WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Black Cat #5, by Jed MacKay, Michael Dowling, Brian Reber and Ferran Delgado, on sale now.

Black Cat has played an increasingly prominent role in the Marvel Universe as of late, from pulling off heists on superheroes to helping save the day during the crossover event King in Black. While Felicia Hardy is poised to take her usual activities on a cosmic scale in the near future, Black Cat may be getting a supreme upgrade even earlier as she embarks on a daring new heist with her old mentor with a surprising, supernatural prize at her fingertips: Immortality.

As she continues to lead her crew in the aftermath of King in Black, Felicia reunites with her old mentor and surrogate father figure Black Fox in Black Cat #5. The pair decide to target the New York City Thieves Guild to show the clandestine syndicate's leader Odessa Drake that they are the best cat burglars in the world. In the lead-up to breaking into the Guild's extra-dimensional vault, where the syndicate keeps its most valuable scores and ancient treasures, the Black Cat and her crew stole the original deed to the island of Manhattan, along with other magical and mystical odds and ends. With the crew and equipment set, the Black Cat and Fox delve deep below the city to find a mass grave for the Thieves Guild under the streets of New York.

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Black Cat Black Fox feature

As Cat and Fox venture into the cemetery where Felicia's father is buried, Fox reveals that not only is he terminally ill, but prior to this score, he personally stole from the Marvel Universe's Dracula. Dracula permitted Fox to live with the understanding that his continued existence and eventual death would be cursed for such a transgression, leaving Fox with a longstanding fear of his mortality when Dracula would inevitably come to collect on his curse. And as Fox and Cat reach their subterranean target, Fox reveals they aren't stealing a physical target at all but, instead, stealing immortality from Odessa Drake.

In the heart of the Thieves Guild's cemetery, Fox powers an extra-dimensional frequency vibrator to open a portal to a mysterious pocket dimension. Emerging from it is the Thieves Guild's towering, skeletal patron saint, fitted with gold and gems. While the saint refuses Fox's initial demands, Fox offers to top the bargain that the Guildmaster made with the extra-dimensional being by offering up the entire island of Manhattan in exchange for himself and Felicia gaining immortality. This way, he can escape his cursed fate with his young protege.

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Black Cat Immortality Plan

While Felicia Hardy trusts the Black Fox more than most people on Earth, going as far as to take her alter ego's moniker from him, she has just been played by her mentor. Fox had Felicia and her crew steal the tools necessary to barter with the Thieves Guild's patron saint and carry out the heist of a lifetime without telling her what they were ultimately trying to steal. This deal may lead to an epic falling out between Black Cat and Fox, further driving Felicia to be her own standalone figure and inadvertently save New York City from an extra-dimensional threat. Felicia has recently turned down the temptation to save the city and, even with immortality offered up to her, the Black Cat may save New York from her own mentor.

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