Black Cat Appreciation 2018

[Spidercide]

The "tail" is actually supposed to be a segmented whip she wraps around her hips like a belt for ease of carrying. That aside, I'd say that the new costume would be much more palatable if not for it being associated with Felicia's gratuitous and poorly characterized turn to villainy.

I kinda have problems with making a cat face on her suit and using the underside of her breasts for the effect. Like could a 21st century Felicia outfit not require something stylized revolve around her breasts?

[Zeitgeist]

I think the addition of a whip to her arsenal wasn't smart. If you're trying to separate her character from the one she's consistently compared to (Catwoman), ideally you don't add a weapon which is practically synonymous with the latter.

[Agent Z]

I think the addition of a whip to her arsenal wasn't smart. If you're trying to separate her character from the one she's consistently compared to (Catwoman), ideally you don't add a weapon which is practically synonymous with the latter.

I'm not even sure if Marvel cares about the similarities anymore. As far as they're concerned, Felicia is just a Catwoman rip off and that's all she'll ever be.

Also, I found this article on Scarlet Overkill, the female villain from Minions. It raises some criticisms regarding the character's portrayal that I have also spoken of regarding Felicia's current turn.
http://www.themarysue.com/minions-sc...ption-stories/

It's not a one-for-one comparison but there are some similarities.

[Huntsman Spider]

I'm not even sure if Marvel cares about the similarities anymore. As far as they're concerned, Felicia is just a Catwoman rip off and that's all she'll ever be.

Also, I found this article on Scarlet Overkill, the female villain from Minions. It raises some criticisms regarding the character's portrayal that I have also spoken of regarding Felicia's current turn.
http://www.themarysue.com/minions-sc...ption-stories/

It's not a one-for-one comparison but there are some similarities.

That was a good read, lots of food for thought. In regards to the thesis of the article, I wonder how much of that is linked to the demonization of female sexuality in general society. I mean, if we take the similarities between Scarlet Overkill and the Black Cat that you indicated into account, the issue does seem to be that as a character that was often overtly sexualized in her demeanor and dress, certain people might have judged Felicia to be "less good" or "less worthy" of being treated as a hero or with sympathy. In that light, one could read Superior Spider-Man just punching her in the face and then leaving her webbed up for the cops to find when she tried to flirt with him after being caught in the middle of a burglary as intended to be the "comeuppance" for a woman who thought she could use her feminine wiles to slink out of her "rightfully deserved punishment" for her amoral and egocentric behavior. Of course, if read in that light, that scene becomes a lot more troubling, especially given her later (mis)characterization, which could be read along those same lines as a prolonged tantrum after being (violently) rejected by "Spider-Man" and finding that he no longer responds to her appeals to his libido.

[Agent Z]

That was a good read, lots of food for thought. In regards to the thesis of the article, I wonder how much of that is linked to the demonization of female sexuality in general society. I mean, if we take the similarities between Scarlet Overkill and the Black Cat that you indicated into account, the issue does seem to be that as a character that was often overtly sexualized in her demeanor and dress, certain people might have judged Felicia to be "less good" or "less worthy" of being treated as a hero or with sympathy. In that light, one could read Superior Spider-Man just punching her in the face and then leaving her webbed up for the cops to find when she tried to flirt with him after being caught in the middle of a burglary as intended to be the "comeuppance" for a woman who thought she could use her feminine wiles to slink out of her "rightfully deserved punishment" for her amoral and egocentric behavior. Of course, if read in that light, that scene becomes a lot more troubling, especially given her later (mis)characterization, which could be read along those same lines as a prolonged tantrum after being (violently) rejected by "Spider-Man" and finding that he no longer responds to her appeals to his libido.

Didn't Octavius once flirt with Felicia? If so, that adds further subtext to that scene.

The thing that bothers me, is that as much as I hate what she's become, Felicia did need to be stopped from committing further crimes. I do wonder if things might have been different if Peter had been the one to turn her in given he'd be less callous than Octavius.

[Frontier]

Didn't Octavius once flirt with Felicia? If so, that adds further subtext to that scene.

The thing that bothers me, is that as much as I hate what she's become, Felicia did need to be stopped from committing further crimes. I do wonder if things might have been different if Peter had been the one to turn her in given he'd be less callous than Octavius.

Octavius once almost killed Felicia and she's messed with him a few times I think. Beyond already being in the middle of a conversation with Anna Maria, there's a reason Ock's takedown of Cat was as brutal and cold as it was.

I think a problem with her status quo pre-Superior was that it seemed like Peter never bothered to stop her even when she was much more of an outright criminal and thief then she was pre-OMD, because she'd grown out of it for the most par by then, and it seemed like he was letting her get away with it because they were "sex buddies" and she'd help him from time to time.

In comparison, Catwoman's almost always able to tempt Batman, but I don't think Bats generally just lets her get away with stealing things or being an outright criminal despite his feelings for her.

[Darthfury78]

I actually don't think the current costume looks that bad, and definitely better then the disco shoulder suit. The direction that it's attached too is terrible, and the tail sometimes seems unecessary (which is probably why some artists forget about it), but I don't think it's a bad look for Felicia.

Not that there's much she won't look good in, mind you .

For once, I would love to see Tigra confront Black Cat as she was the one who initially trained her while she was The Cat. There are several fighting skills in techniques that are similar to Greer's own while she was The Cat. Tigra is one of the few people who can bring Felicia back to her senses. Since Greer's a cop, it makes perfect sense on a legal scale.

[Spidey5640]

Thought occurred to me as I pondered the rationale behind Slott's reworking of Felicia's character - What if Felicia purposely undertook her current behavior with the goal of becoming the top crime boss with the specific intention of then turning it and all the evidence/contacts/secrets she is amassing over to SHIELD, thereby completely collapsing organized crime in New York, something no hero or law enforcement agency has ever been able to do? All because she wanted to either A. prove her worth to the hero community who has always treated her as second class or B. show Spider once and for all she is worthy of his affection or C. both.

If option A is her intent, it would vault her into the upper echelon of female heroes, just by the brilliance and courage it took.

Probably not a chance this is possible but thought it worth sharing...

[Huntsman Spider]

Thought occurred to me as I pondered the rationale behind Slott's reworking of Felicia's character - What if Felicia purposely undertook her current behavior with the goal of becoming the top crime boss with the specific intention of then turning it and all the evidence/contacts/secrets she is amassing over to SHIELD, thereby completely collapsing organized crime in New York, something no hero or law enforcement agency has ever been able to do? All because she wanted to either A. prove her worth to the hero community who has always treated her as second class or B. show Spider once and for all she is worthy of his affection or C. both.

If option A is her intent, it would vault her into the upper echelon of female heroes, just by the brilliance and courage it took.

Probably not a chance this is possible but thought it worth sharing...

That would be a great way to redeem Felicia's character, although trying to kill Jay Jameson and Aunt May for buying her stolen goods at an auction would certainly be taking that kind of method acting a little too far . . . not to mention that her earlier attack on Parker Industries via Electro could've killed a hell of a lot of innocent people as well. Yeah, "collateral damage," but try telling that to the surviving families and friends and other loved ones of anyone who ended up dead because of her need to build legitimate villain cred.

[Agent Z]

That would be a great way to redeem Felicia's character, although trying to kill Jay Jameson and Aunt May for buying her stolen goods at an auction would certainly be taking that kind of method acting a little too far . . . not to mention that her earlier attack on Parker Industries via Electro could've killed a hell of a lot of innocent people as well. Yeah, "collateral damage," but try telling that to the surviving families and friends and other loved ones of anyone who ended up dead because of her need to build legitimate villain cred.

Not to mention it would highly inconsistent with her internal monologues which clearly show her as having no desire to be heroic again. The irony is that not being heroic is how she got into this mess.

[Spidey5640]

That would be a great way to redeem Felicia's character, although trying to kill Jay Jameson and Aunt May for buying her stolen goods at an auction would certainly be taking that kind of method acting a little too far . . . not to mention that her earlier attack on Parker Industries via Electro could've killed a hell of a lot of innocent people as well. Yeah, "collateral damage," but try telling that to the surviving families and friends and other loved ones of anyone who ended up dead because of her need to build legitimate villain cred.

Good points. I'd have to check back but has Felicia actually killed anyone? I know some people blame her for the deaths that occurred when Electro leveled the prison she was in but I think her culpability in that is debatable. If she hasn't directly been directly responsible for a death I think that's a good indicator Slott has plans to redeem her at some point. He has no qualms about Doc Ock or other villains offing people.

[Agent Z]

Good points. I'd have to check back but has Felicia actually killed anyone? I know some people blame her for the deaths that occurred when Electro leveled the prison she was in but I think her culpability in that is debatable. If she hasn't directly been directly responsible for a death I think that's a good indicator Slott has plans to redeem her at some point. He has no qualms about Doc Ock or other villains offing people.

She killed the scientist who was helping her in Hawkeye vs Deadpool

[LOSTie-chan]

She killed the scientist who was helping her in Hawkeye vs Deadpool

It was a very messed up death too.
I liked Hawkeye v Deadpool but that part really irked me.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

The "real" Felicia would only kill if she had no other choice and then probably feel bad about it...then they had to go and change her into...well whatever she is now...sadly...as for the new look, I like the old look best.

[Darthfury78]

The "real" Felicia would only kill if she had no other choice and then probably feel bad about it...then they had to go and change her into...well whatever she is now...sadly...as for the new look, I like the old look best.

True. But I feel that the Cat People are the only ones who can help Felicia with Tigra leading the way....