identify Peter. (His face had been photographed while in the hospital and published in the Bugle.) Fortunately, his face had been so beaten up that no one was sure who he was. Felicia reassured Peter that the Owl was keeping his ears open for any news about May as a thank you for bringing back Electro and Vulture. He wasn’t happy that she was working for a gangster and she said she didn’t judge Peter for how he lived his life. He told her that he didn’t hurt people for a living. She said that that remark proved him wrong. MJ reminded them that this is why they broke up and Felicia left to meet with a source that might know about May’s kidnapping. (Marvel Knights Spider-Man (vol. 1) #5)
Cat told Spidey that Don Vincente Fortunato won an auction and was scrambling to pay the fee. Owl had stopped giving her information but after getting Shocker drunk, she learned that Eddie Brock auctioned the Venom symbiote. Fortunato bought the creature to make something out of his nerdy son, Angelo Fortunato. It was all the same to Spider-Man, who asked if she heard anything about his aunt. She hadn’t but didn’t think Venom had been involved. (Marvel Knights Spider-Man (vol. 1) #7)
Scorpion brought Peter up to speed and how Norman was behind it all, despite being in prison. That was the point. Osborn wanted Peter to break him out or else May died. (Marvel Knights Spider-Man (vol. 1) #9)
Peter and Felicia planned on breaking Osborn out, despite MJ disagreeing with the idea. Felicia told her that if the Green Goblin was free, things would just go back to normal. MJ retorted that that was stupid reasoning and wanted to know why they were taking advice from a burglar. Cat replied that she hadn’t broken into anywhere in a year and a half. MJ wasn’t impressed and told her to go find her own boyfriend. Peter told her there was no other way and left for Riker’s Island with Black Cat.
As they arrived, Cat said she wanted to hide their costumes by covering themselves with Daredevil’s and Elektra’s costumes, which made Peter laugh. Before they went in, she offered to go alone. Her conscience could handle committing a prison break but didn’t think Peter’s could. He went in and soon Cat had corrupted the security system, giving Spidey time to get to Osborn. The guards found his cell empty and hit the alarm as the three ran through the sewer. They managed to escape the guards in the sewer but were soon overwhelmed by Hydro-Man and Sandman. As the Green Goblin mocked their naivety, the Sinister Twelve circled around them. (Marvel Knights Spider-Man (vol. 1) #10)
While the Green Goblin was discussing with Mac (Venom) Gargan this deviation from the plan, Spidey and Cat used the distraction to escape the Twelve. She didn’t get far before Electro fried her and knocked her out. Vulture was furious, as he wanted payback for her defeating him and scarring his face. He decided to take it out on Spider-Man. As the dozen psychopaths attacked Spider-Man, he was saved by Captain America, Iron Man, Giant Man, Daredevil and the Fantastic Four. (Marvel Knights Spider-Man (vol. 1) #11)
May and MJ were saved from the Goblin and Octavius was taken back to prison. Osborn’s body was never found no matter how many times the river was dredged. Felicia had been taken to Beth Israel Memorial and checked in as Julie Newmar. It wasn’t until she asked Peter to go look after her cats that he realized how alone she was. (Marvel Knights Spider-Man (vol. 1) #12)
"Without a Trace"
Felicia got payback for helping Spidey break out Osborn when he helped her get into the Latverian Embassy. This was no simple task, as Latveria is the home of the dictatorial maniac, Victor von Doom. Felicia needed to steal something from Doom but refused to let Spidey know what it was. He was uneasy but knew he owed her after the Sinister Twelve debacle. After dealing with flamethrowers, lasers and a Doombot, they found the technology that Felicia was so worried would destroy so many lives: a Spider-tracer. Peter was indignant that she would have him break into the Embassy for one of his useless old tracers.
That's when Felicia explained why she didn't tell him what they were after. He would always take the superior attitude with her, not realizing that she knew the tracer was dead. The tracer was useless, but the fingerprint of Peter Parker that was on the tracer would be more valuable to certain people who would love to hurt Spider-Man and his loved ones. (Spider-Man Unlimited (Vol. 3) #14)
"Feral"
After Spidey was injured and chased to a rooftop by the Lizard (and Billy Connors, who was also in a Lizard form), he ran into Black Cat. She was feeling sarcastic, seeing the injury and asking if MJ had caught him with another woman. The Lizards showed up immediately, which served her just fine. She said she had wanted to tear into something all night. Spider-Man was appalled at how much she enjoyed hurting the Lizard, but he didn't have time to scold her. A resident of that building came to the roof with a shotgun and shot Billy as the boy fought Spider-Man. The Lizard screamed in anguish at seeing Billy get shot and Cat used the opportunity to kick it off of the roof. Spider-Man wanted to know what she had been thinking and she replied that she didn't know, she just couldn't stop. They stopped arguing when they saw that Billy was bleeding to death. (Sensational Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #24)
They took the dying boy to the Fantastic Four, and he was placed in a vat of liquid that would heal him. Mister Fantastic wondered if the sudden outbreaks of violence around the city, the attack of one of Mole Man's monsters, the return of the Lizard and Black Cat's violent urges were connected. He ran tests on both Spider-Man and Black Cat, believing that something was happening in the city that was making people like them act out. During one of the tests, Spider-Man's spider sense went off, telling him that Aunt May and Mary Jane were in danger. (They were being attacked by the Man-Wolf.) Black Cat left suddenly after Spider-Man, hating being poked and prodded. Mister Fantastic also made her feel creepy. (Sensational Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #25)
Felicia tried to calm herself on a rooftop, trying to fight the urge to kill and eat something. She was confronted by the Puma, who had also been feeling uncharacteristically aggressive. He had smelled her fear and anger from thirteen blocks away and wanted her to fight him, to get it out. She didn't resist. After a good punch in the face, she felt less desperate. Puma warned her that the feeling would come back and build up. (Sensational Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #26)
Cat and Puma showed up at the Natural History Museum, just in time to see the Lizard and Vermin tear each other apart. Puma went after Vermin (Cat said she had a thing against rats) and she had been interrupted from the Lizard, so she wanted a second try. She tried to reason with him but he wasn't listening, so she swung him into a tree. He was unconscious immediately. Vermin was also quickly beaten, which Puma credited to both of them already being exhausted. They caught up to Spider-Man inside the museum, where he was dangerously close to ending the source of the violence: Dr. Vincent Stegron. They assured him that when he cut off the radiation that was infecting the city, their violent urges ended. Later, Felicia and Thomas (Puma) had a date. (Sensational Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #27)
”The Lethal Foes of Peter Parker”
The fallout from Peter unmasking on live TV hit his friends hard. Liz and Normie were targeted by the Chameleon, who hired Scarecrow, Will O the Wisp to take them hostage. He also coerced the Molten Man into joining the scheme. (Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) #29)
”Nothing Can Stop the Rhino”
Peter, Mary Jane and May were on the run after Peter unmasked on live TV during the Superhuman Registration Act. They went into hiding in a cheap hotel but Spidey was found and badly beaten by the Rhino. Cat went to check on him but only found May and MJ. May was especially hostile to Felicia, thinking she was a bad influence. Black Cat called Puma, who had been following the Rhino and found him in Battery Park. He had supposedly been part of Chameleon’s team to take down Peter but since Chameleon had been captured, he wasn’t getting paid. He had broken into a liquor store and gotten drunk. Seeing how badly Peter had been hurt made her think of his rage after she had been beaten by Doctor Octopus. His fury at the mad scientist stayed with her.
Meanwhile, Puma radioed that a bunch of sailors had found Rhino and were picking a fight. She managed to get the sailors to leave and before Rhino could smash her, she started a conversation. She admitted that he was stronger than her and she had planned to take him down but she wanted to prove something. He questioned if they were going to fight and she told him that Puma had a bazooka that would knock him out of his skin. She told him to go home and sleep it off. She didn’t have to be a crazy ex-girlfriend and he didn’t have to be a gullible lackey. Rhino walked away and back at the hotel, she told MJ that she placed a tracking device on his shoulder. She silently thanked Peter for showing her that it’s not too late to figure out who you are. (Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) #34)
“The Last Temptation of Eddie Brock”
After Peter betrayed Iron Man, he went on the run with May and MJ. This left them vulnerable to his many enemies, eventually leading to May being shot by a sniper. She was taken to a hospital and was comatose, not expected to live long. Peter needed to talk to his aunt one last time, and he enlisted Madame Web to read her mind. Felicia stood guard as Peter, Mary Jane and Anna Watson said their goodbyes. (Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) #39)
”One More Day”
Felicia forgot Spider-Man's secret identity after Peter and Mary Jane made their marriage ending bargain with Mephisto. (Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) #41)
”Long Term Arrangement”
Spider-Man ran into the Cat as she was breaking into the penthouse apartment of Dexter Bennet, the current owner of the Daily Bugle. (Felicia had returned to crime after she was financially broken and couldn't get a loan to re-start Cat's Eye investigations because of her past robberies of various banks.) They found the body of a dead man behind a painting of Bennet, which came as a surprise to Felicia. She started to leave with the book that she came looking for, but the body was booby trapped. Black Cat and Spider-Man survived the steel spikes that exploded from the body, only to face the man behind the trap: Diablo.
Spider-Man and Cat escaped but Felicia gave Spidey the cold shoulder. He caught up to her, reminding her that she was the one that dumped him. She may have forgotten his identity but not the fun, the thrills and the heartache. She and Puma had ended their relationship, as Fireheart had some sort of "control issues," so Felicia and Peter had no qualms about a quick smooch on a rooftop. Unfortunately, a camera man was taping the kiss and broadcasting it live to the Times Square mega TV for Mary Jane to see. (Amazing Spider-Man #606)
”Out for Blood”
Spider-Man had given a sample of his blood to Martin Li, Mr. Negative, for the safety of a daughter of a Maggia leader. The blood could be used to create Devil’s Breath, a weapon that could kill anyone in Peter’s bloodline. He and Cat moved onto Mr. Negative’s Chinatown headquarters to get it back. Despite her thinking the ventilation duct would be a good time and place, Spidey moved them into the open building. Negative’s “Inner Demons” goons attacked from the next room and Cat left Spidey as a distraction. While he was busy, Felicia found the safe containing the blood sample and a stack of cash. (Shouldn’t the blood be kept cold?) Despite the temptation, she left it behind. She knew that nothing could be out of place and left a vial of pigs blood from a butcher shop in the safe. She met with Spidey on a rooftop and tried to get frisky again but he was sore from fighting Negative. She said he can do whatever a spider can but to call her when he can do what a man can do. (Amazing Spider-Man #621)
”It Is the Life”
Felicia promptly sold the vial to a group of vampire wannabes, leading Spidey to Morbius. She wasn’t concerned as she knew Spidey would get the sample back. (Amazing Spider-Man #622)
”The Trophy Hunters”
She broke into a jewelry store but was interrupted by an amateur thief and the guard. Spider-Man arrived in time to help her and later they met at the Pollard Hotel for private time. Afterwords, she took a ring she nabbed to a jeweler to authenticate it as part of a royal Russian collection. In Chicago, a failed burglary was blamed on the Black Cat which upset the suppliers of her gear. If her reputation suffered, so did theirs. Another thief, named Poet, informed Felicia that there had been a string of robberies over five years that repeated tactics. Cat believed that this new thief was trying to draw her out as bait. She guessed that the Faberge collection would be the next target. She found the new thief in action but they got away after Spider-Man arrived. He suspected that Cat had been behind the string of thefts of Imperial Russian artifacts. She was insulted and said they were done. She had stolen a Russian egg jewel from the museum and took it to her expert. She found him dead and the phone rang. It was the thief, who didn’t want her to learn anything more. He then asked when she last saw her mother. (Black Cat (vol. 2) #1)
"The Sting That Never Goes Away"
The relationship ended and Peter began dating Carlie Cooper. This didn't keep Spidey and Cat from working together, as they both broke into the Kingpin's headquarters to steal back a substance called reverbium. The material had been pilfered by the Hobgoblin (Phil Urich), who accidentally destroyed the skyscraper they were in by using his sonic laugh. The sonics were amplified by the reverbium, which caused the building to collapse. Kingpin, Hobgoblin, Spidey and Black Cat escaped. Montana was not so lucky. (Amazing Spider-Man #651)
”Devil and the Details”
Cat came across Spider-Man as he was webbing up a guy in an alley. Peter had just been dumped and was nervous around Felicia. (“You reek of desperation. And Axe, which is redundant.”) She wasn’t interested in being a rebound and went home alone. It was there that she was arrested by the police. Security footage at Horizon Labs caught her stealing hologram technology. She soon broke herself out of prison during a prison transport. Her bad luck power caused the driver to hit a pothole and the guard to miss as she shot at the escaping Felicia. After the guard was knocked out, Felicia stole the prison car. She found Spider-Man and Daredevil trapped underground in New York, after they fell for an illusion. (Amazing Spider-Man #677)
Spidey had touched underground electrical cables which made it look like she was trying to kill him. Daredevil knocked her away and she said she wasn’t killing him, just hurting him as payback for him turning her in to the police. She accused Spider-Man of planting a tracer on her and leading the police to her for refusing to sleep with him. They realized that they’d both been set up and went to find the scientist that invented the hologram machine. They found him and he confessed that he’d stolen his own machine and sold it to a third party. Daredevil smelled a chemical in the scientists sweat and knew he had ten minutes to live. The third party had poisoned the scientist after he showed them how to use the device and Spidey took him to a hospital. Together Cat and Daredevil took down the third party. Felicia noticed that he seemed dissatisfied and he didn’t like the dangling questions. She distracted him, not telling him that she had been hired by Black Specter. She was supposed to be blackmailed in prison to steal an item from Daredevil but her escape complicated the plan. She didn’t have to distract him for too long, since Foggy called Matt to tell him his fathers grave had been stolen. (How does any of that story make any sense?) (Daredevil (vol. 3) #8)
"Necessary Evil"
She had a brief but intense encounter with Spider-Man (Octavius) after she was caught leaving the scene of a burglary. Expecting the usual banter from her ex, she was instead stunned when he punched her in the mouth, knocking a tooth out. He then webbed her to a wall and swung away. She swore that she would never forget what he had done. (Superior Spider-Man #20)
"Original Sin"
Felicia was humiliated by her arrest and was soon cut off from her high society friends. Her humiliation was worsened by Octavius's public comments that he hadn't given her a second thought after her arrest. As she stewed in anger at the New York County Jail, her luck changed when Electro arrived to break out all of the inmates. His attempt failed and he accidentally fried the inmates, except for Felicia, whose luck powers saved her. She was soon free and plotting revenge on Spider-Man, who by this time was Peter Parker again. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #1)
Felicia soon found Spidey in battle with Electro and observed the fight. Her bad luck powers prevented Spidey from using a fire hydrant to short out Electro but a small amount of water did cause him to flee. She decided to keep an eye on Max. (Amazing Spider-Man #2 vol. 3) While Spider-Man was evacuating people from a burning building, Black Cat attacked him, reminding him of what he did to her. He tried to explain that Doctor Octopus had taken over his body but she didn't care. Spider-Man had ruined her life and Spider-Man was going to pay for it. He fooled her into thinking that he was still Otto Octavius and she fled. Outside the building, she found some Parker Industry scientists and their "Electro tracker." She took it from them and followed Max, making a deal with him. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #3)
Later, Black Cat arrived at Parker Industries to learn what they were working on. As she wasn't a scientist, she kidnapped Dr. Sajani. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #4) She soon showed up at a gambling parlor where the Eel was planning his comeback. She showed up to steal his thunder, with the help of Electro. He soon fried Eel's underlings. Black Cat announced her arrival at a meeting between Mr. Negative and the Hobgoblin (Phil Urich) by tossing Eel's body through the sky-light. They had been waiting for Eel's arrival and Cat claimed that she just took his place in their group. Mister Negative and Hobgoblin were reluctant to let her join but she persuaded them that she could squash the spider and break the man. As Peter Parker was being interviewed on TV regarding Parker Industries attempts to create new super villain containment systems, the studio was attacked by Black Cat and Electro. Cat and Electro were held off by Spidey's new ally, Silk, while Peter changed to Spider-Man. While Electro and Silk fought, Spidey got hit by a electric bolt. Felicia took advantage of the situation by threatening to take his mask off for the TV. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #5)
Cat's plan to expose Peter was ruined by Jonah Jameson, who was standing in the way of the camera after he was unmasked. Silk managed to web up Peter's face and carry him to safety. Felicia noted that Spidey had some new muscle behind him, and she decided that it was time for her to do the same. She told Max to keep an eye on Dr. Jaffrey and she went to The Bar With No Name to recruit some other super-crooks. The group was uneager to work for her, as she was paired with the unstable Electro. Felicia soon went to speak with Dr. Jaffrey, who told her exactly how to short out the Electro-depowering device.
Max and Felicia disguised themselves as Parker Industry employees at the demonstration of the depowering machine. Felicia planned to use the machine to increase Max's power, but the arrival of Spider-Man and Silk made her decide to use the machine to overload Electro, making him explode. Spider-Man begged her to use her luck powers to stop the malfunctioning machine and she told him she'd rather watch him fry. Her previous relationship with him made her weak and that he had been an unlucky part of her life. After Silk rescued Max and Spidey, Felicia escaped and headed back to meet with various criminals at The Slide Away (former headquarters of the Eel.) She told the assembled (Spot, Beetle, Speed Demon, Boomerang and others) that if they joined her, they'd get whatever they wanted. She soon planned on becoming the Queen of New York crime. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #6)
”Spiral”
Spider-Man and Wraith (Yuri Watanabe) had
”Venom, Inc”
Felicia’s gang was made up of Scorpion, Killer Shrike, Hammerhead and others. They were soon under the control of Lee Price, who was bonded to a portion of the Venom symbiote and called himself Maniac. The Looter had already been possessed by Price’s symbiote. (Amazing Spider-Man #792)
"Hunted"
After she went straight again, Felicia met with her former employee, Hammerhead. He told her that since he had become an independent gangster again, he had become partners with the Owl, who had gone missing. Owl's contacts were too important to be lost, so Hammerhead needed Cat to find him. Owl had a nice collection of artwork that she was welcome to steal in return for bringing him back. Rumors had gone around that criminals with animal themes were disappearing, all thanks to Taskmaster and Black Ant. Black Cat found the two at the Port of New York on a ship carrying many missing criminals in cryochambers. Among them was Billy Connors, the son of Curt Connors. She promised him that she was there with other superheroes, who would be with him in a moment. She found Owl and debated if she should take him and then come back for Billy, rescue both of them, or save Owl and let someone else know about the kid. She went back for Billy, but was kicked in the head by Black Ant, who had been watching her the whole time.
She was soon attacked by both mercenaries and tried to run, knowing that as they were both former S.H.E.I.L.D. agents, she was outclassed. After briefly blinding them with a flash bomb, she ran and activated a spider-tracer that Spidey had given her years ago. Speaking into it, she told him her situation but was knocked out by Taskmaster before she could finish the message. The tracer flew away and made it's way to Spider-Man. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #16.HU)
The message was unclear but he made out that Felicia and Billy were at the Port....but he didn't know they had been moved to the Plaza Hotel. She was okay with the change in location, but not happy about sharing her room with Billy. He sat in the corner crying about wanting his mother and being scared. She never liked kids and she resented that she was in her situation because she went back for "Snake Kid." (Billy was in a human/lizard form, part of the hazards of being the son of the Lizard.) Still, she forced herself to be compassionate and told Billy they'd be ok and she had a plan. She was interrupted by Sergei Kravinoff, who certainly hoped she had a good plan. Kraven told them that they were bait for Spider-Man, which absolutely infuriated Cat. If Spider-Man didn't kill him, she would. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #17)
She and Billy were moved again, this time to the Central Park Zoo, in a separate cage from the animals. She asked a guard to get a sweater for Billy, but they guard refused. He did say that he had seen her stare at him all night but he was too smart for the seductive woman act. She admitted she had been staring, but only to focus her bad luck power. Cat explained her bad luck could come as slipping on a banana peel, jamming a gun, or breaking the lock on a cage. The cage to the snow leopard then opened and the big cat killed the guard. She took the swipe key off of the dead guard and freed them, but had to convince the terrified Billy that they had to save themselves. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #19)
As they made their way out of the zoo, they were confronted by one of the robots that had been built by Arcade and piloted by a rich hunter wannabe. (The whole point of this was that wealthy jerks paid Arcade to build robots that they would pilot, for the purpose of hunting and killing the kidnapped animal themed criminals that had been disappearing. This served Kraven's desire to kill those that would sully nature by taking the likeness of animals. He always wanted to see the criminals kill the weaklings that thought of themselves as hunters.) The robot/hunter that faced the Black Cat was glad to see her, because he always hated cats. She didn't have much luck against the machine but tried to draw him away from Billy. The robot detected him hiding in the bushes, and Cat was shot while trying to defend him. The pilot was surprised to see that the "lizard guy" he found was just a kid and walked away. He thought he was killing monsters, not kids. Meanwhile, Cat was injured on the sidewalk. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #20)
She put on a brave face despite the pain, telling Billy his dad would find them soon. Billy said he didn't want his dad to find them, because of what a monster he is. At the same time, they were being recorded and the footage was being sent to a cell holding Spider-Man and Billy's father. Kraven wanted them to watch as his son (a clone of himself) attacked Cat and Billy. The clone was soon threatening them with a knife. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #21) Kraven's son beat Black Cat with punches and kicks, without her able to respond. She was soon stabbed in the back and left on the ground. The clone turned to Billy and raised his knife but was tackled by the Lizard. The clone was taken by surprise and driven off, spared only because the Lizard stopped when it saw the look of horror on Billy's face. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #22) Cat returned Billy to the Connors family hideout in the sewer, still holding the injury from the fight. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #23)
"King in Black"
Having stolen the spider-buggy, Dr. Korpse and Bruno Grainger were hauling down the ceiling of an underground S.H.E.I.L.D. service tunnel and following a truck carrying items from the decommissioned agency. The tunnel collapsed suddenly, ruining their heist. The tunnel caved in due to a huge dragon-like creature, which then reassembled and flew back into the sky. There had been an evacuation order of a possible alien invasion but it hadn't been taken seriously, as the Avengers always stopped invasions. Cat ordered her team to evacuate to New Jersey and went above ground to see what happened. She saw Captain America giving orders to push the symbiotes back, no matter how. She immediately knew this to be "Venom stuff." Cap told her they were having a hard time but the X-Men and Doctor Strange were on the scene, keeping things from getting worse. Cat confidently watched Strange battle the dragon symbiotes in the sky but just as quickly they overwhelmed him. She then witnessed the arrival of Knull, god of the symbiotes, who easily tore apart the Sentry. Other heroes, like the Fantastic Four and the X-Men were consumed by the living blackness as well.
After seeing all of this, she retreated to Alchemax in order to talk to Dr. Steve, who had experience with Venom. He was the company's expert on alien biology and would know how to handle a full symbiote invasion. He became a part of her crew, even if he called Venom a hero and Felicia called him "a dangerous loser." Her plan was to steal Doctor Strange back from Knull. (Black Cat (Vol. 3) #1)
She was soon riding a Green Goblin glider to the symbiote hive on the Chrysler building with two containers of Anti-Venom, knowing it’s usefulness was only minutes. She also brought Strange’s ghost dog, to help find his master quickly. Strange was unconscious but was soon enveloped in Anti-Venom and being rescued. Cat’s picked them up in the spider buggy but were pursued by symbiote dragons. They made it back to Alchemax but the buggy was destroyed. In desperation Cat used an artifact, Yggdrasil, that the dog had brought with him from the Sanctum, despite it’s objections. She was soon wearing Asgardian armor. (Black Cat (Vol. 4) #2)
She awoke in a dark, empty space and assumed she was dead. She was greeted by a being that claimed to be ancient and magical. It took the form of the Black Fox and it told her the fight with the symbiote dragons was going badly. By using the artifact, she gave the ancient entity the chance to be free. It wanted to carve it’s mark onto Creation and he needed her to be the conduit. On one hand she was fighting the dragons but was also speaking with the entity, who asked her when the first time was she really felt powerless. She remembered being told by her mother that her father had died in a plane crash when he had actually been sent to prison. (Meanwhile in reality, Doctor Strange had awoken to find that she had used Yggdrasil. He said that she was using raw power, worse than Knull’s invasion. She needed to stop using it but of her own free will.) She had been resisting the creature’s temptation until offered her the ability to punish all of her enemies. It offered her the power to make superheroes and villains bow to her and to make every past lover return to her. She was insulted and refused to make someone love her with magic. She gave up the power and was returned to reality. Doctor Strange was impressed that she hadn’t killed them all. She had him send her crew to safety and then she and Strange went to work on the invasion. (Black Cat (vol. 4) #3)
She was later targeted by Lily Hollister, who was calling herself Queen Cat. Hollister’s mind had been wiped after falling into the river by the Goblin King. She claimed that Lily Hollister had died then and might as well have been someone else. Her life was rebuilt with help from Roderick Kingsley, the Hobgoblin, during the Axis event. All she remembered that that Lily Hollister ruined everything she touched and she never wanted to go back to that. She had taken a job as security at an art museum that Black Cat robbed, so she was going to bring her to the police. Felicia and her crew overwhelmed her quickly but Felicia was entertained by her. If she wanted the Black Cat to be her arch enemy that was fine. She knocked Hollister out anyway. (Black Cat (vol. 4) #4)
”The Guilded City”
Black Cat decided it was time for revenge against the Thieves Guild and planned to rob them. Black Fox led the way and surprised her with the route he took to the Guild’s vaults. He told her that the vaults weren’t actually vaults but were underground caves. The treasure was protected by a supernatural being called The Guilded Saint, who could grant wealth and immortality. He said they would not fight the Saint but Fox needed him, because he was dying.
”Beyond”
Peter was badly poisoned by radiation after battling the U-Foes and was in dire condition in the hospital. As he slowly recovered, she and Captain America gave him extra physical therapy and training. He had difficulty keeping up with Felicia as they bounded across rooftops. As a test, she had him and Cap chase her and her crew after they robbed a jewelry store. Later, they posed as thieves and let Peter attack them but they quickly beat him. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #87)
This didn’t deter his determination to stop an attack by the Queen Goblin (Ashley Kafka) at the Daily Bugle. Cat stopped him by webbing him to his hospital bed, then went after the new Goblin. Cat rescued MJ from Queen Goblin and went after her but was immediately overwhelmed and subjected to her Goblin Gaze. This let Goblin look into her mind and see Black Cat’s insecurities. She psychically told Cat that the world would be better without her, and Felicia stepped off the glider, falling toward the ground. She was saved by Peter, who was still weak. MJ waited for them on the ground and gave him a spare costume while Felicia recovered. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #89)
Queen Goblin escaped from Spider-Man but he managed to grab her headpiece. It doubled as a radio and Peter, MJ and Cat overheard commutations from the Beyond Corporation. The communication mentioned a facility on Staten Island and soon Peter and Ben Reilly were on their way. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #90)
”A World Without Love”
Six months after an unknown event that put out Spider-Man from his allies (and Peter from his friends), Black Cat went to visit Mary Jane. MJ was putting a little girl named Romy to bed. Cat asked if she had seen Peter and MJ looked annoyed, saying she hadn’t heard from him. She asked if everything was okay and Cat gave an unconvincing “maybe.” The rumor was that he’d had a fight with someone and she couldn’t get a hold of him. She left, saying Romy was a cute kid. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6) #4)
She waited for him outside of his apartment building and soon saw Spider-Man arrive on the roof. She was soon with him asking how bad things were and she saw his bloody, beaten face. (He’d been kidnapped and beaten by Tombstone.) He didn’t want help and she understood that his heart was broken. Peter had been suffering ever since Ben had been hurt at Beyond. When he said he didn’t know what to do, she told him to stop being hurt and be himself. He was best when having fun. He insisted on handling the situation alone and she left, telling him to look her up when his smile came back. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6) #5)
Peter finally accepted that MJ was with a man named Paul with two young children. He went out with Cat one night, after telling her he would “warm her up on a cold night.” They actually went after the Scorchers. Afterward, she talked him into going upstate to a ski lodge for the weekend. She drove them to the lodge in a convertible, despite it being winter. Unfortunately, MJ and Paul were at the same lodge and Peter tried to reassure them it was a coincidence. To ease the tension, Felicia dropped Peter’s bathrobe and exposed his cat themed boxers. Just then the lodge rumbled and Peter and Felicia ran off.
Spider-Man explained the difference between an actual earthquake and one of Shocker’s blasts when they came to the source of the shock. They found a fake group of the Sinister Six hunting the White Rabbit, and after a brief fight, Rabbit explained. The six wannabes were all having a launch party for a startup. White Rabbit was still working for Tombstone and was supposed to sell the weapons of the various Sinister Six members. Instead, she rented it to the rich for high risk “war games.” The party stopped when they found that Mychal (the Mysterio wannabe) was dead with an umbrella in his head. Spider-Man told everyone to take off their gear until they got things figured out and naturally, they refused. Rabbit mentioned that she could barely turn on her phone, much less install remote kill switches. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6) #19)
None of them were ever in too much danger and Cat and Rabbit actually discussed Cat’s relationship with Spider. Rabbit assured her that she could do better while telling Cat that she killed five of her elderly husbands via heart attacks. After the not so Sinister Six were webbed up, Rabbit and her sidekick Kareem left. Peter told Cat that MJ had been a part of his life for a long time and he’d always love her but now it was more as a best friend. They headed back to the resort in time for the couple’s massage. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6) #20)
Spider-Man was still angry after Ms. Marvel had died in his arms and wasn’t playing games when he and Felicia went after the Shocker. After Spidey was briefly out of the fight, Cat whispered to Shocker that she had been the one to tip him off to the too-good-to-be-true heist. He was furious that she had set him up but his gauntlets fell off when he tried to blast her. She had tampered with his device when they talked. He yelled that he’d kill them both, which is when Spider-Man hit him, screaming that no one would die. She asked if he felt better and he didn’t. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6) #27)
To everyone’s surprise, Felicia showed up to the bachelorette party for Janice Lincoln, the daughter of Tombstone. Janice’s bridesmaids (Francine Frye, Carolyn Trainer, White Rabbit, Scorpia) were less than happy to see Spider-Man’s girlfriend arrive but after a few drinks they were all in costume and causing mayhem. As the ladies humiliated some rival gang’s drug smugglers, Janice and Cat discussed their relationships. Janice was glad that Randy Robertson still tried to get her to give up crime. It showed he still cared. She’d be worried if he stopped. Felicia went to talk to Peter and said he hadn’t been trying to get her to stop stealing. She also hadn’t tried to corrupt him. They realized they were just going through the motions. She wanted a relationship, not a project. She had made him feel better and it was fun but it was over. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6) #31)
Quiz: Quick Quiz on Black Cat.
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Appearances
Thanks To
The assistance of the Marvel Chronology Project is gratefully acknowledged.
Some of the above information is extracted from the various versions of the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe and the more recent Marvel Encyclopaedias.