Peter Parker has a lot of people who matter to him deeply in his dual life as Spider-Man. In his civilian life as Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson and Aunt May are naturally at the top of that list. As Spider-Man, he's very close with heroes like Daredevil and the Fantastic Four. But one person that crosses the line into both sides of his life is the Black Cat. Felicia Hardy has played the part of a partner in crime and his girlfriend, trusted to the point that she is one of the few people that knows his secret identity. But their relationship can be a toxic one that threatens to destroy both their lives if left unchecked.

10 TOXIC: Black Cat Prefers Spider-Man

The reality is that Black Cat fell for Spider-Man before she knew Peter Parker existed. As such, the bulk of her feelings are directed towards Spider-Man. She tolerates Peter Parker at best, often wondering why he even needs to exist. Black Cat honestly does not understand why he spends time as Peter Parker when he could be Spider-Man all the time. Many comic book fans have asked themselves the same question. When they were dating, Peter Parker actually caused problems in Spider-Man and Black Cat's relationship. It's a big reason why they never worked out.

9 GREAT TOGETHER: They Know Each Other's Biggest Secrets

 

Being a costumed hero or villain makes finding romance incredibly difficult. If you try to make it work with a civilian, you have to trust them enough to reveal your double life to them and hope that they are willing to make it work. The best case scenario is to be in a relationship with a fellow costumed-type.

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Black Cat and Spider-Man knew each  other's secret identities and knew the respective risks of their chosen lives. While they still cared about each other and worried about the other person's safety, they also understood why they did what they did. It's nice not to have to explain that.

8 TOXIC: Black Cat's Recidivism

As many times as she left her life of crime behind for Spider-Man, she also went back to that same life of crime. As good a hero as she is, she's honestly a better burglar, with a combination of innate skill and training backing her up. Black Cat is one of the best in the business. She does use those skills to help Spider-Man but she still uses them to help herself. It's hard to blame her. When you have such a specific skill set and a passion for what you do, it's hard to leave that behind. But for someone as principled and morally inflexible as Spider-Man to the point of being insufferable, a relationship with a career criminal is a huge problem.

7 GREAT TOGETHER: A Good Influence

 

When they first met, Black Cat was following in her father's footsteps as a career criminal and cat burglar. Being in a relationship with Spider-Man helped her find a way off of that path. She tried to go straight and become a hero, using her skills and abilities for good. Black Cat would follow Spider-Man into battle, standing beside him at some of his most difficult moments.

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Because of her association with the Web Slinger, she managed to find a path that led her to be one of New York's most prominent heroes. Black Cat chose the side of the angels. Some of the time.

6 TOXIC: Spider-Judgement

Spider-Man has a lot of great qualities as a man and as a hero. He is loyal, principled and has a strong moral compass. He's also a little judgmental. Spider-Man has a tendency to be a little judgmental of other people, particularly Black Cat and her life as a thief. Even when she tried to move on from that life for Parker, it always seemed like he couldn't quite let her past go. His disapproval was always lurking in the background of their early romance, something Black Cat picked up on and worked extra hard to diffuse. It's hard to grow and change your life if you're not sure your partner truly accepts you.

5 GREAT TOGETHER: Backup

In battle and in life, Spider-Man and Black Cat have each other's backs. When Spider-Man needs help in the field, Black Cat comes to his aide, whether she's playing the part of hero or villain at the time. The same is true of Spider-Man. When Felicia is in trouble, like being framed for a crime she didn't commit, Parker marshals whatever resources he has available to help her.

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He may not always approve of her life but Spider-Man will always be there to help. The opposite is true for the Black Cat, who will ultimately support Spider-Man's play in most, if not all, situations.

4 TOXIC: Bad Luck Cat

Black Cat, Spider-Man and Daredevil from The Evil That Men Do

 

Worried about keeping up with her boyfriend's powers, Black Cat went to Kingpin in an attempt to get actual super powers. Her efforts were successful and Black Cat got actual bad luck powers that impacted her adversaries. Unfortunately, those powers also impacted Spider-Man, which was Kingpin's grand plan. The nature of their relationship made Black Cat feel inadequate. Because of that, she made a bad decision that endangered her partner in life and as a hero. Any relationship that pushes someone to seek help from one of Marvel's greatest villains has issues.

3 GREAT TOGETHER: Personal Sacrifice

The bond between Black Cat and Spider-Man is strong, even when it seems like it isn't. They have both made sacrifices for each other to make their relationship work, particularly Black Cat. She has put her life and her body on the line more than once, knocking on death's door to do what was right and help Spider-Man.

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For his part, Spider-Man has saved her life more than once. At one point, he had to get between Black Cat and Sabretooth, and no one wants to face down Sabretooth if they don't have to. To work in the field as a team requires trust and sacrifice. Black Cat and Spider-Man make sacrifices for each other.

2 TOXIC: Obsessing Over Peter

When a relationship doesn't work out, it's important to move on. Unfortunately, Black Cat has had problems with that when it comes to Spider-Man. After abusing her knowledge of Parker's secret identity, Black Cat disappeared for a while. When she came back, she found out that Spider-Man and Mary Jane were married. Instead of moving on, Black Cat started stalking and harassing the couple, physically threatening Mary Jane at one point. Black Cat in her civilian identity as Felicia Hardy even started dating Flash Thompson to torment Peter even more.

1 GREAT TOGETHER: Moving On As A Team

Once Black Cat was able to move on from her issues with Peter and Mary Jane, she became close friends with both of them. When either of them needs help, she's there for the couple. At one point, Spider-Man was captured by a villain and Mary Jane went to Black Cat for help in rescuing him. Spider-Man and Black Cat have continued to have an on again, off again relationship over the years, even when they're on opposite sides of the hero versus criminal line. Their connection is one that never seems to fade, no matter what point they're at in their individual lives.

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