The Black Cat (Spider-Man: The Animated Series)
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| “The Black Cat” | |
|---|---|
| Spider-Man: The Animated Series episode | |
 |
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| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 44 |
| Written by | Marty Isenberg Robert N. Skir Sean Catherine Derek |
| Production no. | 313 |
| Original airdate | February 15, 1997. |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "The Cat" | "The Return of Kraven" |
| Spider-Man (1994 animated series) Episode List | |
The Black Cat is the title of part two of the two-part episode Spider-Man: The Animated Series that introduces the Black Cat.
[edit] Plot
The episode begins with Spider-Man swinging through the night. It has been days since he last saw Felicia and her mother. Meanwhile, a mysterious figure breaks into a jewelery store and when the alarm is triggered, Spider-Man hears the alarm. When he arrives on the roof of the store, he is attacked by the mysterious young woman. The young woman is soon wrapped up in Spidey's restraining webs. Afterward, Spider-Man asks her to tell him her name. She introduces herself as the Black Cat. She suddenly rips off Spider-Man's webbing with the claws on her fingers and triggers a canister of knock-out gas, which renders Spider-Man unconscious. Suddenly, she hears store guards banging on the roof doors. She then jumps off the roof. Spider-Man wakes up, and the guards then bust through the door, and Spider-Man just jumps off the roof and swings off. The guards see him leave and believe it was Spider-Man on the roof.
Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have located Spider-Man, and one of them tells Nick Fury about this. Fury demands that they get the hero. The General then states that he wants to know Spider-Man's connections and whether he wants the secret formula that created Captain America. At the same time, in the Kingpin's tower, the Black Cat comes and she asks how everything is going. The Cat then throws the bag full of jewels to the crime lord. Then the Black Cat turns back into Felicia Hardy, removing the mask as well. Kingpin finds it brilliant for a built-in ability to hide an identity. And Felicia says it also hides the shame she feels to be carrying out the Kingpin's wicked crimes. Kingpin tells her as long as he keeps her father hostage, the Black Cat will do what the crime lord tells her to do.
Spider-Man then arrives to Mrs. Hardy as she is drinking coffee or tea and after he humorously says, "Nice view", Anastasia asks in anger on how dare he would come here and doesn't listen to Spider-Man. But anyway, Spider-Man gives in a turned off spider tracer and tells her to press the center of the tracer to activate it and leaves.
Back in the Kingpin's building, as Felicia is sleeping, Hardesky wakes her up and tells her that it's time to go. But as they do, Felicia says that they're finally glad they're escaping here. But Hardesky's reply is that he's not going and only Felicia will go. Felicia pleads she won't go anywhere without him but Hardesky ignores it and tells her to turn back to a superhuman. She puts the mask back on and turns back into the Black Cat and escapes through the vents.
Later, Felicia, returned to her normal clothes, also returned to her mother and says she saw her father. Anastasia is surprised by that news. Felicia says she wants to save him but she needs help. Anastasia takes out the spider tracer Spider-Man gave her and says that someone had already volunteered to help. Felicia grabs the tracer and says in cheerfulness that she knew "he" wouldn't let her down. Then she tells her mother to not worry and they'll do everything to get Hardesky back.
Later, Spider-Man had gets the spider tracer's place on a rooftop. Then the Black Cat appears and tells him that she wants Spider-Man's help to save John Hardesky and says that Hardesky made her the super soldier she is. But before she can continue, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, on flying bikes, attack and try to shoot at both supers with wax. While the Black Cat successfully flees, Spider-Man's right foot is stuck in wax and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents close in to unmask him. But then the Cat stops them by kicking them all. Then she gets to Spider-Man, and they flee. Then, Spider-Man and the Black Cat agree on saving Hardesky.
Later, back at the Kingpin's building, Hardesky, dressed up in his Cat uniform, tries to make a run for it out of the fortress but triggers the alarm and Kingpin and his men to surround him and stop him. The crime lord says he does not like surprises and takes him back to his holding cell where they find that the Black Cat is there. The Kingpin then says that the formula is completed and he has no need for either of them. He then tells his guards to to kill them and tells Landon to make more super soldier serum to make an army of super soldiers. Later, Landon returns to his lab but finds that Hardesky, dressed in his Cat uniform, is trying to erase the formula. Landon says that he was just taken away. As Landon tries to stop him, Hardesky immediately erases the formula after avoiding the scientist.
The guards then surround the Black Cat and the "Cat" to have them killed. The Black Cat's companion rips up his Cat uniform, revealing himself to be Spider-Man. A fight is then pursued. Then S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on flying bikes then surround the Kingpin's plane and one of the agents tells Nick Fury through a screen that the plane that attacked S.H.I.E.L.D. has now appeared. Fury asks if they found Hardesky and the agent's answer is that they haven't. But the good news is they managed to find Spider-Man and the Black Cat. Fury then demands for every agent to shoot down the plane.
The Black Cat says that the plane is running out of gas and she's aiming it towards the river. "Time to abandon ship," the Black Cat says. All of the Kingpin's people and Spider-Man and Black Cat jump off and land towards the ground whereas the plane crashed and exploded in the river.
Later, Hardesky is saying his farewells to his wife, Mrs. Anastasia Hardy, and her daughter, Felicia. They try to have him stay but he says that he knows too much and he has to go. He says he loves them all and asks Spider-Man, sitting at a window, if he's ready. Spider-Man replies he is. Hardesky grabs onto Spider-Man behind him and the hero swings off with Hardesky. Felicia and her mother watch in sadness as the man in their lives is gone from them for good this time.
Spider-Man asks, as he's swinging with Hardesky, if he actually wants to do this. Hardesky says he doesn't want to but he has to because he has a secret, which is the super soldier formula, which can destroy the world. Spider-Man and Hardesky land on a roof and hands over the pen Nick Fury gave to J. Jonah Jameson. Hardesky taps on it and begs that Spider-Man would never tell Felicia or her mother where he is. Spider-Man promises he won't. And Hardesky tells the hero not to worry about him. Spider-Man then swings off as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrive and he lets them arrest him.
[edit] Cast
- Christopher Daniel Barnes — Spider-Man/Peter Parker
- Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. — Doctor Octopus
- Jack Angel — Nick Fury
- John Phillip Law — The Cat
- Nita Talbot — Anastasia Hardy
- Rachael Davies — Agent X
- Jennifer Hale — Felicia Hardy/The Black Cat
[edit] Trivia
- This is the last appearance of John Hardesky.
- In the comics, Spider-Man and the Black Cat know each others' secret identities whereas in the series, they never find out who they are.
- This episode marks the first appearance of the Black Cat.
- This episode marks the shortest appearance of Dr. Octopus.
