Black Catremains one of Spider-Man’s greatest love interests of all time, but one who manages to maintain intrigue independent of his stories. She has flipped between villain and hero whilst earning respect from all sides of the Marvel Universe through a longstanding career that has included criminality and crime-fighting. There’s nothing that Felicia Hardy can’t do.
With all her accomplishments in mind,it’s impossible to overlook that Black Cat carries out everything she does with style, showcased through her many iconic costumes.She’s one of Marvel’s most stylish heroes. Hence, it’s no surprise thatBlack Cat has unleashed cosplay-worthy costumes.
10Black Cat Becomes a Spy DuringHouse of M
House of M#2 by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel
In the revamped world ofHouse of M, Felicia Hardy becomes one of many hitwomen working for the Kingpin. She works alongside a dream team of assassins, compiled by herself, including Typhoid Mary, Elektra, Bullseye, and Gladiator. The difference between her and the rest of her troupe is that Felicia is a double agent working for Luke Cage’s underground resistance force.
Her outfit of choice is a simple black crop top with matching pants, but it perfectly aligns with how one would expect an assassin to look. Ironically, it’s reminiscent of something that readers would expect someone like the Black Widow to wear. It’s a textbook espionage outfit that manages to maintain Black Cat’s essence through her signature hairstyle.
9In the World of Noir, Black Cat is the White Widow
Spider-Man Noir: Eyes Without a Face#3 by David Hine, Fabrice Sapolsky, Carmine DI Giandomenico, and Patch Zircher
Originally, Felicia Hardy served as a damsel in distress for this world’s Spider-Man. An exotic dancer turned speakeasy owner was more likely to find herself in the doomed clutches of an antagonist than defend herself. When she narrowly escapes death after being stabbed by Crime-Master for cheating on him with Peter, Felicia is reborn as a cat with nine lives.
It’s themost drastic costume departure for Black Catcompared to the rest of her ensemble, but it’s also perhaps the most refreshing. She trades her eye mask for an eerie faceless mask that covers her entire head, while sporting an all-white full-body suit with a furry neckline.
8The Original Ultimate Black Cat Brings Goggles into the Mix
Ultimate Spider-Man#50 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley
The Earth-1610’s Ultimate Black Cat costume isn’t a huge departure from the usual get-up that the Earth-616 version wears, but the slight modifications make a difference in crafting something unique. The small alterations make a big difference in distinguishing it from other suits, all while still staying true to what came before it.
This alternate Black Cat costumekeeps the leather-clad bodysuit, this time with excessive amounts of cleavage (atypical for the early 2000s), but also fur on the ankles and wrists. Most noticeably, the costume introduces goggles, a completely new modification, which feels so befitting of the character that it’s surprising that it took so long before being introduced.
7The New Ultimate Black Cat
Ultimate Spider-Manby Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto
Upon the Ultimate Universe’s revamp for Earth-6160, this introduced a new Black Cat into the mix, as Felicia takes up the mantle from her father, the world’s greatest cat burglar, Walter Hardy. To play the part, her costume is another one that isn’t too different from what readers would see in Marvel’s main continuity.
However, gone is any semblance of a white color scheme (save for white claws on her boots, which makes for a nice touch), and she keeps the all-black suit with a matching mask. The biggest difference for thisjaw-dropping Black Cat redesignis her bouncy hair and her darker skin tone.
6Black Cat Gets Her Own Iron Cat Armor
Iron Cat#1 by Jed MacKay and Père Perez
The lore of Iron Cat is interesting because the original Iron Cat isn’t Black Cat in an Iron Man suit, as many would assume.Iron Cat’s secret identitywas initially Tamara Blake, the ex-girlfriend of Felicia Hardy. While Felicia uses the basis of Tony Stark’s technology to create her own armor, it falls into the hands of a vengeful Tamara.
The Iron Cat armor itself puts a special twist on the classic Iron Man armor, trading the red and gold color scheme for Felicia’s signature black and white. The suit also features a feline-inspired helmet design with pointed ears and clawed hands, along with a striking cat’s head emblem displayed prominently on the chest.
Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 3)#18 by Christos Gage, Dan Slott, and Humberto Ramos
The Black Cat has always leaned on the side of being an anti-hero at best, but once upon a time, she was squarely a villain.Black Cat’s strange mob boss turnhas divided audiences, so maybe the less said about the turn itself, the better. What is worth talking about, though, is the suit she wears to signify the change in character.
As a villain, Black Cat’s costume features an orange tint along the shoulder blades, and a whip belt. These are small tweaks, but ones that introduce a new aura to Black Cat, unlike ever before, which is especially important when giving the character a new vibe for her villain era.
4Black Cat Once Sank Her Claws into Wolverine
Wolverine and the Black Cat: Claws#1-3 by Joe Linsner, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Justin Grey
Although she is most commonly paired with Spider-Man, Black Cat has shared the panel with a countless sea of superheroes. Once,Black Cat was Wolverine’s love interest, and as such, had a special costume for the occasion. As seen inClaws' front page cover art, a brown palette is introduced into her usual black and white color scheme.
Brown is represented in the buckles of her white gloves, elbow pads, and knee pads, giving her more of a tactical look befitting of someone working side-by-side with a rabid Wolverine. Her top is cut at shoulder-length, with white fur at the cutoff point, while her black leather matches the bottom tights.
3Yes, the Gamerverse Black Cat Suit Counts
Sony’sMarvel’s Spider-Manfor PlayStation 5
The world of Spider-Man transcends the comics and even the movies by having a noteworthy presence in video game form.Marvel’s Spider-Manintroduced its version of Spider-Man and his amazing friends, and, thanks to the comics, is an official part of Marvel’s multiverse canon, which means that the video game’sBlack Cat is also officially canon.
This costume originally inspired controversy for not being overtly sexy compared to past iterations, but this is actually an appropriate update for modern times. As audiences put more value on actual characters rather than the sex appeal they bring to the table, a more conservative outfit for Black Cat seems appropriate for the 2020s.
2Black Cat Officially Joins the Spider-Family as The Night-Spider
“The Almost Perfect Crime” in Edge of Spider-Verse#3 by Dan Slott and Sumeyye Kesgin
The Spider-Verse has gifted readers with a vast array of Spider-Man variants over the years, but one that is seldom talked about is the Night-Spider. A thievery gone awry in an alternate universe sees Felicia bitten by a Spider Idol that grants her the powers of any other Spider figure within the Spider-Family.
The Black Cat has always been a supporting role player within the Spider-Family, maintaining a close enough relationship with Peter to entrust her as an ally. By tying her new origins to her becoming a Spider herself, her status within the current family becomes undeniable, especially when her costume has its own Spider-esque twist.
1It’s Hard to Ignore the Classic Suit
The Amazing Spider-Man#194 by Marv Wolfman and Keith Pollard
Can’t go wrong with the classics, as the saying goes. For many costumed heroes, the suit itself has gone through numerous updates over the years to keep up with the times. Between heroes and villains, only a select few characters have the luxury of maintaining virtually the exact same look that they had when they first debuted.
Black Cat is one of those exceptions. On top of having arguablyMarvel’s best origin story, Black Cat has one of the company’s best costumes. Compared to her present-day outfit, Black Cat has remained largely unchanged. Immediately upon splashing onto the page for the first time,Black Catlooked like an icon with a costume to prove it.
