In The Batman, Selina Kyle, aka, Catwoman shines once again as the Gotham anti-hero, striking up an alliance with the Caped Crusader and becoming a hardcore fighter herself. However, some new fans might not realize it but she happens to have a Marvel counterpart.
Felicia Hardy, aka, Black Cat has appeared frequently in Spider-Man media and she is one of the main playable characters in the critically acclaimed 2018 video game, Marvel’s Spider-Man. Although she was not intended to be an exact replica of the DC character, many comic fans couldn’t help but see similarities between the two women as they had similar personalities and motives. It doesn’t stop here either as the comic readers found a lot more similarities between the two – even to this day.
They Wear Spandex Costumes With Retractable Claws
Felicia first wears her spandex costume in The Amazing Spider-Man #19 in order to break her father out of prison. It’s similar to the costume Selina wears in various forms of Batman media, with the only major difference being the mask. Both costumes have retractable claws and no tech features.
Selina and Felicia’s costumes are essential in their line of work since they are often required to perform various stunts and reflexes. Doing so in a baggy costume like the one worn by The Riddler in The Batman would be difficult. Unfortunately, Felicia’s name limits her when it comes to the choice of colors. As Black Cat, she can only wear black, whereas Catwoman has experimented with purple and green in the comics.
They Fall In Love With The Hero
Selina has always been the most prominent of Batman’s love interests. As for Felicia, she deeply adores Spider-Man and he’s the reason she refrains from crime.
Perfect love stories are common in fiction but neither Selina nor Felicia’s relationship is a smooth-sailing one. Selina and Bruce keep disagreeing over their differing creeds whereas Peter Paker’s main issue with Felicia is that she only loves him when he is Spider-Man. Nonetheless, they always do their best to make things work.
The “Nine Lives” Myth
In Black Cat #3, Felicia is shown to have 9 lives, hence keeping up with the cat myth. In several DC comic issues, it’s also implied that Selina has 9 lives. This is confirmed in Batman Returns where Selina doesn’t die, even after being thrown off a building by Max Shrek.
If Batman can find ways to fly and Spider-Man can get to shoot webs, then it’s only right that the 2 characters that represent cats get to have 9 lives too. Given how important both characters are, making them immortal frees the writers from the headache of figuring out how to resurrect or reboot them whenever they die in the line of duty.
Their Fathers Are Criminals
Selina Kyle grows up knowing that Brian Kyle is her father but in DC’s New 52 relaunch, she learns that it’s the mob boss Rex Calabrese. And in Batman: Dark Victory, her father is revealed to be Carmine Falcone, as is the case in The Batman. Felicia, on the other hand, is the daughter of the renowned cat burglar, Walter Hardy.
Selina and Felicia’s background stories act as a reminder to readers that both characters aren’t just thrill-seekers. It’s the circumstances that drive them to become vigilantes. Through this information, the comic trope of absentee or unintentionally absent parents is maintained. Most of the popular comic characters weren’t raised by their own biological parents.
They Both Know The Secret Identities Of The Hero
Catwoman finds out about Batman’s identity in several different ways in the comics, depending on the timeline. And one of the best “Peter Park is Spider-Man” reveals involves the web-slinger confessing to Black Cat.
By both learning the identities of their heroes, readers also get to see how good they are at keeping secrets. Even when they break up with the respective men, Selina and Felicia never succumb to the temptation to reveal their identities to the world. Their trustworthy nature is part of the reason why the heroes love them unconditionally,
They Are Burglars
Both characters are known to be elusive thieves in their cities. Whether it’s valuable items or pieces of jewelry, they will find a way to get whatever they desire.
For Felicia, stealing is an acquired habit. Since her father since was the most special person in her life, she felt the need to be like him. Selina, on the other hand, appears to do it for fun, leading to frequent clashes with Bruce, who never understands why she isn’t entirely focused on saving Gotham.
They Are Introduced As Villains
Catwoman isn’t that friendly to Batman in the beginning. She even works for the Joker in Batman #2, one of the earliest comic appearances. As for Felicia, she focuses on punishing everyone that wronged her and also freeing her father so he can commit more crimes.
The foes-to-friends tale is unique to Catwoman and Black Cat. Most members of the Bat-family are immediately introduced as friends and so are Spider-Man’s partners. Catwoman and Black Cat don’t always stay good either. Over the years, there have been moments when they went back to their old ways.
Their Lifestyle
When they are not climbing buildings, Selina Kyle and Felicia Hardy prefer to spend time by themselves. Inside their apartments, they keep a number of cats as pets.
Selina’s reclusiveness has never been a problem as she has always availed herself when needed. Understandably, her cats mean more to her than humans. As for Felicia, her need for alone time has somehow affected her relationship with others, particularly Peter, who happens to be very social.
Imprisonment
In Batman (vol. 3) #9, Catwoman is locked up at the Arkham Asylum for allegedly murdering the Dogs Of War. In The Amazing Spider-Man #226, Catwoman is also placed in a mental institution before being granted amnesty.
Ordinarily in Batman comics, the Arkham Assylum is reserved for villains that are sadistic. This is hardly the case with Catwoman, which makes her imprisonment there baffling, The same applies to Black Cat. However, both circumstances pave way for incredible rescue scenes as they are both freed by the heroes they associate with.
They Don’t Adhere To The No-Kill Rule
Both Batman and Spider-Man adhere to the “No-Kill” rule but Catwoman and Black Cat don’t. One of Catwoman’s most notable kills happens in Catwoman #3 when she shoots Black Mask in the head. Black Cat attempts to kill Hulk, Hawkeye, Daredevil, Howard, and her ex-boyfriend Ryan.
Catwoman and Black Cat’s attitude toward murder is a key reason they cannot be classified as heroes, even during the lengthy spells in which they don’t engage in any kind of crime. On a more positive note, none of the people they kill or intend to kill is innocent. Both offend the characters in unforgivable ways.
