WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Black Cat #6 by Jed MacKay, Michael Dowling, Brian Reber & Ferran Delgado, on sale now.

While Felicia Hardy's most famous friend might be Spider-Man, the Black Cat's trusted and beloved former mentor and current patron, the Black Fox, just betrayed her. He lied to her to give them both the ultimate fight, but that wasn’t anything that Felicia Hardy wanted, especially since it doomed Manhattan in the process. Black Cat assumed she and Black Fox had one target. They were breaking into the vaults of the Thieves Guild to steal their treasure. It was a heist Felicia couldn’t resist, but it was all a ruse to conceal the Black Fox's Faustain Bargain with the demonic Gilded Saint.

The Thieves Guild had struck a deal with the Gilded Saint but only a bargain of higher worth could break it. Black Fox had that bargaining chip. He offered a contract for the island of Manhattan to the Gilded Saint in return for immortality for both him and Black Cat. This would ensure both of them live forever at the expense of everyone in Manhattan. While Black Cat is still a master thief, she's more a hero than a villain, and she started planning how to undo the deal that made her immortal in Black Cat #6.

RELATED: Black Cat Goes On The Prowl On Marvel's Pride Month Cover

Black Cat

Black Cat was furious with Black Fox for making this deal. He told her he didn’t have long to live, and she said this was his selfish way to remain alive. While he did the same for Felicia, she didn’t appreciate it. Black Fox admired how great he felt, but Black Cat asked how he could do it. He said it was “monstrous,” but he would remain young forever now. She asked if their deaths would cancel the deal and slashed Black Fox’s throat. He survived, of course, since they are both immortal now. He laughed it off as his body healed, while Black Cat cried about his betrayal. Black Fox told her they needed to get out of Manhattan before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

RELATED: Black Cat Crowns a Familiar Spider-Man Enemy as Her New Nemesis

Gilded Saint Black Cat

Black Cat refused to leave, surrendering herself to the Thieves Guild. Felicia offered to work with Odessa Drake to undo the deal. Black Cat wanted to save Manhattan rather than have immortality, even if it meant killing the man who mentored her.

This noble act, and the immortal powers that inspired it, are only the lastest in a series of events that have booster Black cat's profile within Marvel's larger superhero community. Captain America sent Black Cat in to save a kidnapped Doctor Strange from Knull during King in Black. To do so, she used one of Doctor Strange’s mystical artifacts and became an Asgardian goddess for a short time. Black Cat took on the Anti-Venom formula in King in Black and became Anti-Venom for a time as she searched for Strang, too.

It seems as if every time Black Cat shows up now she gets a major power upgrade, and she is quickly becoming one of Marvel’s heaviest hitters along the way. Felicia is willing to give up immortality to save the city, proving that she has come a long way. Spider-Man might have a lot to do with that, considering that Felicia felt her heart breaking when she lied to him about not being involved with the situation. Despite her criminal past and her ease with lying, Black Cat's conscience  has proven her to be plenty worthy of the power upgrades she's received over the past several months.

KEEP READING: Black Cat: Felicia Hardy Is About to Be Marvel's Next Superstar