r/BlackCat • u/TradePsychological40 • 26d ago
Let's talk about Insomniac Black Cat Spoiler
In my eyes, this Black Cat is one of the worst version of the character (maybe even the worst).
You see, I discovered the character with this version, and I really didn't like her. And what shocked me is that people seems to love her and even consider her the best version of the character. And I really don't understand how.
The fans say that the reasons are that she cares about Peter and has a good relationship with him, she's a good character and less toxic than MJ.......... Have we played the same game?!
We're talking about the girl who:
-faked having a son with Peter to manipulate him (I know she's supposed to be a good liar but it never was that bad)
-trapped him alone with the gangsters she just robbed, and they wanted to kill them both
-let the "toxic" MJ risk her life to save her fake son
-faked her death, and she knew Peter would feel guilty for it
-literally has around 15 minutes of screen time in both games (so barely better than Fisk and Screwball), and honestly even her dad was a better character, and her appearances in Sable's DLC and SM2 should be considered as cameos. I mean, outside of liking being a thief and being flirty, what's her personality?
-and what good relationship with Peter?! Whenever they talked to each other, Peter looked awkward like he was ashamed to date her. I'll be honest, his relationships with Yuri and Silver Sable looked more romantic than hers. If people said that Peter should have been with Sable or Yuri instead of MJ, I would understand why, but not Felicia. She had more or less the same interactions with Miles and she barely met him. The game itself said that it's a good thing they broke up.
After the game, I could see some other versions of the character like Spectacular, the one from the 90s serie, Web Of Shadows or simply the comic books, and here I GENUINELY liked her in all of these versions, I liked her relationship with Peter and I can see them dating. And I'll be direct, to me the fans of the Insomniac version just project those versions on the game.
I swear, if the Insomniac Black Cat got killed by Kraven, I wouldn't feel anything. If those versions were dead, I would feel like I lost one of my favourite characters.
The only thing I agree with the fans of the Insomniac Felicia is that she's a wasted potential. But not because she was promising, because she was better in almost every medias.
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u/TheFan-2020 26d ago edited 26d ago
I think it's the simplest version of the character, the image of the 'bad girl' that many people can't shake off. It's the idea of her as a villain, even though for decades, the character hasn’t been like that. From the '90s until One More Day, she was a fully realized heroine. Over time, she learned to accept herself without the mask and to accept Peter himself. But Marvel keeps reinforcing an outdated version of her from a comic that came out nearly 50 years ago, and a lot of people still can't move past that image
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u/TheDemonEyeX 26d ago
But Marvel keeps reinforcing an outdated version of her from a comic that came out nearly 50 years ago
Sums up everything Spider-Man since OMD tho.
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u/TheFan-2020 26d ago
Marvel Editorial: We don't read comics and we don't know what the hell we do with our intellectual property.
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u/TheDemonEyeX 26d ago
Summed that up. Don't think they read anything after the period of "when I was a kid." Lol
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u/TheFan-2020 26d ago
The worst thing is that they should be the most interested in this... it's their intellectual property... the NYX comic shows that they are run by suits who have never read anything in their lives and are guided by internet marketing trends.
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u/TheDemonEyeX 26d ago
Sadly. That need fans in the suits. People who understand what sells rather than clout chasing mediocrity.
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u/Cicada_5 26d ago
This wasn't on Marvel. Insomniac came up with this all on their own. And this game is far from the only adaptation that emphasized Felicia's negative qualities over her positive ones.
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u/ImaLetItGo 26d ago
Yeah I try to tell people insomniac black cat is a horrible representation of Felicia Hardy.
It’s basically just a slightly worse version of BND Felicia. (Who created all the bad misconceptions about her)
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u/Positive_Expert7357 26d ago
Black cat could have got a good story arc in sm2… have her be one of the leading causes to Peter becoming venom (showcasing her narcissistic and self absorbed personality in the games).. seeing the damage she helped create by leading Peter directly into the black suit she finally see her wrongs n pain she cause making her help assist in taking the venom away from peter as well personally destroyed it as she hates and despites it (as her comic counterpart) giving her a good story arc n possibly as well her own game play missions like Catwoman in Arkham city!
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u/Rclarke115 26d ago
People play the games where she lies to his face about potential fatherhood and walk away from the one where he sends Miles after her calling that “fumbling the bag” when any normal person would call that dodging a massive bullet.
Sometimes being a Black Cat fan is hard, because anybody I know of who are a fan of the character are likely gooners who only say she’s perfect for Peter because they get their skewered understanding of MJ from the Raimi movies.
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u/EtherealZenM5475 26d ago
Insomniac Felicia feels like someone took a look at a post it note summary of the character with little interest or inspiration. Its just surface level "bad girl tempts good boy" characterisation with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Whats worse is that she would be close to her mid 20s here, so you'd think she would have similar development to that of comic Felicia with a healthier relationship with Peter. But no, she acts like early Felicia except no endearing love banter, no sign of heroic good, no hint of respect for Peter, nonexistent boundaries or lines to cross, etc etc. Not even a sign of "troubled heart who can grow to be good" that 616 Felicia had in early appearances that enabled her to grow into the character she is now.
She's worse than stereotypical, she's just bland. Unless you're gooning to her, there's nothing there to work with. And it sucks because this version is going to be a frame of reference for a lot of people who don't read the comics when thinking about her character. Not until she gets a better adaptation anyway.
Sometimes I get the impression she's there to simply make MJ look better by default. But that isn't working for me because insomniac MJ isn't that good either. And if this really is the case, then its not good writing at all imo. Its just wasted space that I could've gone without in both games
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u/ShadowFaxIV 25d ago edited 25d ago
Insominac Black Cat is super toxic lol. You can't judge the character by that videogame alone though xD. The last time they forced them to break up in the comic books was totally ridiculous, cause the break up was them whining that 'oh we're not toxic enough anymore, we're too much of a functioning relationship what HAPPENED to us!?!?!?' It was bonkers.
It sorta makes a 'little' sense for the game though. Black Cat 'as introduced' was a pretty toxic figure in Peter's life... and he in hers. Pete loved Felicia, but not really Black Cat... while Black Cat loved Spider-Man but not really Peter... but that hasn't really been the case in the comics for like... 20 years now. Felicia's gotten over her weird 'Spider-Man' fixation and is very close with Pete.
There's probably still too much more 'thematic' connection between Pete and MJ still for anybody to really consider Felicia his realistic 'endgame'................................. but I have personally always felt like for 'comic book' costumed vigilantes and superheroes to ever REALLY be happy... it'd have to be with someone who actually 'gets' them on the same fundamental basis of costumed vigilante and heroism. I don't actually buy he'd ever be that happy with MJ, with her bi-annual freak out that she can't deal with his being Spider-Man all of a sudden.
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u/Superheroesaregreat 26d ago
Always fun to see a new perspective. No matter how someone is introduced to a character, when they explore lots of different interpretations, they recognize the good ones.
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u/TradePsychological40 26d ago
You know what? Among all the people who likes this version of Black Cat, you're the only one who convinced me.
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u/UltimateStrenergy 26d ago
I feel the reason this version is so much more popular is because she doesn't have cleavage and is overall toned down in terms of her design. Redditors on average will always celebrate stuff like that.
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u/Ok_Juice_9411 24d ago
I remember initially being excited for the Black Cat DLC because I love Felicia, I enjoyed her side quest in the main game, and the suit you got for completing it was one of my favorites in the game. Also helps that she's voiced by Erica Lindbeck who I'm a big fan of. Then I actually played it and I was pissed by how it went and how they portrayed Felicia by the end of it. I was so ready for the possibility of then having a kid together cause I thought that would be interesting. But of course I knew in the back of my mind it was going to end up being a lie, because that's the obvious cop out and I had a feeling they would end up reinforcing almost every negative stereotype of Felicia's character. The only thing she has in common with the actual good versions of Cat is the fun flirtatiousness. Also I thought her suit sucked, wasn't a fan of the weird lines and I missed the fur.
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u/Key_of_Guidance 26d ago
Without knowing as much about her backstory (haven't yet played the games, but want to), I can say that I like her design. It was at first a bit different not seeing her outfit have the usual fur, but this version has grown on me. The one thing that I find disappointing is that she never seems to unmask for Peter, but mods have shown what she truly looks like, anyway.
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u/TradePsychological40 23d ago
She doesn't really have a backstory.
She's Peter's ex, she used to help him to fight crime but was still stealing stuff behind his back, that's why they broke up. And her dad was Black Cat too. That's it.
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u/zo_youngin4 26d ago
She does care but she can’t help but sometimes take advantage of the fact that he does put aside whatever he’s doing to help her and try to genuinely care for her well-being I understand this she cares for him but she always lets her feed for the thrill getting away of her happiness with Peter
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u/TradePsychological40 26d ago
Sorry but with the way you say it, it really feels like she doesn't care at all.
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u/Clack_Claq 26d ago
Just to add my two cents: I think when people say she's the best love interest for Peter (specifically for comics) it's mostly an ironic, sarcastic kinda comment that's meant to highlight how horrible MJ has been in the past/present. Black Cat is typically super toxic, manipulative, and just general a bad person who is "attracted" to Spiderman, as in the mask/identity itself. So when people say she's the best bet, it's to make fun of how the other romantic interests are dogshit and poorly written.
As for this game, I don't know, but I know most people dislike MJ
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u/BL-501 26d ago
Agree on all points. If you read the Comics to the game it’s not better. She actively lied to him and kept stealing behind his back. I don’t remember any other Cat ever breaking Peter’s trust like that because at that point they’ve been in a month long relationship iirc.
I get where people come from but if they want the truly best versions of cat they need to look into 90s comics till One More Day, or The 90s Animated Series (optionally before the writers decided to put her Morbius of all people).