Over the course of two installments and a handful of tie-in media offshoots, Insomniac Games has so far demonstrated an understanding for the Spider-Man mythos that's on a level above what's come before in gaming. It's partly for this reason that fans are so eager to see where the studio goes next in the seemingly inevitable Marvel's Spider-Man 2. With a diverse catalogue of even more Marvel heroes and villains likely now at the team's proven disposal, there's endless possibilities surrounding who Peter and Miles might run into next.
Having established so many fresh and exciting depictions of Spider-Man's supporting cast already, several characters from the first two installments in the franchise shouldn't be forgotten either. Black Cat in particular, who played a recurring role in Peter's development during the first game, could still play an important part in Spider-Man 2 as well.
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Black Cat's Role So Far in Spider-Man
With Insomniac's version of Peter Parker starting his career as New York's wall-crawler eight years before the first game, Felicia Hardy is one of the characters that the superhero was able to weave a complicated history with during that time. Having taken up the mantle of the Black Cat from her father, following his supposed death, Felicia is known to have embarked on a career as an honorable thief in a similar vein to Sucker Punch's Sly Cooper. Through her chosen career path, she eventually crossed paths with Spider-Man before falling into an unlikely romantic and crime-fighting relationship.
Even though her presence is felt within the main campaign via the "Stakeout" side-quest, she makes her physical debut during the first chapter of The City That Never Sleeps DLC. During this expansion, players learn the pair broke up after Peter discovered her thieving addiction had resurfaced. Despite this, it becomes clear that the pair still care deeply about each other, having both mutually played a significant role in the development of the other's life. If the Black Cat returns in a sequel down the road, fans can expect to see this unique dynamic continue to challenge both characters' moral compasses, demonstrating that good and bad aren't always clear cut.
Over the course of the DLC, it's also established that Felicia's return to the Black Cat mantle isn't without motivation. She's masking the fact that she's actually out for revenge over the Maggia crime families for their hand in the supposed death of her father. Unbeknownst to Felicia, Peter is able to work out that her father isn't dead, having really only gone into hiding to protect his daughter from New York's mobsters. Promising to look out for his daughter, the dynamic between each of the characters is suspiciously left without a definitive ending, leaving the door open for both Black Cats to return.
Felicia's Family Ties
During Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Felicia is only referenced throughout the entire game once, with the villainous Simon Krieger claiming she's gone "straight-ish," seemingly retiring from her anti-hero antics after the first game. With Hammerhead and the Maggia crime families having been taken down by Peter and Silver Sable at the end of the DLC, the door is now open for Insomniac Games to explore the loose ends that have been established in her story. Dropping a major reference like that which feels out of character for the universe's Black Cat, seems like an obvious wink to fans to expect her eventual return.
While there's every chance that the studio might explore one of the character's famous comic book storylines, like the time Felicia spent bonded to a symbiote or gained her own 'bad-luck' based powers, it seems much more likely that her storyline will progress with her family. Now that it's known that Walter Hardy is very much alive and active, a reunion and an attempt at reconciliation between the pair, is one of the most likely scenarios.
Considering both Felicia and Miles have experienced the tragic heartbreak of losing their fathers, it's not unfeasible to picture her playing an important mentor-like role in the younger Spider-Man's continued healing process either, in a similar fashion to how she likely helped Peter during his early career.
Beyond playing a narrative role in the lives of Peter and Miles within the sequel, it stands to reason based on the first game that Felicia will pop up once again, gameplay wise, in another side-quest based role. Having announced her return in a similar fashion during that adventure, it's not hard to imagine players swinging around New York trying to piece together clues to her current status.
Considering villains like Venom, the Lizard, Morbius, and Green Goblin, have all already been heavily teased for the sequel, the game is already looking potentially packed enough with adversaries from a main quest line basis. Seeing the Black Cat stand together with both of New York's Spider-Men against some of these foes, would however be a fitting development within her own personal journey as well.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is rumored to be in development.
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