In the MCU, Peter Parker has been very loyal to his girlfriend Michelle Jones, aka, MJ. Spider-Man: No Way Home further cements their love, with the two staying by each other's side as they try to make sense of the bizarre occurrences that are a result of Doctor Strange cracking open the multiverse.
On the page, things are very different because Michelle Jones is named Mary Jane and she has to constantly contend with Felicia Hardy, aka, Black Cat for Peter's heart. Their rivalry has mostly been a friendly one, though it's been littered with ugly moments from time to time. Since Felicia is yet to appear in the MCU, only comic fans know the details about her rivalry with Mary Jane.
Felicia Once Dated Flash Thompson To Make Peter Jealous
In The Amazing Spider-Man #329, Felicia returns to New York from Paris to learn that Peter has fallen in love with Mary Jane. This makes her jealous so she seduces Peter's best friend, Flash Thompson, resulting in what could qualify as one of the strangest romances in Spider-Man comics.
Felica only has herself to blame for the new developments since she had double-crossed Peter and The Foreigner before relocating to Paris. As forgiving as Peter is, there are some things he won't stand. Still, she can't help but be envious because she sincerely loves Peter. Readers are used to hating her but here, they are left with no choice but to sympathize with her as she watches Peter and Mary Jane's love blossom.
Felicia Willingly Became Peter And Mary's Close Friend
After giving up on trying to win Peter's heart, Felicia begins to admire just how well Mary Jane is taking care of him. She proposes a friendship, which Peter and Mary agree to in The Amazing Spider-Man #369. However, that doesn't last because she becomes furious at Peter for unmasking himself.
Felicia clearly adopts the "If you can't beat them, join them" policy when dealing with the lovebirds. Since she desperately wants to be in Peter's life, she figures the only way she can do so is by getting close to him and Mary. Her anger is understandable since she believes she shared a bond with Peter by being one of the few people who knew about his identity.
Mary Jane And Felicia Were Famous Musicians
The Felicia version of Earth-65 is a famous musician in Spider-Gwen #5. She is also French and has a band named Black Cats. When she comes to perform in New York, Mary Jane, who is an American pop star, opens for her.
The take is a brilliant one because the two interact without Peter's involvement. In fact, Peter is hardly in the issue, with Spider-Woman being the key hero. The keener focus on the two female characters is refreshing because they are granted more social power than is ordinarily the case in issues where they are fighting for Peter's heart.
Mary Jane Approached Felicia To Save Spider-Man From Doc Tramma
Mary Jane becomes worried about Peter's status when he gets captured by Doc Tramma in Web Of Spider-Man vol. 2 #11. Though she is not on speaking terms with Felicia, she approaches her, and together, they manage to save Peter. They then agree to become friends.
The newfound friendship is not only beneficial to Mary and Felicia but to Peter too since Felicia is able to help him when he labors to retrieve the vibranium that Hogbolin stole for Kingpin. The good-hearted Peter also returns the favor by hiring Daredevil to prove Felicia's innocence when she gets accused of stealing a Holographic Projector belonging to Horizon Labs.
Felicia Vowed To Not Compete With Mary Jane And Moved On To Wolverine
Marvel Mangaverse: Spider-Man Vol 1 1 has one of the wildest alternate realities in Marvel comics and in it, Felicia becomes cybernetically enhanced when Kingpin reconstructs her body. Believing that Peter won't love her anymore, she begins dating Wolverine. who she feels she has a lot more in common with.
Felicia is wise to move on as it's hard to imagine Peter ever dating a cyborg. Though he has special abilities, he prefers to stay as human as possible. Felicia does indeed have a lot in common with Wolverine. The cybernetically enhanced version of her even has the claws, though hers grow directly from the nails.
Felicia Once Didn't Care About Peter And Mary Jane's Relationship
In most comic issues about the web-slinger, Felicia has always had eyes on Peter but in Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #17, she doesn't care about the two. She is a high school student who only happens to be interested in Peter's friend, Flash Thompson.
The particular comic issue is meant to emphasize Peter's love for Mary Jane hence it makes sense for Felicia not to interfere. The issue also focuses on the teenage female characters rather than Peter, therefore it's important for Mary Jane and Felicia to be granted their own distinct love stories.
Felicia Was Mary Jane's Pet Cat
Strange things happen in Spider-Man: Fairy Tales #1, which is part of the larger Marvel Fairy Tales. In it, Mary Jane has a black cat named Felicia.
The development might be confusing to some but the Marvel Fairy Tales are actually some of the darkest adaptations of common folk tales. The Mary Jane and Felicia pet dynamic is based on "The Little Red Riding Hood." It's a creative take meant to show that Mary Jane not only adores Felicia but is also more likely to win Peter's heart than her.
Peter Once Broke Up With Mary Jane And Married Felicia
Peter becomes rather cruel to Mary Jane in the What If? anthology storyline. When Mary Jane becomes badly injured after Alistair Smythe's attack, Peter figures he won't be able to look after her so he dumps her and marries Felicia.
While it's mean for Peter to abandon Mary Jane because of her health condition, his relationship with Felicia ends up being the best thing for his superhero career. Together, they manage to solve multiple crimes. Their romance is further solidified by grief as Felicia ends up getting killed by Paladin.
Felicia Was The First Person Spider-Man Willingly Revealed His Identity To
Peter and Felicia's relationship begins in Spectacular Spider-Man #74 and he loves her so much that he willingly reveals his identity to her. Interestingly, Mary Jane isn't mad when she learns that Peter told Felicia.
It's easy to see why Peter gets carried away whenever he is dating Felicia. She is more adventurous and persuasive, often making him lose his guard. Mary Jane, on the other hand, is very humble and understanding, traits that Peter loves a lot because he has had to deal with brutal people ever since he acquired his powers.
They Once Fought Physically
In The Sensational Spider-Man vol. 2, #27, Felicia and Mary Jane actually get physical. All this happens because of Felicia's jealousy as she believes Peter's heart belongs to her.
Felicia never has a problem with getting violent. She has done so multiple times on the streets therefore it isn't too baffling to see her lose her mind. Mary Jane tends to be more peaceful and she only fights Felicia to defend herself against harm. Nonetheless, it is sad watching the rivalry between the two trickling to violence.