Since the Age of Krakoa ended, Marvel Comics has struggled to find a solid direction for the X-Men. While X-Men and Uncanny X-Men have gone back to focusing on two separate teams of mutants, crossovers have received mixed reviews, and the third ongoing title, Exceptional X-Men, was cancelled after thirteen issues.
Now, it appears the X-Men's world is set to receive an unexpected addition in the form of Felicia Hardy, a.k.a. Black Cat. AIPT has revealed that November's Black Cat #17 will seemingly reveal that the longtime Spider-Man supporting character is a mutant.
This feels a lot like what happened to Ms. Marvel, and comes amid continued rumours that Peter Parker will eventually be revealed as a mutant in the MCU. If Black Cat is a mutant and a member of the X-Men, then we can potentially expect her to get the Jean Grey treatment in the Spider-Man: Brand New Day sequel.
"Meet the newest mutant...Felicia Hardy?!" reads the official description for Black Cat #17. "Witness Felicia Hardy’s own second genesis — as the newest member of the X-Men! Felicia’s encounter with Emma Frost left her changed. Shall we say...mutated?"
While this could be a misdirect or a psychic hallucination caused by the White Queen, it does look a lot like Black Cat is about to join the X-Men. She's even rocking a new costume, and this would be a way for Marvel Comics to explain Felicia's poorly defined powers.
Black Cat's most distinctive ability is her "bad luck" power, also known as probability manipulation. She can subconsciously alter probability around herself, causing unlikely misfortunes to befall her opponents. This can result in weapons malfunctioning, enemies tripping or seemingly random accidents occurring at crucial moments.
The exact nature of this power has changed over the years. It's been tied to cybernetic enhancements and magical abilities, but Felicia being a mutant will help straighten out her conflicting past. A longtime love interest of Spider-Man, recent years have also seen Black Cat established as bisexual.
We'll have to wait and see what the future holds in store for Black Cat and her potential mutant status. Either way, fans are bound to have something to say about this latest shakeup.
Check out this first look at Black Cat #17 below and stay tuned for updates as we have them.
BLACK CAT #17
Written by G. WILLOW WILSON
Art by ANDRÉS GENOLET
Cover by GLEB MELNIKOV
On Sale 12/9