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Warning: contains spoilers for Avengers #22!
After 45 years, one iconic Spider-Man ally is finally being offered an Avengers membership. The Avengers are Marvel’s premiere superhero team, and being a member is a great honor. Many Marvel icons have been part of the Avengers, and now one of Spider-Man’s best friends is gearing up to join in Avengers #22, but questions about their true loyalties linger.
Jed MacKay just finished up an epic, three-year run on Doctor Strange.
Avengers #22, the first part of “The Casino Job”, is written by Jed MacKay and drawn by Farid Karami. The Avengers are trying to locate a data cache with information about the Missing Moment.
The cache is up for sale at a galactic auction house, but the Avengers have no way of winning it, so they opt to stage a heist instead. Vision and Scarlet Witch infiltrate the casino, and learn Nathaniel Richards, AKA Kang, has beaten them to it.
Then, shockingly, the Avengers learn Richards is being accompanied by none other than the Black Cat.
Black Cat, Marvel’s Answer to Catwoman, Explained
Black Cat’s Gray Moral Code Has Made Her an Enemy and an Ally
Debuting in 1979’s Amazing Spider-Man #194, the Black Cat went on to become one of Spider-Man’s greatest allies, despite largely working on the opposite side of the law. At times, Spider-Man and Black Cat have been lovers, and while they are currently not seeing each other, the tension remains. A hero such as Spider-Man having romantic feelings for a criminal might seem out of character, but Black Cat has her own moral code, one that occasionally puts her on the same side as the Wall Crawler.
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Marvel Unleashes a New Black Cat, Upgrading the Antihero To a True Villain
After months of waiting, Marvel officially debuts the Black Cat of the Ultimate Universe, making waves in the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man.
Black Cat’s potential induction into the Avengers is the next step in her character’s arc, even if some of her future teammates are not entirely sold. Black Cat has fought alongside (or stolen from) some of Marvel’s best. She is one of the few who has been able to successfully steal objects from Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum, which has earned her Stephen’s reluctant respect. As seen in Avengers #22, Iron Man also knows the Black Cat, and is stunned to see her at the casino, raising questions over how she got there, as well as her endgame.
A potential membership in the Avengers also continues Black Cat’s development under the direction of writer Jed MacKay.
A potential membership in the Avengers also continues Black Cat’s development under the direction of writer Jed MacKay. MacKay, who currently writes The Avengers, made his name and reputation penning Black Cat’s solo title, as well as a series of specials. Under MacKay’s guidance, fans are reminded why the Black Cat is one of Spider-Man’s coolest friends. Black Cat walks the line between heroism and villainy, and MacKay mined gold from this premise. MacKay’s Black Cat title also kept Spider-Man’s appearances to a minimum, helping establish her further as a character in her own right.
Will Black Cat Really Join the Avengers?
Can Black Cat Be Compatible With Thor and Captain Marvel?
Black Cat, being who she is, is playing a deeper game in Avengers #22, one that could lead her to the team. Black Cat has preyed on some heavy hitters in the past, but few are as dangerous as Kang. Black Cat could be in over her head in this situation, forcing the Avengers to act. Black Cat has a lot to offer the Avengers, but her “shades of gray” morality also makes her a liability to the team. Her alliances with Spider-Man have shown she can walk on the side of the law, crucial to being an Avenger.
Avengers #22 is on sale now from Marvel Comics!
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