Summary
Warning: Contains SPOILERS forUltimate Spider-Man #1-8
The Ultimate incarnation ofSpider-Manis set to come face to face with a classic cat-burgling villain:Black Cat.However, this version of the Black Cat isn’t the on-again-off-againlove interest that Earth-616 Peter Parker is familiar with. While still a mastermind thief, this version of the Black Cat is certainly gruffer than readers are used to.
Marvel Comics' preview forUltimate Spider-Man#9 – written by Jonathan Hickman, with art by Marco Checchetto –reveals that while Spider-Man and his new allies, Harry Osborn and Otto Octavius, work to unravel the threads of Wilson Fisk’s criminal underground, Fisk has been building his own task force: thelatest incarnation of the Sinister Six.
Comprised of Fisk, Mr. Negative, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, Mole Man, and Black Cat,theUltimateSinister Sixcompletely control New York City. While readers have yet to see the villains in action,the preview provides a brief glimpse of the debonair Black Cat in action.
Ultimate Spider-Man Learned Peter’s Power & Responsibility Lesson from a Shocking Character
The new Ultimate Spider-Man learned his most important life lesson about responsibility from someone who’s been both his best friend and greatest foe.
Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man Offers A Radically Different Take On BLACK CAT
Ultimate Spider-Man #9- Written by Jonathan Hickman; Art by Marco Checchetto, Matt Wilson, & Corey Petit
Similar to that of the Gentleman Thief Arsène Lupin, albeit without the Robin Hood-esque sense of nobility, Walter Hardy carries himself with a sense of masculine class.
Fans ofEarth-616’s BlackCatknow Felicia Hardy to be a mastermind criminal and a morally ambiguous anti-hero who followed in the footsteps of her father, Walter Hardy. However, in the Ultimate Universe, Felicia is still young, while her father remainsthe one and only Black Cat. Although, Walter Hardy’s Black Cat has already made his fortune; this time, he’s in it for the fun. Like his daughter’s version of the alter-ego,Walter is a relatively un-serious gentleman who simply enjoys the spectacle of Fisk’s superpowered menagerieof criminals.
Similar to that of the Gentleman Thief Arsène Lupin, albeit without the Robin Hood-esque sense of nobility, Walter Hardy carries himself with a sense of masculine class. Nearly never seen without his mask, what part of his face he does expose is usually dressed with a charming, toothy, grin. Walter, much like his daughter, carries himself confidently and has the proven skills to be highly respected in his field. However, among a group of ruthless killers, superpowered criminals, and egotistical megalomaniacs, Black Cat does feel somewhat out of place asa member of the Sinister Six.
TheUltimateversion of Spider-Man is a father, something that could serve as the basis for Peter and Walter Hardy to find common ground in the future.
Ultimate Black Cat Will Have A Very Different Dynamic With Peter Parker
A Father-To-Father Connection
As Peter Parker continues to get a grip on his new powers and, more importantly, continues to learn the cost of having them, it looks likeBlack Cat will be a seemingly easy villain for Parker to take on himself – though their dynamic could be more surprising than that.TheUltimateversion of Spider-Manis a father, something that could serve as the basis for Peter and Walter Hardy to find common ground in the future. While this version ofBlack Cat’sdynamic withSpider-Manwill be very different, it could still parallel the original in certain ways.
Source:Marvel Comics
Ultimate Spider-Man#9will be available on July 11, 2025 from Marvel Comics.
Ultimate Spider-Man (2024)
THE NEW ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN FOR A NEW ULTIMATE UNIVERSE! After the events of ULTIMATE INVASION, the world needs a hero…who will rise up to take on that responsibility? Prepare to be entangled in a web of mystery and excitement as the all-new ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN comic redefines the wall-crawler for the 21st Century!
