Spoilers for Black Cat (Volume One, Number Three) ahead!
The Black Cat is a master thief with the ability to manipulate probability, and in Black Cat volume one, issue three, readers learn this ability also makes her immune to magic.
Created by Marv Wolfman and Dave Cockrum, Black Cat first appeared in 1979’s Amazing Spider-Man #194, as a villain of Spider-Man’s. Born Felicia Hardy, Black Cat is an expert burglar and thief, with the subconscious ability to alter probability fields, giving the illusion of “bad luck” to anyone who crossed her path. Originally a villain, Black Cat would eventually become an anti-heroine and an occasional love interest for Spider-Man. In 2019, writer Jed MacKay, artist Travel Foreman, and colorist Brian Reber launched a new, ongoing Black Cat monthly, and in the early issues, readers make a surprising discovery about Black Cat’s powers.
Black Cat was able to defeat Xander and steal the deed from under Doctor Strange’s nose.
Given the sheer number of magic-based characters in the Marvel Universe, a magic-negating power such as Black Cat’s would give her a huge advantage. Xander is a powerful sorcerer, and Black Cat was able to undo his magic—would she able to use this power on even more powerful sorcerers, such as Doctor Strange or the Ancient One? It is a clever use of her probability-altering powers as well.
This revelation about Black Cat would also set the tone for both volumes of her book, as she would run afoul of Doctor Strange, and magic in general, several more times. The Black Cat’s probability-altering powers have helped make her one of Marvel’s premiere thieves, but it has also given her the ability to resist magical attacks.
