WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Black Cat #8, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat, might best be known her burglary skills and toxic relationship with Spider-Man, but she has recently become obsessed with hunting down a very different kind of price. A recent vision has pushed Felica to become almost solely dedicated to claiming the power of the Infinity Stones for herself. Unfortunately, that's much easier said than done, even if she did just come into possession of the most dangerous of them all in Jed MacKay, C. F. Villa, Brian Reber, and Ferran Delgado's Black Cat #8.
When Black Cat was in possession of an Asgardian upgrade during King in Black, she was shown a glimpse of herself wielding the full might of the Infinity Gauntlet, and she has already begun her hunt for its components. With some help from her fellow thieves Bruno and Doctor Korpse, Felicia has no problem breaking into the warehouse where her prize awaits. The sudden appearance of Nick Fury Jr. puts a bit of a damper on things, but Black Cat and her team are more prepared than the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent could have possibly expected. Before long they've lost their superspy tail and made off with the first piece of the puzzle in hand. Claiming the Reality Stone is an impressive feat, but getting it out of its current host may prove much more difficult.
When Ripley Ryan first burst on the scene as the high-flying superhero Star, she was a bright and shining force for good. However, it didn't take long for that facade to fall away and reveal the shell-shocked menace underneath. Thankfully, Ripley's time as a villain came to an end almost as quickly as it had begun, although an untimely demise would not be the end of her story. Shortly after her death, Ripley was somehow fused with the Reality Stone, and with it she became a powerful force for good once more during her time with the Thunderbolts.
Although she hasn't gotten completely used to her new abilities, Star has at least managed to make up for some of the harm she has caused with them. However, she doesn't look like she will be putting them to use any time soon, especially considering the unconscious state she is in when Felicia abducts her. With the power of the Reality Stone in hand, there is little doubt that Black Cat will be well on her way towards completing her goals granted she can come up with a way to extract the stone from Star.
Hopefully, Star won't be too much of an obstacle for Black Cat to overcome. Then again, it's hard to imagine that she wouldn't be with someone actively trying to take away the source of her powers. The fact that no one is sure why the Reality Stone chose to bond with her in the first place could prove to be problematic as well, especially if the Stone decides that it doesn't want to part with its current human host.
With any luck, Felicia Hardy will be able to pull off yet another incredibly delicate heist without leaving any bodies behind... including her own.