One Spider-Man character has been improperly adapted to the big screen by Sony for 18 years, but Marvel Studios can now correct it. Over the past 20 years, both movie studios have successfully incorporated almost every major nemesis into their respective films. However, many of them have yet to appear in a live-action movie. Now is the perfect time for Marvel and Sony to use an essential anti-hero who can make a significant difference in Peter Parker’s life, as a new Spider-Man trilogy is apparently in the works.
New characters like Black Cat appearing in Spider-Man 4 is exactly what Sony and Marvel Studios need to expand on the Spider-Man film series. Over the past 20 years, several rogue Spider-Man villains have been teased to move to live-action roles in blockbuster movies. Together, the two studios can bring to life novel concepts and characters that earlier movies shied away from. Since Spider-Man is a street-level superhero once more in the MCU, smaller-scale antagonists like Scorpion or Kingpin may encounter Spider-Man sooner rather than later.
Black Cat Has Not Been Used In Spider-Man Films Since 2004
Storyteller Michael Chabon acknowledged that Black Cat nearly appeared in Spider-Man 2 in 2004 during a public Q&A. (via YouTube). Following Sony, Spider-Man films almost had an anti-hero as well. Sam Raimi’s canceled Spider-Man 4 had Black Cat, but there was no chance for her to show up due to the franchise’s closure. Felicity Jones played Felicia Hardy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014; however, she never wore the Black Cat costume. The series was abruptly canceled in favor of incorporating Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now that Felicia and her Black Cat alter persona have been revealed, Marvel may finally be able to collaborate with Sony.
Black Cat has only been featured in video games and cartoons since Felicia’s brief cameo in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and has never been explicitly portrayed or even hinted at in the current MCU Spider-Man series. But now that Peter is entering a new phase of his life, the stage may finally be prepared to appropriately introduce a character who will put his morality to the test. Black Cat is the ideal counterpoint since she puts Peter through moral and emotional strain.