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Warning: SPOILERS for The Avengers #22Iron Man has faced a lot of villains in his over sixty-year comic career, but only Black Cat truly terrifies him. From genocidal businessmen to purple, space-faring titans, Tony Stark has taken on the Multiverse’s greatest threats. Yet, Iron Man fears Black Cat more than any enemy he has faced before. Far worse than apocalyptic powers and universe-shattering masterminds, Tony’s biggest fear is an unstoppable pain in his neck.
In The Avengers #22 by Jed MacKay and Farid Karami, the Avengers finally believe that they have found a clue to get them one step closer to the Missing Moment. Locked in a maximum-security vault, to be bid on in the Multiverse’s most popular casino, is a data archive of information on the second in time that no one remembers.
However, after a botched burglary, Tony Stark runs into Black Cat, the one anti-hero he wishes he’d never have to see again. Like an itch that never seems to go away, it seems Iron Man can’t escape this cunning cat burglar.
Iron Man Is Terrified of Black Cat, Who Occasionally… Ruins His Life
The Avengers #22 by Jed MacKay, Farid Karami, Federico Blee, and Cory Petit
Shockingly, one of Iron Man’s greatest fears is Black Cat. The charmingly flirtatious and elegant thief isn’t often known to strike fear in the hearts of others. If anything, her presence is usually well-received, maybe annoying at the very worst. However, to Tony Stark, Felicia Hardy is the embodiment of a problem that threatens to ruin his day. While the two haven’t historically interacted, they did come together officially in MacKay and Travel Foreman’s Black Cat series and later in MacKay and Pere Pérez’s Iron Cat series.
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When first introduced, the two did not meet on good terms. After being duped by her former teacher, Black Fox, into secretly granting him eternal life at the cost of millions of lives, Felicia broke into Stark Unlimited to forge a key for the mission’s heist. Instead, Iron Man intervened, forcing Felicia to instead use Stark’s tech to build Iron Armor for herself. While Tony couldn’t stop the thief, their interactions were seemingly finished once Felicia’s Iron Cat suit completely fell apart. However, Black Cat later inflicted an even greater problem on Tony thanks to her checkered past.
Black Cat and Iron Man Have a Long History Together
Iron Cat #1-5 by Jed MacKay, Pere Pérez, Frank D’Armata, and Ariana Maher
Years after their initial meeting, Black Cat was forced to face one of the most skilled thieves she has ever known: her ex-girlfriend Tamara Blake. Tamara, a fellow student of Black Fox who was ignorant of his secret plans, blamed Felicia for his death. To seek revenge, she unleashed a volatile virus into the Stark database and stole an upgraded version of the Iron Cat armor. The unstoppable virus began infecting every Stark company and program, throwing Tony’s life into utter chaos. After unleashing the Iron Armor’s might against Felicia, Black Cat had to seek Tony Stark’s help.
It’s not easy to forgive someone who steals your stuff, especially when it’s a multi-million-dollar weapons system with your branding on it.
Naturally, Stark initially refused. It’s not easy to forgive someone who steals your stuff, especially when it’s a multi-million-dollar weapons system with your branding on it. However, Tony relented, finding common ground with Felicia. What ensued was a chaotic whirlwind as Tamara Blake released one of Tony’s oldest enemies, Madame Menace, to unleash Hell upon both Tony and Felicia. Also known as Sunset Bain, Madame Menace has spent years trying to infiltrate and steal Stark tech secrets. Now neutralized as an A.I., Menace used Tamara and Felicia’s patchy history to launch a full assault on Stark from the inside.
Iron Man’s Life Falls Apart When Black Cat Is Near
The Avenger Has Too Much to Worry About
Iron Man and Black Cat ultimately prevailed, but not before Madame Menace wreaked havoc across Stark’s systems. As an Avenger, Iron Man has a lot to worry about. Constant apocalyptic threats consume the Earth. His companies have been threatened by multiple back-to-back hostile corporate takeovers. He was in a stable marriage, even if it was a farce, but was forced to let that go. Iron Man has had it rough the last few years, and the chaos that tends to follow the likes of Felicia Hardy is an unnecessary pain in the neck for the Avenger.
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Now, Tony and the Avengers are on one of the biggest missions of their lives. With Kang and Myrddin’s fight to retrieve the Missing Moment and the threat of more cataclysmic Tribulation Events on the horizon, the fate of the universe is at stake. Yet, in one of the Avengers’ most important missions, Black Cat shows her face once again, threatening to unravel their already perilous mission. Felicia Hardy is a wild card and a better thief than the Avengers. If she’s around, havoc is around the corner.
The Avengers’ Greatest Mission Is Already Falling Apart
Iron Man isn’t scared of Black Cat the way he would be of Thanos or Ultron. She isn’t an open threat, but she leaves behind a trail of chaos wherever she goes. It’s actually one of her powers. Internally equipped with a “quantum probability pulsator,” Felicia subliminally causes bad luck to fall upon her enemies. As a thief, she thrives as the anarchy of a crowd blankets her escape. Iron Man may not fear for his life when Black Cat is around, but he is terrified of the unnecessary problems that her actions will surely make the Avengers face.
The Avengers #22 is available now from Marvel Comics.
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