Marvel Comics is preparing a major status quo shift for one of Spider-Man’s most iconic antiheroes. As teased by Black Cat #16, which will be out in a few weeks, it seems that Felicia Hardy is going to have to deal with some mutations in her story.
The November issue of Black Cat is going to see Felicia Hardy cross paths with the X-Men. While most versions of Black Cat do not adapt her powers, she has had a slew of abilities beyond cat burglary in the Marvel Universe. While the source of these powers has varied, it looks like Marvel might just write the character into a whole other side of its universe.
The official solicitation reads, “Witness Felicia Hardy’s own second genesis — as the newest member of the X-Men! Felicia’s encounter with Emma Frost left her changed. Shall we say…mutated?”
Samara Weaving is set to play Emma Frost in the X-Men reboot
Black Cat’s supposed mutation was triggered by her encounter with Emma Frost. Samara Weaving has been cast as Emma Frost in the MCU, after Sadie Sink made her appearance as Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Kevin Feige has also revealed the wider X-Men cast, who are expected to make their MCU debut in 2028’s X-Men. This includes Kit Connor as Scott Summers, Christopher Abbott as Professor Charles Xavier, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, and Maya Boyd as Storm.
It should be noted that no Spider-Man film is currently scheduled by Marvel. If Black Cat does indeed join Marvel’s merry mutants as a mutant herself, Felicia Hardy could make her MCU debut before appearing in a Spider-Man film, potentially as early as 2028’s X-Men.
Historically, Felicia has had some probability manipulation powers, similar to Domino, who is a mutant. However, her powers are often attributed to experimental tech rather than a mutation.
This article was originally reported by Anuraag Chatterjee on SuperHeroHype.