Spider-Man’s Tragic Villain is Marvel’s Most Dangerous New Hero

Warning: includes a preview for the upcoming Black Cat #4!

Tragic Spider-Man character Lily Hollister  – formerly the super-villain Menace – is embarking on a vigilante career as the heroic Queen Cat. But while her heart is in the right place, Queen Cat is more dangerous than the average superhero, and her misguided campaign against crime is about to see her go up against Marvel Comics’ greatest thief, the Black Cat – a clash which could have more devastating consequences than many might assume.

First appearing in Joe Quesada and J. Michael Straczynski’s Amazing Spider-Man #545, Lily Hollister began as a creative new addition to Peter Parker’s revamped social circle – the girlfriend of Peter’s troubled friend Harry Osborn and daughter of District Attorney Bill Hollister, whose campaign for mayor was being targeted by the super-villain Menace. Menace’s gadgets and grotesque appearance bore a striking similarity to classic villain the Green Goblin. Ultimately, Menace was revealed to be Lily, her sanity twisted by accidental exposure to a cache of the Green Goblin’s chemicals, and with a plan to drum up public sympathy for her father by targeting him as her alter-ego.

From there, things got even darker. Joining up with Norman Osborn, Lily fell pregnant, oscillating between telling Harry and Norman that they were each the father, and widening the damaging rift that already existed between the Green Goblin and his son. Eventually given the antidote to the chemicals that had twisted her mind and body, Lily was injured by one of her evil allies and awoke with no memory of her past life, getting swept up in the Hobgoblin’s attempt to capitalize on hero and villain brands and becoming a knock-off version of the Black Cat. Now, a Marvel Comics preview of Black Cat #4 – from Jed MacKay and Nina Vakueva – reveals that even after the collapse of Hobgoblin’s scheme, Lily is trying to continue her vigilante career as Queen Cat, but feels compelled to take down the antihero who inspired her persona. Enjoy the preview pages and issue summary:

“THE QUEEN CAT” There’s another Cat on the scene and she doesn’t play nice. Lily Hollister’s life has taken some turns. From socialite daughter of the district attorney to fiancée of Harry Osborn to goblinized Menace… The last turn to imitation hero called Queen Cat seems to have stuck. But now that Queen Cat has set her sights on the Black Cat, does Felicia stand a chance? Or will this misguided attempt screw up all of Felicia and Black Fox’s plans?

After introducing Lily, the preview shifts to her perspective on 2019’s Black Cat #1 (a previous series also from MacKay), revealing she’s been on Felicia’s tail for a long time, obsessing over how the Black Cat’s existence as the ‘original’ makes a mockery of her own heroic identity. Felicia has been more hero than villain lately, helping to free Doctor Strange from the King in Black, but it’s not just her target that makes Queen Cat so dangerous. Rather than being motivated by a desire to help others or prevent tragedy, Lily is clutching tight to a new identity that represents her last chance at redemption. When she and Felicia clash, it won’t be because Lily wants to stop her crimes, but because Felicia poses an existential threat to Queen Cat’s new life. Lily’s mission isn’t to stop a villain, but to destroy an identity, and it’s unlikely that aim can end in anything but tragedy.

But what makes Lily truly dangerous are the buried memories of her time as Menace. It was never clear how much of Lily’s villainy came from the Goblin Serum and how much from her own choices, and there were hints that her transformation had simply given her the chance to express significant inner darkness. On top of that, the Goblin Serum is one of Marvel’s most tenacious chemical cocktails, dragging its victims back into the darkness again and again.

Dangerous as Queen Cat’s selfish motivations are, what this new hero doesn’t understand is that she’s the paper-thin veneer covering the potential return of one of Spider-Man‘s most tragic and most twisted villains. It’s unclear how Queen Cat could ever be at peace with Black Cat‘s existence, but if Lily can’t find a way to co-exist with Felicia, she leaves herself open to Menace’s return, and all the murderous consequences that would bring with it.

About The Author

Robert Wood
(397 Articles Published)

Robert Wood is a comics editor for Screen Rant and the author of ‘The False Elephant (and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories).’ He received his Master’s in English Literature from Lancaster University, and now happily spends his days applying it to Daredevil and the Hulk.

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