WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Black Cat Annual #1 by Jed MacKay, Joey Vazquez, Juan Gedeon, Natacha Bustos, Brian Reber and Ferran Delgado, on sale Wednesday, Nov. 13.
Wedding bells on in the future for the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. The web-slinger has had many women in his life that he's cared for, though he always puts them in danger by just being associated with them. Spider-Man has lost a girlfriend in the heat of battle against one of his greatest enemies, lost an entire marriage thanks to the machinations of the devil and dealt with the regular run-of-the-mill bad luck that comes with romance.
So after all of these hard times, who could convince Spider-Man to put a ring on it and walk down the aisle? Only his one ex-girlfriend with Lady Luck on her side: Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat.
Black Cat is the rare love interest who was only interested in dating Spider-Man and not learning who the man is behind the mask. We can confidently say Felicia Hardy only had eyes for Spider-Man's oversized lens, which was part of the turn-on for her. Dating Spider-Man was exciting for Black Cat; the odds of her being attracted to the science geek Peter Parker were slim to none.
Nevertheless, Spider-Man and Black Cat walk down the aisle of matrimony in a preview of Black Cat Annual #1. They even wear civilian clothing, although the preview art reveals their faces are covered by white sheets. The reason for their marriage comes down to the evil crime family known as the Maggia, and their "Wedding of the Martyrs."
The way Black Cat explains it, "When two families have beef, bad blood bordering on war, then the martyrs are wed." A prince or princess from each family are forced into an arranged marriage, and after they say "I do," are led into a secret room where the newlyweds have to fight each other to the death to settle their family differences. The Maggia definitely have their own form of "consummating the marriage."
While the preview of Black Cat Annual #2 doesn't reveal why Spider-Man and Black Cat have gone undercover in the Maggia, it is most likely to halt some nefarious scheme by the crime families. Also, whatever the reason has to do with the duo infiltrating the secret Maggia catacombs, which of course are filled with death traps. After all, you can't safeguard your prized stolen possessions without laying some traps for intruders.
Spider-Man and Black Cat may now be husband and wife -- at least as far as Maggia law is concerned -- but they will need to put their new marriage to the test if they hope to escape with their lives.