While the black-and-red Dark Suit awarded at the end of Black Cat’s side quest in Marvel's Spider-Man's Blitz power-granting Velocity Suit, were created exclusively for the game. A few of these alternate Marvel’s Spider-Man costumes can be unlocked by collecting a certain amount of Challenge Tokens, while others are awarded after completing a specific side quest.
An example of the latter is the Dark Suit, a stealthy ensemble given to players at the end of the "Cat’s Cradle" quest in Marvel’s Spider-Man. This side story sees the return of Spidey’s longtime love interest and occasional crime-fighting partner Felicia Hardy, better known as the Black Cat. While Black Cat doesn’t physically appear during this questline, Peter has to locate the many stakeout locations she has left scattered throughout Marvel’s Spider-Man’s open-world version of New York City. Once Spidey collects all the black cat dolls left at these stakeouts, he can track Felicia down to her hidden lair under an old train depot. By the time he gets there, Black Cat is gone, with an audio recording revealing that the dolls were part of a plan to help her retrieve her gear for a major heist. As a token of goodwill, Black Cat leaves Peter the Dark Suit, which doesn’t have any special powers like other Marvel’s Spider-Man costumes. Felicia would then make a physical appearance in the Marvel’s Spider-Man: City That Never Sleeps DLC, where she s forces with Spider-Man to deal with Hammerhead.
The Dark Suit from Marvel’s Spider-Man might be loosely based on the comics’ black-and-red Stealth Suit, which was featured in the pages of 2016’s Spider-Man/Deadpool #8. This team-up saw Spider-Man and Deadpool team up to battle Wade Wilson’s old associate Jack Hammer, who had recently resurfaced as Patient Zero. Hammer was resurrected by the demon Mephisto as part of a plot to steal Peter Parker’s soul, and he sought vengeance against Spider-Man and Deadpool. To help counter Patient Zero and his mutant Manstrosities, Peter used his resources at Parker Industries to create a new Stealth Suit. Just like the Dark Suit that would later appear in Marvel’s Spider-Man, this outfit was mostly black, with red lenses and a red spider emblem on the chest. However, this suit could also turn invisible and launch anti-metal Spider-Tracers, which certainly came in handy against Patient Zero.
Marvel’s Spider-Man’s Dark Suit Could Be Inspired By Comics
Interestingly enough, the Stealth Suit used in Spider-Man/Deadpool #8 is one of several iterations of the outfit to appear in the comics. The first was created by Peter to battle the Hobgoblin during the Big Time storyline in 2010, and this suit was also featured in Marvel’s Spider-Man. Peter’s clone Kaine would later take this suit for himself, becoming the red-and-black themed Scarlet Spider to battle the Spider-Queen. Lastly, when Otto Octavius took control of Peter’s body and became the Superior Spider-Man, he crafted a new Stealth Suit identical to the first.
Insomniac’s affection for the Spider-Man comics shines throughout Marvel’s Spider-Man in its gameplay, plot, and alternate costumes that draw inspiration from some of the Web-Slinger’s most memorable stories. Even though the Dark Suit was created specifically for Marvel’s Spider-Man, its design still calls back to the time that Spidey teamed up with Deadpool to take down an undead criminal - something fans probably wouldn’t expect of a gift from Peter’s ex-girlfriend.