Marvel Confirms Spider-Man’s Ally Black Cat is Bisexual

This article contains spoilers for Black Cat #5

Marvel has confirmed Spider-Man‘s ally, and sometime lover, Black Cat is actually bisexual. Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery is one of the best in comics, second only to Batman. One of the more interesting characters is Felicia Hardy, aka the Black Cat, a sneak thief who’s sometimes a thorn in the wall-crawler’s side and at other times is his best ally and even lover.

Many fans have long speculated that Black Cat is actually bisexual. In the MC2 universe of Spider-Girl, Felicia married Flash Thompson and had two children with him before they divorced, and she began a romantic relationship with a female colleague; that particular timeline seemed firmly linked to the mainstream one until “One More Day,” meaning most readers assumed this was a subtle way for Marvel to suggest she’s bisexual. One line of dialogue in the Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do miniseries appeared to confirm this, but it was swiftly forgotten. But the last Black Cat run seemed to be finally developing this idea, introducing an old “friend” of Felicia’s called Tamara Blake with whom Felicia clearly had history—and in 2020’s Black Cat #10 they even held hands beneath a table out of sight, a scene that artist Kris Anka carefully drew attention to for readers.

Black Cat #5, by Jed MacKay and Michael Dowling, finally makes the subtext explicit. It features a flashback in which Felicia talks with her mentor the Fox about her future as a professional thief, and how she was reluctant to share that part of herself with Tamara. “She won’t forgive me for this,” Felicia observes. “A young heart is easily broken, my dear,” the Fox replies. “But likewise, it will mend easily. With time.” The conversation clearly confirms this was more than just a friendship, and was actually a real relationship.

It seems we can officially consider Black Cat to number among Marvel’s queer heroes. It’s particularly pleasing to see Felicia retconned as always being bisexual in such a skillful manner; the revelation has been treated in an understated manner, as though it was always a part of Felicia’s identity but just something readers didn’t know about her. That makes sense, because the vast majority of Black Cat stories have been told through Spider-Man‘s eyes. He’s one of Felicia’s most notable love interests, meaning her relationships with men are previously all we’ve really seen. There’s a whole side to Black Cat’s identity that has been concealed from Peter Parker, and consequently from the readers themselves. That’s quite thrilling.

It will be interesting to see how MacKay continues to develop this theme, and whether the relationship between Black Cat and Tamara is developed as this series continues. Marvel’s current Black Cat run has consistently been one of its most enjoyable books, a character study packed with humor and action, and it will be thrilling to see what MacKay has in store for Felicia Hardy.

About The Author

Thomas Bacon
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Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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