Black Cat

Character Profiles » Black Cat

Real Name: Felicia Hardy

Portrayed By	Abbie Cornish
Gender	Female
Place of Birth	Flushing, New York
Date of Birth	May 13
Age	22
Aliases	Felicia Harmon
Origin	Human
Current Location	New York
Occupation	Thief, Sometimes Hero
Team	Solo
Alignment	Random
Known Relatives	Walter Hardy (Father, Deceased), Lydia hardy (Mother, Deceased)
Significant Other	Spider-Man?
Identity	Known to Legal Authorities
Known Abilities	Peak Human Physical condition, expert thief

Character Details

Growing up in Flushing, New York, Felicia Hardy had the life every little girl dreams of. She was daddy's little princess and never wanted for anything, least of all encouragement. Walter Hardy constantly told his daughter to never settle for second best in anything; she could be whoever and whatever she wanted to be. Felicia loved her father and wanted to be just like him when she grew up. But then he disappeared and her mother told Felicia that Walter had died in a plane crash.

Several years later, when Lydia Hardy thought Felicia could handle it, she told her daughter the truth: Walter was a master cat burglar who had been caught and sent to jail. Lydia had hoped that the truth would cause Felicia to move past idolizing her father. Instead, Felicia still wanted to follow in his footsteps and started training in secret. Nothing kept her from her desire of being the best cat burglar in the world; even being raped her freshman year at ESU by her then boyfreind only added anger to fuel her focus and determination.

After years of study under the best thieves in the business, Felicia started doing some basic breaking & entering jobs. The ease of these jobs encouraged Felicia to take the next step. Using blueprints she found for a grapple line and launcher her father had developed, Felicia streamlined the design to incorporate it into a costume. Calling herself the Black Cat, Felicia's first adventure in costume was to try and break her father out of prison before he died. Everything was going well until Spider-Man showed up to try and stop the break-out

Felicia managed to defeat Spider-Man and get her father out. When Walter died a month later, Felicia set out on her career as a cat burglar again. Which lead to more encounters with Spider-Man. Sometimes she'd win, sometimes she'd lose. And sometimes she'd let herself be captured. But win or lose, she'd always escape and be back on the prowl another night. Over time, the flirtations between Felicia and Spider-Man grew more serious, and eventually, she promised him that she was giving up crime and started being his partner.

Things between Felicia and Spider-Man started getting serious. What cemented Peter's feelings for her, though, was the near fatal beating Doc Ock gave Felicia when the pair were fighting him. Seeing Felicia lying in a hospital bed, Peter realized that he loved her and revealed his secret identity to her. The revelation of the heroic Spider-man being an average guy in a little apartment was a shock to Felicia, and she was disappointed that he wasn't the great man she had made him up to be in her mind. Felicia still cared for Peter, but for her, the magic was gone.

Black Cat and Spider-Man continued to be partners, although Felicia became concerned that her lack of powers was putting Spider-Man at risk. To make the partnership more even, Felicia started looking around the hero community to try and gain powers. However, Tony Stark, Reed Richards, and Hank Pym all rejected her based on her record, leaving her with more shady options. Felicia ended up going to the Kingpin, who had his scientists give her powers in exchange for a couple of jobs. Using the same machine that empowered the Scorpion and the Fly, Felicia was given an aura of 'bad luck' to cause things to go wrong for those that crossed her. What Felicia didn't know is that the bad luck power she received also worked on a subconscious level; whenever Felicia was frustrated with Spider-Man, she would subconsciously imbue him with bad luck. Eventually, from being around Felicia so much, Spider-Man was permanently cursed with bad luck. Also, the fact that Felicia would never tell him where she got her powers from built up tension between the pair, leading to Peter breaking up with Felicia.

Shortly after the break-up, Spider-man sought out Doctor Strange to be cured of his 'bad luck'. The spell that Strange used also affected Felicia, stripping away the bad luck aura while giving her super-human strength, agility, heightened senses, and retractable claws. Feeling more confident with these new powers, Felicia tried to mend her relationship with Spider-Man, standing by him when he was accused of murder. Unfortunately, this rekindling was just an act; Felicia was still hurting over Peter breaking up with her and tried to get revenge on him by framing him for the murder with her new lover, the mercenary called The Foreigner. Felicia's plan backfired, though, as she realized that even hurt, she was still in love with Peter. She eventually double-crossed The Foreigner, clearing Spider-Man's name.

After the incident with The Foreigner, Felicia went to live in Europe for a while to sort out her feelings. But when she returned, Peter had grown closer to Mary Jane Watson. Angry and jealous, she began harassing the couple, threatening Mary Jane and eventually hooking up with Flash Thompson as a way of taunting Peter. But again, her scheme of revenge backfired on her as she realized that her feelings for Flash were starting to grow and she was starting to love him. Flash eventually discovered Felicia's past and her true intentions and broke up with her. Humbled yet again, Felicia worked hard to move past her jealousy and eventually made amends with Peter and MJ. When Spider-Man was being threatened by the Chameloen with a machine that would strip the webhead of all powers, Felicia sacrificed herself, taking the blast and losing all her powers instead.

For a time, Felicia tried to stay in New York, but the loss of her powers combined with seeing the man she loved with another woman was too much for her. She moved away and spend the next year travelling around Europe and Asia, plying her trade as one of the world's greatest thieves. But it was all too easy compared to the action and danger that working in New York had been. She was successful, but it all seemed a bit hollow now. Swallowing her pride, she moved back to New York, contacting the Tinkerer first to have the genius inventor create a new costume for her that would mimic some of the superhuman abilities she had. With the new costume now ready, Felicia is easing back into the night life of Manhattan's metahuman community. She's still not sure which side of the good/bad fence she's going to land on, though.

Flirty: Felicia is a tremendous flirt, working in sexual innuendos with her banter. Mainly, the recipient of this kind of attention is Spider-Man, although she knows that one of her best weapons against men is her attractive looks. She's an expert at teasing and toying with men to get them bothered and not thinking straight, which gives her opportunities to exploit.

Possessive: Felicia has a very territorial instinct, especially regarding men. Being a thief, she subscribes to the old "possession is 9/10th of the law" adage, and she keeps things and people she cares about close to her. Sometimes, she keeps her men too close since she's ruined a couple of relationships through her jealousy.

Hot-Tempered: Like a cat, Felicia's mood can swing drastically and without warning if the wrong thing is said or done. While 'on the job, she's rational and professional, but when the threat or danger is gone, she'll lash out if she thinks she's been wronged, often hurting people she cares about and sometimes herself.

Thrill-Seeker: There's no denying that Felicia is an adrenaline junkie. The thrill of out-smarting a security system or making dramatic exits is a big part of the reason why she can't just give up being a thief. She does get some of the same thrills in fighting the 'bad guys', but the payoff just isn't the same

Mercenary: The other big reason why Felicia never seems to stay straight is that, plain and simple, she loves money and possessions. Her father spoiled her has a child, and she's so good at being a thief, that it's hardly like work at all to her. Stealing is the easiest way for Felicia to get everything she wants in life, and it pays very well.

Struggles With Being Good: Felicia tries to be good. Deep down, she's even a good person and will sometimes sacrifice herself to help others. Mostly, though, when she's good it's because she's trying to live up to what she thinks Spider-Man would expect of her. Or because her sacrifice would help Spidey directly. Right now, she's good because she wants Spidey to care about her, although there is a small part of her that realizes that being a hero is better than being a thief; it's going to take some time for that seed to grow, though.

MASTER THIEF: Felicia is one of the most skilled thieves at large today. She is able to overcome the most advanced security and alarm systems, crack any physical combination lock, and can bypass digital locks. She is an expert in escaping from bonds and always hides a few lock-picks in her costume to get out of handcuffs and other restraints. She is also well-skilled in pick-pocketing, palming, and concealing small items.

STEALTH: Along with her skills as a thief, Felica is an expert at moving silently and hiding in shadows. Using misdirection, she can disappear from sight in the time it takes an observer to glance away.

ACROBATICS: Even without her enhanced agility, Felicia is an Olympic-caliber gymnast and acrobat. She routinely evades laser security systems by leaping, flipping, and twisting through the air towards her target. She also uses her acrobatic skills in fighting and swinging between buildings.

INVESTIGATION: Although she started learning investigation techniques to learn how not to get caught, Felicia sometimes uses her skills and knowledge as a private investigator while she's trying to be good. She's skill in tailing, observation, evidence analysis, and some basic computer hacking skills. Her hacking skills are nowhere near as good as her breaking & entering skills, mainly just good enough to break simple passwords and find hidden files.

CONNOISSUER: From a young age, Felicia always was given the best of everything. As a thief, she's kept up with evaluating the best of art, jewelry, and other items of value. While she focuses mainly on jewels, she does steal works of art, rare books, or rare collections if she knows what they will fetch on the black market or has a commission to do so. She's able to determine real jewelry from fake, even in dim light, and can quickly assess the street value of any valuables she may come across on a job.

STREETWISE: Although she tries to live above it, Felicia knows the ins and outs of life on the streets. Even in a city she's unfamiliar with, she knows the signs of where to go and who to ask to find the local black market or sources of information. She keeps up to date on major crime figures and the ways of contacting them about jobs through middlemen. When she's going straight, she uses her streetwise knowledge to gather information.

MARTIAL ARTS: Felicia trained for years in judo and karate, being the equivalent of a black belt in each. She is an expert in hand-to-hand combat, able to fight off several skilled attackers at once. If pushed too far, her ferocity in melee can match scrappers like Wolverine or Sabertooth.

WEALTH: Felicia has amassed a sizable fortune from her thievery as well as what her father left her. All her money is laundered and kept in off-shore accounts with a few investments made. While near Tony Stark levels of wealth, she has enough to live comfortably for a long time.

APARTMENT: Felicia lives in a rather spacious apartment in Manhattan off 5 th Avenue. The decor is tasteful and moderately expensive, just enough to match the neighborhood. Appliances and home electronics are all top of the line, and the security system is state of the art.

CAR: Befitting her nature and code name, Felicia drives around Manhattan in a black Jaguar XKE.

SPIDER-MAN: Felicia has had a long on and off relationship with Spider-Man. They are both aware of each other's identities, although they are careful not to call each other by name in public. Although it may take some convincing, Felicia can call on Spidey for help if he thinks the reason and cause are good. Also, Spider-Man can usually goad Felicia into helping out long-term, despite any mercenary inclination she may have. If Spider-Man is in trouble, she will not hesitate to rescue him.

CRIMINAL UNDERWORLD: Felicia's built up a long list of criminal contacts over the years. She can usually go to them for information, although their willingness to help her out depends on which side of the law she's currently on. Good thing she has lots of different ways to persuade them to cooperate.

FLASH THOMPSON: After Spider-Man married Mary Jane, Felicia got into a long term relationship with Flash Thompson. Originally, the plan was to try and make Peter jealous or try and hurt him through his friend. Felicia was surprised to find that she actually had real feelings for Flash after she did a bit of soul searching. Ultimately, though, Flash left her when she revealed her identity to him. If she ever needed help or information from him, she could possibly sweet talk him into helping. Of course, it would be easier if she could show that helping her would help Spider-Man.

COSTUME: Black Cat's costume is custom made for her by the Tinkerer and enhances Felicia's natural athletic abilities to superhuman levels. In addition to being thermally insulated and resistant to bullets and cutting, it also contains a mesh weave to reduce damage from energy attacks and micro-servos that boosts Felicia's strength, enabling her to lift up to 800 pounds over her head. The servos also allow her to jump up to 20 feet straight up and 60 feet across. The costume also enhances Felicia's agility, putting her on par with Spider-Man or Daredevil and able to dodge laser blasts. The gloves contain retractable claws that can cut glass, wood, masonry, and steel, letting her climb on most building surfaces. Linecasters based on her father's original designs are concealed in the gloves as well, letting her shoot high-tensile lines out to 200 feet. She also wears clear contact lenses that have advanced imaging systems built in, allowing her to see in dim light as well as the infra-red and ultra-violet spectrum. Finally, specialized earrings emit a specialized pulse that enhances Felicia's snse of balance, allowign her to always land on her feet from a fall or tumble and perform feats of balance like running at full speed along a tightwire or narrow ledge.