The trailer for Sony PlayStation's new Spider-Man: Miles Morales, coming out November 12th, debuts Miles' newest friend - an orange tabby cat named Spider-Man. This new character rides around in Miles' backpack and even gets his own mask.
The Spider-Man cat is just the latest addition to fun, and sometimes underrated, animal friends in the pages of modern era Marvel comics, and now is the perfect time to look back at some of them.
Gambit's Cats
Gambit, one of the most popular X-Men, is beloved for his cool and suave demeanor, and what's cooler than an X-Man that loves cats? His three feline friends first appeared in Astonishing X-Men #62 by Marjorie Lu, Gabriel Hernandez Walta, and Cris Peter, when Mystique saves the kittens from Sabertooth and leaves them in Gambit's room as a peace offering.
Gambit names them after famous Disney cats: Oliver, Lucifer, and Figaro. When Gambit and Rogue decide to rekindle their on again off again romance, Gambit tells her he only has one very important question for her and askes her how she feels about cats.
Tippy-Toe
After the murder of Squirrel Girl's first partner, Monkey Joe, Tippy-Toe became her number one squirrel. She may be small but Tippy-Toe is tough, repeatedly avoiding capture by villains.
While Squirrel Girl is busy studying, Tippy-Toe continues to have her own adventures. In Year of Marvels: September Infinite Comic #1 by Nilah Magruder, Siya Oum, and Travis Lanham, she teams up with Rocket Raccoon to defeat Plantman in Central Park.
Valkyrie's Horse
When Jane Foster took over the role of Valkyrie she got new armor and new weapons, and she also got something even Thor never had in a winged talking horse. The wise-cracking, Yorkshire accented horse's official name is the Valkyrie Steed, though Jane usually calls him Mr. Horse.
In Valkyrie: Jane Foster series by Jason Aaron, Al Ewing, CAFU, Jesus Aburtov, and more, Mr. Horse is the campy comic relief. While his hooves thunder ominously through the sky as they chase after a demon, Mr. Horse has hilarious quips to toss at his opponent while they battle mid-air.
Zabu
First appearing way back in X-Men vol. 1 #10 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Chic Stone, Zabu is a giant sabertooth tiger that has fought alongside many heroes. Born in the secret Savage Land in Antarctica, Zabu formed a special bond with Ka-Zar, fighting as a team for many years.
Being an extinct animal has not stopped Zabu from seeing the world and traveling in space, and he even lived in New York City for a while and became a reality television star when he fought Hercules.
Captain Marvel's Cat
Although Chewie is not an earth cat, she's an alien race similar to a cat called a Flerken, she's still Carol Danvers' beloved pet. Chewie, also known as Goose in the Marvel films, is smarter than the average pet. Carol was unaware her kitty was an alien until Chewie was about to lay eggs, 117 of them, in space.
Chewie looks and acts like a fluffy house cat but has cool extras such as several tentacles that extend from her mouth to fight off bad guys. Flerken bodies have pocket realities inside of them where they can store items in different realms than the one they currently are in.
Jeff the Land Shark
Gwenpool saved Jeff the Land Shark in West Coast Avengers #7 by Kelly Thompson, Daniele Di Nicuolo, and Triona Tree Farrell, from becoming another tragic henchman of M.O.D.O.K. Jeff, also known as Jeffrey the First of His Name of the Former Staten Island, looks like a baby great white shark with four legs. Finding a home with Gwenpool, the two formed a deep bond.
After the continued cancellation of her comic books, Gwenpool decided to give him to Deadpool so Jeff could live on. In Deadpool vol. 8 #1 by Kelly Thompson, Chris Bachalo, Wayne Faucher, Tim Townsend, Al Vey, Livesay, and Victor Olazaba, Jeff introduces himself by biting Deadpool on the leg and not letting go until getting ice cream. Now Jeff is Deadpool's constant companion, even going into battle with him.